Naaman's problem

This morning I was reflecting on Naaman in 2 Kings 5. He has been converted, but he has issues to think through:

17 "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. 18 But may the LORD forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD forgive your servant for this."

19 "Go in peace," Elisha said.

Rimmon is nothing. Naaman has no respect for it any more, or its temple. He loves the Lord and the land where the promised Messiah will come one day! But meanwhile his job is to support the king and he has to go to Rimmon's temple.

And Elisha dismisses him in peace, because neither God nor his prophet is supersititous.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I've been thinking about this posting for ages.
I can't help it, I just like Naaman, I always have. He speaks to me about me. A stubborn, somewhat impetuous man on whom you will have to work hard if you want to change his mind. But once he has decided that something's right, he stands four square behind it. And yet I detect a pragmatism combined with a humble diplomacy, (something which OUGHT to speak to me about me).

What a testimony he is taking home with him, and yet I fear he is going to draw some flack, despite his position; you know, you daren't be rude to his face, but what can be injected by malign innuendo and backbiting would prove far more effective/subversive.

I also have a great love of Peter the Apostle, again, I see in him much of my impetuosity and other failings; (let's be honest, what would I have done in the garden or in the courtyard afterwards?), so much like him but without many of his redeeeming factors. I rely on Jesus for the redemptive works, I just have to!

Thank you Lord that your precious Spirit preserved the narratives of these two men for us, it serves to make me realise that the men in the scriptures are really that, men, and that makes them relevant to me.
11:35 pm
Alan said…
This is the way it helped me. When we move into a new situation there's often things that are done that we wouldn't choose ourselves, but that we go along with. Not crucial things, but issues we thought through in the past.

For example, while in Cardiff I was in an AV church. I thought and prayed long and hard and ended up using the NASB personally. Then when I went up to Deeside the church used the NIV so I used the NIV, until coming to France.

Incidentally in France I've been thinking and praying long and hard about what Bible translation to use, and have settled on the Colombe in the end.
7:30 am
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A bit about music exams in UK and France

They're really different. I think I have already mentioned that while in the UK people generally find a private teacher for their instrument, or do it through a school scheme, here there are municipal music school, conservatoires and so on. The situation is a little more complex than I had first understood, because the schools vary in the rigidity of their organisation: the most, the conservatoires, next the municipals, then the associations. Our music school is an association, but it tends to apply the standards of the municipal schools with its programme of cycles, etc. Britain - grade 1 to 8, grade 8 being roughly equivalent to A-level, pre university/conservatoire. France - 3 cycles, each taking about 4 years, with 3ème cycle being roughly equivalent to grade 8. Theory of music - UK to take grade 8 you need theory grade 5. In France you study theory alongside your instrumental studies, very slowly. Catrin's flute music is MUCH more difficult than the stuff she does in theor...
Read more

Good news from my sermon buddy

Yesterday we went over my script from August 13. There really wasn't much she had taken exception to. Once or twice she wondered quite what I was getting at (they had the same problem at Deeside, I think...) and I do have difficulties with the word " de ", but then she said "Who doesn't?" So I felt very encouraged. I also took the opportunity to ask her about one or two things: 1) Direct preaching. Like I used to in Britain, I preach saying you - using "vous" when I am talking to the whole wide world and "tu" when I want it to feel as if I am addressing each person individually. French preachers tend to say rather "What will we do, what will one do". So I asked her if she felt my way was too direct, too brutal for the French ear. She said "I think you can get away with it with your English accent". In fact several people have commented on how much they appreciated being spoken to directly in preaching. 2) Liaisons Last...
Read more

A brief sortie to North Wales

 Following the Great Keswick Debacle, when our volunteering at the Keswick café was sabotaged by our assorted indispositions, we had airline tickets to use up. Yes, we had not taken travel insurance, so we paid even more money to change our tickets to fly for a short visit to North Wales. This time we were able to go. We passed extremely slowly through a very crowded Bordeaux airport but in good time to get our plane. All seats in the terminal were taken so we leaned against whatever we could find while waiting to board. Hey, bags need seats, too! though sometimes pointing out to Pat, "No, that's a bag seat", makes the bag find a new refuge on the lap of the person sitting next to it... Once on the plane we quickly found our allocated seats - right at the back on the left hand side - stowed our bags and the flight was smooth and uneventful.  We had 30 minutes in Manchester to disembark, get through immigration , hustle off to the station and board our train for Shotton. I...
Read more