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Speaker 1: I'm John Stangey, and today we're in Second King's Chapter seven,
Speaker 1: and this is what we read. Elisha replied, listen to
Speaker 1: this message from the Lord. This is what the Lord says.
Speaker 1: By this time tomorrow, in the markets of Samaria, six
Speaker 1: quarts of choice flower will cost only one piece of silver,
Speaker 1: and twelve quarts of barley grain will cost only one
Speaker 1: piece of silver. The officer assisting the king said to
Speaker 1: the man of God, that couldn't happen even if the
Speaker 1: Lord opened the windows of heaven. But Elisha replied, you
Speaker 1: will see it happen with your own eyes, but you
Speaker 1: won't be able to eat any of it. Now, there
Speaker 1: were four men with leprosies sitting at the entrance of
Speaker 1: the city gates. Why should we sit here waiting to die,
Speaker 1: they asked each other. We will starve if we stay here,
Speaker 1: but with the famine and the city, we will starve
Speaker 1: if we go back there, so we might as well
Speaker 1: go out and surrender to the Aramian army. If they
Speaker 1: let us live, so much the better. But if they
Speaker 1: kill us, we would have died anyway. So at twilight
Speaker 1: they set out for the camp of the Aramians. But
Speaker 1: when they came to the edge of the camp, no
Speaker 1: one was there, for the Lord had caused the Aramian
Speaker 1: army to hear the clatter of speeding chariots and the
Speaker 1: galloping of horses, and the sounds of a great army approaching.
Speaker 1: The King of Israel has hired the Hittites and Egyptians
Speaker 1: to attack us, They cried to one another, So they
Speaker 1: panicked and ran into the night, abandoning their tents, horses, donkeys,
Speaker 1: and everything else as they fled for their lives. When
Speaker 1: the men with leprosy arrived at the edge of the camp,
Speaker 1: they went into one tent after another, eating and drinking wine,
Speaker 1: and they carried off silver and gold and clothing and
Speaker 1: hid it. Finally, they said to each other, this is
Speaker 1: not right. This is a day of good news, and
Speaker 1: we aren't sharing it with anyone. If we wait until morning,
Speaker 1: some calamity will certainly fall upon us. Come on, let's
Speaker 1: go back and tell the people at the palace. So
Speaker 1: they went back to the city and told the gatekeepers
Speaker 1: what had happened. We went out to the army in camp,
Speaker 1: they said, and no one was there. The horses and
Speaker 1: donkeys were tethered, and the tents were all in order,
Speaker 1: but there wasn't a single person around. Then the gatekeepers
Speaker 1: shouted the news to the people in the palace. The
Speaker 1: king got out of bed in the middle of the
Speaker 1: night and told his officers, I know what had happened.
Speaker 1: The Aramians know we are starving, so they have left
Speaker 1: their camp and have hidden in the fields. They are
Speaker 1: expecting us to leave the city and then they will
Speaker 1: take us alive and capture the city. One of his
Speaker 1: officers replied, we had better send out scouts to check
Speaker 1: into this. Let them take five of the remaining horses.
Speaker 1: If something happens to them, it will be no worse
Speaker 1: than if they stay here and die with the rest
Speaker 1: of us. So two chariots with horses were prepared, and
Speaker 1: the king sent scouts to see what had happened to
Speaker 1: the Aramian army. They went all the way to the
Speaker 1: Jordan River, following a trail of clothing and equipment that
Speaker 1: the Aramians had thrown away in their mad rush to escape.
Speaker 1: The scouts returned and told the king about it. Then
Speaker 1: the people of Samaria rushed out and plundered the Aramian camp.
Speaker 1: So it was true that six courts of choice flower
Speaker 1: were sold that day for one piece of silver, and
Speaker 1: twelve quarts of barley grain were sold for one piece
Speaker 1: of silver, just as the Lord had promised. The king
Speaker 1: appointed his officer to control the traffic at the gate,
Speaker 1: but he was knocked down and trampled to death as
Speaker 1: the people rushed out. So everything happened exactly as the
Speaker 1: Man of God had predicted. When the king came to
Speaker 1: his house. The Man of God had said to the King,
Speaker 1: by this time tomorrow, in the markets of Samaria, six
Speaker 1: quarts of choice flower will cost one piece of silver,
Speaker 1: and twelve courts of barley grain will cost one piece
Speaker 1: of silver. The king's officer had replied that couldn't happen
Speaker 1: even if the Lord opened the windows of heaven, and
Speaker 1: the Man of God had said, you will see it
Speaker 1: happen with your own eyes, but you won't be able
Speaker 1: to eat any of it. And so it was for
Speaker 1: the people trampled him to death at the gate.
Speaker 2: Let's pray, Lord, we thank you for your word, and
Speaker 2: we thank you for the privilege of being able to
Speaker 2: look at it today. And Lord, we're grateful for the
Speaker 2: opportunity to see how you protected and you provided for
Speaker 2: Israel once again. And Lord, we can see that even
Speaker 2: though your people have regularly turned their back on you,
Speaker 2: that you still maintain a presence among them. And we
Speaker 2: see this in this passage. You regularly spoke through Elisha
Speaker 2: and communicated your truth to your people, and you showed
Speaker 2: them through signs and through miracles and through your protection
Speaker 2: and your provision that you were the God that they
Speaker 2: should be worshiping. Lord, you've revealed yourself to us as well.
Speaker 2: And Lord, there's no greater way that you have revealed
Speaker 2: yourself than what you did in coming to this earth
Speaker 2: and taking on flesh, dying for our sin, rising from
Speaker 2: the grave, and sharing new life with all who trust
Speaker 2: in you. Lord, we know that our hearts can easily harden,
Speaker 2: just like the people of Israel hits experienced. But Lord,
Speaker 2: we don't want that to be the case. Help us
Speaker 2: to be men and women with soft hearts who love you,
Speaker 2: who know you, and who worship you. Sincerely, Lord, we're
Speaker 2: grateful for your love for us. We thank you for
Speaker 2: your protection, for your provision and for the promises that
Speaker 2: you have given to us of what lies ahead for
Speaker 2: all who trust in Jesus Christ. We're grateful for these realities, Lord,
Speaker 2: and we thank you for this all in Jesus' name.
Speaker 1: Amen,