Why Sit Here and Die?

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?” – II Kings 7:3

A story is told in II Kings of a crisis that fell on the nation of Israel after it was invaded by the King of Syria. This crisis created a famine that was so dire that a woman, out of desperation, ate her own child (II Kings 6:26-29). During this crisis, the prophet Elisha prophesied that God would restore the city, but because of unbelief, the officer of the king did not believe him.  Meanwhile, there were four leprous men who were at the entrance of the city gate, hungry and afraid to enter the city because of the famine. Lepers had a contagious skin disease that made them unclean according to Old Testament regulations. They were isolated from the population until they were healed (usually miraculously) or until they died. The only place these lepers could find food was at the Syrian camp, but they were afraid to go there because they might be killed by the Syrians. They realized that whether they stayed where they were, entered the city, or went where the Syrians were, they would die.

They mustered up their courage and took the path with the most chance for them to survive. They approached the outskirts of the Syrian camp. To their surprise, there was no one there. There was plenty of food and treasure, but no people. The Lord had caused the army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and horses; the noise of a great army which caused them to flee.  The Syrians thought that the king of Israel had hired the king of the Hittites and the Egyptians to attack them. After eating and getting their share of the treasure, the lepers went to the king of Israel to inform him about what had happened. This led the Israelites to plunder the tents of the Syrians, and the prophecy that was told by Elisha came to pass. The courage of the lepers and their refusal to die prematurely not only saved their lives, but made them heroes and saved the lives of others.

It can be easy to take a defeated posture during a crisis. With decreased revenues, unavailable credit lines, high interest, unemployment and the uncertainty of when all this will end, you may be tempted to throw in the towel. These are times when the entrepreneur should be most alert and ready for action. These are times of great risks and great rewards. Like the lepers, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Do not simply rely on what you see; trust in a God who can do more than you can hope, think, and even imagine. Trust in a God who can part the Red Sea, open blind eyes and raise the dead- a God who is still performing miracles in the life of the believer.

Do not sit there and die! Rather, with great courage, seek the Lord for wisdom and direction, adjust your plan to reflect the reality of the times, and like the lepers, press forward toward the direction where there is provision.  Make those phone calls to prospective clients, send out those promotional materials, visit those customers, and call those creditors and vendors.  What is the worst thing that could happen?  Give it all you’ve got, and I guarantee you the Lord will meet you more than half-way. Who knows? Your success may lead to God using you to save the lives of others, or at least cause them to turn to the God who saves.