make a raid upon Samaria, yet the royal troops would have mustered under the command of the king himself - and

perhaps, as Josephus puts it, in his somewhat rationalistic account of the event, have surrounded the Syrians at the

prophet's bidding; and, lastly, what terrible surprise followed when they discovered where they were. It is more

important to ma rk how once more all acted in character. With an eagerness231 and a spiritual dullness characteristic of

him, Joram would fain have slaughtered these captives of the LORD.

And with characteristic uprightness and large-hearted generosity, the prophet almost indignantly rebuked the spurious

zeal and courage of the king: "Thou shalt not smite! Them whom thou hast made captives with thy sword and thy bow

thou smitest."  232

It would have been unmanly to have done otherwise; Jehovah had not brought these blinded men there as His own

captives to give the king of Israel an easy and a cruel triumph; nay, the whole moral purpose of this event, its very

character, would have been changed, if the proposal of Joram had been carried out. And it was right royal treatment on

the part of the Heavenly Conqueror's ambassador, when, at his bidding, they gave them a great meal, and then

dismissed them to their master, to report how Jehovah made captives of the captors of His representative, and how He

entertained and released His captives.

And what is right is also wise. We do not wonder to read that after this marauding bands of Syrians no longer made

incursions into the land. But to us all there are many lessons here: not only of the unseen, but certain presence of our

God and of His help; of rebuke to our groundless fears, and encouragement to go forward; but also as concerning the

enemies of the people of God and our dealing with them. How often when they have surrounded Dothan, and deemed

themselves certain of achieving their purpose, have they seemed blinded, and found themselves in the midst of

Samaria. How many times have arguments and measures, which were thought certain of success against the truth or the

people of God, ended in quite the opposite result. And lastly, shou ld we not learn to deal with those whom not our own

power, but God, has made helpless captives, not as if they were our personal enemies, but generously, while faithfully,

although in meekness, instructing those who oppose themselves, if God peradventure w ill give them repentance to the

acknowledging of the truth (2 Timothy 2:25)? For, as harsh or self-asserting bearing on the part of those who may

defend the truth of God would tend to injure that cause, probably more than anything else, so assuredly would it be

palpably and painfully incongruous. And yet - the LORD reigneth, and He will take care of His own work.