In both the Bible and the Qur’an, Elisha (Ar. Alyasa) is a revered prophet. He was Elijah’s successor, an advisor to kings, and, by the power of God, a great worker of miracles. One of the greatest stories from his life, however, comes from 1 Kings 6, when the king of Aram (a region referring to modern-day Syria) becomes frustrated when his troops cannot catch their opponent, Israel’s king and army. As his military intelligence consistently fails, he becomes “greatly perturbed” and asks his officers, “Now tell me who among us sides with the king of Israel?” (v. 11).
The officers reply, “It is Elisha, the prophet in Israel, who tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedchamber” (v. 12). Singlehandedly, Elisha’s relationship with God is impacting the entire war. Something to think about in a day of insurgencies, increased government intelligence gathering, and security alerts… but that’s a different point than what we want to see here.
So the king of Aram changes his strategy: he decides to attack Elisha directly, and gathers his army around the small town of Dothan where the prophet is staying. Early the next morning, Elisha’s servant goes outside, sees the array of soldiers and chariots, and comes back to Elisha with a frantic question: “Alas, master! What shall we do?” (v. 15). I always imagine Elisha holding an earthen clay cup of coffee as he delivers his calm reply: “Do not be afraid, there are more with us than there are with them” (v. 16). Then the Prophet prays that the servant’s eyes would be opened. In the next moment, the servant suddenly sees the angels and chariots of fire God has sent to protect them. As soon as the Arameans attack, Elisha prays and the entire army is struck with blindness. Then, probably on his second cup of coffee by now, Elisha walks out to the unseeing Arameans and says, “This is not the way, and this is not the city; follow me, and I will bring you to the man you seek” (v. 19). How many times have we needed to hear the words in the heat of battle… “This is not the way”? Promptly, Elisha leads them to their main enemy, the king of Israel.
When they arrive, God opens all of their eyes, and Israel’s king says, “Shall I kill them?” (v. 21). Elisha answered, “No, did you capture with your sword and your bow those whom you want to kill? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink; and let them go to their master” (v. 22). And so the king did as Elisha instructed–they shared a “great feast.”
But here’s my favorite part of the whole story. After the meal, the armies return to the king of Aram and, according to verse 23, “The Arameans no longer came raiding into the land of Israel.”
Think about the phrases in bold above. How much farther could we move toward peace if we realized we do not need to be afraid? What if we spent more time sharing meals than imagining violent retribution? And what if the toxin of warfare could be removed through a generous feast? Of course, the hand of God must be active–this story could not have occurred without his supernatural intervention. But what if a portion of our participation in His work required an open home and simple hospitality?
Surely, this too was one of Jesus’ preferred methods of bringing together people in conflict–how many times in the Gospel do we see him dining at the same table among representatives from multiple communities at conflict?
Let’s eat!
