There have been many famous sieges in history. In 1870/71 Paris was besieged by a German army and had to surrender. In 1943 Stalingrad in Russia was besieged by a German army, but Stalingrad held out and the Germans surrendered.

A famous siege took place in about BC900. The armies of Aram (Syria) surrounded the city of Samaria completely. But deliverance came in a remarkable way.

In the city conditions were desperate. The siege had caused a terrible famine. Consequently people in the city were starving. The king, on a tour, spoke to a mother who had made a terrible bargain. She and another woman each had a baby and they had agreed to eat her child on one day and the other woman’s child on the next. So they had eaten the first child but on the next day the other woman had changed her mind and hidden her child.

All this made the king very angry and he felt that Elisha the prophet was to blame. So he sent a messenger to assassinate Elisha at his home. But Elisha, realising that he might be a target, got his helpers to overpower the messenger at the door.

The king followed on, expecting to find Elisha dead. When the king arrived Elisha spoke. He said, “In these terrible conditions of starvation and food at famine prices, you have planned evil against me. God is saying that about this time tomorrow food will be sold at the gate of Samaria at very cheap prices”.

The king’s chief assistant laughed at the idea and mockingly said, “Perhaps God is going to send food from Heaven”. Elisha replied that he would see the prophecy come true, but that the mocker would not have any food himself.

God works in strange ways. Four lepers outside the city decided to go to the Aram army. They argued that if they were killed they would be no worse off than dying of starvation outside the city.

They went to the Syrian army and found no one there. It turned out that on hearing a great whirlwind, they thought that the king in Samaria had managed to send for help and a large army was coming to attack them. So the lepers found an abundance of food left behind.

As they were eating they had a guilty conscience and decided to go straight back to Samaria with the good news. Let us remember that if we are Christians, we have fantastic news as well. This is not food to be acquired cheaply, but Salvation from God which is entirely free. This involved the death of Jesus, and repentance and faith on our part. Verses such as John 3:16 and many others make this clear.

When the lepers came back to the city they told the good news but they were hardly believed. The king sent scouts to find out the situation. As soon as it was confirmed, the crowds went over to the deserted camp.

Food was brought back to the city gate for those who were too weak to go to the camp. It was sold at a very cheap price. The king appointed the officer who had mocked Elisha’s prophecy to be in charge of the food distribution, but he could not control the situation and the crowds trampled him to death.

Elisha’s prophecy was fulfilled. The official saw the food but never ate of it. How sad if we go through life and end it in that way. It is possible to see the joy and benefit of Christ's Salvation in others, and yet never receive it for ourselves. In the city the people were surrounded and starving, and in a very real sense we can be said to be the same. We cannot change ourselves in our own strength, and we find that the world can never permanently satisfy. Have you received the Salvation provided in Jesus Christ? If not, why not?

 

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