So Hazael went to meet him and took a present with him, of every good thing of Damascus, forty camel-loads; and he came and stood before him, and said, “Your son Ben-Hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this disease?’ ” And Elisha said to him, “Go, say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover.’ However the Lord has shown me that he will really die.” Then he set his countenance in a stare until he was ashamed; and the man of God wept. And Hazael said, “Why is my lord weeping?” He answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the children of Israel: Their strongholds you will set on fire, and their young men you will kill with the sword; and you will dash their children, and rip open their women with child.” (2 Kings 8:9-12)

The Horrors Of War

Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, was ill and sought the counsel of the prophet, Elisha, whether he would recover. An officer of the king, Hazael, was sent to inquire of the prophet, taking with him great gifts. Elisha told Hazael to tell Ben-Hadad that he would recover, but in truth, the king would die. When Elisha told Hazael the news of his king, the prophet’s countenance changed dramatically. Elisha sank into a stare, and he began to weep. Hazael asked why the prophet was weeping. Elisha reveals to Hazael that he knows what will happen to Ben-Hadad and what Hazael will do. When Hazael returns to tell Ben-Hadad the news, the next day Hazael takes a thick cloth soaked in water and murders the king.

What saddened Elisha was what God revealed to the prophet, the level of cruelty Hazael would bring upon the people of God. The Lord used the Syrians to punish His rebellious people. Hazael would bring great suffering to the land of Israel, burning their cities to the ground, and killing all the young men with the sword. The Syrians would take the small children and dash them against rocks. They would take pregnant women and rip open their wombs, killing both mother and child most horrifically. The prophets Hosea and Amos would both declare God’s fury and wrath against Damascus for the atrocities of war committed against the children of Israel.

War crimes are as old as the history of humanity. No nation that has gone to war survives without condemnation for cruelty in battle upon the opposing army, and especially the innocent. The inhumanity of man against his fellow man is evidence of the nature of sin and wickedness. There is no justification for torture, rape, murder, and cruelty toward others in the name of war. Nothing will go unpunished. The Syrians were a tool used by God to punish His people, as were the Assyrians and Babylonians, but judgment came upon all those who exacted horrible acts of cruelty toward others. God does not ignore nor forget what the soldiers did to the young men and women with child.

Sin is at the heart of cruelty. Elisha was saddened by what he knew Hazael would do. He could see through the mind’s eye the atrocities committed by the Syrians against the people of God. Israel had rejected God, and He was bringing judgment upon His own people because of their sin. The Syrians sinned in killing the innocent and ripping open the women with child. Israel was guilty of wickedness by going after the gods of Baal, Asherah, and Chemosh. Idol worship included human sacrifice, rape, and torture. Israel was no less guilty than Syria. God will punish the heart of evil.

When Cain killed Abel, the consequence of sin was highlighted by the senseless murder of an innocent man. This act of murder would be repeated for thousands of years until the ultimate murder of a sinless man brought hope to a dark world. The Jews killed Jesus of Nazareth out of envy and jealousy. Jesus was sinless, who knew no sin. Through the death of Jesus, the inhumanity of man against others could be brought to light for the saving power of Jesus Christ. Peter told those on Pentecost that they killed the Son of God. Cut to the heart, they asked what they must do to be saved. Peter told them to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins. Three thousand believed and were baptized. The love and grace of God were shown to highlight that in the face of the inhumanity of man, God is willing to forgive. There is no greater love than to forgive those who killed the Son of God. God’s grace is amazing, beyond measure, eternal in the heavens. Sin will not be ignored. Obedience can wash away sin. Even the most horrible sin.