2 Chronicles 28:14-21: a reflection

14So the armed men left the captives and the plunder before the princes and all the assembly. 15The men who have been mentioned by name rose up and took the captives, and with the plunder clothed all who were naked among them, dressed them, gave them sandals, gave them something to eat and to drink, anointed them, carried all the feeble of them on donkeys, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brothers. Then they returned to Samaria. 16At that time King Ahaz sent to the kings of Assyria to help him. 17For again the Edomites had come and struck Judah, and carried away captives. 18The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland and of the South of Judah, and had taken Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and also Gimzo and its villages; and they lived there. 19For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel, because he acted without restraint in Judah and trespassed severely against the LORD. 20Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came to him and gave him trouble, but didn’t strengthen him. 21For Ahaz took away a portion out of the LORD’s house, and out of the house of the king and of the princes, and gave it to the king of Assyria; but it didn’t help him.

In the midst of a war between Israel and Judah, the men of Israel had taken many Judeans captive; but at a prophet's rebuke, they did something remarkable. They took the captives, clothed all who were naked among them, gave them sandals, fed them, anointed them, carried the feeble among them on donkeys, and brought them safely home to their own people. Though these captives were of the opposing side, the enemy in a war, the men of Israel showed them striking mercy and compassion, caring for their needs, tending the weak, and restoring them to their kin. Mercy crossed the line of division; they treated their captives not with cruelty but with compassion.

Notice the mercy shown across the line of division. These captives were the enemy, taken in war; by the ordinary reckoning of conflict, they might have been treated harshly. But the men of Israel, rebuked and moved to compassion, cared for them tenderly, clothing, feeding, anointing, carrying the weak, bringing them home. Their mercy did not stop at the line of division; it reached even to those on the other side, those they might have called enemies. Compassion crossed the divide, treating the captives as fellow human beings in need rather than as enemies to be despised. Mercy was shown even to those on the opposing side.

That is worth taking to heart, for we too are called to show mercy and compassion even across lines of division, even to those we might count as enemies. We can reserve our compassion for our own side, our own people, and treat those on the other side, those we count as opponents or enemies, with hardness; but the men of Israel showed striking mercy to their Judean captives, caring for them tenderly across the line of war. Compassion is not to stop at the line of division. Do not reserve your mercy only for your own side, treating those you count as opponents with hardness; show compassion even across lines of division, as Israel cared for its captives. Show mercy and compassion even to those on the other side of a division, even those you might count as enemies, as the men of Israel clothed, fed, and carried their Judean captives home; for mercy is not to stop at the line of division, and there is a striking goodness in compassion that reaches even to those we might call enemies.

Lord, in the midst of a war between Israel and Judah, the men of Israel had taken many Judeans captive; but at a prophet's rebuke, they did something remarkable. They took the captives, clothed all who were naked among them, gave them sandals, fed them, anointed them, carried the feeble among them on donkeys, and brought them safely home to their own people. Though these captives were of the opposing side, the enemy in a war, the men of Israel showed them striking mercy and compassion. Mercy crossed the line of division. Show me the mercy shown across the line of division. These captives were the enemy, taken in war; by the ordinary reckoning of conflict, they might have been treated harshly. But the men of Israel, rebuked and moved to compassion, cared for them tenderly, clothing, feeding, anointing, carrying the weak, bringing them home. Their mercy did not stop at the line of division; it reached even to those on the other side. Compassion crossed the divide, treating the captives as fellow human beings in need rather than as enemies to be despised. Take that to my heart, for I too am called to show mercy and compassion even across lines of division, even to those I might count as enemies. I can reserve my compassion for my own side, my own people, and treat those on the other side with hardness; but the men of Israel showed striking mercy to their Judean captives. Compassion is not to stop at the line of division. Keep me from reserving my mercy only for my own side, treating those I count as opponents with hardness; help me show compassion even across lines of division, Lord, as Israel cared for its captives and brought them home.