From Survival to Revival

Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord, Tomorrow 

about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two 
measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.   

2 Kings 7:1

God is bringing us out of survival into revival!

 

Survival defined as:  To continue to exist in spite of

Are we using our tools to survive:  worship, praise, prayer, word, meditation

The bible tells us: 

Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.   Nehemiah 8:10

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:10 

The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory.  Exodus 15:2

Revival defined as:  

an improvement in the condition or strength of something.

• "a revival in the fortunes of the party"
• an instance of something becoming popular, active, or important again.
• "cross-country skiing is enjoying a revival"

 a reawakening of something, or to something coming back to health, life or popularity.

• When you had been fired and had no career prospects but suddenly got discovered for your dream job, this is an example of the revival of your career. 
• a bringing or coming back into use, attention, or being, after a decline
• restoration to vigor or activity
• a returning to life or consciousness
• renewal of validity, as of a judgment or contract

I want to share with you an account that parallels our lives today. It is about a city that was put in isolation and shows how God moved His people out of survival into revival!

This account is found in 2 Kings chapter 6 and 7.

Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.  2 Kings 6:8

I want to discuss revival within the context of the backdrop of the famine in the city of Samaria.  Samaria was in a serious man-made famine; caused by the King of Syria:

And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria.  And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver.  2 Kings 6:24-25

There were 4 lepers who were ostracized outside the gates of Samaria.  These lepers were caught between a rock and a hard place. 

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?  If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.  2 Kings 7:3-4

They contemplated among themselves:

®  do we just sit here and die; resign our self to it.  

®  be comfortable in our bad place;

®  go into a place that though we are familiar with it, death will get us there. 

®  Or do we take a chance and fight for our life.

This is the question that we have to ask our self today.  Remember that we have been put into a place or a situation of isolation.  We have the same options that they had:

®  We can stay right where we are; resigned to a man-made situation; whining and bewailing our plight; not doing anything to make our situation better

®  Or we can go back to the old familiar; before our life in Christ began, do what we’ used to do and die there spiritually for sure and maybe naturally.

®  We can move forward, stretch out on His word, trust Him and go to the unfamiliar, the uncomfortable, launch out into the deep in accordance to God’s word.

I don’t know about you, but I want to be like the lepers and take option #3!  They had nothing but their intellects and instincts guiding them, but we have a higher power leading us.  We don’t have a reason to fear - 

. . . because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.  1 John 4:4

- because as we follow God and those that He has placed over us to watch out for our souls, our faith in Him lets us know that He has already set things in motion and paved the way;

A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.  Proverbs 13:22

just as He had done with the lepers. 

And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there.  For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.  Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.  2 Kings 7:5-7

Everything they needed was on display for them; ready for the taking.  Think about it, what if they had just stood there in awe and never took advantage of what God had laid out before them?  There was not discussion this time, they availed themselves of everything they saw.    We should not be hesitant; we move by faith! 

®       Do you doubt what God has done for you; what He has prepared for you? 

®       Are you availing yourself to what God presents to you?   

Sometimes we pray amiss simply because we are praying instead of acting on what God has already told us or shown us.  Think about Joshua, whining and complaining about His situation to God.  But take heed to what God told him: 

God said to Joshua, “Get up. Why are you groveling? Israel has sinned: They’ve broken the covenant I commanded them; they’ve taken forbidden plunder—stolen and then covered up the theft, squirreling it away with their own stuff. The People of Israel can no longer look their enemies in the eye—they themselves are plunder. I can’t continue with you if you don’t rid yourselves of the cursed things.  Joshua 7:10-12 (message)

We have to get past the idea that everything is about us; that the impact of a situation; be it good or bad only affects you and no one else.  If it’s bad, like Joshua, we ask why is God doing this to me.  If it’s good, we turn a blind eye to others who may need help.  What those lepers did affected everyone in Samaria.

The lepers didn’t know it nor did the general population of Samaria know that God had already made provision for them to come out of the famine.  The word of God had already been spoken through the prophet, Elisha! 

Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord, Tomorrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.   2 Kings 7:1

To understand what this prophecy meant, we can look at today’s world situation in the not too distant past.  We know that when there was the outbreak of the virus in the meat plants (in the US) that there would be a shortage of meat and that the price of meat would increase because of this.  By the same token, at the beginning of April when the stay in place orders begin to go out and the airlines were limited, the need for gas dropped to a low that hadn’t been seen in decades.  The same was happening in Samaria; what they did have was being sold at extremely high prices.  But when the lepers, lead by God, found that deserted camp, they had more than enough and they could sell again at far cheaper rates!

This was spoken to the messenger of the King of Isreal!  And I might add who lived to see the prophesy come true but because of his unbelief and disdain of the prophet and God, was not able to partake of it!

®       Will you believe God despite what is before your natural eyes?

®       Will you believe the prophet that God has placed in your life?

Will you step out in faith the way the lepers did and see and experience the salvation of the Lord?

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)  Hebrews 10:23

We don’t want to be like the two mothers who made the decision to kill their children for food.

And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son tomorrow.  2 King 6:24

Apostle Paul told the Galatians:

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.  Galatians 6:9

And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it.  2 Kings 7:8

They got what they needed and then some!  God gives us everything we need to equip us for the journey!  After God gives us what we need, then it is time to help someone else in need!

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 king's household.  2 Kings 7:9

This is why we cannot make everything about our self!  If the lepers had not decided to launch out into the unknown, the city of Samaria would not have been saved from their man-made famine.

They had completed their mission and they are not referred to again in the bible!  They faced insurmountable difficulties; the fact that they were lepers and not allowed into the city proper; the fact that there was a famine and so there was not food; all of this for the glory of God to be revealed! 

Bible Study

02/15/22