We Get Good News

Four men wey wear rags dey creep go towards one enemy army as evening dey fall. Dem no be soldiers. Dem no get courage. Na just say hunger dey catch dem well well, and dem don decide say nothing remain wey dem fit lose.

Di city of Samaria, di capital of di northern kingdom of Israel, dey surrounded. Di army of Aram, from Damascus for di north, don camp all around am, and no food fit enter. Di siege don last so tey say people dey pay big big money for small scraps. Di prophet Elisha don make one promise wey surprise people: by dis time tomorrow, food go cheap again for di gate of Samaria. One officer of di king laugh am. Even if God open windows for heaven, dis kind thing fit happen? Now, outside di city gate, four men wey get leprosy sit down, one skin disease wey, by di law, mean say dem must live separate from everybody. Dem don lock dem outside di city, and hunger dey kill dem.

Di four men discuss am. Why we go sit down here until we die? If we talk say we go enter di city, famine dey there and we go die. If we sit down here, we go still die. So make we go di camp of di Arameans. If dem spare us, we go live. If dem kill us, na only die we go die. E no be strong plan. But as evening dey fall, dem get up and waka go towards di enemy camp. Dem reach di edge of am. And nobody dey there. Not even one soldier.

See wetin don happen. Di Lord don make di Aramean army hear one sound: chariots, horses, di noise of big army. Dem tell each other, di king of Israel don hire di kings of di Hittites and di Egyptians to attack us! And as evening dey fall, dem run for dia life. Dem leave dia tents, dia horses and dia donkeys, di whole camp as e dey. So di four men waka enter one tent and find food. Dem chop and drink. Dem carry silver and gold and cloth and hide am. Dem enter another tent and carry more. E be like say dem wake up inside dream.

Then one of dem stop. And dem look each other face. Wetin we dey do no correct. Dis day na day of good news, and we dey keep quiet. If we wait till morning light, punishment go catch us. Now make we go tell di house of di king. So, for di dark, dem go back to di city and shout call di gatemen. We go di Aramean camp, and nobody dey there. Na only horses wey dem tie, and donkeys, and di tents as dem dey. Di king suspect say na trap, so dem send scouts go. Dem follow one trail of cloth and things wey people drop, all di way reach di Jordan river. E true. Di people rush comot, carry di things for di camp, and food become cheap for di gate of Samaria, exactly as Elisha talk.

Why di four men dey outside di gate from di beginning? Di law of Moses talk say person wey get serious skin disease must live alone, outside di camp, until e heal. Leviticus call am to live separate. So di first people for Samaria wey hear di good news na di same people wey di city don shut outside.

We Get Good News. You go find am for Second Kings chapter seven, verse three to sixteen. Four outcasts find more than enough and dem no fit keep am to demself. Many hundred years after, di first people wey hear di good news say dem don born Jesus na shepherds wey dey for field for night, and dem too no fit keep quiet. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Di four men talk say: dis na day of good news, and we dey keep quiet. Which good news you fit share dis Christmas?