Unexpected Ways
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· 42 viewsGod works in unexpected ways to bring His purpose to pass...
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Unexpected Ways
Unexpected Ways
Text
3 Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die? 4 If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die.” 5 And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there. 6 For the Lord had caused the army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses—the noise of a great army; so they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us!” 7 Therefore they arose and fled at twilight, and left the camp intact—their tents, their horses, and their donkeys—and they fled for their lives. 8 And when these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried from it silver and gold and clothing, and went and hid them; then they came back and entered another tent, and carried some from there also, and went and hid it.
9 Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king’s household.”
Intro
If you grow up in our part of the world, you know that the weather here can be crazy.
The running joke has always been the speed with which the weather can change here. In a word, it has always been unpredictable!
But unpredictable is not typically a word we use to describe God. And yet, there is much of God that remains a mystery to us. In the words of the apostle Paul, “We know in part” (1 Corinthians 13:9).
And this missing knowledge of God can cause us to question our faith at times.
In our journey to understand who God is and get to know His nature, we can become overwhelmed by the fact that He is so far beyond us. (Example: We are bound by time, He is not.)
And so the things that our God does are not only amazing, but they are somewhat unpredictable.
In our text for today, we see that God is not obligated to demonstrate His power in a way that we think is best. HE IS SOVEREIGN. (Sovereign means: supreme ruler, holding all power and authority.)
And because He is sovereign, He works in the way He wants, regardless of our opinions, and in some cases, regardless of our desires.
Body
Syria Surrounded Samaria
Background
Let’s get some background to the scripture here. You know, I like and enjoy old things. I like hearing old stories. And doing things the old way. (coffee, shaving) I like to understand what it was like and what it was about...
...So, if you’re going to understand what God is speaking in scripture, you have to examine and understand the context. Let’s do that right now...
Sin and rebellion had once again led the people of God into a place of total loss. Surrounded, and in the midst of famine, King Jehoram was desperate.
The power of God is most effective when people get desperate enough to lay down their pride and submit to His plan. And it’s amazing how often people will allow pride to stop the move of God in their lives.
Pride will bring division into any relationship. And marriage teaches this principle well. Newlyweds will encounter a time in their marriage when they will need to humble themselves to reduce a conflict. Most fighting in a relationship is a result of one or both sides not being willing to let go of pride.
I tell my wife: “I’m really not prideful, I just happen to always be right!” We went through a car wash this weekend and heard a loud pop! Kierstin said, “That just broke our back wiper off!” I didn’t believe it and I thought I knew the vehicle better so I disagreed. But when we got out, she was right!
Pride has destroyed many relationships. It has to be let go. And that also includes a relationship with God.
Let pride go unchecked and your worship cannot be free. Spiritual gifts cannot be loosed in your life.
Sever Famine
The scripture speaks of the financial condition in Samaria reaching rock-bottom.
To give you a better understanding of how bad that was, the people had turned to cannibalism to satisfy their hunger.
28 Then the king said to her, “What is troubling you?”
And she answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ 29 So we boiled my son, and ate him. And I said to her on the next day, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him’; but she has hidden her son.”
30 Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he tore his clothes; and as he passed by on the wall, the people looked, and there underneath he had sackcloth on his body. 31 Then he said, “God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today!”
And although King Jehoram was angry with the prophet, this whole situation had been brought about by his own leadership and rebellion against the Word of God.
And it’s beautiful to consider the awesome miracle God was about to perform in the middle of a great depression. It reminds us that God’s power is not limited to spiritual troubles but includes economic and financial matters, also.
Elisha Prophesied
And in this setting, the king of Israel turned to the prophet Elisha for direction.
1 Then Elisha said, “Hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord: ‘Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.’ ”
2 So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, “Look, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?”
And he said, “In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.”
Some believed the word of the Lord that came from the prophet; others did not. This is a picture of the gospel message that would come one day. We know that those who believe the gospel will be partakers, but those who refuse to believe may see but not be able to partake.
