Meet me in second Kings Chapter 7.
By the grace of God, we're going to complete this chapter in its
entirety this evening. So let's turn there and begin in
verse one. And I want to remind you that
this. Chapter does not introduce a new
story, nor does it transition us into a new thought.
Instead, it begins in the middle of a conversation between Elijah
and Delicate sent from the king of Israel, who were sent to
arrest him and to execute him. That's where this chapter
begins. And we have to remember from our
previous study that Israel during this time was weathering
a severe famine, and with that famine was attempting to survive
Syrian siege, the army of the nation of Syria surrounding them
and hoping to starve them into surrender.
And due to the siege, inflation is through the roof and the
people of the Northern Kingdom have even resorted to
cannibalism in order to survive. Things are bleak.
Things are desperate and devastating.
But while Samaria is in shambles.
The last site that we had of the prophet was that he was at home
sitting calmly waiting on his God.
On the other hand, the King of Israel, through a spontaneous
reaction to the horrors that he is discovering among his people,
chooses to blame God and the man of God for the suffering that
his country is experiencing and decides in his rage to kill the
prophet. And so he sends a messenger, and
he will follow that messenger. But we're dealing with a prophet
here. And so the Lord speaks to Elijah
ahead of time, and Elijah is notified, and he tells the
elders to protect the door of his home.
And they do so. And then suddenly the messenger
of the king arrives on the scene and the king behind him, only to
realize that God is the one who has a real message.
And it's a message for the king of Israel, and it's a message
for the people of Israel. And we're going to read the
first 2 verses of this chapter to discover it together.
Second king, 7 verse one. But Elijah said, hear the word
of the Lord. Thus says the Lord, Tomorrow
about this time a sea of fine flour shall be sold for a
shekel, and to see is a barley for a shekel at the gate of
Samaria. Then the captain, on whose hand
the king leaned, said to the man of God, If the Lord Himself
should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?
But he said, You shall see it with your own eyes, but you
shall not eat of it. Lord, we ask in humility that
you help us with this study. Touch our lives, touch our
minds, touch our hearts, change us.
O God, we need you here. We need you day by day, we need
you as we engage with your word. So we depend on you and we
gladly admit that you are the teacher, we are your students
and we receive from you. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
I believe that in verse one alone we can learn three things.
Verse 1 alone, and I want to just touch on those things
briefly. The first thing that I want to
draw to your attention is how often man's evil is met by God's
grace. It's incredible, isn't it, that
you had the king of Israel wanting to execute the prophet
of God, despite the fact that Elijah has done so much to help
Israel and even unworthy king such as Jeraham.
And yet this king wants to remove his head from his
shoulders. And with all the things, the
series of graces that this king has experienced, he would think
that after this, this is a this is a whole new low that he would
finally be dealt with in judgement and punishment and
divine discipline. And instead, what do we read?
That Elisha gives him a promise of provision, That he lets him
know that salvation is just a night away.
And as I look at this, I'm reminding you of another real
life example of how the grace of God reveals itself and how it
often reintroduces itself in the midst of our sin.
While men hate God, rebel against God, despise God, God
meets them in that place while they are yet enemies and
embraces them with grace. And I've said this so many
times, I don't want to be redundant, but I can't help it
that the more I study even the Old Testament, the more I'm
convinced that God is a God of grace.
And for people to make this claim that God is in a better
mood in the New Testament than he was in the Old proves to me
ignorance of the Scriptures and that you have not really delved
into what the Word of God has to say about the character of God.
Here you have the king who wants to kill a mighty man of God
without cause, and yet God prompts Elijah to give a message
of grace and hope as a response. It's staggering, and it's not an
isolated thing. The second lesson is about how
God can change any circumstance in any amount of time.
Notice that the astounding prophecy that Elijah gives is
not just about, you know, specifying this new.
Kind of price for these goods. It also, it also unveils that
there's going to be the presence of products that were not in
existence within the city's borders.
Remember, the products that were on demand were two things that
are unthinkable. Donkeys, heads and the dung of
doves. And now all of a sudden we hear
and we read that there's going to be fine flour and there's
going to be barley provided. And it makes you wonder, how is
this going to happen? There's a siege going on here.
How will these products be imported?
How will these goods even arrive?
Left to human ingenuity, it's impossible for this to be a
reality within 24 hours. And that's the point.
This prophecy is preparing the people for a miracle.
This is a supernatural announcement.
It doesn't make any sense. And this is one of the many
miracles that should always be remembered by us whenever we are
facing something where we don't understand how God can come
through, especially when all odds are against us.
