Belief and Obedience

Sunday November 16, 2014

Have you ever desperately wanted something from God? Did you ever make any promises to Him so that He would come through for you?

Naaman was a highly respected army commander (2 Kings 5:1). His king thought so highly of him that he sent letters of introduction to the king of Israel asking that prophet Elisha come and heal Naaman of leprosy (vv. 5-6). There was no cure for the disease at that time, so Naaman expected to pay a great price and to experience great sacrifice for healing to occur. But - through Elisha - that was not God´s way. The prophet simply told Naaman to dip himself "seven times in the Jordan River" (v.10). No gifts or great actions required!

Even today, the idea of getting something for nothing doesn´t sit well with most of us. We often find it hard to simply believe by faith. Sometimes even mature believers in Jesus try to earn God´s blessing by doing good or working harder to receive His favour. "Naaman became angry" when he was instructed to do something as simple as taking a plunge in a river (v.11). The wisdom of his servants, who had talked him into it, is a lesson to us all (v.13). Naaman´s obedience led to his cure (v.14).

Faith and  obedience are tied together. Jesus told a woman who washed His feet, "Your faith has save you; go in peace" (Luke 7:50). Abraham believed in God and "the Lord counted him as righteous" (Genesis 15:6). Paul summed it up this way : "God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can´t take credit for this; it is a gift from God" (Ephesians 2:8).

We simply need to believe and obey, as Naaman did. Our salvation isn´t based on our great deeds, but on a great God who saves us when we believe in Jesus His Son. - Russell Fralick.

Read
2 Kings 5:1-14
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. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.
Now hands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman´s wife. She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy."
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 of 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."
As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, "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!"
When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: "Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel." So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha´s house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, was yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed."
But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn´t I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage.
Naaman´s servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.

Hebrews 11:1-31
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God´s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.

By faith Enoch was taken from his life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

By faith Abraham, even though he was past age - and Sarah herself was barren - was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country - a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.

By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.

By faith Jacob, when he was dying blessed each of Joseph´s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.

By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king´s edict.

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh´s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king´s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.

By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

Question to Ponder:
Have you tried to earn the blessing of God? 
Stop trying, instead, simply allow Him to be the gracious and merciful God He already is! Why are belief and obedience both easy and hard?

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Sept - Nov 2014 issue