2 Kings 7:1-11
AND WE HOLD OUR PEACE
Intro: This passage is set against the backdrop is a desperate situation.
The city of Samaria was surrounded by the Syrian army. The people within
the walls of the city were literally starving to death. Notice the conditions of
the day 2 Kings 6:25-29. Then, one day, a message of hope came from a
most unlikely source. Four strange messengers brought a strange message
to the city gate that changed everything for those trapped inside the city.
This message was a message of life and hope, yet it was a message
that was almost never told! Let's look into the details of this message and
the men who carried it and think for a few minutes on the subject, "And We
Hold Our Peace!"
This passage has much to say to you and me this evening. You see, we
also have a message of hope and life that needs to be shared with a world
that is trapped in sin and darkness. They have no hope, and we hold our
peace. They have no way out, and we hold our peace. My prayer is that we
will see that the days of sitting silently by while the world perishes are over
forever! I pray that we will see that we need to share the message we have
been given. Let's notice the details of this text and see what it has to say
to us tonight.
I. V. 8a THEIR DELIGHT
(Ill. The context. Here are four lepers who are starving to death. They
wisely reason that it is better to go into the camp of the Syrians and die
by the sword than it is to sit where they are and starve to death anyway.
Imagine their surprise when they arrive in the Syrian camp and find all
the soldiers gone and all the wealth of the Syrian army left for their
taking. They were literally rescued from certain death! They were
overjoyed at their good fortune and they began to live it up! (Note:
These men are a picture of the redeemed sinner. Those who have been
brought out of death in to life. Surely, there is a delight in knowing that
one is saved and headed to Heaven. There is joy in passing from death
into life.) Notice what they enjoyed in their newly discovered
surroundings.
A. They Delighted In Their Refreshment - These men were starving,
but when night fall came, they had more than they could have eaten
in many lifetimes. (Note: Those who know Jesus can feast on
spiritual food and can drink from fountains of living water, Job 23:12,
Jer. 15:16.)
B. They Delighted In Their Riches - These four men were dirt poor.
They subsisted off the garbage others threw away. They were
outcasts and had absolutely nothing. Their situation was made
worse by the famine within the city. No one threw anything away!
Now they are wealthy! They have more gold and silver than they
could possibly spend! (Note: Those who know Jesus enjoy spiritual
blessings beyond the imagination of those who do not know the
Lord, Eph. 1:3. The common things in the Christian life, things
enjoyed by everyone who knows the Lord, that we take for granted
are far more precious than silver and gold! His Presence; His
Provision: His Power; His Promises; Etc!)
C. They Delighted In Their Raiment - In the morning they were
dressed in rags, when evening came they were dressed in the finest
robes of the Syrian army. They had never been as well dressed as
they were that evening. (Note: Those who have come to the Lord
Jesus for salvation have also traded their rags, Isa. 64:6, for His
robes, Isa.61:10; Rev. 19:8. I am glad that I am saved, aren't you?
I rejoice in the robe of righteousness that I have been clothed with
by the grace of God!)
(Note: These are real blessings enjoyed by the children of the Lord.
They are not to be discounted, but they are to be accepted and God is
to be praised because of them. Thank God for every blessing He gives
to His children!)
II. V. 8b-9 THEIR DILEMMA
A. Their Realization - These men were so caught up in their
excitement over their newfound blessings that they forgot about all
the others within the city. They realized that they had been worse
off than everybody and that now they were in better shape than
anybody! And, they realized that they were hoarding up the
blessings instead of sharing them with those in need. Their
statement, "We do not well!", sums it up pretty good. (Note: We
who are saved need to remember that the blessings of the Lord we
enjoy were not given to us to merely make us happy. God has
blessed us so that we might share those blessings with those around
us who need Him too, Matt. 5:16; John 7:38. Not everyone has
what we have and we need to realize that! When we hoard up that
which the Lord has blessed us with, then "We do not well!")
