occupational hazards

In the category of texts which my African friends are more likely to know than I know, I submit 2 Kings 7.

On Sunday over lunch, one man in the church applied this text to a humorous situation on the church grounds that day.  One particularly zealous young man took it upon himself to act as a security guard at the gate, not allowing anyone who hadn’t eaten to exit the property (He had heard someone remark that no one should leave without eating).  Another young man who had been eating near me, upon finishing, had gotten up to leave.  Within a minute or two he had returned, informing the pastor that the gatekeeper would not allow him through.  Apparently the security guard did not believe that the other young man had actually had his meal.

Chuckling upon hearing the news, another man arose to take care of the situation.  He returned with a report of what he had said to convince the guard to let the man pass.  He told him the story of 2 Kings 7.  When the pastor narrated the story to me, I could never recall having heard it before.  Yet immediately it had come to this man, so apparently versed in the books of 1 and 2 Kings is he (I have noticed a preoccupation with these books before among African Pentecostals).

So what is the story?  A certain captain of the Israelite king had expressed doubt during a time of siege and ensuing famine that food could be sold in the city of Samaria on the next day as predicted by the prophet Elisha.  In response, Elisha told the captain that the captain would “see it with [his] own eyes, but [he] shall not eat from it” (2 Kgs 7:2).  After the Lord caused the besieging Aramean army to quickly abandon the city, the people of Samaria went out to plunder the Aramean camp, bringing back with them the provisions the Arameans had left behind.  And so, on the next day, according to the word of Elisha, food was again sold in the city.  And, also according to the prophet’s word, the captain saw but did not eat the food.  For as he was the one whom the king had appointed to “have charge of the gate”, he was trampled by the people as they flooded into the city with the plunder—and died there “in the gate” (2 Kgs 7:17).

Just as the stubbornness (refusal to heed the prophet) of this “security guard” had led to his demise, so his counterpart in the form of a resolute young churchgoer was being warned to let the people pass.  I am happy to report that no similar fate befell him.

-Joe