By Douglas M. White*
T HE account of the cleansing and conversion of Naaman has thrilled the hearts of both young and old for centuries. We love to read it, we love to preach it, we love to hear it. •The testimony of this noble Syrian is nonetheless inspiring, but has been large ly overlooked and neglected. The re quest, seemingly peculiar perhaps, for “two mules’ burden of earth” is highly significant and is worthy of due recogni tion. It indicates a new experience, a new conviction, and a new purpose in the heart of this Syrian nobleman. A New Experience Naaman not only received all and more than he had bargained for in the physical realm but, in addition to that, there had come to the inner man a spiritual revelation which completely transformed him. This was without doubt the secret desire and longing of the little maid (w . 2, 3). The very fact that this man was willing to go perhaps as much as fifty miles out of his way to bear witness to Elisha is evidence of the reality of his experience. Of course he might have done that purely out of a sense of gratitude and common courtesy, or even to adequately remunerate the prophet^ but that is not so. The first thing which falls from his lips is not concerning the leprological miracle (though it was that which brought him to Israel) but concerning the God of Israel. What a testimony it is! What a glori ous enlightenment! “ There is no god in all the earth but in Israel.” That was a tremendous statement for that Syrian to make. He was not only acknowledging Jehovah to be a recognized deity along with Rimmon and other Syrian deities. He was not only acclaiming Jehovah to be equal with, or even greater than, his national gods. He was emphatically af firming Him to be the one and only true and living God in all the earth, exclusive of all others. In so doing he publicly re nounced everything religious which he had ever been taught, in a burst of ex uberance which could not be stifled. Note the positive manner of expression in contrast to his former idolatrous un certainty. Before he was angry, and said, “Behold, I thought.” Now he is over joyed and shouts, “ Behold, Now I know.” What brought about such a climactic experience? Why should an intelligent and educated man suddenly toss aside a lifetime of religious teaching and tra- *Pastor, First Baptist Church, Bassett, Virginia. A U G U S T , 1 9 5 1
dition in favor of something about which he is almost totally ignorant, and in which (up till now) he had held no in terest? What is the explanation, what caused it? Certainly it was not brought about by teaching. Elisha might have given Naa man a one-day study course in Jewish history but he didn’t. He simply told him to dip in the Jordan. Neither was it the fruit of human rea soning. The prophet might have con ducted a special seminar on “ The philo sophical implications of the Hebrew re ligious economy” but he didn’t. He just pointed him to the Jordan. Again, it is seen that the experience is not the outcome of argument. Naaman was in an argumentative mood, and the prophet could very easily have engaged him in a red-hot argument on the moral and spiritual virtues of circumcision but he didn’t. He simply directed him to dip seven times in the waters of Jordan. It was simply obedience to the com mand of God as voiced by His spokes man which brought about this trans forming experience with its resultant testimony. In the words of the New Testament, “flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 16:17). Naaman could see that it was not the prophet, but the God of the prophet; not the waters of the river, but the river of water (living water) which had cleansed not only his body but his soul. Along with the physical relief had come peace of heart. The sincerity of his obedience necessitated the fervency of his confession. Such an experience is always supernatural, and defies explana tion. The very simplicity of it is the evidence of divine origin. A New Conviction Many become enthusiastic over some new thing in the religious realm, wheth er good or bad, but it soon wears off and makes no radical change while it lasts. It is entirely different when the truth of God grips a man—that is conviction. When he was first instructed to dip in Jordan, the proud Syrian “went away in a rage,” but afterward he returned in humility. His anger turned to docility, his pride was drowned in Jordan. He came expecting to create a sensation, but he returned to the prophet to voice a conviction. He expected to pay for value received, but ended up by urging the prophet to receive a gift, which he decorously declined. It was not a time to be receiving. That which the Syrian re ceived was the gratuitous gift of God,
there was no bargain involved, and the prophet was only the channel of bless ing. His conceit was slain also. He had been filled with prejudice and national superiority when he arrived. He was very scornful of Israel and all that was therein. To dip in Jordan was beneath his dignity. If there were any dipping involved it would be in the clean, beau tiful and holy (?) rivers of Syria. As rivers go I suppose that Abana and Pharpar were far more desirable from the standpoint of ablutions, but he had to come to see that the desired results could only be obtained in the river of God’s choice. After the seventh submersion (I sup pose he held his nose) he completely lost his aversion to Jewish water courses, and even the Jewish soil took on a new aspect. It is always significant how the attitude toward places, people, and things undergoes a complete reversal when the attitude toward God is cor rect. When a man loves God with all his heart, he will love everything that has to do with God. This haughty man, who scorned that muddy Jordan, now desires “two mules’ burden of earth” to trans port all the way back to his native land. Whatever else he may have had in mind I do believe that he wanted to be con stantly reminded of the only God which had ever done anything for him and to whom he had sworn full and unreserved allegiance. A New Purpose The new purpose which had filled his heart is revealed in the matter of offer ings. I know that the record does not state just what he wanted the earth for, but there is every reason to think that he had this in mind. He was anxious to make an offering to the man who (under God) was responsible for this great blessing which had come to him. That was appropriate and a further evidence of his sincerity. The offering of material substance to the gods of Syria was com mon practice and, in keeping with his confession, all offerings in future are to be made to Jehovah. So complete is his transfer of faith and devotion that he will in no way patronize the false gods, which he has forsaken. Offerings made to Jehovah upon an altar made of Syrian soil would be polluted. He would take two loads of soil from Israel that in his offerings he might be visibly iden tified with the God who had identified ( Continued on Page 21) Page Seven
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