Why Sit We Here Until We Die?
Horses and Lepers
Why Sit We Here Until We Die?
Horses and Lepers
Have you ever found yourself in a quagmire, a position of great difficulty, where inaction would surely result in detrimental outcomes? Picture a horse fallen into a hole, the result of a misunderstanding concerning the location of a septic tank on pasture land. He is standing chest deep in dirty water that is just above the freeze point. If he stays trapped much longer he will die of hypothermia. The back-hoe operator is working slowly, fearing he might harm the horse while extricating it. However, the owner asserts the animal is no good where it is, and action must be taken in haste—even if the situation becomes worse as the cost of delay for fear is a dead horse. This real-life episode aptly illustrates the predicament of four leprous men in the biblical account found in the second book of Kings, chapter 7, verses 3-4. The story prompts a crucial self-examination: Why remain in dire straits when we have the potential for change?
The purpose of this article is to scrutinize the profound question these men posed to themselves and the subsequent steps they took to alter their circumstances. We'll break down the narrative into three key facets: their dilemma, their duty, and their decision.
Their Dilemma: Living on the Margins
Lepers in biblical times had to live outside the city, estranged from society due to their condition. This isolation hindered them from engaging in regular trade or employment. Consequently, they depended on the city's charity for sustenance. The gravity of their situation is intensified when we understand that the city they relied on was itself reliant on divine favor. Yet, it seemed according to the king, God had turned His face away from the city, as evident in 2 Kings 6:33, which states, "this evil is of the Lord." The evil mentioned here is seen as divine retribution for sin, further indicated by the king's wearing of sackcloth (2 Kings 6:30). The city was under siege from the Syrians (2 Kings 6:24), so extreme were the conditions that people resorted to unthinkable acts like cannibalism (2 Kings 6:26-29). With no food in the city, no charity could extend to the already marginalized lepers.
Their Duty: An Imperative to Live
Survival is a primal command, inculcated in the fiber of every living creature. In the context of humanity, the book of Genesis chapter 1 verse 28 reflects this directive as the first command God gave to mankind. Furthermore, Ecclesiastes chapter 12 verse 13 simplifies the essence of human responsibility into fearing God and keeping His commandments. In spiritual terms, to fear God and keep His commandments is to truly live. Yet many, even those who profess godliness, fail to heed this dual command. Thus, it becomes crucial to understand that both spiritual and physical survival are integral to human responsibility.
Faced with looming death, these lepers realized they were failing in their fundamental duty to live. The problem wasn't just their external circumstances; it was their inaction in the face of those circumstances. They recognized they had a choice: to passively accept their fate or to do something—anything—to alter it, even if their actions could lead to their demise.
Their Decision: The Courage to Change
The concept of change often poses a paradox: it is both a necessity and a gamble. The four lepers of Second Kings were well aware of this as they evaluated their circumstances. Their logic was inescapably clear. To remain where they were or to enter the city were both paths that led only to death, the former through neglect and the latter due to a severe famine. Casting themselves at the mercy of the Syrians presented a risk, but one accompanied by a sliver of hope. Although death was a possibility, so was life—because the Syrians possessed the resources to sustain them.
This mirrors insights gained from a decade spent training horses, a role that often required change even in the absence of certainties. Continuously using ineffective techniques serves no purpose other than perpetuating failure. The axiom, "If I’m trying to chop down a tree with a fork, once I realize it isn't working, I need to go get a butterknife," encapsulates this wisdom aptly. The emphasis here is on taking calculated action to improve a situation, even if the first steps don't seem to promise guaranteed success. The mere act of setting aside tools and methods that have proven ineffective constitutes a form of progress.
Many resist change, clinging to familiar yet unsuccessful strategies. This intransigence often leads to stagnation and is one reason horse trainers can find a steady stream of clientele—because people often struggle to adapt. But as the lepers show us, change should not be feared even when its benefits are not immediately apparent.
The critical takeaway is not just to change for the sake of change, but to make educated decisions that increase the likelihood of favorable outcomes. Both the lepers and the horse trainer demonstrate the value of this kind of calculated risk-taking. It is a principle that can mean the difference between lingering in a static, harmful state and moving toward a potentially life-giving future.
Conclusion: A Spiritual Call to Action
In a broader spiritual sense, the predicament of these lepers echoes the plight of mankind. The lepers made the error of turning to God's enemies for relief, but let us not judge them too harshly. Their desperate condition made them seek any possible avenue for survival. Likewise, humanity sits at the gate—metaphorically speaking, the entrance point to the Kingdom of Heaven—in a state of spiritual destitution. Even within the Church, there are those who suffer from spiritual starvation, often due to inaction or lack of engagement in spiritual nourishment. The good news is it doesn't have to be this way; we hold the keys to the kingdom and have access to spiritual sustenance.
So, if you find yourself trapped in a state of spiritual or even physical inertia, remember: it is your duty to live. It's time to decide to change, to take that step towards God. As the four leprous men posed the question to themselves centuries ago, the query reverberates through time to us: Why sit we here until we die?