Take off the title shell
2 Kings (16) Peel off the shell
(2 Kings 6:24-33)
<Don't blame others>
One day after a certain period of time after the Syrian soldiers were released from captivity because of Elisha, King Ben-hadad of Syria attacked again with an army and besieged Samaria (verse 24). Then the people in the city were so hungry that they could not find any supplies, so a donkey head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter pack of dove dung was sold for five shekels of silver (verse 25).
The Jews considered the donkey unclean and did not eat it (Leviticus 11:4). In particular, the head was cheaper because there was not much flesh, and the fact that the head of an unclean donkey was sold for 80 shekels of silver speaks of the severe famine of that time. Since 1 shekel of silver is the wages of 4 days, 80 shekels of silver is the wage of 320 days, which is roughly the worker's annual income.
Pigeon droppings are food scraps or small grains. And ‘pack’ is estimated to be about half a liter in Hebrew. Then, a quarter pack was equivalent to one small cup, which was traded for 5 silver shekels, or 20 days of wages for a worker. In terms of a five-day work week, it means that a worker's monthly income could only buy a small cup of grain.
In such a situation, a woman complained to the king (verses 28-29). “This woman said to me, Give me your son, that we may eat today, and tomorrow we will eat my son. So I boiled my son and ate it, and the next day I gave her your son, and when we said we would eat him, he hid him.” No matter how hungry you are, how do you boil your sons one after another?
Hearing the woman's complaint, the king tore his clothes because he was so bitter at the harsh reality. And as the king passed over the city, the people saw that the king was clothed with sackcloth as a sign of repentance (verse 30). It is not the gesture of repentance that is shown to the people, but genuine repentance. Formal repentance cannot change the heart of God. The fact that the king's repentance can be concluded as a formal repentance can be seen from the scene where he blames Elisha and curses the cause of the miserable situation.
The most characteristic of failures is that they only blame others. The first sign of the community's crisis is the attitude of blaming others. Why do you blame others? Because they are afraid to face the cause. When we face the cause, we are also free from the effect. In the end, for repentance to be true repentance, blaming others, complaining, and resentment must not remain in the heart. But King Jehoram pretended to repent and blamed Elisha and cursed Elisha (verse 31). Then, by acknowledging God, it leads to a dramatic reversal (verse 33).
< The shell to be thrown off >
One of the most necessary things to solve problems and overcome hardships is to peel off the outer shell. To taste the savory chestnuts, you need to peel the thorns, then the hard chestnuts, and then the thick scales. In order to taste God's grace like that, you have to peel it well. What shells should I peel?
1) The shell of status
A person's resume or high position cannot impress God. The same goes for church offices. In church life, if you say, “I have believed for this long, I have this kind of position, I have this kind of social status, I have learned this much…” The hymn also has these lyrics. “I go to the front with empty hands and take up the cross.” When you come to church, you can experience grace only when you take off your badge of rank and decorations and take off your grand clothes.
Once upon a time, a woman came to church in gorgeous clothes. He had jewels in his hands and a graceful smile on his face. But no one came near him, so he was always lonely. One day, she received grace from the Word and cried and revealed her identity. As it turned out, it was a two-color city living with American soldiers. When she revealed herself like that, the church members welcomed her with sincerity. Satan deceives that if you peel it off, you will perish. But if you peel it off, God's grace and love will cover your soul.
2) thought shell
In order to live a good life of faith, you have to be good at thinking of yourself as special, but you also need to be good at not thinking of yourself as special. In other words, there must be a sense of privilege as a child of God, but there must be no arrogant sense of privilege. The thought of getting special treatment often leads to hurt and anger. Even in the church, if you try to be treated, you will be treated less. On the other hand, if you are not willing to be treated, you will be treated more.
Above all, history can happen only when you know how to give up your human thoughts. Calvin said. “If it is God’s will for me to go to hell, I will praise God’s sovereignty without hesitating even that path.” Sometimes we find ourselves in difficult and hopeless circumstances. That is the time when God's loving hand is unfolding to take off human clothes that have been glued together. When you surrender yourself to that hand, drop off your fancy clothes in gratitude, and put on the sackcloth of repentance, then the epic work of change will begin.