Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
So they went and called out to the city gatekeepers and told them, "We went into the Aramean camp and not a man was there — not a sound of anyone — only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents left just as they were." The gatekeepers shouted the news, and it was reported within the palace.
The king got up in the night and said to his officers, "I will tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are starving; so they have left the camp to hide in the countryside, thinking, 'They will surely come out, and then we will take them alive and get into the city.' "
One of his officers answered, "Have some men take five of the horses that are left in the city. Their plight will be like that of all the Israelites left here — yes, they will only be like all these Israelites who are doomed. So let us send them to find out what happened."
So they selected two chariots with their horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army. He commanded the drivers, "Go and find out what has happened." They followed them as far as the Jordan, and they found the whole road strewn with the clothing and equipment the Arameans had thrown away in their headlong flight. So the messengers returned and reported to the king. Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. So a seah of flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for a shekel, as the Lord had said.
Now the king had put the officer on whose arm he leaned in charge of the gate, and the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died, just as the man of God had foretold when the king came down to his house. It happened as the man of God had said to the king: "About this time tomorrow, a seah of flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria."
The officer had said to the man of God, "Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?" The man of God had replied, "You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it!" And that is exactly what happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died.
2 Kings 7:10-20
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
As Chapter 7 of 2 Kings ends, we find yet again another of Elisha’s prophecies comes true. And since Elisha is referred to as a man of God, we know and understand that when he speaks, he speaks under the authority of the Lord.
Now you would think with Elisha’s track record and all that the Lord has done in and through him, that when he spoke, people would listen. But even as we see today, no matter how much the Lord has done to show us He is capable of doing any and all things…there are always those who tend to doubt whether He will deliver…whether He will carry out what He said He would do…whether He will fulfill His word.
These people are the skeptics.
In today’s scripture, we’ll see two people exercising their skepticism. For one, nothing bad happens…at least not for all. For the other, we will see how Elisha’s prophecy comes true and how it costs the skeptic his life.
Let’s set the scene first.
The lepers who had left the city gate to see if the Arameans might take them in and spare them, went to the Aramean camp and surprisingly found it vacated. They begin to loot the camp and hide away valuables for themselves when their conscience got the best of them and they were convicted to return to the city with the news about what they had seen.
So scripture tells us the “went and called out to the city gatekeepers” saying, “We went into the Aramean camp and not a man was there — not a sound of anyone — only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents left just as they were." And the gatekeepers, in turn, “shouted the news, and it was reported within the palace”.
Well, when the news got to King Joram, he didn’t even start to consider that what had happened might have been ordained by God. No, instead he came up with an assumption that the vacated camp was just a trap…meant to lure the hungry Israelites out of the city so they could be taken prisoner and allow the Arameans to take over the city.
So one of Joram’s officers proposed a plan. They would send out an advance party to see what might happen when they went to the Aramean camp. The thought was that losing an advance party was better than seeing the city population and the city taken captive. And so they “selected two chariots with their horses and the king sent them after the Aramean army”, commanding them to "Go and find out what has happened."
Well, the advance party did as King Joram ordered and followed the Aramean trail “as far as the Jordan”. Along the way, they found the “whole road strewn with the clothing and equipment the Arameans had thrown away in their headlong flight”. It was obvious that the Arameans had indeed fled and left everything behind and the “messengers returned” and made the report to the king.
And with it known to be safe, “the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans”, leading to financial improvement such as “a seah of flour sold for a shekel” and “two seahs of barley sold for a shekel”…all “as the Lord had said” would happen.
Now, we know that the Lord spoke through Elisha to predict that these matters would happen. And we know he did so in the presence of the king and one of his officers.
And yet, the king decided to rely on his own judgment and confirmation. God’s word spoken through His prophet wasn’t good enough.
Friends, are you ever like the king?
Do you, despite knowing of God’s promises and perfect power to fulfill those promises, still refuse to trust Him and want to find out first hand for yourself before you believe?
If so, then you are a skeptic and as we’re about to find out with the second part of this scripture, being a skeptic can have some very dire consequences.
For scripture next reintroduces us to the officer who was with Joram when Elisha prophesized that the famine was soon coming to an end. You’ll recall that when Elisha said, "About this time tomorrow, a seah of flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria" that the king’s officer replied, "Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?"
In other words, the officer couldn’t fathom that the Lord, even if He performed one of the most miraculous acts imaginable and opened the floodgates of heaven, would be able to pull Israel out of their famine.
Joram’s officer, you see, was a skeptic and how often are we like him? We find ourselves in the midst of difficult circumstances and we start to think that God can’t help us, even though we’re quick to attest that God is powerful enough to do anything
Well, as we look back at the passage, we remember that Elisha had told the skeptical officer that he would see the prophecy with his own eyes but then would not be able to eat any of the benefits gained. Only the faithful could do that…and Joram’s officer was far from faithful…a truth that would cost him his life.
For we read where Joram’s officer was placed “in charge of the gate” and while he was there, he was “trampled…in the gateway by the people and died. Elisha’s prophecy had come true. The officer wouldn’t have a chance to eat any of the flour or barley as it was now available.
Friends, this passage is meant to reach down into the deepest recesses of our souls to demonstrate what can happen when we decide to lose out faith and trust in the Lord. True believers have no reason to doubt that God can’t deliver on anything He said He would deliver on.
That’s why I have a hard time believing that any true believer could also be a skeptic when it comes to the Lord…to His word and to His way.
What’s your position today?
Believer or skeptic?
If I were you, I would choose to believe.
And if Joram’s officer were given a second chance and could speak to you, he would tell you to do the same.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
No comments:
Post a Comment