Behold, I Thought

There’s a story in the Old Testament about a good man. But he had a terrible disease called leprosy. There was nothing he could do about it. Then one day he would have a reason to hope. Someone told him about a man who could cure him. A search was made to find this man and receive the cure. He would find the man and be given instructions as to what to do. But then something strange occurred. The leper became upset about what he was to do and said no! He refused the cure. I’m referring to Naaman and what we read about him in 2 Kings 5:1-10. It’s a powerful story with some lessons for us to learn. Like Naaman, we too have a terrible condition: sin. There’s a man who can help us: Jesus. The solution to our biggest problem is found in Him. But sadly, like Naaman, many can reject the one they really need. Why? Let’s look at the story of Naaman. Naaman had leprosy. If you know anything about this condition, then you know how bad it was. A person would slowly suffer a variety of physical issues. This is what Naaman would have experienced. Yet, when he was told what to do, in 2 Kings 5:11, he said, “Behold, I thought.” From that statement, you can sense how Naaman was somewhat stubborn. There was no way he was going to dip in the Jordan River seven times. He was angry. But it didn’t matter how angry he may have been with Elisha or with God. His situation would not change unless he submitted to the will of God. Thankfully, Naaman followed the words of God, 2 Kings 5:13-14.

It didn’t matter what Naaman thought. It didn’t matter if there were better rivers for him to dip into. Naaman needed to trust God. When he did, he was healed. He experienced God’s mercy. He knew God and followed Him, 2 Kings 5:17. Now, let’s think about ourselves for a moment. We all have a problem: sin. We are reminded of this in Romans 3:23. All need healing from this terrible condition. The impact of this condition is devastating, Romans 6:23. The wages of sin is death. Because of sin, many families are broken, some churches have been ruined, communities are destroyed, and many will go to hell. Yet, it is Jesus who can help us, John 3:16. Unfortunately, even when some people learn about how bad off they really are, they will still ignore the solution.

Some will ignore Jesus and the salvation He can provide. They will ignore His grace and mercy they desperately need. Sadly, many people can have the same mindset of “behold, I thought.” People can deceive themselves and think they don’t need Jesus. They can convince themselves that they can figure things out on their own. But they can’t. We can’t, Jeremiah 10:23. I need Jesus. So, do you. Jesus wants to save us from our sins, Acts 2:38. We can become cleansed by His precious blood. His invitation always stands. We just have to decide whether or not we will accept it. Naaman’s situation wasn’t going to change as long as he had a “behold, I thought” attitude. Neither will ours.