MEMORY VERSE: ‘’And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, why sit we here until we die?” 2 Kings 7:3
BIBLE PASSAGE: 2 Kings 7:1-5
INTRODUCTION
In Bible times, people suffering from skin diseases like leprosy were treated as outcasts. There was no cure for the disease, which gradually left a person disfigured through loss of fingers, toes, and eventually limbs. It is, therefore, surprising and intriguing how God decided to use these categories of people to bring relief to the nation of Israel during the feminine, despite their serious physical limitations 1 Corinthians 1:27.
OUTLINE
1.LIVING ABOVE LIMITATIONS
2. LESSONS TO LEARN
LIVING ABOVE LIMITATIONS
Limitations are obstacles on our way to the fulfilment of God’s plans and purposes for our lives especially as christians. Limitations can also mean personal setbacks, stagnations, and failures in the battles of life. These can come from various sources: spiritual Daniel 10:12-13, human mistakes, or errors 2 Samuel 4:4, natural occurrences Exodus 14:10, afflictions Exodus 3:7, etc. In our Bible passage- 2 Kings 7:1-5, leprosy(among other diseases)confined and restricted the purpose for living of these four men. These lepers were treated as outcasts; they stayed outside the camp Numbers 5:2-3, could not live among their brethren Leviticus 13:45-46 and stayed at the entrance of the gate 2 Kings 7:3; Luke 17:12.
In our lifetime, we could encounter setbacks, even as christians: being christians does not exempt us from the challenges of life Jeremiah 1:19. The good news is that God has assured us of being more than conquerors through Christ Romans 8:37. However, we have a lot to learn from the four lepers in 2 Kings 7:1-5, who asked themselves a fundamental question “Why sit we here until we die?”
LESSONS TO LEARN
1.UNITY: The lepers were united in purpose. Unity is strength and it is easy to accomplish a feast when we are in one accord Amos 3:3; Psalm 133:1-3.
2.PURPOSEFULLNESS: They were determined to achieve their goal, and this helped them to conquer their fears despite their condition. 2 Kings 7:4, Daniel 1:8.
3.UNDERSTANDING: They were able to analyse and interpret the situation they found themselves in. This informed the decision they made and there was no discord amongst them. Proverbs 20:3.
4.DARING: They were audacious and bold! They made up their mind to go to the camp of the enemy irrespective of the odds Esther 4:16, 2 Kings 7:4
5.RESOLUTE: Twilight is a period of obscurity or haziness , but the lepers were not deterred even in this period of uncertainty, they still went ahead with their plans. Do not give up on your dreams 2 Kings 7:5a, Daniel 3:15-18.
6.SAVING CULTURE :Do not consume all that comes your way. After eating to the full they reserved some. Savings is important to grow big 2 Kings 7:8; Proverbs 21:20.
7.COMPASSION: They rebuked themselves and went to report their findings to the king’s household so that everyone could benefit from the booty 2 Kings 7:9; 1 Peter 3:8.
8.STOP PROCRASTINATING : Immediately they arrived at a decision to tell the porter of the city their discovery they followed it with a decisive step. They did what they had planned to do in their mind Proverbs 13:4; 2 Kings 7:10a
9.SHARE INFORMATION: They did not withhold information about all that they saw at the Syrian camp, they took the good news to the right source; the king Hebrews 13:16; 2 Kings 7:10.
CONCLUSION
As believers, we must see beyond our limitations and fulfil our purpose Philippians 4:13.