信仰の手引き（英語・English）
The Voice of God Resounded in Samaria
投稿者
goodnews2
投稿日
2023-07-20 11:26
閲覧数
151
Samaria Full of Despair
In 2 Kings chapter 7 in the Bible, Benhadad, the king of Syria, gathered all of his army and attacked Israel. The Samaritans were unable to leave the city because the Syrian forces besieged it. At that time, Israel had farmed and raised livestock in the field outside the city, but since they could not go out, they had no way of getting food. Food became more expensive. As the years passed, the city began to run out of food. One by one, people died of hunger and starving women even ate their own children! A severe famine filled the city with despair.
The Good News Resounded in Samaria
At that time, the prophet Elisha cried out.
“Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, ‘Tomorrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.’”
This meant that food would be so abundant that it could be bought cheaply. The news that Prophet Elisha announced to the city of Samaria was good news that gave hope to the Samaritans who were dying in despair. It was the voice of God who would save the city of Samaria. But there was a lord whom the king of Israel depended on. The lord couldn't believe that the starving city of Samaria would suddenly have so much food. So he said:
“Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be?”
Elisha said to him,
“Behold, you shall see it with your eyes, but shall not eat of it.”
The prophet of God preached the gospel, but the king’s lord did not believe it. God can make windows in the sky, but He can even provide food in abundance without making windows. However, the lord did not believe in God. In the end, he saw that the food in the city was plentiful, just as Elisha had said, but died without being able to eat any of it.
The Promise of ‘Tomorrow About This Time’
In 1968, I went to Gimcheon after being discharged from the army. I wanted to do gospel work there, but I had no money. To find a house, I walked alone in downtown Gimcheon and talked to God.
“God, there is a coffee shop on the second floor over there. Over there is a bookstore. That is a stationery store and a general store over there. Even the gods of the world give houses to their people, so why wouldn’t you give a house to a man of God who has come to do the work of the gospel? God, give me a place where I can do the work of the gospel.”
I had no money and no one to help me, but whenever I had time, I went around downtown Gimcheon and looked for a house. Then one day, I met a British missionary on the bus, and through him, God gave me a house to preach the gospel. Even after that, I encountered difficult times and thought for few times, ‘This is the end of my evangelism. I have to end the work of the gospel here. There are no other ways.’ When I looked at the problem, it was clearly too difficult so the work had to end there, and I was afraid that it wouldn’t be possible anymore, but God said, “Tomorrow about this time.” And as promised, He helped me and solved the problems.
When It Seems Dark and Difficult
There will be difficult times in your life when everything seems dark and you feel like no one is on your side and no one is helping you. At such times, if God helps you, it won’t be a problem at all. Feeding you, healing your illness, and raising you are no problem for God, who saved you from sin and freed you from sorrow. I have a bad personality, I know nothing, and I am a nobody. Yet, how amazing it is to see God help me. I had never thought of becoming an evangelist but it is astonishing to see God leading me and continuing the work of the gospel. The God we believe in is the living God who works and He said He helps us because He loves us immensely.
If God is for Us
In the miserable city of Samaria, where woman were eating their own children, God said, “Tomorrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.” And he fulfilled that promise. Just like that, God told us that tomorrow about this time, all our problems will be solved, our difficulties will disappear, and we will be blessed. In 2023, if we live for God and God is for us, there is nothing more blessed than that. If you leave everything to God, it will be a year full of God’s grace and blessings.
