TOPIC: Lessons From The Four Lepers

MEMORY VERSE: “And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?” – 2 Kings 7:3 (KJV)

BIBLE PASSAGE: 2 Kings 7:1-5 (KJV)

1 Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord, To morrow 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.

2 Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

3 And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?

4 If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.

5 And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there.

LESSON INTRODUCTION: In Bible times, people suffering from skin diseases like leprosy were treated as outcasts. There was no cure for the disease, which gradually left a person disfigured through loss of fingers, toes, and eventually limbs. It is, therefore, surprising and challenging how God decided to use these categories of people to bring relief to the nation of Israel during the famine, despite their limitations (1 Corinthians 1:27).

LESSON OUTLINES:

1. LIVING ABOVE LIMITATIONS
2. LESSONS TO LEARN

1. LIVING ABOVE LIMITATIONS

Limitations are obstacles on our way to the fulfilment of God’s plans and purposes for our lives. These can come from various sources: spiritual (Daniel 10:12-13), human misdeeds or errors (2 Samuel 4:4), natural occurrences (Exodus 14:10), afflictions (Exodus 3:7), etc. In our Bible passage, 2 Kings 7:1-5, leprosy confined and restricted the purpose of these men’s living because lepers were treated as outcasts; they stayed outside the camp (Numbers 5:2-3), could not live among their brethren (Leviticus 13:45-46), and stayed at the entering of the gate (2 Kings 7:3).

We are bound to encounter setbacks, even as Christians: being Christians does not exempt us from the challenges of life (Jeremiah 1:19). The good news is that God has assured us of being more than conquerors through Christ (Romans 8:37). However, we have a lot to learn from the case of the lepers in 2 Kings 7:1-5, who asked themselves a fundamental question “Why sit we here until we die?”

CLASS ACTIVITY 1: Students should share any experience where they succeeded in spite of difficulties.

2. LESSONS TO LEARN

1. Unity: The lepers were united. Unity is strength and it is easy to accomplish a feat when we are unified (Amos 3:3; Psalms 133:1-3).
2. Purposefullness: They were determined to achieve their goal and this helped them to conquer their fears despite their condition (2 Kings 7:4; Daniel 1:8).
3. Understanding: They were able to analyse and interpret the situation they found themselves in. This informed the decision they made and there was no strife amongst them (Proverbs 20:3).
4. Daring: They were audacious. They made up their mind to go to the camp of the enemy irrespective of the odds (Esther 4:16; 2 Kings 7:4).
5. Resolute: Twilight is a period of obscurity or haziness but the lepers were not deterred. Even in this period of uncertainty, they still went ahead with their plans. Do not give up on your dreams (2 Kings 7:5a, Daniel 3:15-18).
6. Saving Culture: Do not eat with “10 fingers!” After eating to the full they still kept some behind. Savings is important to grow big (2 Kings 7:8; Proverbs 21:20).
7. Compassion: They rebuked themselves and went to report their findings to the king’s household so that everyone could benefit from the booty (2 Kings 7:9; 1 Peter 3:8).
8. Stop Procrastinating: Immediately they decided to tell the porter of the city their discovery they followed it with a decisive step. They did what they thought in their mind (Proverbs 13:4; 2Kings 7:10a).
9. Share Information: They did not wholly withhold information about all that they saw at the Syrian camp. They took the good news to the right source; the king (Hebrews 13:16; 2 Kings 7:10).

CLASS ACTIVITY 2: The class should mention other lessons that can be learned from the lepers other than the ones stated above.

CONCLUSION: As believers, we must see beyond our limitations and fulfil our purpose (Philippians 4:13).

QUESTIONS:

1. Mention three sources of limitation.
2. Mention two lessons believers can learn from the four lepers.

ASSIGNMENT: Mention five people in the Bible who overcame their limitations and fulfilled their destinies. (2×5=10 marks).

RCCG Sunday School HYMN

1. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
   O how I love Thee well,
   I am happy, it makes me glad
   To rejoice at Thy birth.
2. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
   Thy friendship suits me well,
   Both young and old will sing Thy song,
   We long for Sunday School.
3. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
   Christ was Thy first teacher,
   The Holy Spirit, great teacher,
   Does manifest in thee.
4. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
   This testimony is sure,
   That God, the Father Almighty,
   Poured His blessing on Thee.
5. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
   Though the sun be so bright,
   Or if the clouds black with rain,
   I’ll be in Sunday School.
6. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
   I rejoice to see Thee,
   Will thou pass over me today?
   Without my being blest?