亞蘭軍棄營逃命
3在城門那裏有四個長大痲瘋的人，他們彼此說：「我們為何坐在這裏等死呢？ 4我們若說，進城去吧！城裏有饑荒，必死在那裏；若在這裏坐着不動，也必是死。來吧，我們去投降亞蘭人的軍隊，他們若留我們的活命，就活着；若殺我們，就死了吧！」 5黃昏的時候，他們起來往亞蘭人的營盤去；到了營邊，不見一人在那裏。 6因為主使亞蘭人的軍隊聽見車馬的聲音，是大軍的聲音；他們就彼此說：「這必是以色列王賄買赫人的諸王和埃及人的諸王來攻擊我們。」 7所以，在黃昏的時候他們起來逃跑，撇下帳棚、馬、驢，營盤照舊，只顧逃命。 8那些長大痲瘋的到了營邊，進了帳棚，吃了喝了，且從其中拿出金銀和衣服來，去收藏了；回來又進了一座帳棚，從其中拿出財物來去收藏了。
9那時，他們彼此說：「我們所做的不好！今日是有好信息的日子，我們竟不作聲！若等到天亮，罪必臨到我們。來吧，我們與王家報信去！」 10他們就去叫守城門的，告訴他們說：「我們到了亞蘭人的營，不見一人在那裏，也無人聲，只有拴着的馬和驢，帳棚都照舊。」 11守城門的叫了眾守門的人來，他們就進去與王家報信。 12王夜間起來，對臣僕說：「我告訴你們亞蘭人向我們如何行。他們知道我們飢餓，所以離營，埋伏在田野，說：『以色列人出城的時候，我們就活捉他們，得以進城。』」 13有一個臣僕對王說：「我們不如用城裏剩下之馬中的五匹馬（馬和城裏剩下的以色列人都是一樣，快要滅絕），打發人去窺探。」 14於是取了兩輛車和馬，王差人去追尋亞蘭軍，說：「你們去窺探窺探。」 15他們就追尋到約旦河，看見滿道上都是亞蘭人急跑時丟棄的衣服器具，使者就回來報告王。
16眾人就出去，擄掠亞蘭人的營盤。於是一細亞細麵賣銀一舍客勒，二細亞大麥也賣銀一舍客勒，正如耶和華所說的。 17王派攙扶他的那軍長在城門口彈壓，眾人在那裏將他踐踏，他就死了，正如神人在王下來見他的時候所說的。 18神人曾對王說：「明日約到這時候，在撒馬利亞城門口，二細亞大麥要賣銀一舍客勒，一細亞細麵也要賣銀一舍客勒。」 19那軍長對神人說：「即便耶和華使天開了窗戶，也不能有這事。」神人說：「你必親眼看見，卻不得吃。」 20這話果然應驗在他身上；因為眾人在城門口將他踐踏，他就死了。
各位弟兄姊妹，平安！今天我們看到了《列王紀下》第七章中的一個大的轉折點，這場戰爭的結局卻充滿了諷刺，因為上帝選擇了透過四個染了大麻瘋的人來改變局勢。這四個大麻瘋患者並不是勇士，也不是國王，他們是被社會排斥的弱者，被迫待在城門外，無處可去，幾乎在死亡的邊緣。
正當他們在走投無路之際，決定去亞蘭人的軍營碰碰運氣，看看是否有可能留住一條性命時，結果卻發現亞蘭人的軍隊已經棄營逃跑了。在這個過程中，這四個大麻瘋的人只看見了一個空無一人的營盤，他們並不知道到底發生了什麼事情。而作者在這裡告訴我們，這是上帝的作為。上帝使亞蘭人聽見了巨大的聲響，讓他們以為有大軍來襲，從而驚慌失措，迅速逃命。這逃跑的速度如此之快，以至於他們什麼都來不及帶，沿路還不斷丟下物品，只顧逃生。
這樣的情景，除了上帝的干預，沒有其他解釋。上帝以祂的奇妙方式改變了整個戰爭的局勢，使亞蘭人不戰自敗，也應驗了先知以利沙所說的預言。
這裡我們還要注意一個重點：以色列人當時的情況非常緊張，包括國王在內，沒有人相信這是真的，他們還以為這是亞蘭人的詭計，可能是為了誘騙他們出城，然後將他們一網打盡。然而，這四個大麻瘋人，原本已經吃飽喝足，享受了一整天的食物，並且拿走了營帳中的一些財物，但他們最終意識到，這樣的好消息不能只供自己享用。他們決定趕快將這個消息告訴城裡的人。
此時，城內的人們正處於極度的饑荒之中，很多人可能已經餓死或渴死。因此，這四個大麻瘋人急忙將這個好消息報告給城內的人，結果城裡的人得以脫離絕境，得到了拯救。
這四個人就像是傳福音的人一樣。敵人已經退去，戰爭已經勝利，但若不是這四個大麻瘋的病人來報信，整座城市依然會處於絕望和飢荒的狀態。如果他們沒有報告這個好消息，而國王和百姓也沒有相信，那麼這座城市可能會在饑荒中滅亡。
這就像福音一樣，救恩已經成就，但如果沒有人去傳講，或者人們不相信這個好消息，那麼世界依然會在絕望和靈魂的飢荒中受苦。因此，傳福音就像這四個大麻瘋人報信一樣，帶來拯救的盼望，並且讓那些正在痛苦中的人得以聽見生命的好消息。
以利沙禱告上帝，讓他的門徒看見天軍的守護，我們也應當如此禱告，求上帝開我們的眼睛，讓我們看見祂的手掌管一切。屬靈的戰爭早已得勝，耶穌已經戰勝了死亡和罪惡。我們所做的，不是去打贏這場戰爭，而是宣告這場戰爭的勝利。傳福音也是如此，我們是在告訴人這個已經成就的事實，而不是與人爭辯或爭吵。
