We read in 2 Kings 6:24-25, “And it happened after this that Ben-Hadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria. And there was a great famine in Samaria;” (NKJV)
The city of Samaria was under siege by Ben-Hadad the king of Syria, and no one could enter or exit that city. As a result the famine in that city was so severe that people living there were challenged with untold hardships. There were also four men inflicted with leprosy who lived outside this city, as they were forbidden to enter the city. Usually those inside the city would hand out food to these men, but since those inside the city were in dire straits, they were unable to help these men, which left them in a pathetic situation.
The plight of the four men with leprosy
We read in 2 Kings 7:3, “Now there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?” (ERV)
These four men who had leprosy discussed with each other the futility of their wait outside the city gate as they knew that help was not forthcoming.
Whenever we are faced with huge problems in our lives, we should expect great deliverances from the Lord. Abraham and Sarah were old, and had come to a stage where bearing a child was an impossibility. It was at this time that God graciously gave them a son. The problem that they encountered was colossal, but the answer was also astounding. We read about Goliath the Philistine champion who was a gigantic problem to the Israelite army, but the Lord strengthened David who won a victory over Goliath. As the people of Israel confronted the towering and formidable walls of Jericho which was a hindrance to their progress, the Lord brought the walls crumbling down, so that the Israelites could proceed to procure the Promised Land. When the people of Israel stood before the Red Sea it seemed they had no way out, but the Lord parted the sea, and made a way through the sea, so they Israelites could move on to safety. Those who encountered small problems had small victories, and those who came across huge problems experienced mighty victories.
If you are in such a situation where you think that the problem you are facing is too huge to handle, be sure that what seems an enormous problem to you, is nothing at all to the Lord. God will help you triumph over all of these difficulties with ease, if you trust Him.
The risk the four men undertook
This is what the four men with leprosy decided to do. We read in 2 Kings 7:4, “It's no use going into the city, because we would starve to death in there; but if we stay here, we'll die also. So let's go to the Syrian camp; the worst they can do is kill us, but maybe they will spare our lives.”(GNB)
They realized that if they went into the city of Samaria there was severe famine, and hence there was no way they could find any food. Outside was the Syrian camp which posed a dangerous situation, but these men thought they would rather die at the hands of the Syrians, instead of dying of hunger. There was still a probability that the Syrians would have mercy on them, and give them some food to eat.
When people come to a cross-road in their lives, and are overwhelmed with difficulties, often times many go into some sort of depression. If we want to avoid these, we must do whatever is in our ability to do, just as these four men did, in the incident mentioned above. Remember there is nothing that comes into our lives that the Lord can’t handle, and if we call out to Him, He will answer us, and bring speedy deliverance.
The astounding find
This is what the four men who had leprosy found when they went into the Syrian camp.
It is recorded in 2 Kings 7:5, “So, as it began to get dark, they went to the Syrian camp, but when they reached it, no one was there.”(GNB)
As it grew dark they stealthily entered into the Syrian camp to find that the entire camp was totally deserted, and no one was there.
The sound the Syrians heard
This is what happened at that camp as recorded in 2 Kings 7:6-7, “The Lord had made the Syrians hear what sounded like the advance of a large army with horses and chariots, and the Syrians thought that the king of Israel had hired Hittite and Egyptian kings and their armies to attack them. So that evening the Syrians had fled for their lives, abandoning their tents, horses, and donkeys, and leaving the camp just as it was.” (GNB)
The Lord had made the Syrians hear the thunderous sound of a large army with horses and chariots. This made the Syrians assume that they were being attacked by the Israelites, along with the Hittite and Egyptian armies, and they fled for their lives, leaving behind their all. A sound was all that was needed to drive out a powerful Syrian army who had besieged the people of Samaria, and kept them captive.
There is nothing that the Lord can’t handle if we hand it over to Him. He can use anything, even a sound to bring a mighty deliverance to our gruesome situations.
The light that transformed Saul
We read about Saul in the New Testament, whose only aim was to persecute those who believed and followed after Jesus. Saul was ready to kill anyone who was a follower of Jesus. This Saul was educated, affluent and no one could handle him. As the church prayed, the result was that as Saul proceeded to Damascus with the aim to persecute those who believed in Jesus, there was a light that shone on him. This encounter with Jesus so changed Saul that he became the Apostle Paul, who was responsible for establishing so many churches far and wide. God used sound to terrorize the Syrians, and bring deliverance to the Israelites, the same God used light to transform Saul into Paul.
The four men had their fill
We read in 2 Kings 7:8, “When the men with skin diseases came to the edge of the camp, they went into a tent, ate and drank, and carried off the silver, gold, and clothes they found in that tent. They went away and hid them. Then they came back, went into another tent, carried off its contents, went away, and hid them.” (GW)
The Syrian army had probably got all this loot of silver, gold and clothes from their previous conquests. As these four men with leprosy who were hungry stuffed themselves with all the food they could find, their eyes were now set on taking the silver, gold and clothes that were found in the tents. They took all of this and hid it up so that no one could find it, thereby saving enough for a secure future for themselves.
In the last message we observed the life of Gehazi who coveted after the gifts that his master Elisha has refused to accept from Naaman who was cured of leprosy. The consequence of that covetous act by Gehazi was that Elisha cursed Gehazi, and his descendants to be inflicted with the leprosy that Naaman had been cured of. Some bible scholars believe that these four men with leprosy could have been Gehazi and his three sons. We still see the covetous side of Gehazi in the way these four men coveted for the gold, silver and clothes.
