Ezra 2:68-3:13: New Normal and Hope for a Better World

Presented to The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries, 28 August 2022, by Major Michael Ramsay

 

 

We had a good time at the Rally Day: Picnic in the Park the other day. It was a really great mix of the parts of our Salvation Army group in the Valley. Many of you here today, of course, were there on Friday. There were a number of volunteers and their families; there were a number of staff and their families; there were a number of children we know from kids’ club and other places; there were customers from the store; there were some of our friends who use or have used our services over the years. It was even an outreach as some people just dropped by and I even saw one or two people I know from the community as well: it was great. It was really great to have people from these different parts of The Salvation Army family here have an opportunity to do something together and maybe get to know each other a little better.

For the second year in a row this Picnic in the Park doubled as our Rally Day. Rally Day is a word we use in The Salvation Army to celebrate the end of Summer and getting ready for the upcoming fall programs. When we get all the final dates set with all the different people involved, when we know, we will let everyone know when everything is happening. Some of the events already starting are Della’s groups: Wednesday coffee time, Friday morning walks. We just started coffee time after church again after a couple of years absence.

Before Covid we used to have a Monday hiking group too. I was reminded of this yesterday as Susan, Heather and I when to Fossli Park. That was a place that we went to with our group before covid. 

 

This year’s fall programs do feel a little strange. As with much of the word, we are still getting into the swing of things after 2 plus years of Covid. We need to update our phone and other contact lists as people have changed, just as circumstances have. Some of the typical church activities like Bible Study we haven’t done in a long time – it will seem very strange to do this again, a good strange but strange, nonetheless. Other things have changed a few times over the last 2 plus years – sermons have become much shorter as have services. Somethings – just like with many other organizations and businesses - we have even forgotten how to do parts of them. You see this with all the community events that are starting up here and all over our world after a couple of years break: people have forgotten how to do things we used to do all the time. We are getting back to normal and maybe it is a ‘new normal’ but it doesn’t quite feel normal yet.

We read from Chapter 3 of Ezra this morning. In the book of Ezra people are beginning to return to the way things were after a minimum 20-year break. We know how difficult it is trying to remember how to do things after a two year break, imagine returning to your old job after a 20 year break and trying to remember how to do everything or imagine returning to your church and having to set up the church calendar after a 20 year break or imagine returning to your old town (along with a few hundred other people) after a 20 year break and trying to find your old house, your old job, and trying to remember the way you used to do everything. Now, that 20 years is a minimum number. People who were the first to be deported could have been in exile from Jerusalem for anywhere from between 48 and 70 years, the full length of the exile.

This is what the book of Ezra-Nehemiah is: people trying to return to normal or a ‘new normal’, as we say now, but trying to make it as close to the old normal as possible – but instead of trying to pull everything together after a 2-year gap, they are trying to pull it together after a, in some cases, 70 year gap.

Now, I know that you haven’t all had the luxury of reading and reading about Ezra this week, so I’ll remind you of a bit more of the context and background. Israel was conquered by the Assyrians ca. 720 BCE and Judah was conquered in 597 BCE (586 BCE, the Temple in Jerusalem is destroyed) by the Neo-Babylonians/Chaldeans. By the year 539 BCE the Persians in turn had conquered both the Assyrians and the Chaldeans and this sets up the events in the books of Ezra-Nehemiah that tell the story of the exiles returning home from Babylon to Jerusalem, returning to the new normal.

Ezra and Nehemiah are two books in our Bible but they were actually written on one scroll called Ezra-Nehemiah and these two books, this scroll talks about many of the problems that the Judeans had returning to the new normal. In reading the book you get the feeling that some people may have thought that they could just go back to the way things were before, some people seemed to have an idealistic view, some seemed tentative, some practical, and others were afraid, very afraid.

All of these responses reminded me of people in our world, our country, our community, and our churches today. Now that the precautions and the measures adopted for Covid-19 are coming to an end, some people seem to hope that everything will return to an idealistic version of the old normal, the way things used to be – at least the good parts of the way things used to be. Some people remember times when all the churches in this country were full. Some people in The Salvation Army remember days of large bands and even large junior bands. Some people remember this and some people remember that. The longer ago the memories the more fondly we remember them too – but - at the same time we can’t quite remember the ways we used to do things just 2 plus years ago just before covid-19 struck. Sometimes it seems like we (or at least I) can’t even remember what we did yesterday.