That's the point of this. Left to human reasoning, there
is no logical answer. And yet we are supposed to be
impressed by this, that God is able.
That God is able. And when I'm looking at this I I
can't help but think in our context as a church, I will
never forget and by the grace of God never fail to testify of how
He has done something so similar in our story.
You think about the history of this church, and you think about
how within a day. After an unforeseen transition,
we were able to gather as a people and some of you, this is
foreign to you. You don't know the history
behind how we are here in this specific location.
But let me summarize it. It was a miracle.
And for those who were there, you know it very well.
It was a miracle. How is it that through a
transition again that left? To human reasoning would lead us
to think that we need much more time to be able to do what we
were able to do in that time frame.
We didn't have to postpone one meeting, cancel one prayer
service, delay 1 Bible study, nothing of the sort.
I hope for those who were there to experience it.
We'll never forget that in the Word and for those who live for
the Lord. God is able to flip the script
within the blink of an eye. That's who God is, and you have
to believe that he's able to do that.
And when you experience something like that, you'll
never be the same. And so I read the story and yes,
I'm looking at history, but I'm also looking at the same God
who's done it for us. And he is able to do it again
and again and again. He's not constrained by time.
He's not limited by lack of resources.
But here's what you have to remember that believing the Lord
can do that. Does not mean that you and I
will be given the blueprint of how he will do it.
Believing he can do it doesn't mean that he owes us explanation
to how he is going to do it. Did you notice that when Elijah
prophesized about how the economy is going to shift
drastically within 24 hours, he doesn't tell the king how it's
going to happen. He didn't say so here's how it's
going to happen. The Syrians, as we're about to
read in this, the Syrians, they're going to hear a sound.
I'm going to let them hear the sound of Chariots and horses.
They're going to flee and all the things that they leave
behind. That's what's going to bring
about the deliverance to the people doesn't, doesn't say
anything of the sort. He just says it's going to
happen. And knowing that God is able
must be enough to win our faith. Just knowing that he is able,
not trying to understand the intricacies and the danger also
of limiting him to our methodologies, that will
suffocate your faith. If you think that God is limited
by how you think he should or how he can do it, that's
dangerous thinking. Just give up.
Give up speculating, give up planning, give up trying to
figure out how he's going to do it.
Just trust and while you wait, worship.
I find an issue how we get a glimpse of the thinking of the
King's right hand man as he hears this and couldn't help
himself but respond to this prophecy.
And what does he think? He thinks, OK, if this were to
happen, then the only way that it could occur is that God would
make fine flour and barley rain down from the heavens, right?
Remember he says that though with the make heavens have
windows and those windows would open up and he was to release
these things. OK, But even then he says, could
it really bring about the results that you're Speaking of?
But interestingly, God is not going to.
Literally make things fall down from the sky as he did with
mana. He has a whole different idea
about it. And God is going to open the
heavens in a metaphorical sense. And we have to be careful
thinking that the Lord is bound to our predictable solutions.
Here's the last thing that we can learn from verse one, the
last, the third thing, it reminds us very close to the
second point, how God is not bound to our schedules.
He's not bound to our timing. Go back to the second Kings 633
to know what I'm talking about. It says here.
And while he was still speaking with them, the messenger came
down to him being Elijah and said this trouble is from the
Lord. Why should I wait for the Lord
any longer? Why should I wait for the Lord
any longer? That's what the King says now.
One would think that in the face of such desperation and
devastation, the Lord would act without delay, right?
That if this is going to be this abundant provision made, why not
say by this afternoon it's going to happen?
Why not say by this evening you'll see it come to pass?
Why tomorrow? Why tomorrow?
And we're not giving an explanation.
Not in this story, and in many cases not in your life either,
but when things will unfold for you, when things will come to
pass for me. But I think when you read the
rest of the story, there is a timeless principle that can be
applied to anything that we are waiting on the Lord for.
Because as we're going to discover in a moment here, there
are key players that still need to be positioned, and there are
parallel stories that still need to be woven together that will
require time to achieve. And if it will require time to
accomplish, then it will demand our patience.
And we need to be patient. Study the Psalm, study
narrative, study the stories and how much is mentioned about
waiting. It's almost like an inescapable
discipline for the Christian learning how to.
Wait, it's everywhere. It's everywhere.
Imagine everything came with every prayer on the demand.
What kind of faith does that pull out of you?
Can God do it immediately? Yes.
I and I pray that way. I pray believe in that God can
come right here, right now before I even say Amen.
You have the right to pray that way.
But if He doesn't, what do you do?
You believe that He is bringing together a story, a testimony
that is greater than you can imagine.
And it requires time. It requires time.
