The Arameans were making war with Israel, by a miracle of blindness Elisha “captured” them and led them to the king, who wanted to kill his enemies (2 Kings 6:1-23). Elisha would not permit it. Instead he told the king to give his enemies a great feast, and it changed the relationship of two nations. There were many examples of killing your enemies in the OT, but here a Christlike reaction was posed that changed everything. The story was, don’t kill you enemies, serve them and feed them and make them your friends. This was more than diplomacy this is radical love that was revolutionary. This was Christlike peacemaking.
“When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, ‘Shall I kill them, my father? Shall I kill them?’ ‘Do not kill them,’ he answered. ‘Would you kill men you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master.’ 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 6:21-23 (NIV)