The passage that stuck out to me as I was reading and re-reading the opening chapters of Ezra was 2:70-3:3:

The priests, the Levites, the musicians, the gatekeepers and the temple servants settled in their own towns, along with some of the other people, and the rest of the Israelites settled in their towns.

 

When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled together as one in Jerusalem. Then Joshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening sacrifices.

 

The people settled in their own homes – they returned to the new normal even though some of the people were very afraid; they met together and made sacrifices to the Lord. My friends there are some uncertain times still ahead here as we worship the Lord and as we return to our new normal. As we re-start Bible studies, coffee times, kids club, and other things, it will be a new normal. It won’t be they way things were 2 years ago; it won’t be the way things were 20 years ago or 70 years ago but we are returning to this new normal of worship and service and I invite you all to join us in whatever way you can as we figure out together exactly what is this new normal way of serving God in this time and place.

I want to share one more story with you today. This is from when Susan, the kids and I were in Victoria recently. I have always liked a picture my father-in-law had of Tommy Douglas and himself leaning on a fence. 

 

This is a great picture. Susan told me a little bit about the picture the other week. This picture was apparently taken at Susan’s grandma’s farm. She invited Tommy Douglas to visit one day when he was on the Island and he did. When he was there he had a good conversation with Susan’s dad – and it was during the conversation that Tommy Douglas convinced Bob Skelly to enter politics. Susan’s dad then went on to be a leader of the party and the longest ever serving MLA for this riding. It is a great picture. There is another poster at their place of Tommy Douglas with a quote that says, “Courage, my friends, it is not too late to make a better world”.  And that reminds me of a quote – almost the dying words of Jack Layton, “My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world.”

I think this is a very important reminder and a great encouragement for everyone and especially for us as we embark on our new normal. It is my hope that as we go forward in this new church season, we will remember “My friends, [that] love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world.” For “it is never too late to make a better world”

Let us pray.

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Psalm 3: A Psalm of David

Presented to The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries by Major Michael Ramsay, 14 August 2022

  

Psalm 3 is the first psalm ascribed to King David in the book of Psalms.[1] This psalm is a poem, a song which David wrote when he was in great distress. It may even have been sung to a tune at the time.[2]

David had some serious problems and they were exasperated by his relationships with his own family. At this point in his life, when this psalm was written, David has already lost some of his children. Some of their deaths and other tragedies are at least partially his fault. David owes a lot to his family – both good and bad, like all of us. God used his nephews to help put him in power and certainly to keep him there. More than one of David’s sons rebelled against him – not only as dad – but also as King.

David wrote this poem, this song, this psalm, as he was fleeing his son who desires to replace his dad as king (cf. 2 Samuel 16-19). Absalom probably feels quite justified attacking his father given their family dynamics and the way that his dad has dealt with him and his brothers and sister.[3] Absalom in his rebellion has just slept with his father’s concubines, turned some of David’s supporters and extended family against him and Absalom is in full rebellion – Absalom is his son.

David’s nephew Joab, who has had a lot of conflict with David and has done probably more than many others to protect David’s life and his throne, is leading David’s army. David is so distraught that he seems to care more about his son who is rebelling against him and his family than about the rest of his family, his loyal servants, soldiers, concubines, and others who love and serve him - or even himself. His supporters notice this and feel this pain and some act on their feelings as the king is not leading here.

It is in this context when David, some of his family, and his supporters are fleeing for their lives and he sees that many in his own family and close circle of friends and advisors are rising up against him that he writes this poem, this song, this psalm. He writes, verses 1 and 2:

 

1 Lord, how many are my foes!

How many rise up against me!

2 Many are saying of me,

“God will not deliver him.”

 

David is a leader. How many times do we read of yet another scandal in the news affecting our Prime Ministers and think, surely, this is it! Surely, he won’t be re-elected again! In Britain, the Conservatives have just risen up against their PM and he is a Conservative, a member of their own party and they are replacing him. Foes arose from within his own political family as well as from without.

