Between a Rock and a Hard Place
II Kings 7:1-16
| 1 Then Elisha said, "Hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the LORD: 'Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.'"
2 So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, "Look, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?" And he said, "In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it." 3 Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, "Why are we sitting here until we die? 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 but die." 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. |
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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.
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.
9 Then they said to one another, "We are not doing what is 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."
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.
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.'"
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."
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.
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.
These four lepers found themselves in a difficult situation--the proverbial rock and a hard place. I don't know the exact location of this place--many people visit there--this must be a common travel location for many.
Examine the situation of the lepers. Leprosy was a debilitating, progressive, incurable disease. Leprosy made them outcasts. They were beggars with no resources at all. They were at the total mercy of other's generosity. Not a good place to be.
Maybe you are in similar circumstances. Maybe you are in trouble, without resources, and at the mercy of others. You may be dealing with financial troubles, relationship troubles, health troubles, or spiritual troubles.
The lepers were faced with a dilemma---a difficult choice to make---to go into Samaria and starve, stay put and die for sure, or go to the Syrian camp and take their chances.
It was a very difficult choice. They were asking themselves, "How do I want to die?"
They chose the third option---they decided to face the Syrians. The lepers were focused on their problems, but God had a bigger picture in mind. God was about to deliver the Samaritans through the actions of these four lepers.
The key to this story, I believe is in v12:
"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".
The city of Samaria was in a dire situation, same as the lepers. The Samaritans were hungry, facing death, and afraid of the Syrian army.
The lepers, out of desperation, went into the Syrian camp and found that the armies had fled. After taking their fill, I believe that the Holy Spirit spoke to them to go to the Samaritan King and inform them that the Syrian army was gone. They did so and ultimately the city of Samaria was saved.
If it had not been for the four lepers, the Samaritans might have stayed and died. God ultimately delivered the Samaritans through the lepers.
Lessons to learn:
- When things seem hopeless---try to see the bigger picture.
- In spite your circumstances, God has His eye on you--He sees you.
- In spite your circumstances, God has a plan for you.
- In spite your circumstances, God can use you.
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