News Too Good to Keep to Ourselves (2 Kings 6:24 – 7:20)

Background

God displayed His grace to the Arameans (Syrians) in several ways, yet the Aramean king did not respond with faith in Yahweh. Instead Aram is warring with Israel again. The Aramean king had witnessed God’s grace yet refused to respond with repentance and faith in God. How exactly did God extend grace to the king and the Arameans?

First, God blessed them with success. In 2 Kings 5:1 we read: “Naaman, commander of the army for the king of Aram, was a man important to his master and highly regarded because through him, the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man was a valiant warrior, but he had a skin disease.”

Second, God blessed them with salvation. Again, In chapter 5 we read of the spectacular healing of Naaman, the Aramean commander. Naaman made the great confession of faith, “I know there’s no God in the whole world except in Israel” (5:15). He believed. He was humbled under the mighty hand of God. His story demonstrates that God saves people from every tribe and tongue if they will believe.

Third, God blessed them by crushing their pride. In this passage we find three humiliating acts that should have made the king and the Arameans recognize the supremacy of God and bow to Him. But that doesn’t happen.

God frustrated the king's plans. (6:9-12)

God protected Elisha and humiliated the Aramean army. (6:15-20)

God extended mercy to the king and the Arameans. (6:21-23)

Transition

So, when we come to the passage we’ll read tonight, we see a God who seeks to save the lost. We see the prideful heart of a king, who refuses God’s grace and mercy. This should break our hearts. What is more heartbreaking is the heart of the king of God’s people, Israel. We already know King Joram as an evil king, who continued to promote the the idolatry of his parents Ahab and Jezebel. We see Joram as a king with an impatient and superficial heart, that might have hindered God’s rescue of His people, had it not been for some surprising heroes.

READ THE PASSAGE

The climax of this amazing story begins in verse 8 of chapter 7. Before we get to the climax, the storyteller made it crystal clear the desperate situation Israel was in, so that when we make an amazing discovery, along with the four lepers, we can understand why the news from them was too good to keep to themselves.

As the story unfolds, we see the impatient and superficial heart of King Joram in the horrifying circumstances of God’s people. (6:24-33)

Severe Famine (vv. 25-29)

The context of the story involves war and famine, which probably is the result of Israel’s unfaithfulness. Aram (Syria) had raided Israel (5:2) and sought to capture Elisha in 6:8–23, but now things escalate: they execute a full invasion on Israel. Because their siege lasted for an extended period of time, the conditions were terrible in Israel. These verses reveal just how severe the famine was:

the price of a donkey head and dove dung (v. 25)

cannibalism (vv. 26-29)

Famine of Leadership (vv. 30-33)

People always need good leadership, but when faced with dire circumstances, the level of current leadership is quickly exposed. Notice the famine of leadership exposed by King Joram’s responses to the needs of the people.

no compassion (v. 27)

false repentance (v. 30-31)

seeks a scapegoat (v. 31)

blames God (v. 33)

Famine of Faith (7:1-2)

Israel’s King Joram and his assassin illustrate an unbelieving, skeptical heart.

Astonishing good news of deliverance (v. 1)

A sarcastic response (v. 2).

A divine judgment (v. 2)

What kind of faith does God require? He doesn’t tell us to believe just anything. He tells us to believe His promises. We are to believe promises like these:

The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live. (John 11:25)

The one who has the Son has life. (1 John 5:12)

No one will snatch [My sheep] out of My hand. (John 10:28)

I will raise [believers] up on the last day. (John 6:40)

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Rom 10:13)

Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus. (Rom 8:1)

God calls us to believe what He says, even though it may sound unlikely at times. But remember: God has a flawless record of faithfulness. Not one word has ever failed! The psalmist said, “God—His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is pure. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him” (Ps 18:30).

As the story continues, we wonder, how will God deliver His people? We discover that God sometimes uses the most unexpected means and the most unexpected people to bring about deliverance.

A Faithful God (vv. 3-7)

a logical decision (vv. 3-4)

a surprising find (vv. 5-7)

Good News Delivered (vv. 8-15)

a moral crisis (vv. 8-9)

news delivered (vv. 10-11)

a skeptical heart (vv. 12-15)

When the king hears the report, he doesn’t believe. He thinks it’s a trap. Though Elisha promised deliverance and though Elisha had never failed in his predictions, Joram still refuses to believe.Are you believing the good news? Perhaps you think you could believe if you saw a miracle? That logic may make sense at one level. But Jesus said it isn’t true. In a parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus said, “They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.… If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.” (Luke 16:29, 31) In other words, the problem isn’t insufficient reason to believe. We have something sufficient, called God’s Word. The book of Kings was in the “Prophets” category Jesus mentioned. God’s miracles and promises are contained here. In Scripture we read of the hero of the story, Jesus, crucified and risen, who says, “Believe.” The problem isn’t with a lack of proof but with a skeptical, unbelieving heart.

Mercy and Judgment Arrives (vv. 16-20)

a great plunder (v. 16a)

a prophecy fulfilled (v. 16b)

a tragic end (vv. 17-20)

Some Application

Sin places people in dire circumstances.

Sin degrades the human heart.

God gives remarkable salvation because of His mercy and grace.

We have news that is too good to keep to ourselves.

We don’t share the Good News based on how we think people will respond, but by our commitment to be stewards of God’s grace, and their need to hear it and receive it.

The lepers’ conscience provoked them as they say, “We’re not doing what is right. Today is a day of good news. If we are silent and wait until morning light, our sin will catch up with us. Let’s go tell the king’s household” (v. 9).

Does this not sound like a missionary text? How can we keep the good news to ourselves? Evangelism has been described as one beggar telling another beggar where to find food. That’s the picture here. Off the finders of food go to the gatekeepers of the city and report the good news. People who know of God’s deliverance should proclaim it (Ps 40:9–10).