2011 December 8 - Morning Manna

Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down. And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice. 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? 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. 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. Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. 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? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 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. 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. 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. 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. And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them? 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. 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.
(2 Kings 6:8-23)

Today's Morsel: After desert Storm/Desert Shield began in Iraq in 1991, many of the Iraqi's were taken prisoner by the allied forces. They were being carded off to prison camps in cargo truck by the load. Many of them were hungry and malnourished from a lack of care from their leaders. One of the first things the allied forces did was to give them water to drink and food to eat. Many of these men were very appreciative for the way that they were being treated. After the war, they were returned home to Iraq. When the King of Syria wanted to attack the king of Israel, Elisha asked God to blind them. And then he lead them right into the camp of their enemy. When the king of Israel ask if they should kill them, Elisha told them, "No. Feed them." And so after the men held a great feast prepared for them, they were allowed to returned home and the Syrians came no more into the land of Israel. What would you have done to your enemies. Would you have taken a more drastic measure against them? Scripture says that if our enemy hungers, to feed them, and if they thirst, give them water to drink, and so shall we heap coals of fire upon their head. In every situation, we have to remember the golden rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." And since God isn't willing that any should perish, we have to adjust our thinking to His Word. Do you have any enemies? This is the best way to rid them from you.

Sing: Here's my cup, Lord, I lift it up, Lord, come and quench this thirsting of my soul, bread of heaven feed me till I want no more, here's my cup, fill it up and make me whole.