The Feet of Him Who Brings Good News

By Dan and Brenda Cathcart

The video version of this teaching is available at: https://youtu.be/khQj7pErvFk

The scripture reading for this teaching is 2 Kings 7:3-20

Our haftarah portion this week in Second Kings 7:3-20 tells the story of four lepers who brought good tidings to the besieged city of Samaria. Samaria was the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel. At this time, Ahab’s son Jehoram, who is, also, called Joram, is king of Israel.  Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, had been trying to take over Israel since the death of Ahab. After Elisha stopped an attempted assassination of Jehoram by Ben-Hadad, Ben-Hadad brought his army against Samaria and quickly surrounded it.

2 Kings 6:24-25 NKJV 24 And it happened after this that Ben-Hadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria. 25 And there was a great famine in Samaria; and indeed they besieged it until a donkey's head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and one-fourth of a kab of dove droppings for five shekels of silver.

The inhabitants of Samaria were slowly starving to death and many of them had even resorted to cannibalism. The Samarians were in desperate need of good tidings of salvation! The improbable messengers of this good news were four lepers. Why did God choose four lepers to bring this news? Why did God wait so long to bring deliverance?

Jehoram was the second son of King Ahab and ruled after his brother Ahaziah’s short reign. Ahaziah died childless, so Jehoram took over as king. Jehoram removed the pillar of Baal that his father and mother had placed in Samaria, but he continued in the worship of the golden calves that King Jeroboam had set up.

2 Kings 3:2-3 NKJV 2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not like his father and mother; for he put away the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made. 3 Nevertheless he persisted in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin; he did not depart from them.

The scripture tells us that Jehoram continued in and did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam. This emphasis tells us that Jehoram had the opportunity to turn away from his sins and chose not to do so. For example, shortly after Jehoram became king, Elisha warned Jehoram of the plot by King Ben-Hadad to kill him, but Jehoram did not turn from the ways of Jeroboam. After this, God allowed King Ben-Hadad to come against and besiege Samaria. During the siege, Jehoram inspected the walls every day! One day, he came across a woman who called out to him for help. She related the story of an agreement she had with a friend to take turns killing and eating their sons. After eating her son, the friend hid her own son and now the woman wants her friend to produce her son! The king is broken-hearted and enraged by this story!

2 Kings 6:30 NKJV 30 Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he tore his clothes; and as he passed by on the wall, the people looked, and there underneath he had sackcloth on his body.

He was already wearing sackcloth underneath his kingly garments. He was in enraged at the hardship they were forced to endure and in secret mourning for his people and his city. However, instead of turning to God, he blames Elisha for the situation and immediately sends a messenger to take Elisha’s life.

2 Kings 6:31-32 NKJV 31 Then he said, "God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today." 32 But Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man ahead of him, but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, "Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent someone to take away my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door. Is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?"

Notice that Elisha is waiting in his house in Samaria! He was in the city the entire time of the siege! Elisha refers to Jehoram as the son of a murderer who was getting ready to murder him! The seventeenth century theologian, Matthew Poole comments on these verses in his work, Commentary on the Holy Bible:

This wretched and partial prince overlooks his own great and various sins, and, amongst others, his obstinate cleaving to the idolatry of the calves, and the whoredoms and witchcrafts of his mother Jezebel, 2Kings 9:22, and the wickedness of his people, which was the true and proper cause of this and all their calamities; and lays the blame of all upon Elisha.

King Jehoram was not satisfied with his messenger just killing Elisha, in his rage he followed quickly and confronts Elisha.

2 Kings 6:33 NKJV 33 And while he was still talking with them, there was the messenger, coming down to him; and then the king said, "Surely this calamity is from the LORD; why should I wait for the LORD any longer?"

Finally, Jehoram came to Elisha and through him to God, even though it was only to blame God! I have to think that Elisha was waiting day after day for Jehoram to come to him to hear the word of the LORD, especially after God had intervened through Elisha to stop the earlier assassination attempt. But Jehoram was not willing, and he wanted God to come to him! How much sooner could this siege have ended if Jehoram had only come and asked!

2 Kings 7:1 NKJV 1 Then Elisha said, "Hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the LORD: 'Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.'"

Food, that was non-existent that day, would be so abundant by the next day that its price would drop back to normal! God was ready to act! The officer who accompanied Jehoram scoffed in disbelief.

2 Kings 7:2 NKJV 2 So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, "Look, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?" And he said, "In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it."

This was not just an officer assigned to guard the king. This officer was one on whom the king leaned! The word translated as “lean” is “shaw-an’, number 8172 in Strong’s Concordance, meaning to support one’s self, to lean, lie, rely, or rest on. II kings chapter 5 references this practice as one in which the king leans on someone’s hand when he bows to worship an idol.  Apparently, this captain performed this service for King Jehoram, and was comfortable enough in the presence of the king to offer his opinion about Elisha’s prophecy. It seems that Jehoram relied on the officer’s understanding and counsel as well! The book of Proverbs reminds us who we should lean on.

Proverbs 3:5-7 NKJV 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.