The day of good news
Suddenly these four men got convicted and these were their words as recorded in 2 Kings 7:9, “Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news. If we are silent and wait until the morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come; let us go and tell the king’s household.””(ESV)
As these four men started to hoard and hide the valuables, they suddenly felt guilty and realized that they were doing wrong. They had been satisfied, and there were all the people inside the city of Samaria who were facing terrible famine and hunger. These men were convicted that this good news that there was food and valuables in the Syrian tents, should not be kept to themselves, but was meant to be shared with the King and his household.
Today those who have been saved, and have made Jesus the Lord of their lives, must understand that there is a responsibility given to each one of us to share this good news with others. Those of us who believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and accepted the salvation that He offers, have been freed from the bondage of sin. The Lord has brought tremendous transformation in our lives. Sadly, so many have received this gift of salvation, become part of a church, and have become content to enjoy all these blessings for themselves and the generations to come. Many are satisfied that their life is secure, and that they have the hope of eternal life in heaven. The Lord reminds us that this is the day to share this good news, as so many around us are striving hard to be rid of their sins.
There are so many around us who are struggling to be set free from their sinful bondages, and the question is, ‘What are we doing to help them know that there is salvation and freedom available with Jesus?’ We must keep in mind that we will be held accountable for those whom we know, but with whom we failed to share this good news. Let us make the best of every opportunity to share all the good things that God has done in our lives. The Lord loves everyone in the world the exact same way He loves us, and it is not His will that anyone irrespective of their nationality, race, language or region should perish. This is the reason God sent His only son Jesus into the world to redeem all of mankind from their sins, and this is the day to proclaim this good news to one and all.
The four men declared the good news
In 2 Kings 7:10, we read, “So they left the Syrian camp, went back to Samaria, and called out to the guards at the gates: "We went to the Syrian camp and didn't see or hear anybody; the horses and donkeys have not been untied, and the tents are just as the Syrians left them."” (GNB)
When the people in Samaria heard it, they were initially in disbelief, and the king sent a few men to check it out. Once they knew that the message of the four men was true the men from the city rushed out to plunder the camp of the Syrians to acquire all that they needed. All of their problems were solved in a most miraculous way that day.
As children of God if you have accepted the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, have received all of His blessings in your lives, don’t be content. This is not the will of God that we alone should be satisfied, but that we should share the good news of the gospel to everyone around us, who are perishing in sin. If we do not do this we are the most selfish people. Just look around, and you will notice that there are so many struggling with sin, sickness, problems and hardships. The Lord alone can deliver them, and let each of us decide to share this good news with those whom we come in contact with. If we fail to share the good news, the guilt will remain on us for our lack of love and concern.
The Lord restored Gehazi
Gehazi and his descendants were cursed by the prophet Elisha to be inflicted with leprosy on account of his sinful greed and deceit. However, we observe a change in their attitude when they got convicted of their covetousness, and went to proclaim the news that there was much food and valuables in the Syrian camp so all of Samaria were blessed. Their change of heart brought about a change in their deeds, and we see that God lifted up Gehazi all over again.
We read in 2 Kings 8:4,“Now the king was talking with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, “Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done.”” (ESV)
Something miraculous must have happened for we read that Gehazi was in the palace of the King sharing about the great things that the prophet Elisha had done. The king was curious to hear all the stories about Elisha and Gehazi was sharing this with the king. We understand that God is one who lifts up those who stumble and fall.
As children of God you may have made mistakes in some areas. Some of these choices may have affected your children too. Let us remember that God is one who will always lift us up, no matter how badly we have fallen. David was elevated by God from being a shepherd boy to becoming the King of Israel. At his highest, David sinned against God when he committed adultery. One would have thought David had come to his lowest, and that there was no way God would use him. David sat on his throne with no sense of remorse, but when the prophet of God confronted David, he immediately repented, and confessed his sins to the Lord. The Lord graciously restored David back to his former glory.
If we have fallen into sin, have stumbled in any way, and made mistakes, we can call out to the Lord who is willing, and able to raise us up again. God is not one to notice and ignore our cry, but will give heed to those who call on Him. In the life of Gehazi we see that he was punished, and cast outside the city because of his greed. However, when Gehazi got convicted in his heart and changed, we see that Gehazi was promoted again to be in the palace of the king.
Let me summarize all that we have learnt in this message. First of all, when we are faced with enormous problems, do not be discouraged, but expect God to bring a colossal victory to our situations. The bible records these huge problems that individuals, societies or nations encountered, but God helped them overcome, just so that we can also trust God to overrule all of these hurdles we face today.
Secondly, whenever we encounter difficulties, it is natural for us to be overwhelmed with a sense of depression. So many are unable to cope with these depressions for it seems there is no way out, but if you call on the Lord sincerely, and ask Him to help, He will answer. Do whatever you can, and the Lord will intervene to change your circumstances, for He is able to raise you up again.
Thirdly, we have the responsibility to share the good things that God has done for us with others. The Apostle Paul says it this way in 1 Corinthians 9:16, “If I spread the Good News, I have nothing to brag about because I have an obligation to do this. How horrible it will be for me if I don't spread the Good News!”(GW)
This is not an option for a believer, but our obligation to God. Let us decide to share the love of God with at least one person each day. Have you observed how we are so prompt to share about our experience at a new restaurant or our good purchase from a new shop in town? If we can give that much of importance to worldly things, how much more ready should we be to share the good news of the gospel, to the souls who are perishing around us. If we truly long to do so, and ask God for opportunities, we will be surprised at the number of people we can bless each day. God will lead people to us who will share their problems and ask for prayer, thereby giving us favorable circumstances to share the wonderful ways God dealt with us, and led us.
Finally, when we stumble and fall because of the wrong choices we have made, and are faced with some consequences, let us not lose heart. Remember, God is ever willing to raise us up and restore us again.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
