Preschool
The Lord is the strength of my life. Psalm 27:1
Good for Evil
Memory Verses
Primary
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Psalm 27:1
Junior
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1
Background Scripture: 2 Kings 6:1–23
Lesson Scripture: 2 Kings 6:11–23
Introduction
To give good for evil is contrary to human nature but so essential for a child of God. The story of our lesson, as well as the record of the lives of Joseph and David, shows us that this principle has always been God’s will for mankind. In the peaceful kingdom of Christ, this characteristic defines the believer. Through redemption and the infilling of the Holy Spirit, one’s heart is filled with the peace of God. This peace radiates from us and is so precious to us that we will not easily let it be disturbed.
Doing good when one has received evil seems a radical change from the Old Testament; however, the law as first given is closer to the gospel than we are apt to think (Lev. 19:17–18). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught the high standard a Christian must attain to when he said, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you . . . For if ye love them which love you . . . And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others?” (Matt. 5:44–46). That question is still relevant today.
Key Verse
Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head (Rom. 12:20).
Lesson Scripture
2 Kings 6:11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?
12 And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.
13 And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.
14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.
15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
19 And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria.
20 And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?
22 And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.
23 And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.
Studying the Lesson
“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners [in many different ways] spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets” (Heb. 1:1). During the time of the kings, God used prophets to guide the people and to bring a reformation when they had strayed. The prophets that God chose personified the different characteristics of God as they worked with his people. Elisha was God’s choice to succeed Elijah as a prophet to Israel. Apparently, Elisha was the son of a wealthy landowner and not among the sons of the prophets. Elijah found him plowing and there made God’s call known to him. Answering the call, Elisha said goodbye to his family, slaughtered his oxen, boiled the meat with the wood of his implements, and followed Elijah. This unshakable faith would be the hallmark of Elisha’s ministry.
Elijah was a zealous warrior for God. Often resorting to drastic measures, he confronted the evil worship of Baal promoted by Ahab and Jezebel, his Phoenician wife. Although these extreme measures were needed, we see in Elijah’s experience in the cave how God showed him the gentle way of the “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:11–13).
Elisha was no less zealous or firm and implacable when it came to sin. He was responsible for the eradication of Baal worship and the destruction of the house of Ahab. Yet as we read the story of Elisha, we are impressed with his kindness and gentleness and his accessibility to the people in times of need. He performed many miracles because of his compassion for friend and foe alike. His ministry was that of a pastor.
The account of Elisha sparing an enemy army that had come to capture or put him to death was a radical departure from the norms of the day. His act of kindness and mercy averted an all-out war that surely would have ensued had he allowed the king of Israel to destroy the Syrians. This resulted in a time of peace on the northern border for several years.
Practical Truths for Today
God has “in these last days spoken unto us by his Son” (Heb. 1:2).
When Jesus was asked which is the greatest commandment, his answer was, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Mark 12:30). And the second commandment calls for the same attribute, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (v. 31). This truth is Jesus’s foundation principle for our Christian life.
When a man is born of the Spirit, love becomes his prevailing characteristic and motivation. Out of our love to God flows love toward our fellowman. Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35). Our love for others is a gauge of our love for God. If we do not love our brother whom we see, we cannot love God whom we have not seen. These two love commandments are the basis of the law and embody the exhortations of the prophets. They are essential in our obedience to the will of God; love in the believer’s heart is not just an added grace. Love fulfills and completes the law.
God left man with the freedom to choose good or evil and blessing or cursing (Deut. 30:19). Since the fall, man’s propensity has been to choose evil over good. Although good for evil is largely considered a New Testament teaching, God tried to lead men in the path of goodness throughout the Old Testament. God warned Cain about his evil intentions toward his brother Abel, telling him that he was at the threshold of sin. When God observed the world before the flood, He saw the wickedness of mankind had reached a point where “every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5) and that “the earth [was] filled with violence” (v. 13). “And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth” (v. 7). This is a sobering reminder of God’s hatred for wickedness and violence. Yet God’s grace was available to do good in the face of evil, for “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (v. 8).
Prophet Isaiah brought a message of hope for mankind when he prophesied of the coming Savior. Jesus would usher in a kingdom of peace where the symbolic wolf and lamb would dwell together. “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain” (Isa. 11:9). The instruments of war made to destroy life would be refashioned into agricultural implements to preserve life (Isa. 2:4).
Many centuries later angels appeared to shepherds outside of Bethlehem proclaiming, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14). God’s desire for men to be reunited with Him in peace and man’s longing to be at peace with Him are fulfilled in Jesus Christ. To return good in the face of evil is a work of God’s grace through the power of the Holy Spirit.
We live in an age when incidents of confrontation and events of protecting one’s rights have become prevalent. Retribution, retaliation, and litigation are familiar in our troubled world. The child of God finds this environment an affront to the very core of his faith.
God’s people have been known in earlier times as “the quiet of the land.” T. J. Van Braght used the term “Defenseless Christians” as part of the title of Martyrs Mirror. This characterization of God’s people must never be lost.
We are to be a light to the world and the salt of the earth. No light is more visible or shines more brightly, and no salt is more savory than that of charity, goodness, and kindness, especially when given to those whom we feel are undeserving.
Perhaps our greatest tests come from those close to us. “For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it . . . But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance” (Ps. 55:12–13). What is my response when my acquaintance says something that hurts me? Or when my thoughts or contributions have been ignored, and I feel slighted and left out? Though I may be tempted to be critical and secretly undermine the offender and his work, I must as a Christian humbly follow the Savior’s teaching and example and forgive him. Forgiving is wonderful freedom and opens the door for God to forgive me. To forgive does not exonerate any evil that has been done, but it removes me from the situation, letting God work. Paul wrote, “Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works” (2 Tim. 4:14).
When evil comes my way in the form of financial reverses, health complications, or social misunderstandings, can I maintain my faith that God sees, cares, and understands? By God’s grace I can trust Him without feeling that He is unfair or without blaming other people. By the power of God, I can with a smile and a pleasant disposition let Him turn my daily reverses into something good. “But if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow his steps” (1 Pet. 2:20–21).
May our prayer be as Jesus taught, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen” (Matt. 6:13).
Questions
- Is it retaliation if I stop doing business where I have been treated badly?
- Will parents’ example of returning good for evil be sufficient for children to catch this good principle or must they be taught it?
- Have we made this teaching as important to this generation as we see the martyr brethren did in their time?
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Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).