For too long perhaps we have been like the lepers outside Samaria waiting to see what will happen as our lives move ever nearer towards death. Through their example of rising up and pressing forward, let us remember that this is the life God has given us and let us live for the glory of God today. After all, on this side of eternity, we only live once.

“Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die? If we say, “we will enter the city,” the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die.”

And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there. – II Kings 7:3-5 NKJV

During the recent pandemic there has been a growing trend by speculators in crypto currencies and underperforming stocks to promote their over-leveraged positions with the meme, “YOLO.” The idea is simple – You Only Live Once so why not pursue life-changing financial returns through limited work in very little time.

While we might be quick to dismiss such approaches to life and wealth as foolishness and out of line with the teachings and warnings of Scripture regarding wealth (which are not few but many), perhaps “YOLO” should be a call to the Christian to examine his or her life, not in the light of speculation but in the light of the Word of God. Our days are numbered and short and the opportunity to live life to the fullest of the glory of the Lord is quickly passing by.

The lepers in today’s text teach us something about life and the way it is lived. The four had only one life to live and realized that waiting around to die was foolish so long as they had a chance, even if a small chance, to live.

Lepers in ancient times were outcasts from society. Their disease was determined to be incurable and contagious so they were cast outside the city. Because Samaria was besieged they were left just outside the walls and near the closed gates. There they sat collecting whatever scraps of food they could to survive. Seeing their desperate situation they reasoned they could do three things: 1) stay where they were and die; 2) go into Samaria and die; or 3) go to the camp of Samaria and possibly die, but potentially, be fed and live. The question was clear, will we choose certain death instead of the chance to live? Knowing that it is appointed for man once to die, and this was the only life they had to live before eternity, the lepers chose to pursue the option that had the potential of extending their life. If the choice failed, at least they tried and the end was no worse than if they had stayed where they were.

As the account unfolds in the text the lepers went to the Syrian camp uncertain of their fate. To their surprise, there were no Syrians in the Syrian camp.

Whether Christian or unbeliever, the Lord has blessed you tremendously today by giving you the gift of life. On this side of eternity, we have only this one life to live. At the end of our lives we will surely die for it has been appointed for men once to die and afterwards the judgment. How will we then live today? Several verses of Scripture have been helpful to me as I consider the urgency of the matter presented to us by the four lepers.

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