The Way
Four Lepers outside the Gate
Good news carried from the edge of death
Story
When the Aramean army besieged Samaria, the hunger in the city grew so bad that a donkey's head sold for eighty shekels of silver. Elisha said, “This is the word of the Lord: About this time tomorrow, at the city gate, a seah of fine flour will sell for a shekel.” The king's officer sneered, “Even if the Lord opened windows in the sky, could such a thing happen?” Elisha answered, “You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it.”
Four men with leprosy were sitting at the entrance of the city gate. They said to one another, “Why sit here until we die? Let's go over to the Aramean camp. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, we die.” When they reached the camp at dusk, it was empty. The Lord had made the Aramean army hear the sound of chariots of a great army, and they had left their tents and fled.
The four men ate and drank and were hiding silver and gold when suddenly they stopped. They said to one another, “What we are doing is wrong. This is a day of good news, and we are keeping quiet.” When the people heard the news, they poured out to the camp, and a seah of flour sold for a shekel. The officer who had sneered at Elisha was keeping the gate when the people trampled him to death.
Walk this scene on the map →Words of God and the Prophets
Hear the word of the Lord: About this time tomorrow, at the gate of Samaria, a seah of fine flour will be bought and sold for a shekel.
What we are doing is not right. This is a day of good news, and we are keeping our mouths shut.
You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it.
The sayings are fresh renderings of the original meaning in today's language. Text: 2 Kgs 6:24–7:20
Background
Under the law, people with leprosy had to live apart, outside the camp, so these men stayed outside the city gate. A seah was a measure of grain of about seven liters, and a shekel is thought to have been about eleven grams of silver.
Pause and Reflect
What good news should I pass on instead of keeping it to myself?