This Is a Day of Good News

There are moments when circumstances appear completely hopeless.

The doors seem closed. Resources are exhausted. Human solutions have failed. Even prayer may seem unanswered.

Second Kings 6 and 7 presents Israel in exactly that kind of situation. The Syrian army had surrounded Samaria, famine had devastated the city, and desperation had reached horrifying levels.

Yet God had not lost control.

In this sermon from Fannin County Seventh-day Adventist Church, Ronnie Hold examines the siege of Samaria, Elisha’s remarkable prophecy, and four unlikely lepers who became messengers of extraordinarily good news. Their story reminds us that God’s promises remain trustworthy even when circumstances appear impossible.

Samaria Was Surrounded

Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, surrounded Samaria and cut the city off from outside supplies.

Food became almost nonexistent.

The situation became so desperate that things normally considered worthless or unclean were being sold for enormous prices.

Even more tragically, the famine drove people to unspeakable desperation.

Israel had reached a point where human strength offered no solution.

This becomes a powerful picture of the condition of humanity under sin.

Without Jesus:

• We cannot rescue ourselves.
• We cannot conquer death.
• We cannot produce eternal life.
• We cannot free ourselves from the ultimate consequences of sin.

Like Samaria surrounded by the enemy, humanity needs deliverance from outside itself.

When Hope Disappears

Even Israel’s king had lost hope.

Instead of turning wholeheartedly to God, he blamed Elisha and ultimately blamed the Lord for the disaster.

He asked:

Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?

That question can still arise in the heart today.

We pray but do not immediately see an answer.

We wait for Christ’s return and wonder why He has not yet come.

We struggle with illness, loss, temptation, family difficulties, or uncertainty.

And the temptation comes:

Why keep waiting on God?

But delay does not make God’s promise unreliable.

God Gives an Impossible Promise

Through Elisha, God gave a remarkable prophecy.

By approximately the same time the next day, food would be plentiful and inexpensive again at the gate of Samaria.

From a human perspective, it sounded absurd.

The city was surrounded.

The people were starving.

The Syrian army had not withdrawn.

Nothing visible suggested that the situation was about to change.

One of the king’s officers openly mocked the promise.

Even if God opened windows in heaven, he essentially argued, how could this happen?

Elisha responded that the man would see the fulfillment but would not eat from it.

Unbelief Does Not Cancel God’s Promise

This is an important spiritual lesson.

The officer did not believe.

But his unbelief did not change what God had said.

God’s promise remained true.

The same principle applies to the greatest promise still awaiting fulfillment:

Jesus is coming again.

We have waited a long time.

Generations of Christians have died believing that promise.

But the passage reminds us that apparent delay does not cancel the Word of God.

Christ will return.

The real question is not whether the promise will be fulfilled.

The question is whether we will be ready to participate in its fulfillment.

Four Unlikely Men

The story suddenly shifts to four lepers sitting outside the city gate.

Their situation was simple.

If they entered Samaria, they would die of starvation.

If they remained where they were, they would die.

If they went to the Syrian camp, the Syrians might kill them—but there was at least a possibility they might live.

So they asked:

Why are we sitting here until we die?

Then they got up.

That decision changed everything.

Nothing Worth Holding Onto

The sermon draws an important spiritual parallel from these men.

They realized that there was nothing behind them worth holding onto.

The starving city could not save them.

Likewise, Christians must eventually recognize that this world cannot offer what our souls truly need.

The world offers temporary pleasures, possessions, recognition, and distractions.

But none of these can give eternal life.

We should not cling to the things of this world when Jesus offers something infinitely better.

God Had Already Won the Battle

When the lepers reached the Syrian camp, they discovered something astonishing.

Nobody was there.

God had caused the Syrians to hear what sounded like an enormous approaching army. Believing that Israel had hired foreign forces against them, they fled.

They left behind:

• Food
• Clothing
• Silver
• Gold
• Horses
• Tents
• Supplies

The four lepers had expected perhaps to beg for their lives.

Instead, they discovered abundance.

God had already accomplished the deliverance before they arrived.

God Can Provide Beyond What We Imagine

The lepers ate and drank.

They carried away silver, gold, and clothing.

Then they returned for more.

Only hours earlier they had expected to die.

Now they had more than they could possibly use.

This is what God can do.

The situation that looks impossible to us is not impossible to Him.

When God gives a promise, He already knows how He will fulfill it.

Our responsibility is to trust His Word.

This Is a Day of Good News

Eventually the four men stopped.

