Naaman was healed of leprosy. He swore to never worship any other god; but the true God of Israel. Yet, as the commander of the army for the king of Syria part of his duties included accompanying the king to the temple of Rimmon, a pagan god whom the Syrians worshipped. Although a man of great power in his own country, held in high esteem by the king; he was not willing to proclaim the truth of God before his people. A missed opportunity by which he could have saved his nation, were he willing to proclaim the name of god. Rather in time the nation of Syria would fall in battle. After all that God did for Naaman by healing him, Naaman was unwilling to share the good news or proclaim that there is only one True God and mankind must worship Him or perish.
In Luke 4, Jesus came to Nazareth to teach and preach. At first the people were very excited. They had heard of the miracles He had performed in the surrounding countryside. He entered the synagogue to read the scripture and to preach.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. he closed the book, gave it again to the minister, and sat down. the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:18-21).
A Missed Opportunity
The Savior of the World, the Messiah they had longed for stood before them. Yet, they desired Him to come as King. Never would they accept Him as a lowly carpenter who came to suffer and die upon the cross. Neither did they want to hear the truth of their sin or the sins of their nation. As Christ continued to speak, He reminded them that in the days of Elijah and Elisha the nation continued in their sin. Both Elijah and Elisha had reached out with God’s grace to gentiles who demonstrated more faith in God than their Jewish neighbors. Particularly, He mentioned, “many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus (Elisha) the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian” (Luke 4:27).
Immediately, all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But He passing through the midst of them went his way (Luke 4:28-30).
The incarnate God sat in their midst; yet, their pride and arrogance could not see Him. A missed opportunity for them and their people. They wanted to kill Him; yet, in plain sight He slipped away for their blindness was so great they could not see Him though He was there in plain sight. A missed opportunity both individually and as a nation.
Can A Missed Opportunity Leave A Nation to Fall?
So, what about us? We that know Jesus Christ as our Savior in this nation have been so richly blessed over the years. However, times are changing. Our freedom to proclaim the truth of the gospel are being questioned. Instead of standing up and loudly proclaiming His name, we cower and keep our mouths shut. Certainly, we don’t want to be labeled a bigot! We standby and watch infants be slaughtered at the altar of “men and women’s worship of their body and sexual depravity.” Much like Naaman, we stand at those altars ourselves with our mouths closed.
Furthermore, we standby silently while our churches preach a “wishy-washy, feel good gospel” where Christ is never truly seen. And we wonder at how our nation has reached the level of violence and depravity that it has? We are unwilling to risk our puny, self-absorbed life for truth and righteousness! Afraid to speak the truth of the gospel, our missed opportunity will leave our nation to fall. Our opportunity is now!! We must boldly proclaim the name of Christ, declaring the truth of God’s word, unafraid of what others might think. Beyond that, we must be on our knees in prayer for this our nation before it is too late and judgment falls.
Our missed opportunity will leave this nation to fall into such deprivation and chaos that our children and grandchildren may never see the goodness of the Lord. Oh, that they may know Him! Their eternity may weigh in the balance of what we are willing to do today!
DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR?
If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior: I urge you to go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link. There is nothing more important than this; because, He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, I urge you to seek Him today.
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Previous Post in This Series:
One Unlikely Believer and the Grace of God
Do You Trust God in the Famine?
Is Love Really Worth the Heartbreak?
Are you Really Seeking God in All You Do?
Do You Believe God is Your Provider?
What Can One God Fearing Man Do?
What Happens When We Fail to Teach Our Children?
How to Revive Barren Lands with Living Waters
Who will Carry the Torch for God Against Evil?
What if God’s Work Leaves You Alone and Depressed?
Can You See The Army of God Surrounding You?
©Effie Darlene Barba, 2018
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned except for my own books. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Footnote and Credits
Photo by Mantas Hesthaven on Unsplash