Today’s Scripture Reading (November
6, 2016): 2 Kings 6
It is a common plot device that writer’s use whenever
the hero of the story gets painted into a corner. And it has a name – deus ex machina – literally, the God of the Machine. It is often the only pathway
to a happy ending. Examples of this plot device occur throughout literature. In
H. G. Wells, War of the Worlds, deus ex machina is involved at the climax of
the story. The Martians have won the war. London and the great cities of the
world have fallen or are destined to fall; the human military is useless
against the advanced Martian war machine. All is hopeless. And then deus ex machina
happens in the form of a bacteria that kills the Martians and allows the weak
earthlings to win the war for the defense of their planet. It is found in the sudden appearance of the cavalry
coming over the hill just when the hero was about to be executed. Critics of
deus ex machina argue that the plot device is artificial and a cheat to get the
author out of the dilemma into which he has written his protagonist. That if it
is the only way to a happy ending, then maybe that end is artificial and needs to be changed. After all, the gods do
not always come to our rescue.
But sometimes
they do. Elisha wakes up to find himself surrounded. His enemy wants to execute
him as a spy. After all, apparently
Elisha knows about all the troop movements of Israel’s enemy before they even
happen. In war, the solution is simple. Elisha must be dealt with before victory over Israel is even remotely possible.
So Elisha’s whereabouts are found, and
the army is detached. And as Elisha’s servant wakes up, he wakes up to the
hopelessness of the situation. You can almost hear the panic in the servant’s voice as he addresses his master,
Elisha. And you can almost see the smile on the Man of God’s face as he sees
the real situation. With a simple prayer, what is real is revealed both to the
servant and to us as the reader of the tale. The hills are alive with the Army of God sent to protect Elisha. It is deus
ex machina at its very best. There will be no defeat of Elisha here today. The forces
in defense of Elisha far exceed the one wanting to do him harm.
Sometimes I
wish that the Man of God was present in our daily lives to reveal the situation
that surrounds us; that we could see the angel armies that guide our every
step. Maybe that would make trusting God just a little easier. But that is not
our reality. We walk by faith that the
angel armies surround us, not by sight. And that is okay, as long as we continue to believe in the God who has
already written the end of the story. And in case you didn’t know – in
the end, the Lamb wins!
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Kings
7
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