The Power of Mercy
"What does the Lord require of thee, but to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly before thy God." — Micah 6.8, The Bible, King James Version.
Most of us agree we want the most effective, strongest tools to deal with the reality of evil people in this world. Here is my bias: Mercy is often neglected as a strong strategy to stop evil people. What does research say? For this, I refer to scholars of social anthropology and historians specializing in cultural theory. Perhaps foremost among these is René Girard, who has researched and written extensively into the origin of human mass violence.
But I'll set aside elite academics for another question: What does the Bible say? Answer: It agrees with the research I've seen.
In many human cultures, as well as ours in the past, the practice of mercy was valued as a strong alternative to reciprocal violence in the face of extreme evil. That's the subject of a Bible story I wrote for this column, a story that leaves big questions unanswered. I thought it was good to challenge Big Horn County News readers' thinking. But my cadre of preview commentators said it's too much. So I decided on a drastic rewriting.
I did keep the story. If you think you qualify to read it, use the link below to my blog, or look up the original short news report in 2 Kings 6, The Bible.
Meantime, here's a synopsis: Aramean tribesmen were conducting nighttime raids from their mountain hideouts on farm villages in the valley. When a planned raid turned up no one at home and nothing to take from one small village, the Aramean king suspected that one of his raiders was a spy for the Israelis. When told that an Israeli holy man, Elisha, had ability to divine this information from a distance, he sent his raiders on a mission to capture him. Through some trickery and miraculous power, Elisha managed to lead the raiders to the capital city into the hands of the Israeli king's soldiers. The king, knowing the terror the villagers were suffering, sought Elisha's permission to kill the raiders. But he ordered the king to prepare a banquet for them, and set them free back to their master. This ended the raids, according to the writer of 2 Kings.
A modern, much longer version of doing good to counter evil, in this case the jihadist Taliban of Afghanistan, is Greg Mortenson's book, Three Cups of Tea. This book is now on a required reading list at The Pentagon for military officers serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. Greg is from Bozeman, and has written a second book, Stones into Schools.
I recommend anyone, especially script writers for children's Saturday morning cartoons, to incorporate such powerful good alternatives to the usual bloody entertainment fare of how good has to turn bad to defeat bad evil. And, you might check out King David: Psalm 23. 5, St. Paul: Romans 12.20, or Jesus of Nazareth: Matthew 5.43f and Luke 22.30, all of whom allude to the above story from 2 Kings 6, The Bible.
David Graber
http://greenwoodback40.blogspot.com/
The Story:
The Holy Man and the Raiders
Long ago in a valley far across the ocean lived a peaceful people. They cared for the fertile soil of their valley, and it produced grain and forage for animals. They celebrated their life, and worshipped one Creator God from whom all good things come.
But they could not remain at peace. A rag tag royalty raider bunch from the hills around began nighttime raids on the valley below. The farmers and their families were terrified of them, the Arameans. It was not without reason; periodically they lost stores of grain, a sheep or a goat, even children and wives.
One evening the king of the Arameans assembled his officers to plan another raid. They selected a small village. They choose the night, the route to the village, the escape route, and each member of the war party. The plan was in order.
The chosen night arrived. Carefully they crept up on the first house, curious that the sheepfold outside contained no baa-aa's. They easily entered the house, and no one was inside. They went through the whole village and found few animals, little grain, and no people.
They returned back to the hills frustrated. The king called his officers and inquired, "Who among you is the traitor who revealed our plans to the enemy?"
The reply came from his most trusted lieutenant. "The enemy has a holy man who puts his ear to the ground and hears your speech, O king, even your most secret words spoken in your sleep." The king replied, "Where does this holy man live?"
"In Dothan," they replied.
"Then go get him, and bring him to me immediately!" ordered the raider king.
Dutifully the raiders set off for Dothan, and camped for the night on a hillside outside the city gate.
It was just before dawn. The holy man barely stirred when his sidekick left the house for a trip outside the gate. He happened to glance up on the hillside, and was terrified. He knew the colors of these tramps, and knew they were out to get his master, if not himself. He rushed back in to tell the holy one the bad news.
"No problem." Said the holy man. "Go out again, and look above the hills. Come back and tell me what you see." He went out, looked, and saw a huge host of the heavenlies above the hillside. Again he ran back inside, and the holy man said, "Let's go out and greet our guests. We have nothing to fear."
They went out. The gate closed tight behind them. As the raider commander with his officers approached in the breaking dawn, the two unarmed targets wanted to break and run. But they stood their ground.
"Where is the holy man who lives here in Dothan?" demanded one of the officers.
(To be continued. At this point the 20 inches for my column are past. This story could be continued next week, or linked to my blog for the ending. What's your idea?? If it's continued I would need to write a synopsis. Dave.)
"Yes, he lives here, but he has gone to Samaria. May I take you to him?" said the holy man.
"Yes, please." Answered the commander.
The commander roused his hungry, tired terrible troops, fed and watered them, and they were on the trail again.
After marching many hours, they approached the city, shimmering in the afternoon heat. The gates were open, and surprisingly, with their colors, no one paid them attention as they entered. Crowds were gathered in the market place. They were about to start buying food when the holy man disappeared in the crowd, along with his sidekick. The tired, thirsty, hungry men fingered their swords, knives, and clubs under their robes. They were nervous.
Not without reason. Suddenly the crowds of people became soldiers, many more and better armed than they, strong and ready for battle. With barely a skirmish the tired raiders surrendered.
The king of the Samaria was ecstatic. He came to the holy man saying, "Father, just say the word, and my men will exterminate this plague of insects from our land."
The holy man replied, "Did you capture with your sword and bow those whom you want to kill? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink: and let them go to their master."
The king and his men "…prepared for them a great feast; after they ate and drank, he sent them on their way, and they went to their master. And the Arameans no longer came raiding into the land of Israel." —2 Kings chapter 6, The Bible. NRSV*
*This story is alluded to elsewhere in Scripture: Psalm 23. 5, Matthew 5.43f, Luke 22.30, Romans 12.20.
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David Graber
RR 1 Box 1211D
631 Woodley Ln
Hardin, MT 59034
406 665-3373
www.greenwoodfarmmt.org
Bonnie's email graberbj@gmail.com
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