Now there were four men who were lepers at the entrance to the gate. And they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die?” – 2 Kings 7:3
The city was under siege, and outside the gates were four lepers. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place! Behind them was a city where they were not wanted. In front of them was a vast enemy army.
So, they evaluated their options: “If we stay here, we die. Let’s go over to the enemy camp and surrender. They might spare us, and we will live.”
What they didn’t know was that God had already stepped in! “The LORD had made the army of the Syrians hear the sound of chariots and of horses, the sound of a great army” (7:6). They assumed another army was coming to attack them, so they ran for their lives.
The lepers got to the tents, and there was nobody there! So here were four lepers, with the supplies of an entire army. “They carried off silver and gold and clothing and went and hid them” (7:8). But at the end of the day, they said, “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… let us go and tell the king’s household” (7:9).
So, the lepers walked back and told the gatekeepers. The gatekeepers told the king’s servants, and the king’s servants woke the king to tell him the good news.
Are you keeping good news to yourself that you might later regret? Have you personally experienced the truth that it’s better to give than to receive?