Well, let's read. Let's read on in verse two, the
first part we learned that there was not just a messenger or the
king in attendance that there was the captain on whose hand
the king leaned the right hand man of the king.
And he couldn't help but react to this prophecy.
And unfortunately his reaction isn't 1 of gratitude and faith.
Instead it is filled with. Scorn and unbelief.
What does he say if the Lord were to make windows in heaven?
Could this thing be, in other words, if God was able to drop
this flower and barley from the skies with the reverse of our
situation, as you say, actually come to pass?
And the captain should have known better because he should
have remembered that this is not the only time where God has
metaphorically provided something through the windows of
heaven. Can you think of a time before
this where God acted through the symbolism of the windows of
heaven being opened? Any idea?
You can answer if you know man out, Sure, but I'm looking for
the specific phrase the windows of heaven.
It goes all the way back to the beginning.
Very good. Genesis Chapter 7.
Look at it with me in verse 11 and Genesis 711.
It relates to Noah. And notice what Moses writes in
Genesis 711 in the 6th, 100th year of Noah's life, and the
second month on the 17th day of the month.
On that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and
the windows of the heavens were opened.
So you see, God has opened the windows of heaven before, but
for what reason? According to this account, to
pour out his judgement in a metaphorical sense, What was he
ready to do in the account of Second Kings Chapter 7?
To pour out his grace. And in many cases, some find it
more difficult to believe that God is willing to extend grace
than to unleash his wrath. I've met those people, and this
hesitation is implied in another passage of scripture in the Old
Testament, where the windows of heaven are referenced yet again.
Any idea? I'm talking now the right side
of Second Kings. Any other idea where the
reference windows of heaven is brought up?
Not Revelation. Still in the Old Testament, Not
Daniel. Nope.
Malachi. Somebody got it.
Go to Malachi chapter 3, verse 10.
This is a very familiar passage. Malachi 310 here's what the
prophet says bring the full tide into the storehouse, that there
may be food in my house, and thereby put me to the.
Test. Isn't that fascinating?
You'll be hard pressed to find another place where God tells
the people to put him to the test.
But in this case, he says, Put me to the test, and thereby put
me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the
windows of heaven for you, and pour down for you a blessing
until there is no more need. Here's a translation of what the
Lord is saying here. Evidently you people, my people,
do not believe that I am willing to bless you for your obedience
to My law. And in my law there is a demand
that you give a portion of your resources in order to fund the
ministry at the temple and to help the priest as they
minister. And you know how that was
revealed? They did not give the tithe.
No, no, they didn't give the full tithe.
So they gave in part. And God reveals here indirectly
why they gave in part because they were hesitant not give
everything because we're going to lose if we give.
And God says you don't believe my word.
Put me to the test. Give in accordance to what I ask
of you. Watch how I'll open the windows
of heaven and pour all my. Blessings on your life Now, many
in the New Covenant use this old Covenant law to try to press
people to obey the tithing law that was binding in the Old
Covenant. There's a different principle of
giving in the New Testament and in the New Covenant under the
law of Christ, but the principle of obedience is applied
universally. Blessing will never be realized
in a place of partial obedience. They gave some, they didn't.
Give what God asked and he said only when you give fully will I
bless you truly. And that's true for any command
of God if we are consciously, willingly, strategically in our
sin, holding back obedience, and are wondering why we're not
experiencing the windows of heaven being blessed.
Over our lives then we have to reconsider and re evaluate the
sincerity of our obedience. That's what we see here.
And the most dangerous type of unbelief is to disbelieve the
goodness of God in light of the gospel of Christ.
And I want to elaborate on that here.
So come back to 2nd Kings and notice the second part of verse
2. Elish proclamation of grace
swiftly turns into a declaration of judgment.
That's what we find. Right.
He gives a personal verdict to this man who in great disdain,
does not believe the word of the Lord.
And So what happens? He says you're going to see it,
but you're not going to partake of it.
You're going to. Witness God's blessing, but
you're not going to have a share in it.
And in the same way, those who understand the call of the
gospel, the glory of the gospel, the gift of the gospel, yet do
not respond appropriately by faith, we'll have the same
destiny as available as the gospel is You and I can reject
it to the degree that it can be so close and yet never realized.
And I'm thinking of a fascinating verse.
When I was studying this yesterday, I was thinking about
a fascinating verse from the book of Galatians.
In chapter 3, verse one where he tells this group of professing
Christians, Oh foolish Galatians, who has bewitched
you. And then he goes on to say
something profound. It was before your eyes that
Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.
Hold on, the Galatians are Gentiles.
The Galatians came to faith shortly after, yes, but not at
any time where Christ was on earth.