David’s political foes are not just members of his own party; they are also members of his own family, and they are not looking to only replace him. They are probably looking to kill him.

None of us in this room lead any countries or political parties (as far as I know). But some of us have certainly led within the church and some of us have led other organizations. I know, as well as being one Officer in charge here and previously elsewhere, I am currently on a number of boards and committees, trying to give leadership. I know that at times in the past it has sometimes felt like everyone was against me. I know I have had times when I thought many were hoping for my downfall and I can’t imagine what it would feel like if those people were my own children. David is downcast but he does have some solace. He writes, verses 3 and 4:

 

3 But You, Lord, are a shield around me,

my glory, the One who lifts my head high.

4 I call out to the Lord,

and He answers me from His holy mountain.

 

The Lord is a shield; the word is even more than a shield in Hebrew; it is something akin to a protective forcefield. The Lord is our protection.[4] This is a key comfort. I have just written a book about Salvation.[5] I just spoke at the Summer Rain Evangelism Festival/Crusade this past weekend (though it seems like a millions years ago now). This stanza is a key element of salvation. Salvation is for the future. Salvation is for eternity but Salvation isn’t only for the future; Salvation isn’t only for eternity; Salvation is also for now. We need and can have Salvation now!

We will all go through terrible times; we will all go through hard times; we will all go through sad times; we may go through times of unimaginable peril or terror but we can always call on the Name of the Lord; we can always call out to the Lord. He will answer us. God will be with us. He will keep us. He will sustain us. Verses 5 and 6:

 

5 I lie down and sleep;

I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.

6 I will not fear though tens of thousands

assail me on every side.

 

David sounds like he has been may have even been tempted to be justifiably afraid here – certainly overwhelmed and sad. He is at the end of his own emotional resources. The security he thought he was surrounded by through family, friends, work, leadership, kingship and kinship has crumbled. He reaches out to the Lord and he realizes that he need not be afraid. He is not afraid. God is in charge. God is in charge through everything. God is even in charge of whether or not David will even wake up from one morning to the next. The Lord loves him; the Lord sustains him.

The Lord loves us; the Lord sustains us. It is the Lord who allows us to open our eyes every morning; it is the Lord who gives us the strength to carry on. It is the Lord who – no matter what else happens, no matter what goes sideways in life, no matter what collapses, no matter who may betray us, no matter what we mess up, no matter what may collapse beneath us, it is the Lord who will never leave us or forsake us.[6] And so we can pray in confidence, like Dave, Verses 7 and 8:

 

7 Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God!

Strike all my enemies on the jaw;

break the teeth of the wicked.[7]

8 From the Lord comes deliverance.

May your blessing be on your people.

 

The Lord did deliver David. It was not, however, all roses and happy songs. He did lose his son; he seem to have finally broken with his nephew; he almost lost his crown; he was completely humbled. It was a sad, sad time. Even his coming through it does not turn it into a personal celebration; it was sad. But he did come through it. The Lord delivered him. The Lord continued to bless him in the midst of his distress.

This is the reality of our lives: sometimes we have tough times; sometimes we have times so tough that it does not seem that we can even get through them. Sometimes life is unbearably sad, sometimes life is hard, sometimes life is… life.

But this is Salvation. God will be with us in the midst of our darkest hour. God will be with us in our saddest time. God will be with us when we feel most alone. He can and He will deliver us both for today and for forever.

If anyone here does not know God, if anyone here would like to turn to Him so He can help with whatever and everything that is going on in your life, just let me or Susan or any soldier here know and we will be happy to introduce you to God and He will help you; He will never leave you nor forsake you for even and especially when we are most humbled, His blessings will be poured out upon us, His people.

 

Let us pray.

 

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[1] Willem A. VanGemeren, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:Psalms/Exposition of Psalms/BOOK I: Psalms 1-41/Psalm 3: Quietness Amid Troubles, Book Version: 4.0.2

[2] Peter C. Craigie, 'Psalms 1-50', 2nd ed. (WBC 19: Word Books: Dallas, Texas, 2004), 72.

