Desperate times call for desperate measures. That was certainly the case for the people of Samaria in 2 Kings chapter 7. The city had been under a Syrian blockade and the people were starving to death. The economy was ruined. Hope was gone. The situation was so bad that two mothers covenanted together to eat their infant children.
At the height of the crisis, the Bible says, “Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.” Up to this point, food was so scarce that a donkey's head was sold for eighty pieces of silver. A donkey's head is hardly considered food, and yet this was being sold for an outrageous price. So when Elisha prophesied that, in 24 hours, food would be cheap, this word was met with skepticism. One cynic said, “If God were to open the windows of heaven, could this thing be?” In response, Elisha told the cynic he would see this event unfold, but would not enjoy it himself.
On the outskirts of town, four lepers began to say, “Why sit we here until we die? Let us flee to the Syrians. If we flee to the enemy, we may get fed. Even if they decide to kill us, that's the same plight we face now.”
The next morning, the lepers set out for the enemy's camp. During the previous night, however, God caused the Syrians to hear the sound of chariots, causing the entire army to think they were being attacked. In a panic, the Syrians fled during the night, leaving their tents, their food and their supplies. So when the lepers arrived, they found the camp empty. The hungry lepers began devouring the food that was left behind.
Eventually, one of the lepers said, “We need to share this information with out people, because they are going hungry.” They went back and shared the news that the enemy's camp was now empty and food was available. At first, this news seemed impossible to believe. The king actually sent some men to check out the authenticity of the story. When the story was verified, there was a great stampede of hungry people, eager to find food. Food became inexpensive immediately. The cynic who had questioned whether God could turn a famine into a feast saw this take place, but then died in the stampede.
I want us to look back at the lepers. Things began to turn around when they said, “Why sit we here till we die?”
I believe it is time for Christians to question the status quo. For too long we've experienced spiritual hunger in our land. Churches are dying. Families are being attacked the enemy. Marriages are failing. Substance abuse abounds. Our nation is being destroyed by the cancer of sin. Worst of all, souls are perishing before our very eyes. Like the lepers, we should be saying, “Why sit we here till we die?”
Most Christians are good at sitting. They will sit on the sidelines and complain about things, but never leave the comfort of their chair to help solve problems. Many will sit in church pews on Sunday, but their involvement in spiritual matters is practically nil. Others will sit in a rocking chair and long for a harvest, but never go out and sow seed themselves.
We like to hear stories of those whom God has used to impact lives of others. Whether it is a soul-winner who leads many to Jesus or a missionary who takes the Gospel into dangerous areas, we get inspired by their stories. However, God is looking for people who will be like the four lepers. People who will say, “Why sit we here until we die?” Will that person be you?
Consider some things about these fours lepers. First of all, they were outcasts. Because of their contagious medical condition, they were isolated from “normal” people. Secondly, they remain unnamed. We don't know who they were. Finally, we find no record that they were rewarded or honored by the very people they rescued. But we know that God used them.
If God can use four lepers, He can use you. You don't have to have a seminary degree or attend Bible college to be useful in God's work. You just need to be available.
While everything seems to be burning to the ground around us, we need more and more people who will say, “Why sit we here until we die?” God has not called us to the rocking chair. Instead, He has called us to the mission field. Instead of complaining about the state of affairs around you, why not go to God and say, like Isaiah, “Lord, here am I, send me.” We need less complainers and more doers of the Word. There's no reason why you can't be such a person.
Why sit we here until we die?
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