Let’s say good news to all
Four lepers save the people
냉대와 멸시로 버려진 4명의 나병환자들이 오히려 어려움에 처한 일반 사람들을 살렸다.
자신들만 누릴 수도 있었던 기쁜 소식을 세상에 전하는 그들의 마음이 선하고 복되게 느껴지는 이야기다.
2 Kings : 7
8 The men who had leprosy reached the edge of the camp, entered one of the tents and ate and drank. Then they took silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them. They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and hid them also.
9 Then they said to each other, “What we’re doing is not right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let’s go at once and report this to the royal palace.”
Today’s bible story takes place in the northern kingdom of Israel. Israel was in the battle against Aram, and Aramian soldiers had besieged Samaria, the capital of Israel. As time passed, Things became so desperate in the city of Samaria. They can’t get some food to eat. All the people are starving and hopeless.
6 25 There was a great famine in the city; the siege lasted so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter of a cab of seed pods for five shekels.
Israeli people usually do not eat unclean animal donkeys. Inevitably, they may eat the donkey's body, not the head, but they can’t get the meat goat or lamb, so they have no choice. Pods of Seed means no more crops, for example, corn, potato, and rice.
They try to get mice and dove’s dung for soup.
Even though they have money, they can’t buy some food to survive cause of the high rocket price. So, grown-up poor people start to kill their children and share the human flesh with their neighbors by turn.
6 28 Then he asked her, “What’s the matter?” She answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son so we may eat him today, and tomorrow we’ll eat my son.’ 29 So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I said to her, ‘Give up your son so we may eat him,’ but she had hidden him.”
30 When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his robes. As he went along the wall, the people looked, and they saw that, under his robes, he had sackcloth on his body. 31 He said, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today!”
The Israeli King Yoram was shocked to hear two mothers quarreling. The king of Israel blames God and curses this worst situation on the prophet Elisha, so the king tries to kill him. Instead, he was the person responsible for this situation. He is not the king who relies on and serves God. He needs a scapegoat. The king sent a high-position commander to put Elisha to death.
33 While he was still talking to them, the messenger came down to him.The king said, “This disaster is from the Lord. Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”
7: 1Elisha replied, “Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says: About this time tomorrow, a seah[a] of the finest flour will sell for a shekel[b] and two seahs[c] of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.”
2 The officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?”
“You will see it with your own eyes,” answered Elisha, “but you will not eat any of it!”
Amid this trouble, God made an incredible promise: the famine would end overnight, and a measure of fine flour would sell for one shekel. It means Israel will get back to peace again. But the king is still blames God, and the officer mocks the almighty God. So Elisha warns the officer, “You will see it, but you not eat that.
7 3 Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, “Why stay here until we die? 4 If we say, ‘We’ll go into the city’—the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die.”
As you know, leprosy is a skin disease considered unclean. People don’t want them to come close, so they are forced to live outside the city. They are a sinner and abandon people from humanity. They also have trouble living; nobody gives them any food. So they try to adventure to go to the enemy camp. Lepers felt worried, afraid, and scared, but to their surprise, nobody was there.
6 for the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us!” 7 So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives.
God gave mercy to Israel to solve the desperate situation. Despite their lack of belief and turning their back on God, who was demonstrating his love and sincerity to people. He is the promise-keeper and way-maker.
8 The men who had leprosy reached the edge of the camp, entered one of the tents and ate and drank. Then they took silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them. They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and hid them also.9 Then they said to each other, “What we’re doing is not right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let’s go at once and report this to the royal palace.”
The lepers are outcasted person, abandoned minorities, oppressed and sinners, but when they discover a lot of food, meat, and valuable things, they cannot help but say to the other people. They realize that remaining silent and selfishly enjoying God’s blessing would be a sin. So they come back to the city and spread Good news. The king and everyone heard this news and checked whether it was real.
16 Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. So a seah of the finest flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for a shekel, as the Lord had said.
Finally, the leper's good news saves Israel. God keep the promise to his sincere person. On the country, what happened to the unbeliever officer?
19 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!” 20 And that is exactly what happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died.
Unbelieving officers cannot taste fluent food, meat, and wine. God calls us to believe, partake, taste, and enjoy God's promises. We must understand that sometimes we face trouble, trials, and devastating situations, but we trust God. He will guide us in a good way. Also, as Christians, we must share the good news with someone who does not know it. Even though we are poor, single moms, still young, not well educated, not strong, and sick, if we stay in God, we are blessed as his children. He called us to join his ministry.
표지 : 예배중 찬양