[3] Cf. Captain Michael Ramsay, 2 Samuel 13-18: Taking Matters in His Own Hands: the Story of Prince Absalom. Presented to Nipawin and Tisdale Corps November 18, 2007 and 614 Warehouse Toronto 230 pm service, Aug 20, 2017. Available on-line: https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2007/11/2-samuel-13-18-taking-matters-in-his.html

[4] Cf. Charles H. Spurgeon, ‘The Treasury of David Vol. 1: Psalms 1-57’, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, pages 24.

[5] Michael Ramsay, Salvogesis Guidebook to Romans Road, Vancouver Island, BC: The Salvation Army, 2022.

[6] Cf. Charles H. Spurgeon, ‘The Treasury of David Vol. 1: Psalms 1-57’, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, page 29

[7] Peter C. Craigie, 'Psalms 1-50', 2nd ed. (WBC 19: Word Books: Dallas, Texas, 2004),75.: this may not be as violent a phrase as it sounds like, it may merely mean that the wicked words are silenced

Ezekiel 33:7-11 and 2 Peter 3:9: Hope and the Ropes

Presented to The Salvation Army Swift Current Corps, 24 July 2022, and the Summer Rain Evangelistic Festival, 07 August 2022, by Major Michael Ramsay

Click here to read the message: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2021/09/ezekiel-337-11-and-2-peter-39-1-hope.html

Ezekiel 33:7-11 and 2 Peter 3:9: Hope and the Ropes

Presented to The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries, 05 September 2021; Swift Current Corps, 24 July 2022; the Summer Rain Evangelistic Festival, 07 August 2022, by Major Michael Ramsay

Let me tell you three stories. These are all true stories; they all happened this week and they do have some other things in common too. They all have a rope in the story. They all have peril. 2 of them have water. 2 of them have happen endings.

 

One evening this week Susan suggested that I should take Heather kayaking for a couple of hours before dinner. She said be home at 7pm. Dinner's at 7pm. Be home at 7pm.

 

I threw the kayaks in the back of the vehicle. Heather and I quickly drove out to Sproat Lake. We didn’t have that much time. We got out there. Heather was already a little tired, I think. I asked her where we wanted to go on the lake; she said, she wanted to go to Manitoba Island. (There is this small private island that you can reach from the boat launch and whoever owns the island has a Manitoba flag that they fly from it, thus Heather and I call it Manitoba Island.)

 

It was pretty choppy out there. The waves were pretty high and the wind was blowing quite a bit. And if you crossed a boat’s wake, the waves coming at different angles could really threaten to swamp or tip the boat. It was a lot of work. I paddled out for a little while and looked behind me (as best I could, I didn’t want to turn all the way around in my seat, lest I dump myself out of the kayak) and here was Heather slowly paddling. I turn back, paddle up to her and ask her how she is doing. She asks for a tow. (sometimes on a nice warm, calm day, I will tie Heather’s boat to mine and instead of paddling she will just lie in her boat – she says she doesn’t sleep but I am not always convinced.) 

 

So here I am paddling across the lake to Manitoba Island; It is hard work! Heather in tow; the waves are coming from every angle and the wind also seems to be working against me. We make it to the island. She wakes up, I mean, she sits up. I check the time because we have to be back by 7pm. Then she lowers herself in her boat again, eyes closed but not sleeping, and I start pulling her back. It is quite a struggle with the waves and the wind and towing someone in another kayak. But part way back, I feel like I am getting into the rhythm because it gets a little easier. When I get about ¾ of the way back to shore I look back - and there in no Heather.

 

I am in a panic for a moment. You know that feeling? I look back and I see the rope has broken and there is no kayak behind me and no Heather. Now Heather isn’t the greatest swimmer, she does have her life jacket on. I am looking everywhere as fast as I can to see her boat. I see it and paddle faster than I think I ever have in choppy conditions to get there. You know that feeling when you are racing somewhere, praying that it is not the worst possible result and hoping for the best!

 

While I am racing towards Heather as fast as I can, a nice gentleman, by the name of Keith, in his speedboat sees this kayak just floating around with no one apparently in it (as Heather is lying down) and goes up to the kayak. At this point Heather sits up, opens her eyes and is wondering what is going on. Keith stays with her until I get there and then he puts both of our kayaks in his boat and gives us a ride back to shore – which is good because I really don’t know how much more I could paddle that day! And then Heather and I head for home and we get there just on time. When I walk upstairs to where Susan is, she remarked on how we timed it perfectly because it was 7pm on the nose.

