WE DO NOT WELL
“Then they said one to another, we do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the kings household.” II Kings 7:9
Israel was under a severe siege by Syria, and there was a great famine in Samaria, the capital city. Elisha prophesied that there would be miraculous relief and great plenty would come to the region. Four lepers, desperate for food, went to the camp of the Syrians to see if they might find mercy. When they came to the camp of the Syrians, they found it vacated.
All the soldiers were gone and all their food, money, and clothing remained. After these four lepers spent some time surveying their findings, they came to the conclusion expressed in our text verse: WE DO NOT WELL. They had been miraculously blessed. Their hunger had been satisfied. Their needs were met. They could not simply horde their newfound riches. They felt that if they did not share their blessings, “some mischief will come upon us.” They decided they must “go and tell” others of their discovery.
We can relate to this great turnaround in the lives of the lepers. They went from poverty to riches in a single night. They went from famine to feasting in a few hours time. This is what happened when we came to the Savior. The moment we trusted Christ as our Savior, we went from condemned sinners to converted saints. Before, we were spiritually dying in want of God’s grace; now we eat of the Bread of Life and drink of the Living Water. We were clothed with the rags of wickedness, but now we wear robes of righteousness. The lepers felt obligated to tell others of what they had experienced.
When they saw themselves enjoying the bounty of their newfound fortune and ignoring the plight of those in need, they said, “we do not well.” We all get the message, don’t we? How can we be silent about what has been given to us? We were once paupers, and now we are children of the King. We did not work for it nor do we deserve it. We were like spiritual lepers, starving away with no hope, and God gave us mercy. We should not keep this news to ourselves. The lepers said, “this day is a day of good tidings.” We who have found the source of life and hope are to “go and tell.” There are others who need to know what we have found. If we do not tell them, how will they hear?