Series: Reflections on Romans 12
The year is 823 AD and you are living in a feudalistic medieval society. Your life as a peasant is dependent upon the lord of the land. You are a pig farmer and your protection from marauding bands of thieves and foreigners depends upon the ability of the lord, his castle and fighting force.
Remember last September when the Danes attacked from the sea and drove your small village into the lord’s castle for protection as the Danes plundered your village and killed your cow, chickens, and pigs and took all your food supplies that you had stored up for the winter? Remember how bad things got as the food and water in the castle were soon gone because the Danes were determined to starve the people out and plunder and perhaps kill all who were holed up behind the protective walls? Things looked bleak as neighbors were fighting each other for what food was left. Many of your friends and relatives were starving to death. Last September, and the following four months were not a fun time as you were pushed to the point that you and your family would have done almost anything to make it end.
Remember being in great despair and you joined some hungry, dirty fellow village folks in the castle chapel to pray to God for help? It has been a long time since you were there. You were standing with men, woman and children, your fellow citizens of all ages. Some of the women were holding small crying children and babies who were near death because of starvation. The Prior had the audacity to read the words:
“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
(Romans 12: 19-21)
In 2 Kings 6-7 we read that the Arameans had surrounded the city of Samaria. The people inside were much like those in the story above. In fact things got so bad that two women had agreed to eat their sons, one woman’s son on the first day and the other woman’s son on the next. You know the story. They ate the first son but the second woman refused to hold up her end of the bargain. One day, the Lord spoke through Elisha who prophesied but no one believed him. Unknown to the inhabitants of the city, the Lord drove the Arameans away from the city, making them flee during the night, leaving everything behind. Four men with leprosy decided they would die if they stayed at the gate to the city, or went into the city because of the famine. Finally they decided to go into the enemy’s camp and put themselves at the mercy of the Arameans. They, too, did not know that the Lord had driven them away. When the lepers got to the camp, they found it empty. They immediately started eating and hoarding valuables for themselves. At some point they said to each other, “What we’re doing is not right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let’s go at once and report this to the royal palace.” Then they went and told others what they had found.
We have never had such experiences as described above, but the world is full of starving needy people who are not only in danger of starvation, but are also in danger of losing their souls. We have the “plunder.” Are we hoarding it? Keeping it to ourselves? I am speaking not just of our wealth and resources, but of our knowledge of the Word. There are those with whom we would rather not associate with for many reasons, but Paul in his letter to the Romans urged us to feed the hungry and give something to drink to the thirsty even if they are our enemies. We are to “overcome evil with good.”
Do we find ourselves in the chapel listening to the Prior read from Romans 12, saying to ourselves, “This does not apply to me,” or “You just do not know my plight in this economy? How dare you imply I am doing nothing to help others. I give my weekly check and more from time to time." Yes, many of us are hiding behind the walls of the castle in fear of our “enemies” who are without. The four men with leprosy finally came to the realization that they were doing wrong by not telling the people inside the walls the good news.
In another story in 2 Kings 6, the Arameans had Elisha surrounded. Elisha’s servant was scared to death because he could not see what Elisha could see. Elisha reassured him, “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Yes, the Lord is with us and He can do more for us than we can ever think or imagine. All we have to do is step through the castle gates and bless those who are hungry for food and the Word.
Father, you have greatly blessed us through Your Son. You have also blessed the poorest of us in this nation with wealth that most of the peoples of the world cannot even imagine. Open our eyes to see the blessings that yet await us through our sharing of the Word and our physical resources with those who are less fortunate.
Paul Schulze
The year is 823 AD and you are living in a feudalistic medieval society. Your life as a peasant is dependent upon the lord of the land. You are a pig farmer and your protection from marauding bands of thieves and foreigners depends upon the ability of the lord, his castle and fighting force.
Remember last September when the Danes attacked from the sea and drove your small village into the lord’s castle for protection as the Danes plundered your village and killed your cow, chickens, and pigs and took all your food supplies that you had stored up for the winter? Remember how bad things got as the food and water in the castle were soon gone because the Danes were determined to starve the people out and plunder and perhaps kill all who were holed up behind the protective walls? Things looked bleak as neighbors were fighting each other for what food was left. Many of your friends and relatives were starving to death. Last September, and the following four months were not a fun time as you were pushed to the point that you and your family would have done almost anything to make it end.
Remember being in great despair and you joined some hungry, dirty fellow village folks in the castle chapel to pray to God for help? It has been a long time since you were there. You were standing with men, woman and children, your fellow citizens of all ages. Some of the women were holding small crying children and babies who were near death because of starvation. The Prior had the audacity to read the words:
“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
(Romans 12: 19-21)
In 2 Kings 6-7 we read that the Arameans had surrounded the city of Samaria. The people inside were much like those in the story above. In fact things got so bad that two women had agreed to eat their sons, one woman’s son on the first day and the other woman’s son on the next. You know the story. They ate the first son but the second woman refused to hold up her end of the bargain. One day, the Lord spoke through Elisha who prophesied but no one believed him. Unknown to the inhabitants of the city, the Lord drove the Arameans away from the city, making them flee during the night, leaving everything behind. Four men with leprosy decided they would die if they stayed at the gate to the city, or went into the city because of the famine. Finally they decided to go into the enemy’s camp and put themselves at the mercy of the Arameans. They, too, did not know that the Lord had driven them away. When the lepers got to the camp, they found it empty. They immediately started eating and hoarding valuables for themselves. At some point they said to each other, “What we’re doing is not right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let’s go at once and report this to the royal palace.” Then they went and told others what they had found.
We have never had such experiences as described above, but the world is full of starving needy people who are not only in danger of starvation, but are also in danger of losing their souls. We have the “plunder.” Are we hoarding it? Keeping it to ourselves? I am speaking not just of our wealth and resources, but of our knowledge of the Word. There are those with whom we would rather not associate with for many reasons, but Paul in his letter to the Romans urged us to feed the hungry and give something to drink to the thirsty even if they are our enemies. We are to “overcome evil with good.”
Do we find ourselves in the chapel listening to the Prior read from Romans 12, saying to ourselves, “This does not apply to me,” or “You just do not know my plight in this economy? How dare you imply I am doing nothing to help others. I give my weekly check and more from time to time." Yes, many of us are hiding behind the walls of the castle in fear of our “enemies” who are without. The four men with leprosy finally came to the realization that they were doing wrong by not telling the people inside the walls the good news.
In another story in 2 Kings 6, the Arameans had Elisha surrounded. Elisha’s servant was scared to death because he could not see what Elisha could see. Elisha reassured him, “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Yes, the Lord is with us and He can do more for us than we can ever think or imagine. All we have to do is step through the castle gates and bless those who are hungry for food and the Word.
Father, you have greatly blessed us through Your Son. You have also blessed the poorest of us in this nation with wealth that most of the peoples of the world cannot even imagine. Open our eyes to see the blessings that yet await us through our sharing of the Word and our physical resources with those who are less fortunate.
Paul Schulze
Stephenville, TX
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