The Prince of Peace
How do the following texts describe the future that God had envisioned for His people? Isa. 9:6, Isa. 11:1-5, Isa. 60:17, Hos. 2:18, Mic. 4:3.
Although the main focus of this week’s lesson has constituted the divinely commanded and assisted wars of the Old Testament, we need to mention the presence of another equally significant theme of the Old Testament’s prophetic writings: the future vision of the peaceful Messianic era. The Messiah is depicted as the “Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6). He will usher in a kingdom dominated by peace, where the lion and the lamb will graze together (Isa. 11:1-8), in which there will be no destruction or hurt (Isa. 11:9), and where peace will rule (Isa. 60:17) and flow like a river (Isa. 66:12).
Read 2 Kings 6:16-23. What insights does this story provide into the deeper purposes of God for His people and humanity?
Consider the story of the feeding of the Syrian army at the initiative of Elisha. Instead of massacring them (2 Kings 6:22), he showcased to them the supreme ideal, peace, which has always been God’s desire for His people. It is interesting to observe that Elisha is fully aware of the superiority of the invisible army that surrounds the enemy (2 Kings 6:17). As much as God is involved in a cosmic conflict that has also affected our planet, the final goal of redemption is not a perpetual conflict or even an eternal subjugation of the enemy in a state of slavery, but instead, everlasting peace. As violence breeds violence (Matt. 26:52), peace engenders peace. The story concludes by stating that the “Syrians did not come again on raids into the land of Israel” (2 Kings 6:23, ESV).
Think about all the ways we can, by seeking to emulate Jesus, be agents of peace. What about your own life right now? In what ways, in whatever conflict you might be facing, could you be an agent of peace instead of conflict?
