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Naaman was an honourable man, but he was a leper (2 Ki. 5). There are many
honourable men today, but they are sinners (leprosy was a type of sin). Naaman thought
up a plan by which he wanted to be cleansed. Honourable men of today have thought up
plans by which they want to be forgiven of sin. So, instead of approaching Elisha in
humility, willing to have the matter attended to as God would have it, Naaman wanted
to be cleansed by his own plan.
This is like denominations today. Instead of opening the Bible to see what God says about being saved, they make their own plans for justification. They promote the old idea of "salvation by faith only" (Methodist Discipline, Article 9) but when they are told they must pass through the water to be justified (Mark 16:16), like Naaman, they become angry. Naaman planned that Elisha should come out and make a big show of cleansing him (2 Ki. 5:11) but when the prophet didn't do so, Naaman got mad and said, "Behold, I thought..." Elisha sent his servant to instruct Naaman to dip seven times in Jordan. Naaman was told to take the water route, but like many today he was not at first willing to do what God commanded. Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mk. 16:16). Do you believe that? |