Something bothered their consciences.

Thousands of people were starving inside Samaria while they were enjoying an abundance of food.

They said to one another:

“We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent.”

That becomes the heart of the sermon.

They possessed good news that could save dying people.

They could not remain silent.

Neither can we.

Christians Have Good News

We live in a world surrounded by despair.

People face:

• Fear
• Loneliness
• Addiction
• Broken relationships
• Sickness
• Death
• Spiritual confusion
• Uncertainty about the future
• Guilt and sin

But Christians possess good news.

Jesus Christ has died for sinners.

Jesus rose from the grave.

Forgiveness is available.

Christ can transform the life.

Death will not have the final word.

Jesus is coming again.

Eternal life is offered through Him.

This is truly a day of good news.

We Cannot Keep It to Ourselves

The four lepers realized that keeping the news to themselves would be wrong.

The same principle applies to the gospel.

If we have found the Bread of Life while others are spiritually starving, how can we remain silent?

Sharing the gospel does not mean every Christian must become a public preacher.

We can share through:

• Personal testimony
• Bible studies
• Invitations to church
• Evangelistic meetings
• Christian literature
• Friendship
• Hospitality
• Prayer
• Acts of service
• Conversations about Jesus

God has given every believer opportunities to tell someone else that there is hope.

The King Still Did Not Believe

Even when the message reached the king, he remained suspicious.

He assumed the abandoned camp was probably a trap.

Eventually men were sent to investigate.

They found evidence everywhere that the Syrian army had fled.

The road was filled with possessions the soldiers had discarded in their haste.

The report was true.

The people rushed out and gathered the food.

Just as Elisha had prophesied, abundance replaced famine.

According to the Word of the Lord

That phrase is central to the entire story.

Everything happened according to the Word of the Lord.

Circumstances changed.

Armies fled.

Food became plentiful.

The prophecy was fulfilled.

Why?

Because God had spoken.

This gives us tremendous confidence in every promise God has given in Scripture.

The Greatest Promise Is Still Ahead

The sermon connects this story directly with the Second Coming.

Jesus has promised to return.

He has promised to prepare a place for His people.

He has promised to deliver us permanently from the siege of sin.

The world around us may become increasingly unstable.

We may see darkness, confusion, and spiritual famine.

But God’s promise remains.

Jesus will come.

Do Not Merely See—Partake

The officer who rejected Elisha’s prophecy eventually saw the food.

But he never ate it.

He was trampled at the gate, exactly as Elisha had warned.

This becomes one of the most solemn lessons in the passage.

The Second Coming will be seen by the world.

But merely seeing Jesus return is not enough.

We want to be among those who welcome Him with joy.

We want to experience the kingdom.

We want to eat from the table of heaven.

We want to spend eternity with Christ.

Preparation must happen now.

Practical Application

This message calls us to several practical decisions:

• Trust God’s promises even when circumstances look impossible.
• Refuse to blame God when trials come.
• Let go of things in this world that keep you from Christ.
• Believe the promise of the Second Coming.
• Prepare spiritually today rather than waiting for a future crisis.
• Share the gospel with people who have no hope.
• Tell others what Jesus has done for you.
• Use the time remaining to help someone else prepare for eternity.

A Call to Share the Good News

The four lepers could have remained in the camp enjoying everything themselves.

But they realized:

This is a day of good news, and we cannot remain silent.

That should be the attitude of God’s church today.

We have found Jesus.

We have discovered the promises of Scripture.

We know that death has been defeated.

We know Christ is returning.

There are people around us who desperately need that hope.

Let us tell them.

Closing Appeal

God’s promises are sure.

When everything around us appears hopeless, His Word remains dependable.

Jesus is coming again.

Let us be ready to meet Him.

And while there is still time, let us take the good news we have received and share it with a world that desperately needs hope.

Short Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You that Your promises never fail. Help us trust Your Word even when circumstances appear impossible. Prepare our hearts for the return of Jesus, and forgive us for the times we have kept Your good news to ourselves. Give us courage, love, and opportunities to tell others that salvation and eternal life are available through Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Discussion Questions

• Why did Israel lose hope during the siege of Samaria?
• What does the officer’s unbelief teach us about God’s promises?
• Why were the four lepers willing to leave the city?
• What did God do before the lepers ever reached the Syrian camp?
• Why did the lepers eventually feel guilty about remaining silent?
• How does this story illustrate the gospel?
• What promise of God are you struggling to trust?
• Who needs to hear the “good news” from you this week?