2 Kings 7:12

2 Kings 7:12 says, And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now shew you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we be hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.  The king of Israel didn't believe that the Syrians had really left, but believed it was a trap, even though Elisha had told him there would be plenty of food starting that day.  People still refuse to believe God's word today and receive His blessings because they think there is some sort of trap in believing the gospel and accepting Jesus Christ.  Verse thirteen adds, And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city, (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it: behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed:) and let us send and see.  One of the king's servants told him to let some of the people take five horses and go and see what happened.  If we want to know the truth of the gospel, we must come by faith and see for ourselves if it is real.  If we come by faith, we will know that it is real.  Verse fourteen continues, They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see.  They took two chariots to go and investigate with the king's okay to do so.  I am not sure if he was unwilling to risk five chariots or if he just thought two would be enough, but he did let some go.  I am not sure we will ever know the truth of God if we are not willing to risk everything to find out if what He says is true or not.  Verse fifteen states, And they went after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king.  When they got to the Jordan, they found that the Syrians had even left their garments and vessels in their haste to escape and returned and told the king.  When we discover the truth of the gospel, we must go and tell others.  Verse sixteen says, And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord.   The people went out and discovered the truth of what Elisha had foretold.  One day, people are going to leave everything behind in their attempt to escape the judgment of God if they have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, but it will be too late.  Verse seventeen adds, And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him.  The king appointed one of his trusted aides to be in charge of the gate, and the people tromped the king to death in their haste to get to the food.  He died as Elisha had said he would before he benefitted from the end of the siege.  Some people today may be close to accepting the gospel of Christ and yet die before they do and therefore will not benefit from it.  It was really a lack of faith that caused the king's death.  Verse eighteen continues, And it came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be to morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria:  As Elisha had foretold, barley and flour became plentiful and affordable in Israel that day.  This was quite a change that happened quickly and in accordance with God's word.  Salvation is freely available today, and as soon as anyone accepts Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, they are immediately saved and changed from the doomed sinner they were before.  Verse nineteen says, And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.  The king, and maybe the people as well had questioned Elisha's prophesy, asking if God opened the windows of heaven if it would even be possible for things to change so quickly.  He didn't have to open the windows of heaven and His word still came true.  Many people today still question God's ability, but what He says will happen always will happen.  Verse twenty adds, And so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died.  The king saw it happen, but it was too late for him because he died before he could benefit from the provisions.  One day, people are going to see the truth of the gospel, but it will be too late for it to do them any good.  If we die before accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, it will be too late for us to benefit from His sacrifice.