Bomberger, Phil: Why Sit We Here Until We Die ? ~ 2 Kings 7;3

Be with you again in the ministry of the Word of God. Let us turn to Second Kings, check in Second Kings chapter seven, and we're going to deal with just one verse, and we're going to examine this verse and its context, for it's the context that gives this verse some real meaning. Second Kings chapter seven verse three, where we read, 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? We want to examine the question that is asked in this verse. Why sit we here until we die? Let's just look to the Lord during prayer. Loving Father, we thank you for the provision that you've made for totally depraved men. We are completely ruined by sin. There's no question about that. Thy word declares it to us. Thy law makes sin exceeding sinful. And we look at around us, we see the depravity of human hearts exhibited all about us, and when we look within, we find that our heart is deceitful above all else and desperately wicked. And though man is completely ruined by sin, we thank you this morning that there's a perfect remedy in Christ, and we want to announce the remedy, and we ask our God that thou would use thy word in a mighty way in the announcement of it. We pray, our Father, that our Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified. So, like Samuel of old, in all sincerity and honesty, we would say to thee, speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth. And in speaking to my heart, speak to all who are gathered and will praise you through Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen. Why sit we here until we die? Here is a question that is asked one of another between four leprous men who sat at the entering of the gate to the city of Samaria. And this question that these four leprous men ask one of another becomes the climax to the fulfillment of a great statement that was made the day before by the prophet Elisha. And to really appreciate this verse, you have to begin your reading at verse twenty four of chapter six and read all the way through chapter seven. This is going to take quite a bit of time, so I'm not going to do it. I just want to dwell on the passage. Why sit we here until we die? But in this portion of the Word of God, there are a number of reasons why I'm not going to read it. It isn't pleasant reading. It isn't pleasant reading at all, and therefore I'm not going to read it publicly. But I want you to notice the time when this statement was made. Three things. Number one, it was a time of acute hunger. Ben-Hadad, the king of a- of Assyria, had closed up the city of Samaria. The troops of Ben-Hadad were round about the city. No one went out, and no one went in. And the king passed by on the top of the wall. And as the king passed by on the top of the wall, two women cried to him. And they cried help, for the place had been reduced to a state of cannibalism. They were eating their own children. The story's in the sixth chapter. And the king cried out, where am I going to get food? The enemy's armies were round about the city of Samaria. It was a time of acute hunger, but more than that, it was a time of acknowledged helplessness. The people reduced to cannibalism. The king was helpless. The people were helpless, and everyone else. And oh, beloved, this is the time that these four leprous men said, why sit we here until we die? But not only was it a time of acute hunger, not only was it a time of acknowledged helplessness, it was a time of aggressive hatred. For the king realizing the condition of the people within the city, because it was shut up by the enemy's armies, he turned and he said, I'm going to take vengeance. I'm going to do something about it. The problem is the prophet of God, that prophet Elisha, and I'm just going to remove his head, and that'll take care of everything. And he went down to remove the head of Elisha the prophet, and he meant business. And Elisha was just sitting in his house in fellowship with the Lord. The Lord told him that the king was coming, and the king had a servant with him, and uh, the servant came first, and Elisha said, just bring him in and just hold him there because his master is right behind him. He's coming to take off my head. But he wasn't scared a bit. And when the king came in, he said, now I want to tell you something. Elisha looked at him, and he said, tomorrow they're going to sell food in the gate of Samaria at pre-famine prices. It would be like telling us today, tomorrow you can get all the gasoline you want for ten cents a gallon. And this man who was a, a servant of the king, why he said, if uh, if God made windows in heaven, that couldn't happen. We see the whole seventh chapter is the climax to the prediction of the prophet that there's going to be plenty of food tomorrow, and it's going to be at pre-famine prices. There's nothing to worry about. Well, there was a man there, this servant of the king, he said, why, if God made windows in heaven, that couldn't be. Well, Elisha looked at him and he said, now look, you. He said, you're going to see it, but you're never going to partake of it. I hope you're not like that, my friend. You may know all about the blessing of God. You may even see the blessing of God, but not be a partaker of it. And the next day, when the plenty of food was there, the king appointed this