That reminds me of Moses in his final days. Because of Moses’ unbelief, he was not allowed to enter the Promised Land.
A mistrust in God will always cause a person to miss out on the glorious things He has planned!
God’s Word Will Come to Pass
So there were some who were sure God wasn’t going to do this.
The phrase “God can’t” are not words we like to use. However, there are some things that God actually cannot do. The scripture tells us God cannot lie. He is bound to His Word.
And the this story of the lepers illustrates once again that the word of the Lord will always come to pass.
The prophet Isaiah wrote:
11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
We can rest assured that God’s word will always come to pass. When God has yet to answer a specific prayer, how should we respond? We should return to this exact scripture!
Four Lepers At The Gate Of The City
Lepers
And now we turn to the lepers...
Banished to the outskirts of a city experiencing a depression, the four lepers are the ones God chose to bring salvation to the Samaritans.
These unlikely and unqualified outsiders changed the course of a nation and gave another chance to a king to get it right. It seems as if it is often the people no one would expect whom God chooses to use in His plan.
From Abraham to Jacob, from Gideon to David, God has consistently empowered those who did not match the standard of what some would call great.
This is even seen in the twelve men Jesus chose to be in His inner circle. Jesus called the disciples to have significant insight and receive unrestricted access to His ministry, yet the religious leaders were astounded.
I’m fixing to really encourage somebody with the Word right now...
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
You would think that to follow the single most important man in history, that God would have hand-picked the brightest, most genius, enlightened and capable people who have ever lived. But that’s not what He did!
And it was not merely the disciples’ education level the leaders were referring to, but rather the fact that these were common people - fishermen and tax collectors - and yet they were well-versed in the Hebrew text and the plan of the Messiah!
No doubt, the Pharisees were thinking, “If the Messiah is going to choose a close follower, it’s going to be ME!” An influencer, a leader, a powerful person.
But NO! He chose even fishermen and tax collectors! And He used them greatly! He started a powerful, awesome, universe-altering movement with men and women JUST LIKE YOU AND ME!
And so if you are feeling subdued and timid and unfit to be used by God - you think “I’m ignorant and unlearned” or “I’m just a small person in society” - GOD MOST DEFINITELY CAN AND WILL AND WANTS TO USE YOU!!!!!
Why Stay Here Until We Die?
Now, what motivated these lepers? The driving force can be summed up in the question they considered: “Why stay here until we die?” In other words, how can this get any worse?
The situation had gotten to the point where they no longer feared the consequence of death. The fear of death could no longer hold them back.
Often people allow fear to hold them hostage. Whether it is something simple like a job or career move, fear tends to keep people in the state they are in rather than trying to reach for something greater.
Fear is something all humans share. In many ways, fear is a major factor in every life choice a person makes. And fear can be a good thing at times. A healthy fear will let us know when something is wrong. It will ensure that our children and loved ones are cared for and safe.
ILLUSTRATION: I walked out the front door one morning headed to work and I was immediately greeted with a cicada to the face! And it was fear that blinded me from seeing that it was a cicada and not a wasp!
However, fear can also become unhealthy and irrational. The spirit of fear can gain strength when unchecked in our lives.
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
And there is an absolute PANDEMIC in the works right now in the entire world. And I’m not talking about the COVID-19 pandemic - it’s a pandemic of fear!
As believers, we have got to make up in our minds that fear will not hinder the progress of the gospel, nor will it keep us from everything that God has in store for our lives!
We need to do like those lepers who looked at each other sitting in a nation in shambles, and say “Why stay here until we die?! IT’S TIME TO BE THE CHURCH IN A WORLD THAT IS IN NEED OF IT!!!”
Decided To Walk To The Syrians
The lepers made the decision the best thing they could do would be to surrender to the army of the Syrians and take their chances.
Each day we will make hundreds, if not thousands, of decisions. And the recipe for success is making good decisions.
