God's Faithfulness through unlikely ways
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In John Dickerson’s book The Great Evangelical Recession, John describes the transfer of wealth and it’s effect on the church.
He says that we are seeing the greatest transfer of wealth between generations.
This is key for the church because the individuals who had the money that are passing away a part of their DNA was the Biblical principle of tithing.
The generation receiving the wealth transfer do not believe in tithing and giving. He argues that churches will have to alternative ways to support themselves as a result of this.
Check out how we are addressing this (Show video)
I don’t know of any other churches teaching children about financial literacy and the importance of tithing in the way that Bridge of Faith does every Summer.
Check out the results of this (show video)
What some view as the problem may be God’s solution.
For years, this community viewed the children of the community as the problem but I believe God is using them as the solution.
Elisha replied, “Hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord says: ‘About this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria, six quarts of fine meal will sell for a shekel and 12 quarts of barley will sell for a shekel.’ ”
Then the captain, the king’s right-hand man, responded to the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?” Elisha announced, “You will in fact see it with your own eyes, but you won’t eat any of it.”
Pray
Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament Chapters 6–8
In 7:1, Elisha predicted that they would be able to buy six times as much food for one-fifth the cost.
So Elisha makes this prediction that they would be able to buy six times as much food for one-fifth the cost.
Let me share a little bit about what is going on here in this passage.
Let’s once again talk about the economy behind the passage. Israel is in the middle of a famine here. Times are hard during the famine.
The famine is a result of war.
Some time later, King Ben-hadad of Aram brought all his military units together and marched up to besiege Samaria.
So there was a great famine in Samaria, and they continued the siege against it until a donkey’s head sold for 80 silver shekels, and a cup of dove’s dung sold for five silver shekels.
The famine is so bad they are eating Donkey’s head and dove’s dung. It’s bad!
It’s so bad that some are even turning to cannibalism. You can read that here in the chapter.
The King hears of this cannibalism and goes in to morning. He begins to blame Elisha because of this famine.
When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his clothes. Then, as he was passing by on the wall, the people saw that there was sackcloth under his clothes next to his skin.
He announced, “May God punish me and do so severely if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today.”
Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a man ahead of him, but before the messenger got to him, Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see how this murderer has sent someone to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door to keep him out. Isn’t the sound of his master’s feet behind him?”
While Elisha was still speaking with them, the messenger came down to him. Then he said, “This disaster is from the Lord. Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”
So the economy is TERRIBLE, Food is scarce, Inflation is high and the guy in charge starts looking for someone to blame.
Side note: When things go south one of the first tendencies is to look for someone to blame. We live in a time where no one wants to take responsibility for their actions. We have to find someone or something to blame.
Here we see a leader in the King who is looking for someone to blame and who do they blame, Elisha.
It’s God’s fault and we know Elisha is the man of God so the King says the head of Elisha should not remain on his Shoulders.
While Elisha was still speaking with them, the messenger came down to him. Then he said, “This disaster is from the Lord. Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”
Elisha replied, “Hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord says: ‘About this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria, six quarts of fine meal will sell for a shekel and 12 quarts of barley will sell for a shekel.’ ”
Then the captain, the king’s right-hand man, responded to the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?” Elisha announced, “You will in fact see it with your own eyes, but you won’t eat any of it.”
So you understand the problem? A famine is in place, war has went on and the King is going to kill Elisha.
Elisha prophesies that this time tomorrow at the gate you will be able to buy 6 times the food for one fifth the price.
That’s a good deal.
The servant of the King does not believe him.
So a major problem and a huge prediction!
Likewise in Rockaway Beach we have a huge problem. Our economy continues to struggle. A huge prediction is that I believe the Lord wants to continue to use His church to restore the economy in Rockaway Beach. People will continue to fight it but I believe the Lord wants people to know that He is provider.
Here in 2 Kings we have a major problem with a huge prediction!
Watch who God uses to solve this major problem and to fulfill the prophecy spoken through Elisha.
Four men with a skin disease were at the entrance to the gate. They said to each other, “Why just sit here until we die?
If we say, ‘Let’s go into the city,’ we will die there because the famine is in the city, but if we sit here, we will also die. So now, come on. Let’s go to the Arameans’ camp. If they let us live, we will live; if they kill us, we will die.”
If it’s not bad enough to just have leprosy imagine having leprosy in the middle of a war and huge famine. These 4 are isolated from the rest of the people.
