A serendipity is a delightful but unexpected surprise. I always enjoy reading the one described in the Old Testament book of Second Kings. A small group of men were in desperate straits. Death was imminent. Then the unexpected happened. Let’s take a look…
A Terrible Famine and Fatal Disease
The king of Syria (then called Aram) sent his army to lay siege to Samaria, the capital city of northern Israel. The siege led to a famine since no food could enter the city. The inhabitants were so desperate they resorted to cannibalism. The king of Israel blamed God for the disaster and threatened to kill his prophet, Elisha. Undeterred, the prophet predicted that the situation would be dramatically reversed in one day. No one believed him. (see 2 Kings chapters 6 and 7)
If the overall situation was not bad enough, a group of four lepers in the city had it even worse. Everyone shunned them because of their contagious skin disease. Leprosy gradually kills the body’s nerve endings causing disfiguration. As the leper loses the sensation of touch, he becomes furthered disfigured as he unintentionally cuts and burns himself. Contracting leprosy at that time was a slow and painful death sentence without cure.
A Desperate Gamble and Incredible Surprise
The four lepers had few choices and no good ones. If they stayed in the city, they would soon die of starvation. If they left the city and surrendered to the enemy, they would probably be killed. Their only chance of survival was to hope and pray that the enemy would take pity on them, allow them to live, and give them some food. As the sun set, the lepers left their city and headed to the enemy’s camp.
When they arrived, the camp was empty. God had caused the Syrians to hear the sounds of an approaching army. They concluded that another army had arrived to rescue the city. The soldiers panicked and ran for their lives leaving everything behind. This included their tents, horses, donkeys, clothes, money and (most importantly) food.
The lepers couldn’t believe their good fortune as they gorged on the food and hid the booty. But soon, they realized they were being selfish as their fellow-countrymen starved nearby. So, they returned to their city and reported the unexpected news. After investigating, the king realized it was true and his people began to share the abundant food left behind. The city was saved.
A Poignant Picture of Salvation
The spiritual application is clear. The spiritual leprosy called sin affects us all. “All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory” (see Romans 3:23). Some people need to become desperate before they turn to the God who made and loves them. They’ve tried everything else to fill the hole in their soul and nothing has worked.
Then they take their first feeble step of faith. They are amazed at God’s unconditional love, acceptance and forgiveness. They don’t deserve it and they didn’t expect it. It seems too good to be true. God becomes real to them and their despair turns to joy and their desperation to fulfillment. In gratitude, they desire to share their discovery with others.
Someone has said, “Witnessing to one’s faith is simply one beggar telling another where to find food.” And this begs the question “How desperate are you?”
Just think… you may only be one sincere prayer away from your own serendipitous moment.
Rob Weatherby is a retired pastor.