Judgment against this one on whom the king leaned was immediate! He would see the salvation of God but would not receive any of the benefits!

At this time, we are introduced to the four lepers. Leprosy is a serious topic in the Torah. Instructions on what it is and how to deal with it cover two chapters in Leviticus. Leprosy is more than a skin condition; it can also infect a house. The sages teach that leprosy is the physical manifestation of the spiritual sin of gossip or the evil tongue. First Fruits of Zion in Torah Club Volume 1: Unrolling the scroll explains:

The rabbis considered biblical leprosy to be primarily a punishment for the sin of evil speech. The Hebrew term for evil speech is lashon hara. It literally means “evil tongue.” The rabbinic association between evil speech and leprosy is derived from the story of Miriam’s leprosy. Miriam was punished with leprosy for grumbling against her brother Moses.[i]

For a person who had leprosy, it was as if he or she was already dead. They were to tear their clothes, shave their heads, cover their lips and shout “unclean” so that no one comes near them. Leprosy was considered a type of living death. These people were the lowest of the low with virtually no status in their society.

The four lepers in this passage are living outside the city, but conditions inside the city were just as bad as the conditions the lepers experienced living outside the city.

2 Kings 7:3-4 NKJV 3 Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, "Why are we sitting here until we die? 4 "If we say, 'We will enter the city,' the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die."

The four lepers, who were living as if they were dead, were facing an actual death. They had no hope and chose the only option that gave them even the remotest chance for life; they would put themselves in the hands of the enemies of their people!

2 Kings 7:5 NKJV 5 And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there.

God had already acted to bring about what Elisha spoke! God had caused the Syrians to hear the sounds of chariots, horses and a great army. The soldiers fled in terror as night was falling leaving all their goods behind.

2 Kings 7:8 NKJV 8 And when these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried from it silver and gold and clothing, and went and hid them; then they came back and entered another tent, and carried some from there also, and went and hid it.

The first acts of the lepers were those of selfishness. After they satisfied their hunger, they plundered the tents and hid the wealth for themselves. And then, one man stopped and realized that they were selfishly keeping the incredible news of the flight of the Syrians to themselves.

2 Kings 7:9 NKJV 9 Then they said to one another, "We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king's household."

While it was still dark out, they came to realize that their action in keeping the blessing to themselves was not right. They realized that this day was a day of good news! The phrase “good news” is from the Hebrew word “bes-o-raw’”, number 1309 in Strong’s Concordance meaning glad tidings, good news or reward for good news. Isaiah declares that the feet of those who bring glad tidings are beautiful on the mountain over which they cross.

Isaiah 52:7 NKJV 7 How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

The imagery is of a runner crossing a mountain to bring the news of a victory in battle! The news that the lepers bring is that God was victorious over the Syrian army; God sent them running from Him in fear! The good news is that salvation had come to Samaria! This news was so important that the four lepers could no longer remain silent! They returned to the city and announced that the Syrian camp was deserted.

2 Kings 7:10-11 NKJV 10 So they went and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and told them, saying, "We went to the Syrian camp, and surprisingly no one was there, not a human sound-only horses and donkeys tied, and the tents intact." 11 And the gatekeepers called out, and they told it to the king's household inside.

Yeshua, also, used lepers to carry good news—the good news of the coming kingdom of God! The cleansing of lepers was one of the signs Yeshua gave to John the Baptist’s disciples as proof that He was the awaited Messiah. One leper that Yeshua cleansed could not remain silent about his good fortune.

Mark 1:42-45 NKJV 42 As soon as He (Yeshua) had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. 43 And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." 45 However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.

Yeshua instructed the cleansed leper to show himself to the proper authorities to be examined and proclaimed free of leprosy. The cleansing from leprosy was a testimony to the priest that Messiah had come! The four lepers of our passage presented themselves to the proper authorities at the gates of the city and testified that God had acted on behalf of the city! The people’s response in Samaria sounds a lot like the response of the people of Yeshua’s day to the testimony of the leper; they rushed to receive the good news!

When Yeshua came into Jerusalem riding on a donkey, his disciples who were chosen from among the common people not the rich or influential, could not remain silent. They shouted praises to the one who came in the name of the LORD! When rebuked about their loud shouts of praise, Yeshua stated that if they were silent the rocks would cry out.

Luke 19:39-40 NKJV 39 And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples." 40 But He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out."

If the four lepers would have remained silent, God would have used another means to carry the good tidings. The lepers were not silent and the king was awakened to hear the good news. However, the king did not believe the report, perhaps because the report came from lepers who would have been known for their evil speech and gossip. Could the word of a leper be trusted? Perhaps the king did not believe because of the scornful words of the officer whose hand he leaned on. Paul tells us that God chooses the foolish and the weak of this world to demonstrate His wisdom, power and authority.