These guys say they have nothing to lose. We are dying. If we stay here we will die starving but perhaps we might live better as prisoners of war than to just sit here.
Erwin McManus says, “I would rather die facing the challenge than to exist running from it.”
The common life in western Christianity today is to exist running from problems. The call of the Gospel is not this. The call of the Gospel is that we would do EVERYTHING within our ability to reconcile people back to Christ.
So the diseased men got up at twilight to go to the Arameans’ camp. When they came to the camp’s edge, they discovered that there was not a single man there,
for the Lord had caused the Aramean camp to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a great army. The Arameans had said to each other, “The king of Israel must have hired the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Egypt to attack us.”
So they had gotten up and fled at twilight, abandoning their tents, horses, and donkeys. The camp was intact, and they had fled for their lives.
God uses 4 men with leprosy to sound like chariots, horses, and a great army!
Did you hear this?
An entire army fled because the Lord caused them to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a great army!
When these men came to the edge of the camp, they went into a tent to eat and drink. Then they picked up the silver, gold, and clothing and went off and hid them. They came back and entered another tent, picked things up, and hid them.
Then they said to each other, “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.”
These guys start to to everything from the camp that was left behind. Imagine again 4 guys with leprosy with all this bounty that was left behind.
They say we are not doing what is right!
The Gospel:
Today is the 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.
There must be urgency with the Gospel. If you don’t know Christ then don’t wait. We are not promised tomorrow. If you do know Christ, then don’t delay in sharing the good news of Jesus.
Church we must not delay! We must not delay for the sake of the children and lost adults in our community. We must live with urgency!
The diseased men went and called to the city’s gatekeepers and told them, “We went to the Aramean camp and no one was there—no human sounds. There was nothing but tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents were intact.”
The gatekeepers called out, and the news was reported to the king’s household.
So the king got up in the night and said to his servants, “Let me tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are starving, so they have left the camp to hide in the open country, thinking, ‘When they come out of the city, we will take them alive and go into the city.’ ”
But one of his servants responded, “Please, let messengers take five of the horses that are left in the city. Their fate is like the entire Israelite community who will die, so let’s send them and see.”
The messengers took two chariots with horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army, saying, “Go and see.”
So they followed them as far as the Jordan. They saw that the whole way was littered with clothes and equipment the Arameans had thrown off in their haste. The messengers returned and told the king.
Then the people went out and plundered the Aramean camp. It was then that six quarts of fine meal sold for a shekel and 12 quarts of barley sold for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord.
The king had appointed the captain, his right-hand man, to be in charge of the gate, but the people trampled him in the gateway. He died, just as the man of God had predicted when the king came to him.
When the man of God had said to the king, “About this time tomorrow 12 quarts of barley will sell for a shekel and six quarts of fine meal will sell for a shekel at the gate of Samaria,”
this captain had answered the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?” Elisha had said, “You will in fact see it with your own eyes, but you won’t eat any of it.”
This is what happened to him: the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died.
Think about the contrast of the men with leprosy and the King who is out to kill Elisha. The king is existing running from the problem. The men with leprosy are living dying to face the kings greatest fear.
Church don’t be a church that exist in fear of our greatest problems but church may we live dying facing the greatest problems in our community.
I am again reminded of who did God use to solve this famine. He used 4 guys with leprosy.
Church God wants to use you for the big problems in our community.
April pointed out to me this week that it is truly amazing how our volunteers throughout summers at the Beach and Wednesday nights work with the kids. At school some of our kids have para’s and bus aids and we don’t have the training nor the resources so to speak that the school system has and yet the people in our community make Summers @ the Beach and Wednesday nights work.
God used 4 guys with leprosy to bring a terrible famine to an end and I am confident God wants to use you.
Again there will not be a huge group of people move here to solve problems. God wants to use you. God wants to use your gifts, God wants to use your talents, and God wants to use your finances for His Glory.
What I love about this story is that God takes 4 broke guys with Leprosy and blesses them with all kinds of wealth and food and their response with God’s blessing was that he did not bless us for us only.
Pics of kids giving gifts to Erin
It is a major Biblical fallacy to believe that God wants to bless your life for your sake only. God wants to bless your life for the Glory of His name and so that others can come in to the Kingdom in the same way you have.
Jesus come work! Jesus come save our community! Jesus be the Center!