 

It was quite an adventure. But you know that feeling of panic when you notice your child is missing. You know that moment when you think your child might be lost or have had something horrible happen to them. That was the feeling in the pit of my stomach, even sort of after she was found and we got home safely. Though there was certainly a lot(!) of relief as well.

 

My second rope story is about another water rescue that I heard about this past week, I heard this story from one of our employees, Rees. Rees was at Harbour Quay, I believe. He saw the gentleman there who always plays Frisbee with his dog. I don’t know the man’s name. The dog’s name is Wes. 

 

The man threw the Frisbee into the water and Wes went to get it. He got it in his mouth and started paddling back to shore when he accidentally got caught on a rope hidden under the water. The rope got stuck right in his mouth with the Frisbee; so maybe Wes didn’t even know it was there. He couldn’t or wouldn’t let go of the rope because he would have to let go of the Frisbee. He couldn’t get back to shore no matter how hard he struggled and  - unlike the rope between Heather’s and my kayaks – this rope wasn’t breaking. Rees then took off his shoes, gave his phone and/or wallet to the man and jumped in to save Wes. He had to really struggle to get Wes free of the rope but in the end he did and Wes and Rees both swam safely to shore.

 

My third story about a rope this week is tragic. Russell, a regular on 3rd avenue, who many of us know from the Bread of Life, the food bank, the ‘ghetto’ or other places, hanged himself behind the Friendship Centre this week. It was a tragedy for sure. He was in that tree for 3 days or so before he perished. Many friends went there to try to talk him from the tree. Selene, who used to work for us and now works for the Friendship Centre, called me and I took a turn trying to talk him down. Brandy R., who works in our Thrift Store knows Russell and tried to convince him to come down. I was there when the mother of his children was trying to get him down. One of the people who works with us at the Drop-in Centre, Mya, spent many hours with her friend trying to convince him to come down.

 

Police were there. Fire department was there. EMT was there. One of the police who chatted with me – a good Christian fellow who knew his Bible very well - told me that they would not leave as long as Russell was in the tree. Days later, whoever was on duty did leave and Russell died. Now I don’t know what happened to Russell eternally: I hope and I pray that he is eternally at peace with our Lord.

 

One tragic remark that someone made has stuck in my head since that day. I don’t think the person who said it meant it but my brain has not been able to shake it. While he was still alive and still in the tree, someone said that death was probably the best outcome for him. He is an addict. His life is terrible… I cringed when I heard that.

 

I would never want to see anyone lost – not even one – like it says in 2 Peter 3:9. And in Ezekiel 33:11 even those of us others would call wicked, God does not wish any of us to be lost for now or eternity.

 

I think about how Rees, not to mention Wes’ owner, watched Wes struggle and how Rees had to decide whether or not to dive in to save him from the rope he was trapped on. I think about how I felt when my own daughter was lost on the lake for however long it was before I noticed the rope had broken. I think about how I felt when I did not know whether she was okay or not and I didn’t know how scared she was or was not. I think about how I would have felt if something terrible had happened to Heather.

 

Our Heavenly Father feels the same way about each of us. He doesn’t want any of us to be lost – in this life or the next.

 

John 3:16-17: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

 

For any of us to perish hurts the Lord like it would hurt us to lose a member of our family, like a beloved pet, or even our own child. As such, we need to share with people the Good News of Salvation. Talk to people you meet about God, their Father who loves them. Talk to people you meet about Jesus. We don’t know how long any of us have on this earth – and that any of us would have to spend any of our time here - not to mention eternity - away from our Father’s love is tragic. 

 

Some terrible things happen in life. I know when horrifying things have happened in my life I have gone to my Heavenly Father for love and support and I know that God is eternal and His love never fails. He is faithful. If you know anyone who is struggling, please tell them about the Lord who can comfort them in their struggles and save them in their struggles. 

 

I know He will get me through all the tough things in life and He will keep me forever. All of us who love the Lord are able to experience His love and support forever and for now. With this in mind, I know there are people who are part of our church family, our Salvation Army family, and others who aren’t, who are struggling. Let us pray for them. Let us reach out to them. If you are struggling let us pray with you. The Lord loves us; He wants us to be safe in this world and the next. John 3:17: For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

 

Let us pray.

