"The Rights of God" # 2

The Starting Point for the Working of God (continued)

We have two examples in the Word of God. In the Second Book of Kings, chapter 5:1-11, we are introduced to Naaman.

"Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honorable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valor, but he was a leper. And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife. And she said unto her mistress, "Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy." And one went in, and told his lord, saying, "Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel." And the king of Syria said, 'Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel.' And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, "Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayset recover him of his leprosy." And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, "Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy" wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me." And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, "Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel."

So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, "Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean." But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, "Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to see me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper."

So we are introduced to Naaman. We see an eminent man. He is powerful and highly honored, but - a leper. One day, he stands before the house of Elisha. The king of Syria sends a messenger to inform Elisha of his arrival. Elisha, however, does not take any notice of the position of this great army leader, but simply send a messenger to tell him, "Go and wash in the river Jordan seven times." Humanly speaking, Naaman's anger is understandable. Had he come all this way simply to be dismissed in this manner? Were not the waters of his own country better than the miserable Jordan? Elisha had not even had the decency to come out and greet him personally. That would have been the very least he could have expected. In anger Naaman turns away; by no means is he ready to follow these instructions.

Naaman expected that God should have begun at his own starting point. God ought to have recognized who Naaman was. Naaman's intention was to make an impression on the prophet and therefore upon God. With this in mind he had brought with him camels loaded down with valuable goods. They all counted for nothing. Elisha did not take the slightest notice of these things. "Go and wash in Jordan seven times." That sounded too humiliating. Did a Naaman have to endure such treatment?

But wait - let us remember that the whole question here is connected with the question of fellowship with God. It concerns our fellowship with God. Either Naaman goes the way of God, where there is no more anything, or he must give up everything. God begins with us there where we recognize and accept our nothingness, that is, God begins with us at the Cross. The starting point for all the blessings in Christ remains the Cross of the Crucified.

~T. Austin-Sparks~

(continued with # 3)