servant. He was a big man, you see. He was like secretary of state, a secretary of the treasurer, or if you were in Great Britain, he would be chancellor of the exchequer. He appointed him to, uh, to dole off the food and bring in the money. When the people were so hungry, they just trod upon him, and he died right there. He saw the blessing. But he never partook of it. And you know, we may know about the blessing, we may see the blessing in others' lives, and yet we may sit until we die and do nothing about it. There are four leprous men who sat at the gate of the city, and they said, why sit we here until we die? The time when they made that statement, it was a time of acute hunger. It was a time of acknowledged helplessness, and it was a time of aggressive hatred. But more than that, I want you to notice the terms of Elisha's promise to them. Elisha made a promise, and he said things are going to be changed overnight. First of all, Elisha's promise was a revelation of an amazing supply. And you know, when we look at the holiness of God, and when we behold the sinfulness of sin, only God has a remedy for sin. For sin is embedded in the human heart, and it's exceedingly destructive, and it's exceedingly deceptive. And unless God does something, it will never be done. In the same way with the supply of food, the man who saw the blessing but never partook. He said, if God made windows in heaven, it couldn't happen. You see, he realized that God would have to do it. And my friend, for the salvation of the soul, God has to do it. But not only is it the revelation of an amazing supply, it's the revelation of an abundant supply. They're going to be pre-famine prices. There's going to be enough for everybody. But the nice part about it, it is a revelation of an available supply. It's going to be in the gate of the city. God, who speaks to man in the gospel, he reminds us that you don't have to travel across the sea, you don't have to travel up to heaven, you don't have to do some great thing and go down to the deep. The Word of God says, the word is nigh thee in thy mouth, that word of faith which we preach, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus. It's available. It's available. The supply of God's grace is available. The supply of food is available. What a revelation. The unknown entirely to what Elisha had said to the king, unknown entirely to what the servant of Elisha had said when he heard the great prediction, there are four leprous men who are sitting in the gate of the city, and their statement is, why sit we here until we die? Why sit we here? I want you to notice, first of all, and concentrate on the word, why sit we here? Let us consider the we. They were lepers. Leprosy in the word of God is a picture of sin. It begins with something very small, a small rising in the skin, but soon it envelops the whole body. Leprosy is a picture of sin. When God gave the law to the children of Israel, at the close of the book of Deuteronomy, God says to the people, I call heaven and earth to record against you this day. Heaven and earth is listening to the words of this law which you have promised to keep. Years later, God speaking through the prophet Isaiah, the prophecy of Isaiah opens with the words, the prophecy of Amos, of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, which he spake, saying, hear, O heaven, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord hath spoken. The heaven and the earth that God had called to witness against them at the giving of the law is now called to bear testimony against them because God is going to speak to them through the prophet. God says, I have nourished and brought up children, but they have rebelled against me. And then he turns and he speaks concerning the people who rebelled against him, and he says, the ox knoweth his owner and the ass his master's crib, but my people do not know. There's nobody more stupid than a person who knows where the food is and doesn't go get it. For the ox is the dumbest of animals. The ass is the stubbornest of animals. And God's word says, the ox knows his owner, the ass knows his master's crib, but my people do not know, my people do not consider. And then he turns and he describes the people in verse five he says, from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot, there is open sores. They're wounded, they're bleeding, they haven't been mollified with ointment, nothing has been done for them. What a picture. And is, it is to these that God says, come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. And remember, the body was involved in leprosy, friends. And sin has enveloped every member of our bodies. Our eyes are wrong. We look at the wrong things. Our ears listen to the wrong things. Our mouths speak the wrong things, and our feet go to the wrong places. And a lot of times, as children of God, we make excuses one for another instead of obeying the word of God. God's word comes back to us, and he says, I call heaven and earth to record against you this day. Man is a sinner, friends, and these four leprous men are a picture of man in sin, and man is completely ruined by sin. A woman came to my Bible class about a, close to a year ago, and she said, there's a boy in Duke Hospital, a young man, he's dying of cancer. Nobody goes to see him, and he's a neighbor boy in our little