2 Kings 7: The siege ends

Synopsis:

Elisha prophesizes that flour shall be sold for a shekel. The lord upon whose hand the king leans who had sought out Elisha questions this, and Elisha says, you will not see this. There were 4 lepers at the city gate who decided that if they were going to die of starvation, they might as well go to the Syrians and see if they could get some food. If they are killed, so what, they are going to die anyway. It turns out that in the middle of the night the Syrians had fled because they heard loud noises of “chariots” and “horses.” They thought the Hittites and Egyptians had come to aid Samaria and so they left in a hurry and left their tents, horses and food. The lepers found the tents empty, ate their fill and sole as much gold, silver and raiment as they could carry and hit it and then got some more and hid it. They then went to the king and told him what had happened.  The king assumed that this was a trap to get them to leave their walled city to explore the campsite of the Syrians and that the Syrians would jump out of the surrounding woods and kills them. He sent 2 chariot horses and behold, there was no one there. The people went out and spoiled the tents. There was so much food, a measure of flour sold for a shekel – just as Elisha had said. But the lord who had sought out Elisha was trampled in the stampede by the gate and didn’t live to see it.

In other words: 

The Syrians flee because they think the Hittite’s are attacking. They leave tents, food and supplies. The siege is ended and the Samarians can eat again.

Favorite bit: 

2 Kings 7:3 – And there were four leprous men at the entering in the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?

Least favorite bit:

2 Kings 7:17 And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him.

Moral Lesson Learned:

It’s good to be cautious, but you must also take risks to succeed  (2 Kings 7)