Grace Notes // When We Were Kings Part 2
Week 8 // Vengeance For Peace
Written by Keli Miller
We began working our way through the books of 1st & 2nd Kings way back in September. A constant theme throughout this series has been the rule and reign of God and the Israelites’ failing to understand.
War and violence have plagued both Judah and Israel. In Sunday’s text we see this yet again between Aram and Israel - two countries that have a long history of waging war against each other. This time though we see a different outcome, not one of bloodshed but one of radical hospitality.
“So he prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel’s territory.” - 2 Kings 6:23
Elisha listened to the voice of God and instead of killing this entire army who was after him, served them with a great feast. He blessed his enemies. I wonder what the Aram army thought when they sat down for the feast? Did they trust the food that they were eating or fearful of its motives? A response like this is not of this world.
All throughout the New Testament we see Jesus teaching about loving our enemies, both through words and deeds.
This past Sunday, we remembered an important day in the Lenten Season, Palm Sunday. The day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem, and everyone gathered on the streets to greet him, crying out, “Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest! The original Hebrew can also be translated to mean “Save us.” Jesus’ followers were desperate for a new kingdom, one that would bring total freedom from Rome. They were sure that Jesus would bring them this victory. And in response to these cries, Jesus weeps.
“ If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace- but now it is hidden from your eyes.” - Jesus, Luke 19:42
Just like Elisha’s servant, Aram’s army, and the palm branch waving followers of Jesus, we too are often blind to what will bring us the most peace. We read God’s word through the broken lens of the world that we live in. Jesus shows us a different way, a better way. His exact words in the Sermon On the Mount, describe a kingdom where we are to love our enemies and pray for them to be blessed. Jesus’ response to his enemies time and time again is one of respect, honor, and love. We see him heal a Roman guard on the night he was captured, and later see him cry out asking for forgiveness for his enemies as he hangs on the cross. To even his closest disciples this likely seemed foolish and confusing. In the place of vengeance he brought forgiveness. In place of punishment, grace.
Pastor Pete closed his message with a beautiful liturgy - a prayer for God to remove our own blindness, open our eyes to the ways of his Kingdom, and make us peacemakers here on earth, seeing all as His children. I’ve included it here for us to meditate on throughout the week.
O God, you who have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth,Make us instruments of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let us sow love;
Where there is death, life;
Where there is violence, nonviolence.
O Divine Master, move us toward peaceableness.
Peaceableness that does not want to hurt or to kill.
Move us toward forgiveness,
That we may escape the trap of revenge and vengeance.
Empower us to turn our weapons to acts of mercy,
To turn our missiles to gestures of friendship,
To turn our bombs into policies of reconciliation.
Lord Jesus, our King, move us from blindness to sight,
To see fully your truth;
To grasp the Alternative Way of your Kingdom.
We confess we have placed those who are different
Into the category of “the enemy.”
Lead us, we pray, into your way of enemy-love.
Lead us into your way of active peace and nonviolence.
Lead us until there are no more enemies,
And all that remains is our sisters, our brothers.
Amen.
In The Word
2 Kings 6:8-23
Matthew 5: 38-48
Luke 19:28-44
Processing
How can we be peacemakers?
Who would you identify as an enemy?