B. Their Reasoning - These men decided that the blessings were not
just for themselves only, but that it was "a day of glad tidings!"
Others needed what they had and they wanted to share it with them!
(Note: I would just remind you that all around us are people who
need what the redeemed have! Ill. Various situations in life that
demonstrate this fact. Would to God that the church of God would
realize that others need to hear the message we have to tell!)
C. Their Resolve - They resolved to go and tell others about what they
had found. They wanted someone else to be helped as they had
been! (Note: This is where witnessing begins! When we
understand that lost people are perishing all around us, and that we
have a message that can help them, it ought to stir us to action for
the glory of the Lord. After all, we have all already been equipped
for this service, Acts 1:8. What we need mor than anything is to see
the need! Sadly, most Christians are like these four lepers were at
the beginning. Our lives have changed and that is all that matters!
Well, I would just remind you that the cross is for others as well.
May we resolve in our hearts to go and tell them about Jesus
Christ!)
III. V. 10-11 THEIR DECISION
(Ill. The men reacted to the need of others, then they acted upon their
resolve and took the message to those in need. Their decision was a
remarkable one that produced remarkable results!)
A. Involved Courage - It took courage for these outcasts of society to
approach the city gates. They stood the chance of death and
certainly of total rejection. (Note: It takes courage to share the
message of Jesus with a lost world. Usually, they do not want to
hear what we have to say. Others know what we used to be and
they see us as being as unclean as they are. Regardless of the
response we receive when we share the good news of Jesus, it must
be shared nonetheless!) (Note: I believe in the great doctrines of
grace: predestination, election, etc. However, I still believe the
message must be shared, Rom. 10:13-14.) Do you have the
courage to be a witness for Jesus Christ?) (Note: Illiterate man in
Texas who lead 168 people to Jesus using Gospel tracts.)
B. Involved Compassion - For these men to go to a city full of people
that had no doubt mistreated them, despised them and ignored them
took great compassion. After all, lepers were considered dead by
society. Sometimes families even had funerals for them when they
were cast out of the city. After such treatment, these men might
have said, "Let them all die! They deserve it after what they
have done to us!" But, the fact is, those in the city needed to hear
and these men did the right thing! (Note: Nothing shows the
compassion of the Lord Jesus Christ more than you taking the time
to go to someone and sharing with them the message of Christ's
saving Gospel! In spite of who they are, in spite of their past
treatment of you, in spite of your past relationship with them, they
need to hear and you and I have been commissioned to tell them
about One Who can save their souls! May we have the love of God
in our hearts to the degree that we will do whatever we have to do
to go to those around us with the life-changing, life-saving Gospel of
grace!)
C. Involved Conversions - When the message was heard, it was met
with skepticism at first. Then it was believed and the city was saved
as a result. Because four men refused to hoard up their blessings,
a multitude was saved! (Note: When you share your faith,
remember that you are not responsible for the results. We talk
about soul winning, when in truth, we have been called to be soul
warners. Our job is to tell, God does the saving! When you
determine to tell, some will heed and others will not, but when you
have done as the Lord has instructed you, then you have been
obedient to His call on your life and He will honor you for it!) (Note:
You never know how it will turn out when you tell someone about
Jesus - Ill. Edward Kimball and his determination to win his Sunday
School class to the Lord.)
Conc: And we hold our peace! Is that statement true of your life? Are you
holding your peace, or are you telling those trapped in sin and darkness of
a glorious way out? When I think along these lines, my mind always go to
a New Testament figure by the name of Andrew. Every time he is seen in
the New Testament, he is bringing someone to Jesus. First, it was his
brother Peter, John 1:41, then it was a young boy, John 6:8-9; later, he,
along with Philip, brought a group of Greeks to Jesus, John 12:22. He was
a soul warner! He knew what he had and he wanted to share it with others.
Can the same be said about you and me?
