Four Leprous Men

2 Kings 7:3

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?

The Syrians had surrounded Israel and had cut off their food supply. It seemed as if there was no hope for Israel. However, outside of the city were four leprous men who sat at the gate, crying “unclean” to everyone who entered that city. These four leprous men asked an important question that all must ask themselves. They asked, Why sit we hear until we die? These four leprous men went to the camp of the Syrians and found that they had fled overnight and had left food and clothing behind. As these four leprous men thought about the food that they were eating, they stated to themselves in verse 9, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's household. It was these four men that God used to save Israel from starvation.

Leprosy is a type of sin. These men pictured four sinful men who had leprosy that had controlled their bodies, and was killing them. It is interesting that God used leprous men to save a nation. God could've used a political movement to save the nation, but instead, He chose to use leprous men to save a nation. God could have chosen to use an educated person to save the nation, but instead, He chose to use leprous men to save that nation. God could have used the in-crowd to save that nation, but instead, God chose to use four leprous men who were outcasts to their country because of the leprosy that they had to save Israel.

My friend, God still uses sinners to save a nation. We cannot be concerned with why God uses sinners; we just need to understand that God still uses sinners to do his great work. Have you ever looked at the tools God has used throughout the Scriptures? God used a murderer, Paul, to save the Gentile world. God used an adulterous David to write Psalm 51. God used a murderer, Moses, to lead the children of Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land. God always uses sinners to do His great work because He gets the glory when He uses a sinner. Oh, I am not glorifying sin and saying that people should live in sin to be used of God, but I am trying to show that God can only use sinners to do His great work because all He has to use are sinners.

You need to understand that God has used many tools to get His purpose across to the world. God used a donkey to preach a sermon to a backslidden preacher. God used a whale to bring a backslider back into the will of God. If God can use a donkey and a whale to bring people back to God, then I imagine He can use a sinner like you to do His will.

So, you feel unworthy for God to use you? Join the crowd; that is all of us. So, you have fallen in sin and feel that God can never use you again. Let me remind you that God uses sinners to do His great work. When you look into God’s toolbox, all you will see are a bunch of broken tools; however, those broken tools in the hand of God become mighty tools to do a great work to reach the world for Jesus Christ. So, you are a sinner; God still wants to use you. It is not about how good of a past you have, but it is about how mighty God is to use sinners like you and me to do His mighty work. Stop limiting the mighty hand of God, and let God work through you. God can use you no matter how “big” of a sinner you believe that you are.