The Benefit and Reward of Paying Evil With Good
There was this prophet Elisha, whenever the king of Syria planned to attack Israel, Elisha would reveal their plans to the king of Israel. And the Children of Israel would go and lay ambush against them before hand and destroy them.
This continued until the King of Syria became apprehensive of this and suspected it could be some Judas in their midst that was leaking their plans to the king of Israel. But one of his subjects told him it was Elisha that was revealing their plans to the king of Israel.
The king therefore, sent a band of his crack and dreaded army to go and capture Elisha.
Before dawn, lo an behold they had surrounded up his house. When his servant came out and saw them he shouted and cried. The man of God said he shouldn’t cry, for those with them were more than those that were against them. So he prayed that God should blindfold them. And God did, so he led them to the king of Israel. When they got there he prayed again that God should open their eyes, God opened their eyes and they saw themselves in the midst of their enemies.
When the king of Israel saw them he said, “My father, shall I smite them? Shall I smite them? And Elisha said, thou shall not smite them: would you smite those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your 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: 21 – 23.
In this world of our mortals, average individuals; both Christians, non-Christians and others in every society of men and women don’t actually or really know the great personal gain and reward of paying evil with good.
People don’t actually know that goodness in its own power is a weapon of self defense and offensive against whosoever you perceived that is in charge of your problems. What do you think that made the unsearchable God in His knowledge and wisdom to issue a word of command to all men to reward evil with good and not evil for evil, but good for evil?
This is because when somebody is perpetuating evil against you and your responses to all his evil is good, then you are heaping a coal of fire upon him before the Lord God Almighty who shall judge all men according to their works. And being justified and rewarded with God’s divine favour from above.
The worst of it all is the self guilt and judgment the person will be suffering. That could cause him to surrender, resign and sheath his sword for a final ceasefire to every evil operation against you.
This is the conviction that will make him to put a brake to all his evil decadents against that very person and however, lead to an end of all hostilities. But if you were paying him back with his evils, instead of the enmity and war to die a natural death, the experience becomes more elastic and protracted.
And like a battle of challenge where champions are not always giving a breathing space of time without a challenger. This is the lesson to be drawn from the Scripture text of this message.
People like Joseph who did it and never paid evil for evil, but evil with good, and got the lump of blessing. this could deliver when he did not pay his brothers.
He didn’t pay Portipher’s wife with evil when she lied against him and his master sent him to jail without proper investigation of the allegation that was leveled against him. Nor with evil against his brothers had sold him out into slavery. Yet when he became the next person in command of power and authority he never imprisoned his brothers when they came to him for food in Egypt, neither did he try Portipher and his wife for lying and casting him into dungeon, but he forgave them.
In summary, you can’t imagine the blessings that would begin to follow you if you would start paying evil with good from today, you will never regret doing it. Rather, you will see how the blessings of the Lord will begin to locate you in every area of your life because of your obedience to this word of God today, in Jesus name. Amen!
Apostle Ariamaseke Alphos is a Writer and an Ordained Minister of God who is very passionate about the spread of the Gospel of Christ.