One study showed that the cascade of choices a person evaluates each day actually leads to what psychologists refer to as “decision fatigue.”
One thing rings true and is important to understand: not all decisions are created equal. (For example: choosing your spouse and choosing your toothpaste are obviously not the same type of decision.)
The four lepers were faced with a decision that would determine the fate of their lives and the destiny of a nation. And understanding the gravity of our decisions is so important in our walk with God… There may be some choices we will make today that will set us on a path of groweth or lead us down a path of destruction.
God Drove The Syrians Away
5 And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there. 6 For the Lord had caused the army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses—the noise of a great army; so they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us!”
I’m amazed by this story in scripture, because God will always fight for His people.
This story shows that God is more that just “in our corner.” In face, there are moments in life when we are too weak, too overwhelmed, and even overmatched. But it is in those situations when God steps in and fights the battle for us. Over and over, the scriptures describe the way God defends His people.
Standing on the edge of a land promised to their fathers, the children of Israel saw an enemy of great power occupying their destiny. In the midst of their fear, two people reported the victory was within reach. It was the faith of Joshua and Caleb.
This word was a consistent message to the people of Israel.
22 You must not fear them, for the Lord your God Himself fights for you.’
But someone brought an evil report, also. Joshua and Caleb pointed to the grapes and the potential. Others pointed to the giants.
We should never forget that the battle always belongs to God!
God Responds To Hunger
7 Therefore they arose and fled at twilight, and left the camp intact—their tents, their horses, and their donkeys—and they fled for their lives. 8 And when these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried from it silver and gold and clothing, and went and hid them; then they came back and entered another tent, and carried some from there also, and went and hid it.
Something that is common about God is that the hungry always seem to get His attention.
Jesus, standing in the midst of more than five thousand people, said:
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
Both spiritually and physically, it would seem God cannot resist those who hunger and thirst. And that is deeply rooted in who God is.
19 Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”
That grace and compassion He has is best seen in what He did on Calvary. The whole Bible, it would seem, is the story of how humanity is the strongest evidence we have that God has shown mercy, grace, and compassion to all people.
In this story, we see a small example of what happens when people are in need. God responds to the hungry!
25 I have been young, and now am old;
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his descendants begging bread.
We can trust Him to care for our needs!
Lepers Found The Syrian Camp Empty
Fed Themselves
Something I picked up in the scripture here… these four lepers fed themselves first before turning to share their blessings with friends and family in Samaria.
When traveling in an airplane, the flight attendant will announce, “In the case of an emergency, be sure to secure your oxygen mask before assisting other passengers.”
Basically they are saying to help yourself first because you are no good to anyone if you are not taking care of yourself.
Often those who neglect their own well-being and health (both spiritually and physically) will end up losing out on the things they have worked so hard to accomplish.
This principle was clear in the greatest commandment we find in scripture. Jesus was asked what he considered to be the greatest commandment in the Law. His response is recorded several of the gospels. He said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” Then He gave the second greatest commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
It’s important to note that we must be focused on our own salvation before focusing on the salvation of the world.
Did Not Keep The Good News To Themselves
9 Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king’s household.” 10 So they went and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and told them, saying, “We went to the Syrian camp, and surprisingly no one was there, not a human sound—only horses and donkeys tied, and the tents intact.”
Now I want to point something else out here… these lepers were in a spot where they would have to decide - similar to Joshua and Caleb - what they were going to do according to the evidence before them.
On the one hand, they were lepers. They were homeless. They were outcasts. They were considered the lowest in society. Are they going to stick with that and live on those things? Or were they going to rejoice in what God was doing through them in the moment?!
It’s all a matter of what they DECIDED TO LOOK AT. What are you going to look at in life???
3 I will set nothing wicked before my eyes;
I hate the work of those who fall away;
It shall not cling to me.
WE NEED TO STOP LOOKING AT THE WRONG THING!
