4 "If we say, 'We will enter the city,' the famine is in the city, and
we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let
us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live;
and if they kill us, we shall only die.“
OK, they do not have much hope for survival.
2 Kings 7
5 And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they
had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there.
OK, there is something weird going on here.
2 Kings 7
Listen to the explanation in the text.
6 For the Lord had caused the army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots
and the noise of horses-the noise of a great army; so they said to one another,
"Look, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites
and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us!"
7 Therefore they arose and fled at twilight, and left the camp intact-their
tents, their horses, and their donkeys-and they fled for their lives.
Do you think they were confused?
2 Kings 7
8 And when these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they went into one
tent and ate and drank, and carried from it silver and gold and clothing, and
went and hid them; then they came back and entered another tent, and carried
some from there also, and went and hid it.
These guys took advantage of the situation.
Where they had come from was starvation and poverty.
So they filled their bellies, and decided to take some booty for themselves.
This is something that lepers normally did not possess.
2 Kings 7
9 Then they said to one another, "We are not doing right. This day is a
day of good news, and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some
punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king's
household."
They were right.
With all the suffering going on just a few feet away, there was plenty for everyone.
Keeping this quiet would certainly bring the wrath of the king upon them.
Besides, who can sit by and twiddle their thumbs when there is good news to
go around?
In case you did not catch that, it was a rhetorical question.
So they did the right thing, just the same as we should do the right thing.
Tell others about the good news.
2 Kings 7
The good news was presented.
10 So they went and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and told them, saying,
"We went to the Syrian camp, and surprisingly no one was there, not a human
sound-only horses and donkeys tied, and the tents intact."
11 And the gatekeepers called out, and they told it to the king's household
inside.
Who could ignore such?
2 Kings 7
The Good news was presented, but the King was skeptical.
12 So the king arose in the night and said to his servants, "Let me now
tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry; therefore
they have gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, 'When
they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.'"
The King did not think to consider that God had given them a blessing. No, the
king thought it was a trap.
Don’t most people think we are setting up a trap when we invite them to
the Lord’s services?
2 Kings 7
But the people were hungry, so they offered a plan for the king to consider.
A plan that would not cost too much if it failed.
13 And one of his servants answered and said, "Please, let several men
take five of the remaining horses which are left in the city. Look, they may
either become like all the multitude of Israel that are left in it; or indeed,
I say, they may become like all the multitude of Israel left from those who
are consumed; so let us send them and see."
14 Therefore they took two chariots with horses; and the king sent them in the
direction of the Syrian army, saying, "Go and see."
2 Kings 7
15 And they went after them to the Jordan; and indeed all the road was full
of garments and weapons which the Syrians had thrown away in their haste. So
the messengers returned and told the king.
All clear, it is not a trap.
16 Then the people went out and plundered the tents of the Syrians. So a seah
of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, according
to the word of the LORD.
2 Kings 7
17 Now the king had appointed the officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge
of the gate. But the people trampled him in the gate, and he died, just as the
man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him.
This officer is the one back in verse 2.
The one who was sarcastic.
The one Elisha said would see it, but would not eat it.
Conclusion
We might enjoy some things that are good.
But we also need to share good news with anyone who could benefit from such.
The gospel is the best news man has ever received.
Should we withhold such good news?
Our fate would be that of what the Lepers considered would happen to them. Put
to death.
Don’t let that happen to you.
By Carey Scott from an outline by Jim Sasser
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