MEDITATION MONDAY.
- "Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy."
Naaman was well off enough to have a servant (maybe slave) girl, from Israel, to serve his wife:
- 2 "Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. 3 She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." 4 Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. 5 "By all means, go," the king of Aram replied. "I will send a letter to the king of Israel."
Naaman listened to his wife's servant girl. He left for Israel to find a cure with enough money and merchandise that scholars say could have been the value of 600 working mens' salaries for a year:
- "So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. 6 The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy."
Naaman went to Israel based on the faith of his servant girl. The king of Israel did not seem to share her faith:
- 7 "As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, "Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!"
Naaman went to the house of God's man, Elisha. Even though Naaman was a man of much status and wealth, Elisha did not come to the door. He sent a messenger to tell Naaman what to do.
- 8 "When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: "Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel." 9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed."
Naaman felt insulted and was left feeling vulnerable by how he felt he was treated by Elisha. Naaman's anger turned to a rage as he thought of the submission that it would take to do what was required of him.
- 1 "But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage."
Once again, Naaman had servants who spoke to him. They reasoned with him and he listened.
- 13 "Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" 14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy."
Naaman's servants knew that trusting and obeying God's man, no matter how ridiculous it sounded was what needed to be done. It didn't take a lot of wealth or status to trust and obey! Naaman knew what to do next... say "THANK YOU!".
- 15 "Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, "Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. Please accept now a gift from your servant." 16 The prophet answered, "As surely as the LORD lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing." And even though Naaman urged him, he refused."
Naaman was convinced that the God of Israel was the true God and must become everything to him... the God to be trusted and obeyed...
- 17 "If you will not," said Naaman, "please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the LORD."
No comments:
Post a Comment