Those Samaritan Lepers by W. C. HANKINS

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Mar 11, 1915

Those Samaritan Lepers

By W. C. HANKINS

W. C. HANKINS

The Bible tells us of a time when the city of Samaria was surrounded by enemies. The siege was so severe that even refuse was sold at a fabulous price, and one day a woman came to the king, saying that she and her neighbor had entered into a compact to eat their children. They had killed and eaten her son, but now the neighbor had hidden her son and refused to give him up. This showed how terrible was the extremity to which the city was driven by the siege.

Now there were some lepers sitting in the gate of the city, who were also starving to death. So one of them proposed to the others that they go over to the camp of the Syrians. He argued that the enemy could do no more than put them to death, which would be no worse than starving to death, while they might save

them alive and give them something to eat.

During the night the Lord had caused the enemy to hear a noise as of a mighty army, so that a great fear fell upon them, and they fled for their lives, leaving everything behind them. When the lepers arrived at the camp, they were surprised to find no one there. They went from tent to tent, but all were deserted. Then they helped themselves to what they could find. First they ate till they could eat no more. Then they went from tent to tent, taking the most valuable things they could find, and hiding them away. But finally the conscience of one of the men awoke, and he said to the others, “We do not well: this 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.”

He remembered how they were starving to death in the city, and that to delay even a few minutes might mean the death of a number of persons, while to wait till the day dawned would be enough to incur the displeasure of God. They were full while others were starving; they had good news and were enjoying the spoils of the enemy while the people in the city were living in dire distress. You know the rest of the story—how they told the king, and how the provisions obtained from the camp of the enemy relieved the terrible suffering.

Dear friend, I want to remind you that you and I are in the same position today that the Samaritan lepers were in on that day. The world is starving for the Bread of life. Many are living in continual fear of death, even as men who are being besieged by an enemy. We are in possession of the good news of salvation, and have eaten to the full. While we wait and spend our time in laying away riches for our own use, there are hundreds of thousands, and even millions, going into Christless graves. Here in China alone, thousands die every hour without God and without hope of a life beyond the grave. I beseech you, my brethren, listen to the voice of your conscience, and go quickly to the King’s household and tell them of the glad tidings of deliverance.

The preceding is a small extract from the sermon of one of the Chinese workers, delivered at the workers’ meeting in Fu-kien Province, which was held Jan. 1-10, 1915. As it was translated from what the writer could remember, it has necessarily lost much in the process. But it seemed to us that this appeal, coming from the lips of a Chinese worker and addressed to his Chinese fellow laborers, would appeal with great force to the hearts of our more favored brethren in the homeland, many of whom are adding farm to farm, and thousands of dollars to their bank accounts, while the world is starving for the Bread of life. The signs of the Lord’s return are fast fulfilling before our eyes, and if there ever was a time when the people of God were called upon to cut loose from every earthly tie and do their duty, it surely is the time to do it, and the time is now. May God help us to heed the words of the Samaritan leper, and carry the good news of deliverance to the starving millions of this world.

Kulangsu, Amoy, China.