community. Would you go down? Well, I said, yes, I'll go down. And I took some gospel literature, and I went to see this young man. And he was in a room with four men. There were four men in the room. And oh my, what a room it was. I don't know that I've ever experienced anything like it in my life. This one man had a cancer on the one side of his face. He couldn't wear glasses, and it would have came all the way down the side, and it was open, and the stench was terrible. I went over to him, and I told him about the Savior, how to be saved. I said to him, I have a booklet for you, can you read it? He says, I can't get my glasses on anymore. I can't read anymore. Eyes, but not able to see. I said, do you have a wife that can read it to you? He said, no, he said, my wife left me. I said, is there anybody who comes in that can read it? He said, I have a daughter that comes, I'll have her read it to me. I told this man how to be saved, I prayed with him, and I tell you, I had to leave. Because I could still smell that room when I got back to Burlington with the windows open in the car. Beloved, that's what leprosy is like, that's what cancer is like, and that's what the human heart is like before a holy God. My friend, you're cancerous through and through. Sin has ruined the human family. Man is totally depraved. Man is completely ruined by sin, and you're not any different. Man is completely ruined by sin. Here are four lepers. A leper was a person who, when the leprosy was discovered, they dwelt alone. They couldn't dwell with others. And when someone approached, they put their hand in front of their face, and they cried, unclean, unclean. And did you notice there were four? Four lepers? And four speaks of universality, you know? We s- talk about the four winds of heaven. We talk about the four points of the compass. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The problem's worldwide. Sin, friends, is worldwide. Why sit we here until we die? The we, the lepers. But now notice the place. Why sit here? That was a definite place. And what was it? It was a place of want. They were sitting in a place of want, the entering in of the gate. No one went in and no one came out. They weren't bringing anything. There was nothing there. It was a place of want. And oh, my friend, the person who's out of Christ is sitting in a place of want. They don't know what they want. The world is rushing here and there, trying to satisfy the human heart, which can never be satisfied by the things of the world. The things of this world never satisfy. We sing occasionally, I've tried the broken cisterns, Lord, but ah, the waters fail. Even as I stooped to drink, they mocked me as I wailed. Solomon had it all. But he claims in the book of Ecclesiastes, it was all vanity and vexation of spirit. Anything that he wanted, he got. If he wanted men singers, he got the best. If he wanted women singers, he got the best. If he wanted dancers, he just brought them into the court. He got everything that his heart desired, but it left him with an aching void. Why sit we here? The place where you're sitting, my friend, is a place of want, and for the lepers, it was a place of death. It was a place of death, for the city was doomed. And oh, my friend, this world is under the condemnation of God. For the scripture declares, this is the condemnation, that light has come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. But now notice the position of these men. Not only the person, four lepers, not only the place, here, but notice the position. Why sit? Sit. Now, sitting may imply different things in different parts of the word of God. It may, uh, indicate contentment. Sit. The scripture says, blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. And a man can sit in the seat of the scornful and be content there. And contentment is going to be a blessed thing in a coming day, for in the little prophecy of Micah, prophetically it says concerning the millennial kingdom, every man shall sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree. Can speak of contentment. Are you contented where you're at? Or if you're here this morning without Christ, are you content without Christ? Are you content if you knew that death were right around the corner, for the lepers were well aware of it. They were aware that death was near. Are you content? Sitting may indicate, indicate contentment, contentment, but sitting may indicate weariness. Also, remember the fourth chapter of John? Our Lord must needs go through Samaria, and being weary with his journey, he sat on the well. He sat on the well at Sacher's well. He was weary, and sitting may indicate weariness. I wonder, are you tired of this old sinful world? Have you grown weary of it? But you see, sitting may indicate fear as well. Fear. Remember Peter? In Luke's Gospel, chapter twenty two? he sat down with the enemies of the Lord. He was afraid when a little girl said, you are one of his disciples. And he was filled with fear. Are you afraid of man? The Bible says the fear of man bringeth a snare. But you see, act, sitting can indicate indifference. Galileo in Acts chapter eighteen, he sat in the seat of judgment as he heard the discussion concerning the things of God, and it says he cared for none of these things, indifference. And you may be sitting where you're sitting