He already resurrected. He ascended.
What is Paul saying to these Galatians when he says it was
before your eyes that you saw Jesus Christ crucified?
The only way to explain this is that when Paul preached to the
Galatians, he did so with such clarity, such detail, such
power. It was as though the Galatians
witnessed the crucifixion. It was palpable.
It was so real, it was so vivid. The Holy Spirit translated in
such a way in which it impacted them, as though eyewitnesses to
the actual event. And yet they were being
enchanted by false teachers, and they were being swayed to deny
the sufficiency of the gospel and add works to their
salvation. And Paul reminds him, you saw
it, but you're in danger now of falling from grace.
By the way, that's where that term actually comes from.
Have you ever heard, as heartbreaking as it is, when a
spiritual leader falls, even in the secular news, they'll say
so. And So what fell from grace,
right? And what they mean by that is
they send in a dramatic, public way.
But when you actually look at the origination of that phrase,
falling from grace doesn't necessitate you doing something
grievous or heinous. It actually means denying the
sufficiency of the gospel. That's what the Galatian Heresy
was that you need. To add works to what Christ has
done, and if you base your salvation on addition to what
Jesus accomplished at the cross, you are falling from grace.
That's where that comes from. And even though they witnessed
that so clearly, they saw it, but they're in danger of not
partaking in it. You might be.
You might be one of those people tonight.
You know how to articulate the gospel probably better than some
preachers can. But are you saved by that
gospel? You might be able to explain the
doctrine of justification by faith.
OK, good. Are you justified though?
And so this is something that we have to answer for ourselves.
And if this teaches us anything else, this account in Second
Kings Chapter 7 is that God takes unbelief very seriously.
Very seriously. You think of the Israelites who
came out of Egypt and all the foolery and all the mistakes and
all the acts of rebellion and what?
Was what was the point where God says that's it, this generation
is going to die, this desert is going to become their graveyard
and I'm going to raise up a new generation to go on.
What was it? Unbelief.
Unbelief that after the spies came back, ten of them says we
can't do this to this is no, no, no, we can.
They believe the majority. They deny that God was able to
bring them through. And God says that's it, that's
it. Unbelief is what changed
everything. This man didn't believe and he
was familiar with Elijah's ministry and what God had done
through him before. And he still didn't believe.
Now for the rest of this chapter, you and I are going to
see how this prophecy is going to be realized.
We're going to see come to life. We're going to see a play by
play, scene by scene unfolding of what Elijah declares.
And there's so much in this, so much of this pertaining to our
walk with the Lord and the gospel of Christ.
So let's read the first 2 verses of this new Section 3 and 4.
We'll pause and pluck some golden grains of truth.
Verse three. 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?
If we say, let us enter the city, the famine is in the city
and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also.
So now come, let us go over to the camp of the Syrians.
If they spare our lives, we shall live.
And if they kill us? We shall but die.
So let me tell you in advance that it's going to be these 4
lepers who will be used by God to bring the good news that the
Syrians have been defeated and that salvation from God has
come. I can think of 10 other types of
candidates to do this kind of thing.
Of all the kinds of people that God could have used, the most
despised in this society. The.
Outcast the rejected. So are.
Are there more people that could have maybe had a more impressive
background or appealing appearance or more inviting
presence? Perhaps.
But we're discussing about the God who chooses the foolish
things in this world, the things that are lowly in despise, even
the things that are not to accomplish as well.
Why? So that no human being may boast
in the presence of God, that's why.
And it's no different here. These lepers are not aware of
how this is going to play into a bigger picture, but God in His
Providence is prompting them, and they're going to be the
means by which Samaria will be delivered.
And here's where I'm comforted. If the Holy One of Israel is
willing to recruit lonely, rejected, diseased individuals
who are barred from any meaningful interactions with
average citizens, how much more is He willing to use us to make
an impact? That's the point of this.
I believe. These guys that are relying on
the scraps on the dump outside the city to survive, these are
the ones that are going to be used.
How can you be discouraged? And if you need more
encouragement, here it is that God uses those who make the best
of the opportunities they have. Now again, let me say this.
These lepers don't know that their course of action is going
to play into a massive testimony, totally unaware.
There is no indication that the Lord spoke to these lepers and
said, I need you to go to the Syrian camp.
There's a surprise for you. And what you see there, I need
you to bring it back to the people.
Nothing. No supernatural revelation,
nothing of the sort. Just them thinking logically.
Pertaining to their situation. At the same time, what they're
doing in principle is instructive for us.
How so? Because they are choosing the
best possible outcome for their limited situation.
