Why Stay Here Until We Die?

If the seven year famine in the land of Samaria wasn’t enough, the Arameans had laid siege to the capitol city and the people were starving to death. They had resorted to cannibalism and had completely given up all hope.

There were four lepers who lived near the city gate, men whom society had cast out. These four men reasoned that to stay in the city would mean death by starvation, but to surrender to the invading army would likely be a demise by the sword. Either way, they had the same fate, but by trying something new there was a chance the Arameans would spare their lives; movement was their only hope of survival.

“Why stay here until we die.” (2Kings7:4). When you’re stuck between the famine and the attack, movement is the only path to freedom and it can’t wait until tomorrow. The four mean left at dusk and found the camp of the enemy completely empty. The Lord had caused the Aramean army to hear noises that made them believe they were being attacked by a large infantry. The Arameans had fled and left all their supplies behind. God had won the battle, but only those that had the courage to move even knew about it.

After filling themselves with food, the four men knew they had to report back to the city. Soon their entire community was enjoying the overflowing blessing of the Lord’s supernatural provision. These four men brought life to themselves and their entire community by simply being unwilling to accept being a victim.

1 Corinthians 10:13 promises us that the Lord will provide a way out of situations that seem overwhelming. But this requires vision to see the future as more relevant than the past. Lethergy makes us the victim--freedom is a pursuit, not a privilege.