today, indifferent to the things of God. Yes, I know what those people believe over there at Faith Bible Fellowship. I know they talk about this matter of being saved and having a definite experience with God so that you know that your sins are forgiven for his name's sake. But you sit indifferent to it. I'm going to have my own way, and I'm going to have my own way regardless. Why sit? But you see, sitting can indicate something else. It can indicate indecision. The lepers right here in the text, they were undecided, for if you read the very next two verses, they said, if we go into the city, we're going to die. If we go to the camp of the Assyrians, we might die. They may, they may not kill us. It may indicate indecision. Why sit we here until we die? You think of that word sitting. You're sitting right now. Why are you sitting? Are you sitting because of contentment? Are you sitting because of weariness? Reminds me of our good brother McGee. Uh, he had to speak at an afternoon session at Moody Founders Week Conference last year, and he said, this is the most awful time to be at to preach. Everybody wants to go to sleep after eating a big meal. And he said, well, now if you're going to go to sleep on me, he said, I have a little prayer for you, and you can just pray right along. Now I lay me down to sleep. The preacher is dry and the sermon is deep. And if I, he should finish before I awake, somebody kick me for pity's sake. Uh, so, uh, you see, sitting may indicate weariness. It can indicate a lot. And why are you sitting where you are? Are you undecided? Are you on the fence like the lepers, realizing the acute hunger in the city, the helplessness of the city, the hatred that's there? You realize all this, but there you sit. There's been the promise of an abundant supply. The lepers, why sit we here until we die? But now notice the period they were going to sit. They looked at each other and they said, why sit we here until we die? Death is a very sure thing, my friend. In other words, why sit contented? Why sit wearied, fearful, indifferent, or undecided when danger and death can be set aside for life and for plenty. And that's what they were faced with. They were faced with danger and death, but life and plenty was awaiting them if they get up from the place of indecision and do something about it. Now, thank God they finally made a decision, and they went to the camp of the Syrians. I just have to tell you this. They walked into the camp of the Assyrians, and they found the place was empty. They found horses and all kinds of animals there at the camp of the Assyrians. And can you see these four men who had not had a meal for days? Can you see them as they went into the first tent? And there were all the cooking utensils, all the food. They found gold, they found new clothes, they found everything there. Can you see them just eating? They went into another tent, more of the same. They went into another tent, more of the same. For God had done something. God had done something. They looked at each other, and as they looked at each other, they said to one another, we do not well. Today is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace. We do not well. You see, friends, why sit we here until we die? Those of us who know of the life that is ours in Christ Jesus, we do not well if we don't talk, if we don't go and tell it to someone else. And these lepers went back to the, to the city, and they announced in the city, in the ears of the king, what they found there in the camp of the Assyrians. And the city went out. They gathered the food that was there. My friend, the day that I got saved, the day that I learned that there's a complete and perfect remedy in Christ, that day, my soul was satisfied. That day I received the forgiveness of sins. That day I was brought into a definite judicial relationship with Jesus Christ. I was declared righteous by him, so that he says to us, who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. And therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The day I got saved is the greatest day in my life. It was greater than the day I got married. That was a great day, but the day I got saved was greater, because that day I was declared righteous by God, and God says, when I've justified a man, who is he in the whole of the universe that can lay anything to the charge of my elect? There isn't any in the whole of the universe who can lay anything to our charge. We are his, and we are his forever. When the lepers went into the camp of the Syrians, they finally made their decision, and they went. They brought food and blessing to them, and it brought food and blessing to the city. Now, God, through the prophet Ezekiel in chapter thirty three verse eleven, he cries out to Israel, and he says, Turn ye, turn ye. Why will you die, O house of Israel? Think of it. Why sit we here until we die? God said to Israel, Turn ye, turn ye, why will you die? And oh, my friend, I don't know the condition of your soul, but if you have never met God in Jesus Christ, you are under condemnation. You are in the place of death. You are in the place of distance. You are a far off. You are living in spiritual famine, and God has provided an abundant supply in Jesus Christ the Lord. So we ask the question, why? There's no reason to it. For God