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No Fear: The Story of Naaman, 2 Kings 5:1-7

Presented on-line for Sheepspeak.com 28 June 2009 by Captain Michael Ramsay and to The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries, 21 August, 2022

 

 Today’s story is a very interesting story. It is a very famous story that involves some very famous people - General Naaman, the Commander of the Aramean army (2 Kings 5:1); Elisha, the prophet of God (2 Kings 1:3,8) and a couple of less famous characters: Naaman’s wife’s servant girl and Gehazi, Elisha’s servant. I invite you to read the whole story of Naaman as it is recorded in 2 Kings 5. Today, however, we are just going to look at the story as it relates to person of Naaman and the effect that the events recorded in the first few verses of Chapter 5 had on Joram, the King of Israel. The story today opens up by introducing us to General Naaman: Verse 1, “Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram….” 

 

 Aram (Syria) 

 

 There are a few interesting things in this first verse that we have just read. One is that Naaman is a general, a commander of an army from Aram. Now the Arameans are on-again, off-again foes and allies of Israel (cf. 2 Kings 6:8, 24-7:20). They have had many conflicts over the years. You might remember some very dramatic scenes from the scriptures: In the early 14th century BC, much of Israel was under Aramean rule for about eight years (Judges 3) until they were liberated by Othniel, Caleb’s son-in-law. King Joram shortly after the episode we are looking at today (2 Kings 5) will wisely spare the lives of the Aramean soldiers that Elisha captures (2 Kings 6:8-23) and King Ahab not too many years before the events of today’s story unwisely spares the life of Aram’s king, Ben-Hadad (after capturing him in battle 1 Kings 20:31ff) only to be ironically killed in battle against the Aramean foe (1 Kings 22:29-38). These two countries – Israel and Aram (Syria) - have quite a history and at this point in their history the Superpower of the day (Assyria) has its eyes on the Near East and a ‘coalition of the willing’ is being formed to try to withstand Assyria’s onslaught. Among other things, Israel’s inconsistent support for the resistance sometimes provokes raids from Aram and in one of these raids a young Israelite girl is captured and she becomes General Naaman’s wife’s servant.[1] 

 

  Leprosy 

 

 It is this captured slave girl who, as recorded in verse 2 of our text, tells her master how he can be cured of his ailment. Naaman, verse one tells us, has leprosy. The word translated as ‘leprosy’ here probably does not refer to Hanson's Disease, which is what we generally think of if we speak of leprosy.[2] Theologians R. D. Patterson and Hermann J. Austel say of the Hebrew word here that, “obviously the term is of wider dimension, being used not only of true leprosy (e.g., of Azariah, 2 Kings 15:5 q.v.), but of serious skin conditions (Lev 13:1-46) and of fungi in clothing (Lev 13:47-56) and houses (Lev 14:33-59).[3] David P. Wright and Choon-Leong Seow agree that Naaman’s social involvement and status (the fact that he is a powerful person and that he is not living in isolation) make it very unlikely that he suffered from Hanson's Disease, which again is what we generally think of when we hear the word ‘leprosy’ today. Nonetheless, this condition that Naaman has is not a pleasant disease and just like Canadians with money in our day and age will try to jump surgery queues by paying a lot of money and taking extra risks to go the USA for a speedy operation, Naaman, as a man of privilege is willing to do the same in the story before us today. Verses 4-6: Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. "By all means, go," the king of Aram replied. "I will send a letter to the king of Israel." So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy."

 

International Intrigue? 

