The grateful lepers

2 Kings 6:24-30

And it happened after this that Ben-Hadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria. And there was a great famine in Samaria; and indeed they besieged it until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and one-fourth of a kab of dove droppings for five shekels of silver.

2 Kings 6:24-30

Then, as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, ‘Help, my lord, O King!’ And he said, ‘If the LORD does not help you, where can I find help for you? From the threshing floor or from the winepress?’

2 Kings 6:24-30Then 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. So we boiled my son, and ate him. And I said to her the next day, give your son, that we may eat him; but she has hidden her son.’

2 Kings 6:24-30

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.

2 Kings 7: 3-11

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?’ 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.

2 Kings 7: 3-11Now 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.’ And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they have come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there.

2 Kings 7: 3-11For the Lord had caused the

army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses - the noise of 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!’

2 Kings 7: 3-11Therefore they arose and fled at

twilight, and left the camp intact - their tents, their horses, and their donkeys - and they fled for their lives. 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;

2 Kings 7: 3-11then they came back and

entered another tent, and carried some from there also, and went and hid it. 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.’

2 Kings 7: 3-11So 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.’ And the gatekeepers called out, and they told it to the king’s household inside.

The Grateful Lepers•Syrian army besieged Samaria, the capital city of Israel.•Food supply cut off and great famine inside the city.•Food was scarce and very expensive.•A donkey’s head for 80 shekels of silver.• ¼ kab of dove droppings for 5 shekels of silver.•A shekel=11.5g and silver price per gram =USD0.69•Donkey’s head=USD635, 1 bowl DD=USD40.

The Grateful Lepers

•Food scarcity had reached a life threatening situation.•Either there was no food or no money•Mothers took turn to boil and eat their children.

The Grateful Lepers

•4 lepers at city gate contemplating what to do.•The gamble they took turned out to be a miracle.•After indulging themselves, they realized the need to report it to the gatekeepers and to the king.

The Grateful Lepers

•An old and heart wrenching story that teaches us many valuable life giving lessons.

1.Without Jesus we are all like these hopeless lepers.

The Grateful Lepers


a.Be it physically, emotionally, socially or spiritually.•.Isaiah 64:6; But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are like filthy rags.•.Job 25:6; How much less man, who is a maggot, and a son of man, who is a worm?

The Grateful Lepers


a.These lepers found food not because they deserved it.•.Ephesians 2:8-9

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

The Grateful Lepers

1.By giving up life we gain life.•.They decided to take the risk to the enemy’s territory and were saved.

* Matthew 16:25For whoever desires to save

his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

The Grateful Lepers1.These lepers realized the need to do the right thing. •.2 Kings 7:9; Then they said to one another, ‘We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent.’

a.Realized it was a day of good news.


a.Realized the desperate situation.


c.Realized the dire consequences.

The Grateful Lepers

1.These lepers realized the urgency of the matter.•.Vs 9; If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us.

a.Despite their conditions

The Grateful Lepers


b. Despite the constraints

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c.Despite their treatment

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1.These lepers knew their mission was not that difficult.•.Vs 9; Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king’s household.

a.No need special preparation.

The Grateful Lepers


a.No need special timing.

The Grateful Lepers


a.No worry about the outcome.

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a.Simply out of gratitude.•.Matthew 10:7-8

As you go, preaching, saying, ‘The kingdom of God is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

The Grateful Lepers

•2 Corinthians 6:1We then, as workers together

with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. a.Like the lepers, we owe our salvation to the grace of God.

The Grateful Lepers

•2 Corinthians 6:2For He says: ‘In an

acceptable time I have heard you, and in the days of salvation I have helped you.’ Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.b. Like the lepers we must realize the urgency of soul winning.

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•What is witnessing/ soul winning?

•It is a beggar goes and tell other beggars where to find food……...Lee Strolbel.

The Grateful Lepers

•It is a healed leper goes and tell other lepers where to find hope and miracle.

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•Luke 17:15-19And one of them, when he

saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God…..Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?’… And He said to him, ‘Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.’

The Grateful Lepersa.One who realize his/her own helplessness.•.Luke 17:12-13

Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’

The Grateful Lepers

b. One who is ready to testify of the goodness of God.•Luke 17:14

So when He saw them, He said to them, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And so it was as they went, they were cleansed.

The Grateful Lepers

c.One who is grateful to the grace freely received.•Luke 17:15-16

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

The Grateful Lepers

d. Real gratitude motivates us into actions that draws even more grace.•Luke 17:17

So Jesus answered and said, ‘Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?.....Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.’

Spiritual

The grateful lepers