We’ll Die

And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die? If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die. (2 Kings 7:3-4 KJV)

War creates many situations where people are caught between a rock and a hard place.  These four lepers had nothing going for them.  They were banned from the city because of their disease.  If they were in the city, they would be impacted by the famine and they would die. Outside the city, there were two choices – stay where they were, which meant they would die, or go to the Syrians.  The thought of a Syrian army taking in four Jewish lepers does not sound possible.

Syria and Israel were at war. In the previous chapter we read of the king of Syria making his plans, and the king of Israel responding.  Elisha made him aware of Syrian plans, and he responded to those warnings. 

Why is it he did not respond to Elisha’s warnings about his errors in life, his sins? When we know the answer to that, we’ll understand why we do not respond to warnings about our errors, our sins, won’t we?

Back to the four lepers.  Each one of their options would bring death. Frankly, all of our own options will bring us to that same point. This life we are living now will end.  We must make decisions along the way, just as the lepers did, knowing full well, “we shall but die.”

And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there. (2 Kings 7:5 KJV)

They didn’t sit down and die, even knowing their lives were miserable.  They didn’t turn to the city, though it was their home. That was the known, and they opted for the unknown. They didn’t go because God told them to. Not because they had knowledge, either.  They went because they had to do something.

God knew they would, and He had Elisha prophecy to the king that there would be abundance, the siege would be lifted. The lepers found that to be true – and return to the city to share the good news.

So they came and called unto the porter of the city: and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were. (2 Kings 7:10 KJV)

We need to be brave enough to go into the unknown – with the full knowledge that God has plans.  If we’ll stay close to Him, it will make that path much easier. Then we, too, can share the good news we find.