“And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:19 

Scripture reading: 2 Kings 6:24 – 7:20

God again shows Himself to be the God of unrequested grace. Due to Israel’s idolatry, Ben-hadad’s siege of Samaria has brought upon her the curses of Deuteronomy 28 (see verse 53 ff.). Yet, King Jehoram, refuses to repent. Instead, he blames the Lord and His prophet for this calamity, and comes to kill Elisha – an all too familiar response when faced with the consequences of sin! But, amazingly, God proclaims, through Elisha, that the very next day, famine ravished Samaria would enjoy an abundance of food. Here is unsolicited (unasked for) grace! Here we see Romans 5:20 demonstrating that where sin increased, grace increased all the more. Who could believe that such could be possible? Certainly not Jehoram’s captain, who mocked such a thing. So Elisha says to him, You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.

That night, God caused the Syrians to hear an imagined threat and flee in terror. Four lepers, facing death, decided to leave the city and cast themselves upon the mercy of the Syrians. Finding their camp abandoned they gorged themselves on the food left behind. Realizing they were sinning by not announcing this good news to the starving city, they declared this great salvation. The city was saved. But the captain was trampled by the people pouring out of the gates, and did not get a taste of this salvation. Like those lepers, we must tell the world of the Good News of Jesus, who as the Living Bread, gives eternal life to the world.

Suggestions for prayer

Ask that we may see our sins, and repenting of them, know the blessing of God, And pray that like those lepers, we may tell the Good News of salvation to others through faith in Jesus, our Lord.

Rev. Barry Beukema is a graduate of Calvin College and Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. He has pastored the Christian Reformed Churches in Burdett, Alberta and Smithers, British Columbia. He then pastored the URCNA churches of Smithers, BC, Thunder Bay, ON, Lacombe, AB, Neerlandia, AB, and is now pastoring the United Reformed Church of Taber, Alberta.Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.