With the options that they have, they choose to move in action.
What if they had simply just stayed and decide to shrivel up
and die? That was possible.
You know what would have happened?
They would have never made that discovery of a defeated enemy,
and they would never have realized the treasures that were
ready to be claimed. And like manner, I believe that
God will honor us if we make the best out of what seems to be
outside of our control. This is applicable to the
giftings that you have and to the ministries that are
providentially provided to you. You might look at yourself and
say, I don't feel like I have much to offer.
I don't feel like I have a spectacular gift or a
significant platform or a number of people that I can really make
an impact on. All right, what options do you
have? And with whatever options you
have, take the best route, the most fruitful route.
And like these men who chose to move forward, God made it
something better. God made into something more
wonderful. And that's what you and I have
to understand. What is before you and what is
the wisest, most righteous, most glorifying way to go about it.
And God will honor that. God will honor that.
If they had stayed where they were at, this would have been a
much different story. But they chose to move.
And as they move forward, we're going to see more qualities of
these lepers. But there's a pause because the
Holy Spirit wants to now take us behind the scenes of the miracle
that these lepers are going to stumble upon.
Let's read on in verse 5. It says here.
So they arose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians.
But when they came to the edge of the camp of the Syrians,
behold, there was no one there. For the Lord had made the army
of the Syrians hear the sound of Chariots and of horses, the
sound of a great army. So that they said to one
another, Behold, the king of Israel is hired against us, the
kings of the Hittites and the kings of Egypt to come against
us. So they fled away in the
twilight and abandoned their tents, their horses, and their
donkeys, leaving the camp as it was.
And fled for their lives. You know what I find so
interesting? Then in the previous chapter,
God opened the eyes of Elijah's servant to see the mountain full
of horses and Chariots of fire, remember?
And here in Second King 7, he opens the ears of the Syrian
Army to hear the sound of horses and Chariots.
I wonder if what they heard is what the servant saw, that this
sound is the sound of the very army, the celestial army that
surrounded Elijah from Second Kings chapter 6.
I like to think that's the case, that God made them in tune with
the spiritual realm and and all those horses and Chariots had to
do is just Rev their engine a little bit and that was enough
to spook them. Moreover, I can't help but be
confronted with yet another demonstration of the grace of
God. You know why?
Because later on in Second Kings, we're going to read of
another foreign enemy that's going to come against the people
of God. Not the Syrians, but the US
Syrians. You know how God takes care of
them. In one night He sends an Angel,
and he will slay 185,000 of those soldiers.
One night, close to 200,000 of them will be slain.
He doesn't do that here, though. He doesn't destroy them, he just
lets them hear the sound of an army and he allows them to
escape. So I see the grace of God here
and allowing that right? And you would think, OK, this,
this will finally bring the Syrian king to his knees and
realize. He didn't just spare my army
once, he didn't just heal one of my greatest generals, he did it
again. Well, just to give you a heads
up, you're going to be disappointed in Second Kings
chapter 8, but I have another. Thought another thought.
I can't help it. Isn't it amazing how it takes so
little for God to do something so massive?
So when it came to comforting one of his servants, he just
gave him a glance. And when it came to putting an
army to flight, he just let him hear a sound.
That's how mighty God is. That's how big he is.
He doesn't even need to necessarily act, just see this.
Hear this and history can be changed.
So what happens? How do the lepers respond to
this? Look at verse 8.
And when these lepers came to the edge of the camp, they went
into a tent and ate and drank, and they carried off silver and
gold and clothing and went and. Hid them.
Then they came back and entered another tent and carried off
things from it, and went and hid them.
Pretty predictable, right? You don't blame them, right?
Well, that's not it. Verse 9.
Then they said to one another, we are not doing right.
This day is a day of good news. If we are silent, wait until the
morning light punishment will overtake us.
Now, therefore, come, let us go and tell the King's household.
So we look at this and we think to ourselves.
What do they do in their destitute state?
They, they just pounce on the spoils, right?
And they go from tent to tent. And not only do they devour
whatever is left in terms of food, but they see all these
resources, money bags and gold perhaps.
And they thought to themselves, we, we hit the lottery.
And so they found some secluded place where they marked it and
they dug up, you know, their personal savings account and
they stuffed the ground with it. And they thought we'll come back
for that later. And and they were essentially
setting themselves up for a future, never mind being a leper
once in a generation kind of discovery of turn around of of a
pivotal change. But as they are making this
personal investment, their their consciousness are stricken and
they think to themselves, this isn't right.
