2 Kings 7:3-8 Now there were four lepers sitting outside the city gates. “Why sit here until we die” they asked each other. “We will starve if we stay here and we will starve if we go back into the city; so we might as well go out and surrender to the Syrian army. If they let us live, so much the better, but if they kill us, we would have died anyway.” So that evening they went out to the camp of the Syrians, but there was no one there.
For the Lord had made the whole Syrian army hear the clatter of speeding chariots and the sounds of a great army approaching.…So they panicked and fled into the night, abandoning their tents, horses, donkeys, and everything else. When the lepers arrived at the edge of the camp they went into one tent after another, eating, drinking wine, and carrying out silver and gold and clothing and hiding it. [Living Bible translation]
Summary:
In Biblical times leprosy was a terrible thing. It was incurable. It was contagious. And, it forced its victims into social isolation, outside the city gates. Lepers were not allowed to attend “church.” The religious leaders of that time wanted nothing to do with them because they were considered ritually “unclean.” In fact, a person with leprosy was required to yell out “unclean, unclean” wherever they went, so that others could avoid contact with them. Lepers often had to rely on the charity of others for food and water.
In 2 Kings, four lepers, who had banded together outside the gates of their city, found themselves in what seemed to be a hopeless situation. Not only were they lepers, driven outside the city gates, with a dreaded disease but their city was in the midst of a famine. Moreover, an enemy army, the Syrians, was camped nearby. As the men sat, they considered their alternatives but each one seemed to lead to death. They reasoned that if they went into the city, which they were forbidden to enter, they would die from the famine like the other city inhabitants. If they stayed where they were, sitting by the gate, they would starve to death. If they surrendered to the Syrian army, they could be killed.
Their choices seemed difficult. But, they decided that they couldn’t just “sit out” the war. They couldn’t just “give up” and do nothing. So, they got up and got moving.
When they started moving they discovered that GOD had not forgotten them and that just as HE promised in Psalm 23:5. The LORD prepared a table for them in the presence of their enemies. GOD frightened the Syrian soldiers (because of the loud noises GOD created) into thinking they were being pursued, which caused the whole Syrian army to flee, abandoning everything --their food, their clothing and their wealth. So, when the Lepers walked into the Syrian camp, there was no one there---only evidence of the GOD’s goodness to them. By not sitting it out and moving in faith the lepers discovered GOD’s blessing.
Sitting and Doing Nothing is Not Healthy
Exercise and sitting are two entirely different things when it comes to good health. Although people tend to think that exercise is enough, it turns out that even if you exercise, too much sitting can also adversely affect your health. There are a number of studies showing that sitting for long periods of time has been linked to:
Worse mental health
Higher risk of death from heart disease and other causes;
Higher risk of disability;
Increased risk of High Blood Pressure;
Increased risk of obesity;
Bad Cholesterol; and
Too much belly fat.
See, “Sitting Too Much: How Bad Is It?” by Katherine Doheny, April 7, 2014, http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20140407/sitting-disease-faq#1.
Human lifestyles of sitting at desks at work, checking e-mails on line, direct pay checking, on-line shopping, cell phone apps, driving to work, checking social media cites have all contributed to most of us sitting more than walking, running errands, standing and being more active.
Sitting causes the muscles to burn less fat and the blood to flow more sluggishly. Although one might expect that sitting would cause a person to eat less since the body is burning less fat, scientists have found the opposite to be true. People who sit too much tend to eat more.
Researchers suggest that one should not “demonize” sitting, but rather the message should be that you should “break it up.” Although, no strict guidelines are given, it is suggested that you “get up” every 30 minutes or so.
Researcher Jacqueline Kerr, PhD, associate professor of family and preventive medicine at UC San Diego, who has written on health problems caused by sitting, also suggests the following:
- Use a standing desk at work
- Give yourself reminders (e.g. computer set reminders) to sit less. For example set up your
environment so will stand more (e.g. use a small glass, so you make frequent trips for water
refills or set up certain tasks in your work environment so you move around or go to a
different floor.
- Change the social norms. At meetings or in a classroom, suggest that the group take a
standing break.
Once people get used to the idea of not sitting, they will start to move or stand more.
Id. Others have suggested the following for reducing sitting or increasing mobility:
- Incorporating walking or standing during your lunch hour;
- Incorporating a stretching routine into your work day;
- Move trash cans out of your office to encourage yourself to walk more to throw away trash;
- Rethink your commute (walk to the next Bart or bus stop, instead of taking the closest stop;
increase your walk to your car; change your route to include an extra walk around a building
or find a more distant parking spot.)
- Wheelchair users should consider discussing the benefits of standing wheelchairs and changing
position exercises with their physician or therapist.1
- If you use a cane or a walking aid speak with your personal physician or therapist about
standing and sitting and how to properly use your aid.2
As always, consult your personal physician for medical advice if you have questions or concerns about performing any standing exercise or about how you can reduce prolonged sitting.
Don’t Sit It Out
Like the four lepers, we have to remind ourselves that sitting around or “sitting it out,” whining, being anxious, worrying or waiting for someone else to solve our problems is simply not consistent with faith.
Just as there are physical things we can do to increase our physical health –such as taking calls standing up, stretching after an hour behind a desk, a car or a computer or watching less TV---there are also spiritual things we can do to increase our spiritual health ---such as attending Bible study, attending Sunday school classes and being active in ministries that help other people. Participation and prayer are key.
Today, let us all decide to stand up for greater physical and spiritual health. Pray for the courage, the wisdom and determination to do something or do more.
Stand up, don’t sit it out and BE BLESSED!
____________________________
1 See, https://www.resna.org/sites/default/files/legacy/resources/position-papers/RESNAPositionontheApplicationofWheelchairStanding.pdf.
2 See, http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/tc/using-a-cane-topic-overview#1
