My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?

I learned something of what this fun episode means last night while listening to the Word at work: 

2 Kings 6:18-23 - King James Version (KJV)

<18> And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. <19> And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria. <20> And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. <21> And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them? <22> And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldst thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master. <23> And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.

I say 'fun', because of the comically eager way that the king of Israel asked twice, "Shall I smite them? Shall I smite them?"

In any case, this passage is about how people are not condemned just for being ignorant. Would you smite someone just for being confused and ignorant in a world full of shadows and shadow puppeteers? No...

People who are spiritually blinded have been taken captive by falsehood. Look how hard it was to get through to that Moonie who visited us before I decided there was no further reason for him to orbit our planet and dismissed him. [This was originally preached on the Invitation to the New Church outreach mission, like most of the original drafts.]

Do we smite people who are firmly captivated by falsehood? No. Elisha commanded that bread and water should be given to them, in other words that mercy should be shown and that proper instruction should be given.

Let me show you what this same episode looks like in the New Testament version, but to express the same underlying truth:

John 4:21-22 - King James Version (KJV)

<21> Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. <22> Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

This is said to the Samaritan woman. It is the same spiritual blindness in Samaria of these people: "Ye worship ye know not what"...

The same Lord has set two different stories in Samaria about how we are to react to spiritual ignorance in others. It is the same merciful instruction in both cases. How was mercy shown in the Lord's conversation with the Samaritan woman whom He gave spiritual drink? He spoke to her.

John 4:9 - King James Version (KJV)

 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. 

Do you see how congruent that lovely little episode of Elisha comically leading these blinded Syrians into Samaria is with that conversation by the well?

By the way, even the fact that the king of Israel twice asked, "My father, may I smite them? may I smite them?" is significant. Twice involves good or evil, in this case means: should I regard them as utterly damned and just not care further about their fate? 

And they should not be mistreated, and should be given instruction. Those Syrians were like the butler whom Pharaoh spared who represents not being evil but merely confused. Whereas the baker represents damning evil; which is smitten, which is smitten. Thus was he hung from wood, which represents damnation or being construed as damned, whereas the butler was restored to his functions. (See appendix.)

By the way, there is much more in this episode from Elisha's life alongside the Samaritan woman by the well episode from Jesus' life... because this is just after the mountain was shown to be full of horses and  chariots of fire before the eyes of the young man after the Lord opened them upon Elisha's request.

And... the Samaritan woman by the well and Jesus also involve mountains in their episode. For mountains have to do with matters of love. (See appendix.)

John 4:20-24 - King James Version (KJV)

<20> Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. <21> Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. <22> Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. <23> But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. <24> God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Let me translate: to worship in one mountain vs another is to have a different religion which thus differs in how it describes matters of love that flow over into matters of behavior. But beyond differences in doctrines about love and behavior and understanding there is worshipping one Lord in spirit and truth.

And the mountain filled up with horses and chariots of fire, understandings and doctrines of love. These are those horses, and these are those chariots! This is the way.

Sometimes there are long stretches and the light does not illumine the Word and it is very discouraging. And then the verses light up again and the Lord is there again and this promise is fulfilled again: 

Genesis 28:20-21 - King James Version (KJV)

<20> And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, <21> So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:

He gives us bread to eat, love, and raiment to put on, understanding concerning love; like that bread and water Elisha told the king of Israel to provide the spiritually blind. This is that bread, this is that raiment. This is the way.

Appendix:

The dreams of butler and baker which Joseph interpreted in Genesis chapter 40 concern falsehood in the understanding (the butler) and evil in the will (the baker).

The baker gets hung on wood, which signifies being accursed and damned, and has been associated with images of making food and eating and, and things eaten; all of them having to do with the will, the heart. 

But the butler has been associated with cups and things drunk, which pertain to the understanding. Broadly speaking, things drunk pertain to the understanding and things eaten pertain to the will in the Word of God. 

The butler was restored to his functions because falsehood in the understanding does not necessarily condemn. Is this not clear from Jesus' saying "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" on the cross?

But the baker was hung, and birds ate his flesh. This signifies that evil in the will fed falsehoods in the understanding, and not combination is damning. 

Now one will conclude with a few comments about eating and drinking references. Since you measure food in bushels and drink in hins in the Word, these respective measurements for solid and liquid concern the quality of someone's will and that of their understanding.

Ever and always, be alert in the Word for contradistinctions and states of will and understanding as expressed by eating and drinking and things eaten and drunk and containers for both. It is the elegant taxonomy of Jesus Christ.

As to mountains and their involving matters of love:

Jeremiah 13:16 - King James Version (KJV)

<16> Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.

We stumble in matters of love when we reject light on the same; thus stumble on dark mountains. Meantime, when Jesus said that people of great faith could move mountains and cast them into the sea it is evident that we have to do with something not literal. The history of Christianity is not marked by much mountain moving in the literal sense.

Rather, we move the mountain of love of self and the world and cast it into the sea of Hell where it belongs, striding personally into a bright new dawn.

"Moreover, who can know the reason why Elijah and Elisha were called "the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof;" and why "the boy of Elisha saw the mountain full of horses and chariots of fire;" except it be known what is signified by "chariots," and what was represented by "Elijah and Elisha"? For Elisha said to Elijah:

My father, my father, the chariot and horsemen 1 of Israel and the horsemen thereof (2 Kings 2:11, 12).

And Joash the king said to Elisha:

My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof (2 Kings 13:14).

And, speaking of the boy of Elisha, it is said:

Jehovah opened the eyes of the boy of Elisha, and he saw and behold the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha (2 Kings 6:17).

The reason why Elijah and Elisha were called "the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof," is because they both represented the Lord as to the Word, and "a chariot" signifies doctrine from the Word, and "horsemen" intelligence. That "Elijah" and "Elisha" represented the Lord as to the Word, may be seen in The Arcana Coelestia (5247, 7643, 8029, 9327). And that "chariots" signify doctrine drawn from the Word (5321, 8215)" (White Horse 2).