Tag: 2 Kings

Trust and Obey

In my time in the ministry, most traditional worshippers loved the hymn, Trust and Obey. The hymn was inspired in 1886 when the composer of the music, Daniel B. Towner (1950-1919), was the music leader at one of Dwight L. Moody’s (1837-1899) revivals in Blockton, Massachusetts. On one evening, a young man stood up in a testimony meeting and said, “I am not quite sure – but I am going to trust, and I am going to obey.”  Towner jotted down that line and sent it to a Presbyterian minister, J. H. Sammis (1846-1919), who wrote the hymn and the tune was born. With that story in mind, let us look at our scripture reading, 2 Kings 5:1-14.

The main character in the story is Naaman. Prior to our reading, Naaman had a good life. As Commander of the Syrian army, he was professionally successful, well connected, and respected. His good life was threatened when he discovered he had leprosy, a highly contagious skin disease. In our time it is treatable, but in Naaman’s time there was no cure. His association with the king, professional success, fame, and wealth could not help him. The powerful Naaman was powerless against the disease.

His only hope was in God. Naaman’s story resonates with anyone who has ever had a major problem. In this blog, I want to examine three divine truths about problems.

Divine Truth Number One: problems force us to seek God. When life is good, we have no need for God. Now, God does not create our problems, but God uses our problems to remind us of what is important. That was Naaman’s story. Naaman had everything this world had to offer. Verse one says, “Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. (Aram was the King of Syria.) He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.”  Those four words, “but he had leprosy”, changed everything. Suddenly, God became important to Naaman. It was his wife’s maid, an Israelite refugee, who spoke of the prophet Elisha. It is a universal truth – how many people do you know have no need for God until a problem invades their personal space?

Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 BC) was born 525 before Jesus. He had a good life. He lived in the palace away from the harshness of this world. It was not until he was in his early twenties that he left the palace for the first time. When he did, he saw the harshness of his world. He saw poverty, disease, and death for the first time and he was forever changed. He looked for a higher power to answer some tough questions and find relief. He developed meditation to disassociate himself from this world. It worked for him and he taught it to others. Today, Siddhartha Gautama is called Buddha, or the “enlightened one”. Today, there are approximately four hundred million Buddhists worldwide. It all started because one young man saw the big problems of this world. He reached for a higher power to ease his pain. Seeking God during a problem does not make you a Christian, but it does make you human. Problems force us to seek God. The next two divine truths go hand in hand.

Divine Truth Number Two: problems force us to trust God. Naaman took the words of the maid seriously. He received permission from his king to travel to Israel. Verse five says he took a hefty sum of money with him expecting to pay a king’s ransom for the healing. Upon his arrival he discovers two things. First, the prophet was not in the court of the King of Israel. Second, he discovered that his money is worthless. The healing cannot be bought. If he wanted to be healed, then he must trust God. Before Naaman could submit to God, he had to learn how to trust God. That was difficult for him. It has been said, “A person who trusts no one can’t be trusted.”  How much do you trust God? Problems force us to trust God.

Divine Truth Number Three: problems force us to submit to God. The greatest barrier to Naaman’s healing was his own pride. Several things happen to break his pride. First, Naaman learned the King of Israel was powerless against the disease; Naaman’s political connections could not help him. Second, Naaman was instructed to go to Elisha’s house and was greeted by a messenger. Verse eleven tells us Naaman felt disrespected and was angry. Third, Naaman was instructed to dunk himself seven times in the muddy Jordan River. The number seven in the Bible stands for completeness. In other words, Naaman had to completely submit to God. That would require Naaman to humble himself. That was difficult for him. Without the encouraging words of his servants, Naaman would have returned home with leprosy. In the end, Naaman swallowed his pride and submitted. As promised, he was healed after dunking himself seven times in the Jordan. New Zealand explorer Edmund Hillary (1919-2008) once said, “It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.”

Submitting to God’s will is one of the most challenging things you will ever do in your life as a disciple. We are more comfortable with Jesus being our Saviour, than we are Jesus being our Lord. The reason is, God does not always address a problem in the way that we expect. Naaman took his great wealth to Israel expecting to buy a miracle. He never dreamed he would be dunking himself in the Jordan River. How many times has God responded to your problems in a surprising way? Problems force us to submit to God.

