THE K I N G ' S BUS I NE S S but that he could command his magi cians to do so. Why did not the king of Israel send him to Elisha? Had not the Lord cured the leprosy of Moses? Here is a spectacle,— a king of Israel rending his clothes in unbelief! Elisha hears of the king’s conduct and sends him a message, “ Send him to me.” Elisha gave a good testimony: “He shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman goes to Elisha’s house, but he is disappointetd now in Elisha. Here he is with his offerings and his retinue, but Elisha does not even come out to see him. Naaman came in the right spirit to the wrong place— the king. Now he comes to the right place in the wrong spirit. He had his own ideas of how he was to be healed. "I thought.” He was looking for some fleshly manifestation. He thought his position, his wealth, en titled him to a cure. He thought he honored Elisha by calling at his humble home. But a servant brings him the message, “ Go, wash.” Elisha does not even come out. Naaman is insulted. All of the pomp and parade has been for nothing. What! go wash in a muddy stream? He that had everything to commend himself to be treated like a pauper! What a comment on human nature. You can find ten thousand such dn any large community today. They have no conception of grace. They are willing to make gifts, resolutions, prayers, promises to reform. They think Al mighty God would be greatly favored if they came to Him. Tell a banker that he must come just as the drunkard comes, or a society woman that she must come like a harlot, and they are insulted. Human nature hates God’s Word and God’s way. They say, “ I fast;” “ I give;” “ I am cultured.” But God can never do anything with poor human
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nature but to stretch it' upon the cross. The command is, “ Go, wash.” Noth ing more, nothing less. “ Go, march around the city” (Josh. 6:3-5). In short, obey God. Think of the foolishness of a poor leper reasoning about the proper way to heal an incurable disease! Away with your thoughts! (1 C ot . 3:18) “ Let no man deceive himself. I f any man among: yon seemeth to be w ise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be w ise.” (1 Cor. 1:27-29) “ God hath ehosen the foolish things o f the w orld to confound the w ise; and God hath chosen the w eak things o f the world to confound the things which are m ighty; and base things o f the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are; that no flesh should g lo ry in his presence.” (4) THE DELIVERANCE FROM DISEASE, vs. 13, 14. Naaman’s servants were good ad visers. They said to him, “ You would be willing to do some great thing. Why not try this simple method?” Here is real wisdom. Get down from your own ideas, your opinions. Submit to the righteousness of God. (Rom. 10:3) “ F or they, being ignorant o f God’, righteousness and goin g about to estab lish their own righteousness, have not subm itted themselves unto the righteous ness o f God.” Submit to the authority of God (Jno. 2:5) ■‘ His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.” Naaman allowed himself to be per suaded and went down to the water. The Jordan typifies judgment — death. He was to dip himself seven times— the perfect number. His flesh became like the flesh of a little child. He was a new man. (Rom. 6:4) “Therefore w e are buried w ith him by baptism into death that lik e as Christ was raised up from th e dead by the g lo ry of the Father, even so w e also should walk in newness o f life.” (John 1:13) “Which w ere born, not o f blood, nor o f the w ill o f the flesh, nor o f the w ill o f man, but o f God.” (1 Pet. 1:23)
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