Because as much as we are preparing for a future that no
leper has ever known in all of history, there are still mothers
eating their children and there was an entire population of a
city dissolving into extinction. We have to tell others about
what we found. Now again we we backtrack and we
think what would have happened if these lepers stayed exactly
where they were and just rotted until they died?
What if they have not moved forward?
Makes us wonder. Now we can ask that question
here. What if they had stayed in this
state of mind and just accumulated for themselves and
concerning their own self preservation and prioritizing
their future, their prosperity? What?
What would have happened? How many more people would have
died? You say, oh, well, somebody
might have discovered it eventually.
Sure. But what kind of casualties in
between? Here's another lesson that we
can we can gain from these lepers because the moment that
they chose to appropriately respond to this conviction, God
guided them and LED them to be the means to again bring about
deliverance for the Samaritans. We best position ourselves to be
used by God when we don't focus on self.
If you're a person here who is preoccupied about your own
accumulation, self preservation, your own gain, your own
investments, your own feasting, you leave God very little to
work with when he wants to touch other people's lives.
But the moment you recognize that there's a bigger picture
that life is, it's not about your satisfaction, it's not
about securing a safer future, then the Lord is ready to guide
you into a way of life that will ultimately glorify Him.
And in that be the most satisfying thing that you can
ever experience. So these lepers now are are not
just saved in themselves. They are going to be the vessels
that God's going to use to to preserve an entire group of
people. And where did it start?
It started when they stopped thinking about themselves.
So hold the things of this life very loosely, right?
And allow God through your heart that is open to whatever he
would ask of you to be able to recruit you and send you and and
use you for His glory. You suffocate the purposes of
God in your life when you're selfish.
You strangle that to death. But when you are all about
whatever God is all about, you have an exciting future ahead of
you. So that's where it changed for
these lepers when they realize that it's not about them.
But look at this language. It's so hard to ignore the
gospel theme in it. Verse 9.
Then they said to another, we are not doing right.
This is a day of good news. This is a day of good news.
And then they go on to say if we're silent, punishment will
overtake us. Reminds me of Paul's words when
he says woe to me if what if I don't preach the gospel?
Woe to me, woe to me if I don't preach the gospel.
That's what they're essentially saying here.
We discovered something and it is terrible of us if we keep it
to ourselves. Now many have referenced this
Old Testament story as a way of stirring up Christians to not
keep the gospel to themselves. That in the revelation of Christ
defeating our ultimate enemy, sin, death, Satan, that we
should not be quiet, right? And that's completely
appropriate. But I see something else here.
I, I see in this story a way to help Christians share the
gospel. I mean, the Bible provides many
avenues, many motivations for us to be able to muster up the
boldness and to be intentional about opportunities to share the
gospel. And I think this is another one
that you can add to your arsenal.
Say, what do you mean? Listen if you feel unworthy, if
you feel fearful about opening your mouth and telling others
about this truth. This is what's helped me.
See yourself as a leper. See yourself as a leper who was
in the same state as everybody else, starving, and you made a
discovery. And this discovery is an
abundance of provision that will change the rest of your life.
And all you're doing is as one beggar going to other beggars
and letting them know where they can find living bread.
If you see yourself in that light, as one beggar who is
spiritually starved, yet you'd made a discovery that doesn't
just help you but can help anybody, then you will approach
sinners with a greater humility and a greater sincerity.
And there will be a tenderness, and there will be a love, and
there will be the right amount of force that will at least
persuade the person that you care about them.
You might not win them, but it's able to at least present the
gospel to them in a way where they can't deny that you care
about them. That's all these lepers are
doing. We were dying.
We found something. It's supernatural, it's an act
of God. So is Calvary, and now you're
just going to others who are in need of what you have, and
you're just willing to share with anybody who's willing to
accept it. I found living bread.
I found a fountain of living water that never runs dry.
And the invitation is for you as much as it was for me.
But be prepared that as you share the gospel for a variety
of responses, including the one that we read of with the king of
Israel. So what happens?
Let's look at verse 10. So they came and called to the
gatekeepers of the city and told them we came to the camp of the
Syrians. And behold, there was no one to
be seen or heard there, nothing but the horses tied, and the
donkeys, donkeys tied, and the tents as they were.
Then the gatekeepers called out, and it was told within the
King's household, and the king rose in the night and said to
his servants, I will 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 open country, thinking when they come out of the city,
we shall take them alive and get into the city.
So here's what the king of Israel is saying.
No, no, no, no, no, no. It's not as you say.
I I figured it out. This is a trap.
So they know that we are stubborn and we're resilient.
And so they come up with a different strategy.