就像那四個大麻瘋的人，他們沒有留下名字，但他們的行動卻拯救了城裡的所有人。這也提醒我們，傳福音不在於我們的名聲，而是忠心地宣告上帝已經為人類贏得的救恩。
最後，我們也不需要因為人的攻擊而失去信心。我們應當知道，上帝的話語必定成就，祂的旨意必定完成。任何阻礙福音的障礙，上帝都必定會親自移開。
這場慘烈的戰爭，就在亞蘭人自動撤軍後結束了。以色列會因為得救後而開始悔改重新歸向上帝嗎？我們繼續讀列王記下第八章的故事。感謝各位的聆聽。
Now four men with a skin disease were sitting at the entrance of the city gate. They said to one another, “Why are we just sitting here waiting to die? If we go into the city, we’ll die of starvation, and if we stay here we’ll die! So come on, let’s defect to the Syrian camp! If they spare us, we’ll live; if they kill us – well, we were going to die anyway.” So they started toward the Syrian camp at dusk. When they reached the edge of the Syrian camp, there was no one there. The Lord had caused the Syrian camp to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a large army. Then they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has paid the kings of the Hittites and Egypt to attack us!” So they got up and fled at dusk, leaving behind their tents, horses, and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives. When the men with a skin disease reached the edge of the camp, they entered a tent and had a meal. They also took some silver, gold, and clothes and went and hid it all. Then they went back and entered another tent. They looted it and went and hid what they had taken. Then they said to one another, “It’s not right what we’re doing! This is a day to celebrate, but we haven’t told anyone. If we wait until dawn, we’ll be punished. So come on, let’s go and inform the royal palace.” So they went and called out to the gatekeepers of the city. They told them, “We entered the Syrian camp and there was no one there. We didn’t even hear a man’s voice. But the horses and donkeys are still tied up, and the tents remain up.” The gatekeepers relayed the news to the royal palace.