The outcast lepers had everything bad they could have talked about if they wanted, but they chose to speak of the good God was doing!
There’s a lot of bad you can look at in our world at this moment. There are tons of people and accounts that all they do is show and dwell on the bad!
And there are Christians - Apostolics! - that they are far more concerned with the latest news and the latest drama and sharing the latest with somebody. A lot of it is small things that will serve to pull us away from revival!!!
But someone said a good while ago… “Accentuate the positive...” I think he was a doctor, or something!
Hey - we have to get our eyes off of things that are distractions… because they are weights that will so easily beset us! The Bible says to lay aside those weights, and we do it so we can allow revival to fly high!
We need to look at what God is doing! And not what’s happening in the world!
Song: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of this world will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace!”
The lepers in our story experienced what it is to not just hoard the blessings and good news. They decided to share the news with the rest of the army!
The very point of the gospel is tied to considering others. When we consider others, we not only obey the gospel but grow even more in the image of God.
We Must Tell Others Of The Good News We Have Heard And Believed
If the lepers had kept silent, the people would have stayed in their misery. The Samaritans were starving and the lepers had the solution.
The people of God have what the world needs!
Hungry people are roaming the earth looking for anything to satisfy their appetite and quench their thirst. They have tried everything the world has to offer and are still empty!
The Death March by V. A. Guidroz
“To Hell we go. To Hell we go.
To Hell we go! Marching, marching, marching.
To Hell we go! … We’re going to Hell.
Why are we marching?
We’re going to Hell.
Merrily we go to Hell …”
Like the prodigal son, they keep waking up in the pig pen wondering what went wrong!
And the gospel of Jesus Christ is the meat that will satisfy their hunger!
You carry that very gospel today!
And OH, there is a blessing for the Christian who shares the good news!
The lives of the people were saved and the lepers were able to SHARE in the victory and provision of God alongside the rest of the nation!
The lepers’ lives were ALSO changed in this miracle! The blessings of God will always be on those who take the Great Commission seriously!!!
Samaria Plundered The Syrian Camp
Only A Few Changed The Lives Of Many
The Samaritan army was able to benefit from the bravery and decision of just a few lepers. It is amazing the influence a few can have on the masses!
With God, the power of just a few is even greater!
30 How could one chase a thousand,
And two put ten thousand to flight,
Unless their Rock had sold them,
And the Lord had surrendered them?
With God, nothing is impossible! When God is fighting for us, one person can defeat an army!
The Word Of The Lord Came True
Words have power.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.
The words God speaks are the most powerful force on earth. Everything He says is true, and any predictions He makes are going to be fulfilled.
Our faith is in the fact that God does not make mistakes, and our trust is in the fact that God is not like flawed humans. When God says something will happen, it will happen!
God Words In Unexpected Ways To Bring His Purpose To Pass
Isaiah wrote:
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
It should be no surprise that God works in unexpected ways. God knows everything!
We must trust that He also knows what is best for us. Often we think we know how God should act or respond. Trusting God is the ultimate test of our faith. Trust is the feet to our faith!
We can say we have faith, but it is tested when we are forced to trust in God’s plan.
Conclusion
Christmas
In December each year we gather together to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. This one event has captured the attention of every believer, and it still stands as a sign to those who have yet to believe.
But it’s interesting to consider the thoughts of those who were there to witness the birth of Christ. What did they think? Did they have a clue about what it meant to be the Messiah?
Even with a little knowledge it seems clear that no one can know for sure what plans God has for His people.
Paul said:
12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
This means there are many things about which we simply do not have a clear picture. The imagery is looking at a foggy window and trying to determine what is being reflected.
In our own lives, we have to find the room to trust God with every decision, no matter how clear our view.
Like the lepers, we cannot know for certain where or when God will choose to bless, deliver, heal, or save. Our job is not to figure out the method, but rather trust that God knows and will be faithful.