Consider how the healing that you need can begin as you explore heaven’s ways you can be an agent of peace in the current conflict of life?
Glean from the story of Elisha and learn from the Prince of Peace the healing through His higher way of love.
The Prince of Peace: A Vision of Everlasting Love
The Old Testament, while recording the divinely assisted conflicts of God’s people, simultaneously holds forth a profound and equally significant prophetic theme: the glorious future vision of the peaceful Messianic era. The Messiah is revealed not primarily as a warlord, but as the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6), whose advent initiates a kingdom characterized by harmony and love.
The Biblical Narrative: A Display of God’s Higher Way
The story of Elisha and the Syrian army provides a striking illustration of God’s ultimate desire for His people and for all humanity—a desire for peace, not perpetual conflict.
The narrative opens with Elisha reassuring his servant, who, by all human accounts, saw no escape from their predicament: the Syrian army had them surrounded.
2 Kings 6:16–23 (New King James Version):
16 So [Elisha] answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, “LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And there was the mountain full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 18 So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, and said, “Strike this people, I pray, with blindness.” And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 19 Now Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, nor is this the city; follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” But he led them to Samaria. 20 So it was, when they had come to Samaria, that Elisha said, “LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” And the LORD opened their eyes, and there they were, in the midst of Samaria. 21 Now the king of Israel, when he saw them, said to Elisha, “My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?” 22 But he answered, “You shall not kill them. Would you kill those whom you have taken captive with your sword and your bow? Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.” 23 Then he prepared a great feast for them; and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syrians did not come again on raids into the land of Israel.
The prophet Elisha, fully aware of the superior, invisible heavenly army surrounding them (verse 17), chose to display the supreme ideal: compassionate peace. Instead of granting the King of Israel permission to massacre the captured Syrian army, Elisha provided them with food and water and sent them back to their master. The result of this act of grace was profound: “the Syrians did not come again on raids into the land of Israel” (2 Kings 6:23, ESV).
This account highlights a foundational truth: while God is involved in a cosmic conflict that affects our world, the ultimate goal of redemption is not perpetual conflict or subjugation, but everlasting peace. As violence tends to breed violence (Matthew 26:52), so too, peace generously extended can engender peace in return.
The Prophetic Vision of the Peaceful Era
The inspired prophets describe the future God envisioned for His people—a time of complete peace and transformation under the Messianic King:
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Isaiah 9:6 (New King James Version):6 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
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Isaiah 11:1–5 (New King James Version):1 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,
And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
3 His delight is in the fear of the LORD,
And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,
Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor,
And decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins,15
And faithfulness the belt of His waist.
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The following verses vividly portray the resulting harmony in creation: the lion and the lamb will graze together (Isaiah 11:6–8), and there “shall be no destruction nor hurt” in all God’s holy mountain (Isaiah 11:9).
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Isaiah 60:17 (New King James Version):17 Instead of bronze I will bring gold,
Instead of iron I will bring silver,
Instead of wood, bronze,
And instead of stones, iron.
I will also make your officers peace,
And your magistrates righteousness.
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Hosea 2:18 (New King James Version):18 In that day I will make a covenant for them
With the beasts of the field,
With the birds of the air,
And with the creeping things of the ground.
Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth,
And make them lie down safely.
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- Micah 4:3 (New King James Version):3 He shall judge between many peoples,
And rebuke strong nations afar off;
They shall beat their swords into plowshares,
And their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
Neither shall they learn war anymore.
- Micah 4:3 (New King James Version):3 He shall judge between many peoples,
The kingdom of the Messiah is to be dominated by this ideal of peace, flowing like a river (Isaiah 66:12).
The Power of Love to Overcome Conflict
The life of Jesus provides the supreme example of this principle. He came to subdue resistance and authority, not through force, but through a higher wisdom and strength: the wisdom and strength of love.
Wherever the power of intellect, of authority, or of force is employed, and love is not manifestly present, the affections and will of those whom we seek to reach assume a defensive, repelling position, and their strength of resistance is increased. Jesus was the Prince of Peace. He came into the world to bring resistance and authority into subjection to Himself. Wisdom and strength He could command, but the means He employed with which to overcome evil were the wisdom and strength of love. . . .
His example calls us to live by the principle He taught:
“Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.” Blessed results would appear as the fruit of such a course. “With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” Here are strong motives which should constrain us to love one another with a pure heart, fervently. Christ is our example. He went about doing good. He lived to bless others. Love beautified and ennobled all his actions. We are not commanded to do to ourselves what we wish others to do unto us; we are to do unto others what we wish them to do to us under like circumstances. The measure we mete is always measured to us again. Pure love is simple in its operations, and is distinct from any other principle of action. . . . Love should be cherished and cultivated, for its influence is divine.
Love to God naturally overflows into love for our neighbor, guiding all our actions with a deep, unselfish interest.
In Jesus you may love with fervor, with earnestness. This love may increase in depth and expand without limit. . . . Love to God will ensure love to your neighbor, and you will engage in the duties of life with a deep, unselfish interest. Pure principles should underlie your actions. Inward peace will bring even your thoughts into a healthful channel. . . .
The ultimate fruit of this divine love is a profound inner peace.
Peace of mind, which comes from pure and holy motives and actions, will give free and vigorous spring to all the organs of the body. Inward peace and a conscience void of offense toward God will quicken and invigorate the intellect like dew distilled upon the tender plants. . . . The meditations are pleasing because they are sanctified. The serenity of mind which you may possess will bless all with whom you associate. This peace and calmness will, in time, become natural, and will reflect its precious rays upon all around you, to be again reflected upon you.
The more you taste this heavenly peace and quietude of mind, the more it will increase. It is an animated, living pleasure which does not throw all the moral energies into a stupor, but awakens them to increased activity. Perfect peace is an attitude of heaven which angels possess.—Lift Him Up, p. 94.
The Enduring Lesson: Responding to God’s Love
The central lesson of Elisha’s story and the Messianic prophecies is God’s passionate and transformative love.
God’s work, in the past and in the present, has always been to manifest the depth of His affection for us. In the Old Testament, the covenant was a pledge of steadfast love; in the New Testament, the gift of His Son, the Prince of Peace, is the ultimate demonstration. God draws us not by a catalog of do’s and don’ts, nor by presenting a demanding list of “musts” for salvation, but by revealing His own compassionate grace and character. The principle is that His love moves us to love in return.
The significance of this lesson for the reader is profound:
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- Touched by God’s Love: The story of Elisha demonstrates that God desires to overcome His enemies—and our enemies—not through annihilation, but through redemptive kindness. When we grasp that God’s power is always wielded with grace, it draws us to respond to Him with trust, affection, and peaceful obedience, realizing that His plan is for our highest good and ultimate peace.
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- Preparing for Today and Tomorrow: As followers of the Prince of Peace, we are invited to become His agents of peace in our daily lives. In any conflict we face—whether in our homes, workplaces, or communities—we have the opportunity to emulate Jesus, choosing love and kindness instead of retaliation. This preparation today, influencing others with His grace, is the necessary readiness for the greater task of sharing the hope and warning of the Great Controversy tomorrow. We demonstrate the truth of God’s loving character by embodying the peace of Christ now, making the message of His soon-coming kingdom of everlasting peace credible and compelling.
God’s grace does not impose; it invites. As we allow His peace to rule in our hearts, that serenity reflects outward, blessing all with whom we associate and preparing a world for the glorious day when the Prince of Peace will fully usher in His everlasting kingdom.
Would you like to explore specific ways you can be an agent of peace in a current conflict in your life?
