There were four leprous men living outside of Samaria [2 Ki 7:3] who were suffering through a famine while Samaria was being besieged by the Syrians [2 Ki 6:24-25]. These men were facing certain death if they did nothing [2 Ki 7:3]. They would die from the famine if they entered the city [2 Ki 7:4]. So, they decided to seek help from the Syrians. When they got to the camp of the Syrians, they found that the soldiers had all fled and left all their possessions in their haste to get away. So, they ate and drank to their fill and then took some of the spoil and hid it.
These four leprous men are like us after we got saved They would have died without the Lord’s help. And we would have died and gone to hell if it hadn’t been for the Lord. What these men found in the camp of the Syrians is like what we found when we came to the Lord. They ate and drank. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst,” [Jn 6:35]. They found silver which typifies our redemption [Ex 30:12-16; Lev 27:6]. They found gold which typifies the unsearchable riches of Christ [Eph 3:8; 2 Cor 8:9]. And they found raiment which typifies the righteousness of Christ [Rev 3:18; Rev 19:8; Phil 3:9].
It was at this point they realized, “We do not well.” They were keeping all this to themselves. They needed to let the king of Israel know so that the people starving to death in Samaria could take this spoil and live. Likewise, we shouldn’t keep the Lord’s salvation to ourselves. There are people who will die without Christ if they don’t hear the “good tidings” of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Like these leprous men, we do not well:
When we hide – they “went and hid it.” I remember after I received Jesus Christ, I hid my salvation from my friends and family at home. I was saved in Chattanooga, TN, at McCallie School. I would return home in the summers. The folks at home didn’t know I was saved because I hid it. I kept it to myself. How about you? Have you been so selfish with your salvation that you aren’t willing to let others see that you are a Christian? Your testimony is a powerful witness. When they see the silver, gold and raiment that comes from Christ, people often ask, “Where did you get those?” They are inclined to say, “I’d like to have that.”
When we hush – “this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace.” People get saved by the faith of Christ [Gal 2:16]. And Rom 10:17 says, “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” People who don’t know Jesus Christ need to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ from people who know him. You know him. So, why don’t you tell them? We have prayed for over a year about what kind of ministry we should add to the church for evangelism. All along we begged the Lord to help us get the word out and to show us how he wanted our church to do this. And he was hearing and answering our prayers. Weekly we hear of testimonies from the members of the church who have passed out tracts, given out marked New Testaments and witnessed to friends, family members, neighbors, acquaintances and co-workers. That’s what you are supposed to do when you get saved. You are supposed to tell others.
When we hesitate – “if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us.” Right now, you are under some conviction from the Holy Spirit who has reproved you for hiding your salvation or hushing your witness. And right now, you are thinking about the person or people you ought tell. You know what, don’t hesitate. These leprous men knew that they needed to let the king know what they had found that night. They couldn’t tarry till the morning light.
Conclusion: the solution for us is just like the solution for these men. We must “go and tell.” Draw close to the Lord, follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit and tell the people to whom the Lord is leading you, right now. One morning, the Lord led me to witness to one of my former neighbors to whom we had witnessed before and for whom we had prayed many years. He had been to church with us a number of times. I called him and went by to see him that morning. After showing him several verses in the Bible, he trusted the Lord as his Savior. He had terminal brain cancer and if I had waited one week, I would have been too late. He was unconscious by then. And he would be in hell today. Instead, he is in heaven now and I was able to preach his funeral and tell his story of salvation to many of his friends and family members, furthering the good tidings of Jesus Christ. Go and tell, now. We do not well to hide, hush and hesitate.