2 kings 5-6

Read 2 Kings 5-6 at Bible Gateway.

In today’s reading, YHVH, Creator of heaven and earth, pours out mercy and grace to the Syrians, the enemies of Israel. He healed Namaan, the commander of the Syrian army, of leprosy, and when the king of Syria sent an army to surround Elisha and take him captive to Syria, God had Elisha bring them to the king of Israel instead, to feast them and send them home unharmed!

We just read in Luke a few days ago:

“But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.” Luk 6:35-36

The Most High is the God of the Old Testament. It is commonly heard that the God of the Old Testament is vengeful, wrathful, judgmental, and angry. Sometimes we hear Christians say, “God isn’t angry any more.” The implication being, that the God of the New Testament is not angry, but is the God of love, while the God of the Old Testament is vengeful, wrathful, judgmental, and angry.

Beloved, this is simply not true at all. The God of the Old Testament is not vengeful, wrathful, judgmental, and angry, but showers His love and grace on those who do not deserve it, just as He has done in Yeshua.

The Most High loves His enemies and does good to those who hate Him. The Most High blesses those who curse Him, and lends to those who cannot repay Him again. Yeshua asked us to do these things as sons of the Most High, to do what we see our Father doing. And indeed today we are seeing, in the Old Testament, God being kind to the unthankful and evil, and loving Israel’s enemies the Syrians.

The famine that came upon Samaria, because it was besieged by the Syrians, and no goods or food could go in or out of the city, is a fulfillment of prophecy. Moses pronounced a curse upon Israel if they forsook the LORD  and were not careful to observe all the words of the Torah to fear the glorious and awesome name of YHVH:

“They shall besiege you at all your gates until your high and fortified walls, in which you trust, come down throughout all your land; and they shall besiege you at all your gates throughout all your land which the LORD your God has given you. You shall eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and your daughters whom the LORD your God has given you, in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you.” Deu 28:52-53

The purpose of this calamity, is to cause us to reflect on our ways, realize we have forsaken the LORD our God and have not obeyed His word, and repent, and return our hearts to Him, and obey His voice, so that the LORD may restore our children and our inheritance to us (Deu 30:1-6).

He is ever seeking to do us good!