The king got up in the night and said to his advisers, “I will tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know we are starving, so they left the camp and hid in the field, thinking, ‘When they come out of the city, we will capture them alive and enter the city.’” One of his advisers replied, “Pick some men and have them take five of the horses that are left in the city. (Even if they are killed, their fate will be no different than that of all the Israelite people – we’re all going to die!) Let’s send them out so we can know for sure what’s going on.” So they picked two horsemen and the king sent them out to track the Syrian army. He ordered them, “Go and find out what’s going on.” So they tracked them as far as the Jordan. The road was filled with clothes and equipment that the Syrians had discarded in their haste. The scouts went back and told the king. Then the people went out and looted the Syrian camp. A seah of finely milled flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, just as the Lord had said they would.
Now the king had placed the officer who was his right-hand man at the city gate. When the people rushed out, they trampled him to death in the gate. This fulfilled the prophet’s word which he had spoken when the king tried to arrest him. The prophet told the king, “Two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel, and a seah of finely milled flour for a shekel; this will happen about this time tomorrow in the gate of Samaria.” But the officer replied to the prophet, “Look, even if the Lord made it rain by opening holes in the sky, could this happen so soon?” Elisha said, “Look, you will see it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of the food!” This is exactly what happened to him. The people trampled him to death in the city gate.
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Peace be with you!
Today we come to a major turning point in the story found in 2 Kings Chapter 7. The end of this war comes with a touch of irony, as God chose to change the situation through four lepers—outcasts of society, not warriors or kings. These four men, afflicted by leprosy and forced to stay outside the city gate with no place to go, were on the verge of death.
In their desperation, they decided to take a chance and go to the camp of the Arameans, hoping they might be spared and allowed to live. To their surprise, they found that the Aramean army had already fled. In this moment, all they saw was an empty camp, not knowing what had happened. The author tells us that it was the hand of God. God caused the Arameans to hear the sound of a great army approaching, which threw them into a panic, leading them to flee. They fled so quickly that they left everything behind, even dropping their belongings as they ran for their lives.
This turn of events could only be explained by God's intervention. In His miraculous way, God changed the entire outcome of the war, causing the Arameans to flee without a fight, fulfilling Elisha's prophecy.
There is another key point here: the people of Israel were in a state of great tension, and even the king did not believe the report. They thought it was an Aramean trap to lure them out of the city and then ambush them. Meanwhile, the four lepers, who had already eaten their fill and taken some of the treasures from the tents, realized that such good news couldn’t be kept to themselves. They decided to report it to the people in the city.
At that moment, the city was in the grip of severe famine, with many people already dead or dying from hunger and thirst. These four lepers rushed to share the news, bringing salvation to the city.
These four lepers are like messengers of the Gospel. The enemy had already fled, and the victory had already been won. But without these four lepers sharing the news, the city would have remained in despair and famine. If they hadn’t reported the good news, and if the king and the people hadn’t believed it, the city might have perished in the famine.
This is similar to the Gospel. Salvation has already been accomplished, but if no one proclaims it or if people do not believe, the world remains in despair and spiritual famine. Sharing the Gospel is like the lepers bringing good news of salvation, offering hope to those who are suffering.
Elisha prayed that God would open his servant’s eyes to see the heavenly army protecting them. Likewise, we should pray that God would open our eyes to see His hand governing everything. The spiritual war has already been won—Jesus has triumphed over death and sin. Our task is not to fight the battle but to declare the victory. Sharing the Gospel is the same—we are not arguing or debating with people, but simply telling them the truth of what has already been accomplished.
Just like the lepers who went unnamed, their actions saved the entire city. This reminds us that sharing the Gospel is not about making a name for ourselves, but about faithfully declaring the salvation God has won for humanity.
Finally, we should not lose heart because of opposition. We must remember that God’s Word will always come to pass, and His will shall be done. Whatever obstacles stand in the way of the Gospel, God will remove them in His time.
This terrible war ended with the Arameans retreating on their own. But will Israel, after being saved, repent and return to God? Let us continue reading the story in 2 Kings Chapter 8. Thank you all for listening.
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