Let me end where I began. In 1886, Dwight L. Moody held a revival in Blockton, Massachusetts. One of the attendees was a young man who attended a testimony meeting. He stood up and said that he would trust and obey God for the rest of his life. That is easy to say when life is good. It is not so easy to say when problems invade your life. Problems are a part of life. The greater the problem the more trust and obedience is required. If you do not believe me, ask Naaman.

C. S. Lewis’ Three Surprises

Our scripture reading is from Second Kings. There was a time when First Kings and Second Kings were united and simply called Kings. It was divided into two literary pieces in about the year 400. The division comes chronologically. King Ahab, the northern king, reigned at the same time as Jehoshaphat, the southern king. Ahab is remembered as one of the worst kings because he encouraged the people to abandon God, Yahweh, and worship the false god, Baal.

Jezebel, which means wicked or shameless, was a Phoenician princess, daughter of King Tyre. In time, she would marry King Ahab. Together, they had three children, Ahaziah, Jehoram, and Athaliah. Jezebel wanted more than the perks that came with the crown; she wanted influence. She influenced her husband to commit the most heinous of sins. She encouraged Ahab to reject the one true God and worship Baal. Together, they encouraged their subjects to worship Baal. There is no other way to say it – Jezebel was a sinner, and her death was not pleasant. Our reading, 2 Kings 9:30-37, contains her unpleasant ending.

According to the text, Jezebel is in the city of Jezreel, an ancient fortress. She was locked in a power struggle with the new king of Israel, Jehu. He is coming to seize his power, but Jezebel will not surrender easily. Jezebel climbs a high tower to survey the situation. She calls out to the new king, but their words are few. In the end, she loses everything. She is thrown out of the tower and dies on impact. Jehu saw the ugliness, but he was unmoved. He knew it was pleasing to God. Our world has always been an ugly place.  

The story of Jezebel’s death is a story about judgement. It was written to shock readers because the author wants to grab everyone’s attention. He wants to remind us of two things. First, he wanted to remind us that sin is serious business. Our world ignores the seriousness of sin and is consumed with love and grace. Second, he wants to remind us that someday we will be judged. We will be judged for the things we have done – sins of commission. We will also be judged for the things we should have done – sins of omission. How much human suffering have you ignored? Just like Jezebel, our day is coming. We will stand before God and be held accountable. The goal of the Christian faith is to get everyone into heaven. Sadly, not all will make it.  

In this blog, I want to ask you five spiritual questions to make sure you are ready for your judgement day. These questions are not original. They came from Christian author Neil Cole (born 1960). You must answer these questions honestly.

What is the condition of your soul? In other words, are you at peace with God? According to Chapman University, 35% of Americans are afraid of death. It is important that you understand God’s plan of salvation. Jesus died on the cross for the sins of mankind. He is our only hope of salvation. Salvation cannot be earned; we are saved by grace. Do you understand God’s plan of salvation? What is the condition of your soul?

What sin do you need to confess? What dark part of your life do you need to bring into the light? Everyone has something. There isn’t a perfect person in this world. They say confession is good for the soul, and it is pleasing to God. What do you need to confess?

What have you held back from God that you need to surrender? God expects you to make him the top priority in your life. Any other relationship or possession must be second. That is hard for anyone who has loved ones. Is God your top priority? What or who is you holding back from God?

Is there anything that is dampening your zeal for Christ? In other words, are you excited about Jesus, or are you just mildly interested? There is a world of difference between being a fan of Jesus and a true disciple. Are you passionately in love with Jesus, or are you just mildly interested in Jesus? What is dampening your zeal for Christ?

Who have you talked with about Jesus this week? Are you more comfortable talking about Jesus, or politics? You should be able to tell people what Jesus means to you. You should be able to tell people what Jesus has done for you. You should be able to tell people how Jesus has changed your life. Who have you talked with about Jesus this week? I challenge you to not just answer those questions. I challenge you to ask the people in your life those spiritual questions. The goal is to get everyone into heaven. Heaven would not be the same without you!

C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) was a British writer, literary scholar and Anglican lay theologian. He once declared there are three surprises waiting for us in heaven. The first is who is there. Our job is not to judge others; our job is to love others. The second is who isn’t there. We are not saved by our good deeds. The third is that we are there. We are saved by grace and grace alone. Who is the first person you are going to look for when you get to heaven? The goal of the Christian faith is to get everyone in heaven. Sadly, some will be missing.