And Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother.” 2 Kings 3:13
Recently, I was witness to a conversation about ICE and the deportation of Somalis from Minnesota (where I live). I’m not very political, and I don’t know a lot about U.S. immigration policy. I do know that this conversation was of a hostile tone towards the Somali population – Deport them all. We do have a significant Somali population (a couple thousand) in the town where I live – most of them U.S. citizens – and so, I regularly see them in clinic. Over the last 20 years, as I’ve witnessed their desire to provide a better life for their children, and as I’ve seen those children grow up, I’ve come to love the Somali people. My last name – Abrams – is so close to a patriarch of their faith that I’ve become known to many of them as Dr. Ibrahim.
I am acutely aware that we do not worship the same god, but still, I believe that my God has brought this population here so that I may show the love of Christ to everyone – even those who worship a different god. So, when I heard others berating the entire people group, wishing that our government would deport them all, I hurt for the Somali people. I wish I would have stood up and said something. But I just sat in silence, and I think my silence probably would have been seen as agreement by any of my Somali friends, had they been listening. In retrospect, I see my silence as a failure. I think I should have spoken up, and I should have made it clear that I wasn’t of the same mind. I disagree. I’m not on your side. I’m not with you.
This was Elisha’s message in today’s passage. In the story, as the kings of Judah and Israel combined forces to attack Moab, they found themselves stranded in the desert without water. Only then did they attempt to consult God’s will, asking the prophet Elisha to inquire of God. When asked, Elisha’s response was priceless – What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother. The Israeli king regularly worshipped false gods and so, Elisha established his boundaries. I’m not with you. We’re not on the same side. I’m on God’s side.
I don’t love politics and I don’t think I often seek to be adversarial. In fact, I probably avoid conflict too much. There are times though, when I’m presented with a choice of embracing comfortable silence or uncomfortable disagreement. In those times, it’s appropriate for me to establish boundaries, speaking up for what I believe. I disagree. I’m not with you. I believe I’m on God’s side and so, I must say something.
Faith in the Struggle is my daily blog on faith and recovery. As I’m reading through the Bible, I daily attempt to understand what God is saying through his word and apply his will to my life. I’ve seen where a life of following myself goes – drug addiction. So now, in recovery, I make a daily attempt to follow God’s will instead of my own. In doing so, I’ve found a new life that I’m happy to share with anyone else who needs a new life.