The Arameans invaded Israel and laid siege to the city of Samaria. The hunger in the city was severe. There were four lepers staying just outside the gate area, and they made the decision to desert to the Aramean encampment. “If we say, ‘Let us enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there; but if we sit here, we shall also die. Therefore, let us desert to the Aramean camp; if they spare our lives, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die” (II Kings 7:4).

But when they got to the Aramean camp, they discovered that it had been abandoned. “The Lord had caused the Aramean army to hear the sound of chariots, and of horses, the sound of a great army” (7:6), and so they had fled in panic in the night, thinking that the Israelites had somehow hired the Hittites and Egyptians to come and fight on their side.

So the four lepers began to chow down on the food and drink they found. Then they began collecting gold and silver and other loot, carrying it off and hiding it for later (7:8). Then they realized this was wrong. “This is a day of good news,” they said. “If we are silent and wait until the morning light, we will be found guilty” (7:9). They recognized that they had to tell the starving people in the city of the abundance that was available on their doorstep (7:9-10).

DT Niles famously said that evangelism is one beggar telling another where to go to get the free bread. These four lepers form the precursor to that saying: astonishingly rescued from starving to death, tempted to keep the good fortune just for themselves, yet needing to tell everybody else about this good news.

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By your great mercy you have delivered us, O Lord, with an abundance of grace sufficient for all the world. Help us to recognize that this good news is not just for us; grant us the initiative to offer it gladly to every hungry soul we encounter.