says, come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Why will! Will! Will! Have you considered the consequences? Have you considered the consequences, my friend? The consequences of a lost eternity. You know, I've heard some stupid statements in my time. I've heard people make the foolish statement, I'm going to have a lot of company. You're not going to have anybody, not even one for company. You're going to be alone forever in a lost eternity. You won't have a one person. You say, how do you know? The Bible says that eternal separation from God is a place of outer darkness. One of the plagues that God sent upon Egypt through Moses was a plague of darkness, and there was darkness over all the land of Egypt that could be felt, and no one moved throughout Egypt for three days and three nights. They couldn't see anything, they couldn't even move. Have you considered the consequences, friends? Oh, we don't like to think about a lost eternity to death. No, we don't like to think about it, but the lepers were at least honest. They had good sense. They said to each other, why sit we here until we die? And God says to it, why will? Have you considered the consequences? And then the next word, why will you, you in particular, not that person sitting next to you, but you. Why will you, you, you die. You, yes? You in particular. Why sit you there? Is it the fear of man? You're afraid what somebody's gonna say if you acknowledge that you're lost? Are you afraid? Not a fear of man bringeth a snare, we read in the book of Proverbs, and I found a lot of people more worried about what somebody else is going to say. I had a preacher in my car one day. He acknowledged he was lost. The first time in his life, he wept in my car. He said, I've gone through college, I've gone through high school, I've gone through seminary, I've been in conference meetings, and nobody ever cared enough for my soul to tell me how to be saved. What am I going to tell my wife tonight? And he literally wept as he realized he was face to face with the Lord. You in particular. Why sit we here? God says, turn ye, turn ye. Why? There's no reason to it. Will. Have you considered the consequences? You, you in particular. Is it ridicule? What is it that keeps you aside from, apart from Christ? And then that last word he uses, why will you die? Have you considered the awfulness of a lost soul? All the word of God says, almost will not avail. The servant of the king, he saw the provision, but he couldn't partake. God has made it possible for you to know of the provision, the remedy that's in Christ today, and to partake today. For God's word is always for now. Behold, now is he accepted. Behold, now is the day of salvation. Almost, almost will not avail. Almost is but to fail. You may know all about it and not partake. Almost will not avail. Almost is but to fail. Sad, sad, that bitter wail. Almost. Why sit we here until we die? I don't know who you are, but you may be sitting right where you're sitting this morning. You may have some dear friends who prayed for you for a long time, and you're still outside the Ark of Safety. These four leprous men had a lot of sense. They asked the question. I'm asking you today, why sit you here until you die? Just because you sit with Christians doesn't mean everything's all right. It can make it much worse. Will you do something about it today? Today is the day of salvation. I'm going to sing a hymn in closing, and after we sing that hymn in closing, we're going to have a word of prayer, and the meeting will be over. I'm going to remain right here at the front this morning, and if you're here without Christ, and you know it, I'm going to ask you, why not remain behind? Let's just have a talk with an open Bible. Today's the day of salvation. You indicate your desire to trust the Lord. Would you do that? We're here to help you. And I'm going to ask those of you who are believers, you pray. Go out quietly, and if you see someone that is under the conviction of the Spirit of God, that's troubled about their soul, don't be afraid to have a little word with them. We're so anxious to fellowship with ourselves and tell jokes to each other. And a lot of times, there may be those sitting amongst us who haven't yet tasted the good things that we have. Why sit we here until we die? Oh, may God speak to our hearts this morning. Let's sing three fifty one. Bobby, as you, you lead it, please. Three fifty one. Let us stand together as we sing. Almost persuaded but to believe. 251, excuse me. Almost persuaded Christ to receive. Our Father, in the solemnity of this hour, we pray that none here will ever hear that bitter, bitter wail almost at all. We pray for each one who is gathered this morning. We ask you, blessed God, that each of us may ask the question, why sit we here until we die? We ask now that I will take thy word and use it to search our hearts. We commend to thee this company of thy people and to the word of thy grace. Those who have truly believed in thee, may thy grace, thy mercy, and thy peace abide with a new sense of the urgency of telling the gospel to men. And upon any who have not believed in thee, we ask thee to accompany them with divine restlessness, that they may know no rest and no peace until they rest in thee and will praise you through Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.