They went out to the outskirts and they know that we're in such
a desperate place that we're going to go out and try to find
some food. And once we do that, they're
going to ambush us. The king of Israel heard the
prophecy that Elijah gave, and now it came to pass and he's
still denying it. What are you to make of this?
That no matter how well you explain something, or no matter
what kind of testimonies people witness, some are determined to
explain away the truth of the matter.
Some are devout in their skepticism.
Some are unwavering in their ideas, and I'm not speaking
about those who have an honest skepticism or inquiry.
I'm talking about those who have this fatalistic trust in their
human wisdom. You've probably met those
people, I've met many of them who are extremely critical and
devoted to their conspiracy theories about the person of
Jesus Christ, the emergence of the church, the formation of the
Word of God. No matter what way you come from
the historical angle, from the internal evidence, from the
beauty of Jesus, from the wonder of the gospel, no matter what
way I just, they're able to swat it away and their arguments are
so silly, has no weight to it. It's fluff, it's humanistic,
it's emotional, it's shallow. Or what about these people who
are extremely insufferably skeptical of Christians and
Christian leaders? Were they always?
They always point to a hypothetical motivation of
ministries that is selfish and sinful.
Are there ministries and ministry team leaders out there
that are wolves? Absolutely.
The Bible tells us that. But everybody, every Christian
you know, every pastor you know, is a predator.
Or is money hungry. So no, I I know what your people
of I know what church is all about.
I know what I know what passes are really like.
It's an ambush. It's a setup.
It's actually God's deliverance in this story.
But there's some people who just no matter what you tell them,
what even even supernatural invasions in their lives, they
won't submit. And it's in those moments where
you have to seek the wisdom of the Spirit to determine, do I
move on from here and work with different soil or do I stay here
until that person's heart is thawed?
When it comes to the king of Israel, there is some
pliability. How so?
Look at verse 13. And one of his servants said,
Let some men take five of the remaining horses, seeing that
those who are left here will fare like the whole multitude of
Israel who have already perished.
Let us send and see. So they took two horsemen, and
the king sent them after the army of the Syrians, saying.
Go and see. So a servant speaks up.
O King, we're dying. We don't have much time left
here, so why don't we just take a few people to just go and see?
I mean, if they die, we're going to die anyway.
What do you say? All right, go and see.
Yet another example of how a servant.
Remember how many times we've seen this in Second Kings?
How a Servant exercises greater wisdom, greater insight than
someone who is superior in terms of status and position, proving
to us again that your occupation or your heritage does not equate
to true valuable knowledge. The servant says, why don't we
go about it this way? And the king agrees.
And what happens? Look at verse 15.
So they went after them as far as the Jordan, and behold, all
the way was littered with the garments and equipment that the
Syrians had thrown away in their haste.
And the messengers returned and told the king, look how specific
the Bible is. What was the primary need of the
people of Samaria? Food, food.
We just need real food. I can't eat donkey's head again,
right? I can't try to make soup out of
Dove's Dong again. Food is what we need, and I'm
sure they would have been more than content to discover scraps
of food. But what did they find more than
food? Look at the word there in the
middle, verse 15. And behold.
In other words, OK, you've been reading, but now look at this.
Hey, pay extra close to attention here.
And behold, all the way was littered with garments and
equipment that the Syrians have thrown away in their haste.
So Elijah prophesied there's going to be no shortage of food.
In fact, there's going to be so much food, everybody's going to
be able to eat. And when they came to
investigate the site, not only did they find food, they found
equipment. They found garments.
Meaning what? God gives more than what He says
He's willing to do. In many cases, He does
abundantly, more than we can ask or imagine.
So he prophesied food and they come and they go.
No, we even have clothes and we have practical resources.
That's the goodness of God. You ask for something, you
believe God for something, and he does more.
Why? So he can get more glory, that's
why. So let's read the remaining
verses of this chapter and conclude, shall we?
Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the
Syrians. So see, a fine flour was sold
for a shekel, and two seas of barley for a shekel, according
to the word of the Lord. Now the king had appointed the
captain on whose hand he leaned to have.
Charge of the gate. And the people trampled him in
the gate, so that he died, as the man of God had said, when
the king came down to him. From when the man of God had
said to the king, to see as a barley shall be sold for a
shekel, and to see a fine flower for a shekel.
About this time tomorrow in the gate of Samaria, the captain had
answered the man of God. If the Lord himself should make
windows in heaven, could such a thing?
Be And he had said, You shall see it with your own eyes, but
you shall not even eat of it. And so it happened to him, for
the people trampled him in the gate, and he died.
