Shade Tree wisdom 4/19/09

Her name was Maria.. She was a happy child, her hair was dark, her eyes brown and sparkling, always had a smile, a happy disposition, ready to help her mother, do errands, be helpful around the house. Maria was one reason this was a happy  place.  Maria took care of the chickens, made beds, swept and dusted, worked in the garden when weeding or harvesting was done.              One day all this changed.  The Syrian raiding party hit the area, and swept up Maria and her family into captivity.  Maria ended up as a servant in the house of Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army. Here, too, she proved to be obedient, an excellent worker ,willing and able to do the work assigned to the best of her ability.  One cloud in this family was that Naaman had leprosy.  Though he was a Commander, he had this terrible disease.  It worried them all.              One day Maria said to her mistress – I think it was while they were snapping green beans for the evening meal, ”If only my Master would see the prophet who is in Samaria.  He would cure him of his leprosy.” (2 Kings 5,2).  For the most part, such conversation is just idle talk to pass the time.  But the mistress heard this “Cure him”, and promptly quizzed the servant  intensely.  Then she reported to her husband, and he, looking for any way to find a cure, decided to ask his King for permission to go to Samaria and seek this cure.  The king said, “By all means, go”.              So Namaan made the trip to Samaria.  And he went armed with a letter to the King of Israel, and carrying lots of gifts.  The report mentions gold, silver, and sets of clothing.  So he came to the King of Israel with his letter, and the king, after reading  the letter, cried, “Does he think I am God? He is trying to pick a quarrel with me.”              But Elijah the prophet, hearing about the visit, and the king's reaction, sent a message asking the king to direct Naaman to his door, and ‘\"He will know there is a prophet in Israel”.              So Naaman came with his outriders, his guardsmen, and his entourage to Elijah’s door, and is met by the servant with a message, “Go, wash seven times in the Jordan, and you will be cured”.              Naaman receives that with bad grace.  He snorts, “You expected him to come out and stand there and do something great.  Buit this?  Why, our rivers at home are cleaner than this Jordan.”  And he starts to pack up to go back home.              But his servants and companions manage to convince him to at least try “since you have come this far”. So, reluctantly, Naaman does, and is cured, as the prophet said.  Of course he is thrilled, and offers the prophet gifts, and is turned down.  The story is in 2 Kings chapter 5.  [Elijah’s servant runs after Naaman and asks for gifts after all, and is srruck with leprosy.]              But the point of the story is this, nothing happened until and when Naaman obeyed the prophet’s word exactly.  So should we, do what He says, and not what seems best to us because we are “after all, living in 2009.”  Give that some thought, please.  How is our obedience to God’s Word and will? GPD 4/19/09