1 Corinthians 1:27-29 NKJV 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.

We can see God’s choice of the four lepers as choosing the despised things of the world to humble the people of Samaria especially the king. But why did God choose four? The Jewish Encyclopedia says that four is the number of completeness and sufficiency.[ii] E. W. Bullinger in his book Number in Scripture describes four as the number of the fullness of creation referring to the fullness of the material creation on the fourth day while the fifth and sixth days served to populate the creation.[iii] In this case, the four lepers demonstrate the completion of the siege and the end of the famine. Perhaps, this also signifies Jehoram’s last opportunity to repent and turn back to God. Shortly after this event, Elisha will anoint Jehu and appoint him the task of destroying the entire house of Ahab including Jehoram!

In our passage, King Jehoram decided not to believe the report of the four lepers, and he conceived of a reason for the Syrian camp to be deserted.

2 Kings 7:12 NKJV 12 So the king arose in the night and said to his servants, "Let me now tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry; therefore they have gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, 'When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.'"

However, things in the city were desperate! Like with the lepers, the residents of Samaria would die if food was not found immediately. One of the king’s servants points out the dilemma.

2 Kings 7:13 YLT 13 And one of his servants answereth and saith, `Then let them take, I pray thee, five of the horses that are left, that have been left in it--lo, they are as all the multitude of Israel who have been left in it; lo, they are as all the multitude of Israel who have been consumed--and we send and see.'

The phrasing of the Hebrew in this verse indicates that there were only five horses left! They might as well send men with the five remaining horses or the people of Israel would be as the population of horses—reduced to only five!

The king reluctantly sends out men to check the story. They find that the Syrians did indeed flee leaving their possessions in the camp and scattered along the road as they fled. When word reached the people of Samaria, they raced out to satisfy their hunger.

2 Kings 7:16 NKJV 16 Then the people went out and plundered the tents of the Syrians. So a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.

The city of Samaria was saved! The army that had caused the shortage of food in the city was gone leaving enough food for the city to get back on their feet until they could either buy more food from other cities or have access to their own fields and food supply.

There is one last loose end however. Elisha had prophesied that the officer on whom the king leaned would not be alive to eat the now plentiful food. King Jehoram had giving this officer the duty of taking charge of the gate. Imagine the swarms of people as they raced out of the city to find food for themselves!

2 Kings 7:17 NKJV 17 Now the king had appointed the officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate. But the people trampled him in the gate, and he died, just as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him.

First Fruits of Zion in Torah Club Volume Three explains the judgment against the officer:

The Talmud tells us that, “Four classes shall not see God—the scoffer, the liar, the slanderer, and the hypocrite.” In this case, it was the one who scoffed at God’s man that received the punishment.[iv]

After God’s miraculous intervention for the good of the people of Samaria, you would think that the people would turn back to God. You would think that the results of Elisha’s prophecy being fulfilled would have an impact on the nation of Israel. However, the scripture does not record any change in behavior of either the king or the people. We are taken back to the words describing Jehoram’s kingship as that of following after Jeroboam who caused Israel to sin.

God waited for King Jehoram to seek Him out before He acted. The entire time God was waiting, Elisha was also in the city waiting. He suffered along the rest of the city waiting for Jehoram to repent and turn to God. Then God chose the lowest of the low to be the first to receive the good tidings! He chose the lowest of the low to spread this good news to the rest of the population. We may not think that we are qualified or good enough to spread the good tidings of salvation through Yeshua haMeshiach, but if God could use the lepers, He can use you!

Study Questions:

1. Discuss the connection of this teaching to the Torah Portion Metzorah, Leviticus 14:1-15:33

2. King Jehoram’s officer doubted that there could possibly be food by the next day even if the windows of heaven were opened (2 Kings 7:2). Matthew Poole compares this to when God opened the windows of heaven and rained down manna from heaven. How does this situation compare to Yeshua’s words in John 6?

3. The Talmud mentioned four types of people who would not see God, the scoffer, the liar, the slanderer, and the hypocrite. Where else do we see a group of four types of people? What is the significance of the number four in these situations?

4. Why did God delay in sending deliverance? How James’ words in James 4:1-6 apply in this situation?

5. God sent the four lepers, the lowest of the low to bring the good news of salvation. Where else do we see God or Yeshua choose those of low position? Why does God choose the low?

6. What new insight did you gain by watching this video? How do you respond to this new insight? How will you realign your life based on this new understanding?

Bonus Question: Metaphorically, the night or darkness refers to spiritual darkness and the morning refers to the coming of spiritual light or enlightenment. Metaphorically, why was it important for the lepers to bring the good news of God’s victory over the Syrians before morning came?

Bonus Question 2: King Jehoram was unable to receive the good news. What did Yeshua say were barriers to hearing and receiving the Word of God?

© 2019 Moed Ministries International. All rights reserved.

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[i] Torah Club Volume 1: Unrolling the Scroll. First Fruits of Zion. ©First Fruits of Zion. P. 436.

[ii] Jewish Encyclopedia. “Numbers and Numerals”. Caspar Levias. 1906. http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/11619-numbers-and-numerals

[iii] Bullinger, E. W. Number in Scripture. Cosimo, Inc. ©2005. P. 123.

[iv] Torah Club Volume 3: The Haftarah. Boaz Michael. First Fruits of Zion. ©1999. P. 459.