The reason for the repetition in such a close proximity is
because God wants to make sure that we don't end this testimony
without being reminded that what He says, He will do Every detail
of it. This repetition is detailed to
remind you and I that God, when He says something, He intends to
keep everything that He said. And God is just as faithful with
His warnings of judgement as He is with His provisions of grace.
So he came through and provided exactly how he said he would
provide, but he also judged exactly the way he said he would
judge. And there's that phrase again,
right? That he would see with his own
eyes, but he would not eat of it.
And the way this story ends, I'll end it this way, is the way
that the end of the grand story will come to pass.
So what are you talking about? I'm talking about the story of
human history. I argue that this is a little
preview of a universal experience.
This man saw God's provision, God's promise come to pass, but
he died. Turn to Revelation, their final
verse, tonight in Chapter 1. And look at verse 7.
Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see
Him, even those who pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth
will wail on account of Him. Even so.
Amen. Just because every eye will see
Him does not mean everyone will be saved.
And just because this man, this captain, saw the promise come to
pass, it didn't mean that he would partake of it.
That's going to happen when Jesus Christ comes.
What God had said about his return, about his reign, about
what he's done, what he will come to do, it's going to be
realized. And even those who didn't
believe it will see it. But when they see it, it will be
too late. And I end this Bible study
hoping that nobody here will be in that situation, that you
should look on him now, as Isaiah says, and be saved, not
look on him when he comes to judge.
I hope you know Jesus Christ, this time of the year is very
meaningful to me. Not just because it's Christmas.
Because in 2011 I was a beggar spiritually.
I was a 20 year old college student who felt like growing up
in the church was just a way for my parents to keep me morally
good and controlled and civilized.
And I responded to, I forgot how many altar calls and youth
conferences and plays that would pull on your heartstrings and
demand an answer. I responded to so many of them,
but I wasn't saved until the age of 20.
And I always wondered why. And it wasn't until a few years
ago that it dawned on me. It's because every time I sat in
a meeting like this, or went to an event or a conference, and
when there was a call to be saved, though I answered
positively, affirmatively, I never really gave my heart
because down deep inside, I believe that the world had
something to offer. And so I would try to try to
bargain for both. I mean, I'll I'll take what
Jesus has to give me, but but with one hand and and this hand
will just kind of flirt with the cooking jar.
Here and it wasn't until I realized at 20 I was eating
donkey's head and the dung of doves.
And it dawned on me that just outside of the city gate, God
made a provision for my soul. And I'm just a beggar willing to
tell other beggars about where they can find living bread and
why. Again, I say this is a
meaningful time of the year because it happened around this
time. And New Year's of 2012 is when I
became a follower of Jesus Christ. 2025 can be a new year
for you too. If 2024 and every year prior was
a faulty walk with Christ, it can change in 2025.
Why waste another year? Why reserve yourself from the
one who made you, who died for you, who wants to walk with you,
and who wants to use you? But he's waiting for you to deny
yourself. Just like these lippers, as long
as you go from tent to tent, experience to experience,
country to country, job to job, girl to girl, guy to guy, OK,
you can hop around all you want. It's not until you realize this
whole thing about life and my existence, it's bigger than me.
There's a more important and glorious and eternal story
that's being written. This universe doesn't revolve
around me. Only when you realize your sin,
your selfishness, is what's holding you back from true life
now and eternal life to come, will Christ become attractive
and the and the person that. Will deliver you and position
you to know a life that you've been searching for all along.
And so I invite you into that. I invite you into that because
it's real. It's real because this book says
it's real and it's available to you.
And if you are skeptical for whatever reason, have you ever
been skeptical of your own skepticism?
You're a skeptic, so be skeptical of your own
skepticism. Have you ever tried that?
What if you're wrong? What if you're wrong?
Are you so confident that you're in the right, that Jesus Christ,
maybe in your thinking, is not even real, or Jesus Christ is
not worthy to be followed? Why question your questions?
I pray that this might be the beginning of a new journey for
some of you, maybe some who might be watching, I don't know.
I'm just the messenger. God does the saving.
Let's pray. We thank you that you've been
faithful to us in 2024. And Lord, you've been faithful
to us in these Bible studies. Every week you speak to us.
You speak to us because this word is opened and it's
dissected and it's explained hopefully in your power.
And we asked Lord that tonight as we reflect on these truths
that they would translate in in real life change.
And so, Lord, we humble ourselves as we sit here and we
bask in your glory, and we ask that you would receive more
glory as we sing in Thanksgiving to you.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen. Amen.
As the praise team comes, I invite you to just sit and
reflect and just enjoy what was heard.
Commune with the Lord. We're going to sing in a few
moments here, but just take your time and commune with God and
we'll close very shortly, but take advantage of this time.