Do you ever struggle to remember that - as Christians - we believe in a different God and live by a different standard than the world? We must be on our guard against worldly thinking when it comes to our faith. Two instances from II Kings 5 illustrate this tension for me. The first is the pride of Naaman, and the second is the greed of Gehazi.
A decorated military commander from the pagan nation of Aram, Naaman is cursed with the incurable skin disease of leprosy. But when he hears from one of his slaves that there is a prophet in Israel who can heal him, his master the king sends him loaded with gifts to Samaria to be cured. (Humorously, the king of Israel is greatly distraught to receive this directive from the king of Aram!) Elisha, however, hears what is going on and invites Naaman to come to him to "learn that there is a prophet in Israel" (vs. 8).
When Naaman arrives, he does not receive the welcome he expects. The prophet does not even come out of his house, but instead sends out a servant (vs. 10). Elisha's directions must have seemed humiliating to the great Aramean general - "Go wash seven times in the Jordan, and you will be cleansed." Naaman's pride required a little more personal service, and he wanted some miraculous razzle-dazzle. In short, he was guilty of worldly thinking! He said, "I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy!" (vs. 11) Naaman is also insulted that he is directed to the Jordan, rather than one of the rivers of his homeland (vs. 12).
Still, Naaman's servants prevail upon him to follow the prophet's instructions. They point out that he would have been willing to do something much more difficult. So Naaman obeys and thus realizes his cleansing. (I wonder how he felt each of the first six times going into the Jordan only to come out still just as leprous as ever? But then the joy of experiencing the miracle of healing after the seventh time!) Thrilled, Naaman returns to Elisha, offering the gifts that he had brought from the king of Aram. Elisha refuses his generosity, not willing to take compensation from this man, but instead releases him in peace now that he knows the God of Israel is the true God. From now on, Naaman says, he will worship no other god but God (vs. 17).
The story would end happily there, were it not for another instance of worldly thinking rearing its head - this time greed. Elijah had Elisha to serve him, and Elisha had Gehazi to serve him. Yet we don't revere Gehazi's name or remember it alongside the names of his master and his master's master. It could have been so. But instead Gehazi was struck with greed and felt that Elisha should have taken Naaman's gifts. Gehazi goes off in pursuit of Naaman's chariot, and lies to him about being sent from Elisha, and wheedles some minor gifts away from the Aramean for his own personal use.
You have to wonder how Gehazi thought he could lie to a prophet like Elisha, but he tries, lying again to say that he did not go after Naaman's chariot. Elisha is not fooled for a second. As a consequence of his sin, Naaman's skin disease clings instead to Gehazi. Here is some spiritual irony: the Aramean goes away, free and cleansed, after conquering his pride. The Israelite servant of the prophet Elisha ends up with the curse of leprosy after giving in to his greed. The lesson? We must defeat worldly thinking in our lives!
No comments:
Post a Comment