Scripture
2 Kings 7
: 3 Now there were four men with leprosy[d] 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.”
5 At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp, no one 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.
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.”
10 So they went and called out to the city gatekeepers and told them, “We went into the Aramean camp and no one was there—not a sound of anyone—only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents left just as they were.” 11 The gatekeepers shouted the news, and it was reported within the palace.
Thoughts
God has a way of inverting our pecking order. And in doing so, he points out what he values, and how most often it is the exact opposite of what we value. Preceding this passage, Samaria in the kingdom of Israel was prevented from getting food or supplies by the Arameans and suffered from starvation, prompting cannibalism (chapter 6 is not for the faint of heart). The king of Israel, recognizing that God is responsible, plans to behead the prophet Elisha. Instead, Elisha prophecies that there will be a bounty of food for the starving masses. And who is it that enjoys the first fruits of God’s bounty–the king? Nope. The wealthy families? No again. Perhaps the soldiers–the troops? Not a chance. Instead it is a couple of leperous men who were so desperate for food they ventured into the Aramean controlled area in hopes of something to eat. Chances are good that these two leperous men were invisible to their fellow Judeans–who were more concerned with feeding their stomachs than anyone else.
Throughout the scriptures, God reveals again and again that he is looking after the weak, the sick, the downtrodden–those who have far less than the average person in Israel. God hears the cries of the humble, the people who from all outward appearances have been abandoned by their fellow countrymen, forgotten by their creator. God shows that he is first and foremost about caring for his creation–all of his people created in his image. And he does the same, though exponentially more, for us with Jesus. Jesus came for those who were scorned by society, who were seemingly outcasts–but to Jesus they were and are his precious people.
Reflection
As you go about your daily routine this week, open your eyes to all those around you. Give yourself a half a minute to think about one or two of them each day and see if the Holy Spirit puts something on your heart to pray for them.
Personal Prayer
Lord, I am blind to so much of your creation. Help me to spend a few moments each day looking at the people you’ve put in my path, especially those I’ve usually ignored. Give me your heart for them, and may your spirit give me the words to pray a blessing for their lives. Thank you for the many, many people you’ve put in my path throughout my life who have lifted me up, and prayed blessings over me.
Shared Prayer Focus
Pray that you would disarm and neutralize the leaders of the world who would do evil against their own people and other nations. Protect the children, families, and peoples who are left homeless by the wars, diseases, and general brutality of men. Give us perseverance to come to you throughout the day, to be refilled with your Spirit, so our cups will not be empty when we encounter those in need.
