How does 2 Kings 7:9 connect with the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20? Setting the Scene: 2 Kings 7:9 • Samaria is starving under Aramean siege. • Four outcast lepers discover the enemy camp abandoned and overflowing with food and riches. • “Then they said to one another, ‘We are not doing what is right. Today is a day of good news, but we are keeping silent. If we wait until morning light, we will deserve punishment. So let us go at once and report this to the king’s household.’” (2 Kings 7:9) Setting the Scene: Matthew 28:19-20 • Outside an empty tomb, the risen Christ commissions His disciples: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20) Shared Threads Between the Two Passages 1. Good news discovered • Lepers: physical deliverance from famine and death. • Disciples: eternal deliverance through the resurrection. 2. A moral obligation to share • “We are not doing what is right” (2 Kings 7:9). • “Go … make disciples” (Matthew 28:19). 3. Urgency • “If we wait until morning light, we will deserve punishment.” • “Go” is an immediate, ongoing command (present participle). 4. Audience beyond themselves • Lepers target the entire city. • Disciples target “all nations.” 5. Divine provision, not human achievement • God emptied the Aramean camp. • God raised Jesus and promises, “I am with you always.” Why Silence Is Not an Option • Romans 1:16—The gospel “is the power of God for salvation.” • 1 Corinthians 9:16—“Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” • Acts 4:20—“For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” • Withholding life-saving news is tantamount to harm; sharing it is an act of love and obedience. Practical Takeaways • Recognize the treasure entrusted to you—salvation in Christ. • Move toward others intentionally; good news travels on available feet (Isaiah 52:7; Romans 10:14-15). • Trust the Lord’s presence and power rather than your own resources (Matthew 28:20; Acts 1:8). • Speak up today, not “after morning light.” People’s spiritual famine is real and urgent. Connecting the Dots Just as the lepers could not in good conscience feast while a city starved, believers cannot keep silent while a world perishes. The God who provided an unexpected rescue outside Samaria has provided an eternal rescue at the cross and empty tomb. He still says, “Go at once and report this,” and He still goes with us. |
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