Influencers Weekly Devotional

What Kind of Man Will You Be? by

Rocky Fleming

“As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” So the LORD opened their eyes and they saw, and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. As soon as the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “My father, shall I strike them down? Shall I strike them down?” He answered, “You shall not strike them down. Would you strike down those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.” So he prepared for them a great feast, and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the Syrians did not come again on raids into the land of Israel.” (2 Kings 6:20-23 ESV)

Men, it has been said that when God declared to King David,You are a man after My own heart,He was speaking directly about a merciful act that David had given when he had the power of life or death over another man. David acted with mercy, and God told him in essence, “That is how I would do it. Way to go David!” Have you ever wanted to hear God say the same to you? If so, it will be because you went against your natural instincts to get even or take advantage of someone you had leverage over, but didn’t do so because you wanted to reflect the heart of Christ. This was the case with Elisha, the Prophet, in the passage above. Let’s set the stage so you can understand how Elisha handled the situation, and the blessing that came out of it. I think we can all learn an important lesson: I ask you to spend a little time on this passage by reading it in context from 2 Kings 6: 8-23. You will note that the king of Syria had put Elisha on his hit list to be removed. It seems that the Prophet knew everything the king was attempting to do with his laying in wait for the king of Israel in order to capture or kill him. Elisha had warned the king of Israel and saved him several times from this and other attempts. When the king of Syria understood what was happening, he sent an army of his soldiers to sneak in at dark, surround Elisha’s house, and take care of him the next morning. The story continues with the verses above. Now that you understand the background, you can better understand the amazing response of Elisha. God had made the soldiers blind, and Elisha guided them to the city of Samaria. He put them in the heart of their enemy, surrounded by soldiers where they were totally vulnerable, and then He opened their eyes. Can you imagine the surprise they had in seeing where they were, and who had led them there? I am amazed. Hollywood couldn’t write this script any better, as good as they are at putting their underdog on top after being beaten down by bullies, or bad breaks in life. We all loved Karate Kid and the Rocky movies, and many like them, for the hero came out on top in the end. We cheered at these fictional stories, but this one is not fiction. It really happened. But, what does it mean to come out on top, and to finish well or to finish poorly when given a similar opportunity? It depends on how well you can handle your success. Along with the delivery of the soldiers into the hands of Elisha’s protector in Samaria, there is another amazing thing to me that I read in this encounter, and that is the way Elisha handled his success. Look what he did. He had every justification for killing the ones who were out to kill him. He didn’t even have to get his hands bloody, for the king of Israel would have done the job for him. But, instead Elisha interceded on behalf of the men who were out to kill him. He saved their lives. But that is not all. He wanted them fed. Now, there is not a one of us who would not want to extract some kind of pain and pleasure out of the situation, if someone had done what these enemy soldiers tried to do. We would at least make them miserable for a while, and allow them to go hungry until they got the point. Not Elisha. He had them fed. Now I take it the king got the point of Elisha’s mercy, for he went overboard and gave the enemy soldiers a feast, not just a minimal meal. This account reminds me so much of the way Jesus has interceded for His people, which includes me. He not only didn’t do what I deserve and what He could do, by ending a miserable, unworthy life like mine. He forgave me, and invited me to His wedding feast. He prepared a banquet before me in the presence of my enemies (sounds like Psalms 23 to me), and led me out of the Valley of the Shadow of Death and into His family. Elisha “done good” and I believe in this moment in time he would have been declared a man after God’s own heart, as well. There is a postscript to this story. When the soldiers returned home and told their king how they had been treated, he no longer sent raiding parties into Israel. The act of mercy by Elisha created a response of peace by the enemy’s king. There is so much truth being conveyed in this story, if we will read between the lines, and understand that a man after God’s own heart has to be able to do things the way God does them rather than the way the world, popular opinions, or instincts guide him. Elisha and this story is a good example. Back to you and me: How would you have handled this situation if you were in Elisha’s sandals? Maybe you would like to think you could see it his way, and act accordingly. But the truth is, if you are not looking through your everyday, ordinary, uneventful events with the perspective to be merciful and kind to the people in those places, you may never be invited to the big league events such as the one that Elisha had. You see, it is in those everyday, ordinary, uneventful events that your training in righteousness is taking place. This training most often occurs in the home, as you are challenged to be a godly husband who will love his wife as Christ loves you, in spite of the way she is acting. It is to love your children in such a way that they see Christ behind those eyes, instead of a legalistic Pharisee who is heavy on the law but light on grace. It is being a man after God’s own heart even with an irritable boss, or a difficult employee, or the awful neighbor next door. There may be a time when these people are at your mercy just like Elisha’s enemy, and it will say a lot about your character and whether you are really a man after God’s own heart, by the way you take advantage of the situation. What will it be? What kind of man will you be in this situation? If you are like me, I can spot a small person with a little power very easily, and I don’t mean small in stature. These “small people” leverage what power they have over someone, and make them squirm just because they can, and it makes them feel better about being a small person. What if Christ did that to you and me? He doesn’t, and He deserves that we pass this kind of mercy on to those people who come into our life and need a clear example of what a man after God’s own heart looks like. So I ask you again. What kind of man will you be? Download file