II Kings 7:3-20
“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.” (II Kings 7:3-4)
The famine was so bad the Israelites were even eating their own children in Samaria thanks to the siege by Syria. Four homeless lepers were hanging around the entrance of the city hoping to get some food. As they talked the realized there wasn’t much point in going into the city to beg because the people were starving too. They decided to take a chance and beg from the Syrians. The worst they could do would be to kill them and they were going to die anyway. If they decided to feed them, they would have a chance to live.
“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. For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us. Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.” (II Kings 7:5-7)
The lepers got to the Syrian camp just before dark when everyone should have been finishing up their meals and getting ready for bed. They were shocked to find nobody home but everything arranged like they had just been interrupted.
God had caused the Syrians to hear noises that sounded like a huge number of chariots. Most of the horses and chariots and horses came from Egypt and the Syrians concluded that Israel must have hired the Egyptians to come fight for them. Knowing how badly they had beaten them without help, the Syrians panicked and fled, leaving everything just as it was and fled on foot in hopes the Egyptians would not know they were gone in time to catch them.
“And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it.” (II Kings 7:8)
The lepers were starving and when they saw the food on the table in the first tent they gobbled up as much as they could eat. When nobody came back, they took a bunch of stuff from the tent and hid it. They came back and started looting other tents as well. After all, the Syrians were there to fight and kill a bunch of them.
“Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's household. 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.
And he called the porters; and they told it to the king's house within.” (II Kings 7:9-11)
After a little bit, the lepers realized that the people in the city were still starving. They figured that if they didn’t share the food, with them, God would punish them, so they went to spread the news. They went and told the guard at the city gate what happened. He relayed the message to the palace guards, who told the king.
“And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now show you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we be hungry; therefore are they 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.” (II Kings 7:12)
When Jehoram heard what the lepers said, he assumed it was some kind of a trick to entrap them. The Syrians knew how desperate they were for some food, and were setting some out in hopes some of them would forget about the danger.
“And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city, (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it: behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed:) and let us send and see.” (II Kings 7:13)
Acknowledging that it might be a trap, one of the servants suggested a scouting party of five men be sent to find out where the Syrians had gone. Mounted on horseback they would be difficult to capture, and if they were caught it wouldn’t make much difference because the horses were just as starved as the people.
“They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see.
And they went after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king.” (II Kings 7:14-15)
The king agreed to send two horsemen to track them and see where they had gone, The trail led to the Jordan river because it was the quickest way to get to and area where the Syrians could be fairly sure of getting away. and there was a lot of stuff scattered along the way indicating the Syrians had been fleeing from something. The scouts went back and told the king what they saw.
“And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD. “ (II Kings 7:16)
The people went out and took what the Syrians had left behind. Those who couldn’t go themselves bought from those who could, and since there was so much food, the prices dropped down to just where Elisha had prophesied.
“And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him.
And it came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be to morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria: And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be?
And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof. And so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died.” (II Kings 7:17-20)
The official who had doubted Elisha’s prophecy was assigned to keep the gate while the others went to the Syrian camp, just in case it was a trap after all. The people were in such a rush to get to the food, he was unable to get out of the way when he opened the gates and they trampled him, much like the spectators who got trampled at the soccer game in England. He got to see the people going after the food, but he died of his injuries before he got to eat any of it.
The official’s lack of faith did not prevent God from doing what he promised, it just prevented the official from benefiting the promise. II Timothy 2:13 declares, “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.”
“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.” (II Kings 7:3-4)
The famine was so bad the Israelites were even eating their own children in Samaria thanks to the siege by Syria. Four homeless lepers were hanging around the entrance of the city hoping to get some food. As they talked the realized there wasn’t much point in going into the city to beg because the people were starving too. They decided to take a chance and beg from the Syrians. The worst they could do would be to kill them and they were going to die anyway. If they decided to feed them, they would have a chance to live.
“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. For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us. Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.” (II Kings 7:5-7)
The lepers got to the Syrian camp just before dark when everyone should have been finishing up their meals and getting ready for bed. They were shocked to find nobody home but everything arranged like they had just been interrupted.
God had caused the Syrians to hear noises that sounded like a huge number of chariots. Most of the horses and chariots and horses came from Egypt and the Syrians concluded that Israel must have hired the Egyptians to come fight for them. Knowing how badly they had beaten them without help, the Syrians panicked and fled, leaving everything just as it was and fled on foot in hopes the Egyptians would not know they were gone in time to catch them.
“And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it.” (II Kings 7:8)
The lepers were starving and when they saw the food on the table in the first tent they gobbled up as much as they could eat. When nobody came back, they took a bunch of stuff from the tent and hid it. They came back and started looting other tents as well. After all, the Syrians were there to fight and kill a bunch of them.
“Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's household. 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.
And he called the porters; and they told it to the king's house within.” (II Kings 7:9-11)
After a little bit, the lepers realized that the people in the city were still starving. They figured that if they didn’t share the food, with them, God would punish them, so they went to spread the news. They went and told the guard at the city gate what happened. He relayed the message to the palace guards, who told the king.
“And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now show you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we be hungry; therefore are they 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.” (II Kings 7:12)
When Jehoram heard what the lepers said, he assumed it was some kind of a trick to entrap them. The Syrians knew how desperate they were for some food, and were setting some out in hopes some of them would forget about the danger.
“And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city, (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it: behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed:) and let us send and see.” (II Kings 7:13)
Acknowledging that it might be a trap, one of the servants suggested a scouting party of five men be sent to find out where the Syrians had gone. Mounted on horseback they would be difficult to capture, and if they were caught it wouldn’t make much difference because the horses were just as starved as the people.
“They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see.
And they went after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king.” (II Kings 7:14-15)
The king agreed to send two horsemen to track them and see where they had gone, The trail led to the Jordan river because it was the quickest way to get to and area where the Syrians could be fairly sure of getting away. and there was a lot of stuff scattered along the way indicating the Syrians had been fleeing from something. The scouts went back and told the king what they saw.
“And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD. “ (II Kings 7:16)
The people went out and took what the Syrians had left behind. Those who couldn’t go themselves bought from those who could, and since there was so much food, the prices dropped down to just where Elisha had prophesied.
“And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him.
And it came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be to morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria: And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be?
And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof. And so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died.” (II Kings 7:17-20)
The official who had doubted Elisha’s prophecy was assigned to keep the gate while the others went to the Syrian camp, just in case it was a trap after all. The people were in such a rush to get to the food, he was unable to get out of the way when he opened the gates and they trampled him, much like the spectators who got trampled at the soccer game in England. He got to see the people going after the food, but he died of his injuries before he got to eat any of it.
The official’s lack of faith did not prevent God from doing what he promised, it just prevented the official from benefiting the promise. II Timothy 2:13 declares, “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.”
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