 

 There is even more than this though. It is not as if Naaman is just a wealthy man going off to a country that either controls his or has been allied with his own country for a hundred years or so (like a Canadian heading to the US). Naaman is a man of privilege and a soldier from a foreign country. Naaman is even more than just a privileged soldier: he is a general. Naaman is even more than just a general: he is the commander of Aram’s forces.[4] He is to the Aramean King, as Joab was to David or as Sisera was to Jabin (Judges 4).[5] He is the leader of the Aram’s military and Aram has been a war with Israel and Naaman himself has probably even gained some of his status by fighting successfully against Israel in the past. There is even an extra-Biblical tradition that says that it was Naaman’s arrow that struck down the disguised King Ahab of Israel in his war chariot (1 Kings 22, 2 Chronicles 18).[6] And now Namaan has approached the King of Aram to ask permission to visit Israel, a country that he has most certainly led military raids against. He has asked to go to Israel to see if he can get some help for his skin condition. Think about this for a moment. Can you imagine if the leader of the US forces in Afghanistan (even during a break in the fighting) asked for special permission to go to be healed of some illness by the Taliban (whom the US has at times sponsored and at other times warred against and whom the US is often involved in raids against their towns). It would be much the same I think. The King of Israel certainly seems to react the way we would expect of Mullah Omar if a high-profile American showed up at his door asking him to cure him of some seemingly incurable disease. The King of Israel says, verse 7, “…Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!” Naaman is sincere but the King of Israel is insecure; he is afraid. As we have seen, there are some very good reasons why one might be afraid – if one doesn’t have absolute faith in the absolute faithfulness of God and the King hasn’t the faith or knowledge yet that God can and will heal Namaan. He thinks that this is merely a political move on the part of his sometimes enemies. He seemingly forgets that God is sovereign. He forgets that God is in control and instead he just thinks that the King of Aram is trying to pick a fight to him and he gets so upset about it that he even – verse 7 – tears his royal robes. He has this fear of man where instead he should have faith in God. 

 

  What about us? 

 

 When we are unexpectedly met with some challenge, do we ever have this very same fear in the place that should be occupied with faith? When the economy is going down, when more than one cabinet minister leaves important files with biker gangs or a media outlet that has just had a judge condemn it for a lack of ethics, when it seems that our financial and political masters may be either incompetent or (as the conspiracy theorist would say) out to get us, are we tempted have a fear of man or circumstance in the place of faith in God? Do we have fear in the place of faith? In our own lives when things are seemingly going wrong and people or circumstances appear to be trying to pick a quarrel with us, do we have fear in the place of faith? This is the King of Israel’s problem. This isn’t Naaman’s problem: Namaan is boldly marching down to Israel. And this isn’t God’s problem or the prophet Elisha’s problem. God, through Elisha rebukes and comforts King Joram of Israel with these words – verse 7, he says, “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” When things in our life seem like they are out-of-control; when we have the impression that people or life itself might be ganging up on us; when it doesn’t seem like we can win for losing; when we just want to tear our clothes, tear our hair out, or cry because (like the King of Israel) all we can see is the mounting pressure and impending crises…when all this happens, we should remember these words of comfort: "Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel." In other words, calm down, be at peace, bring your problems before the Lord and then we will all see that indeed God is in this place. 

 

 Let us pray.  

 

  http://www.sheepspeak.com/ 

 

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[1]R. D. Patterson and Hermann J. Austel. The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:2 Kings/Exposition of Second Kings/6. The eras of Jehoram of the northern kingdom and Jehoram and Ahaziah of the southern kingdom (2:1-9:37)/c. Elisha's miracles (4:1-6:7)/(4) The restoration of Naaman (5:1-27), Book Version: 4.0.2 [2] Cf. G.J. Wenham, The Book of Leviticus (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979), pp. 189-214 and David P. Wright and Richard N. Jones, “Leprosy” in ABD, 4:277-82. [3] R. D. Patterson and Hermann J. Austel. The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:2 Kings/Notes to Second Kings/Second Kings 5 Notes/Second Kings Note 5:1, Book Version: 4.0.2 [4] Choon-Leong Seow. The First and Second Book of Kings. (NIB III: Abigdon Press, Nashville, 1999), p. 193. [5] R. D. Patterson and Hermann J. Austel. The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:2 Kings/Exposition of Second Kings/6. The eras of Jehoram of the northern kingdom and Jehoram and Ahaziah of the southern kingdom (2:1-9:37)/c. Elisha's miracles (4:1-6:7)/(4) The restoration of Naaman (5:1-27), Book Version: 4.0.2 [6] Cf. Josephus. Antiquities of the Jews 15.5 and Targum on 2 Chronicles 18. Cited from Choon-Leong Seow. The First and Second Book of Kings. (NIB III: Abigdon Press, Nashville, 1999), p. 193.