Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | Isaiah 57:1 The righteous man perishes, and no man takes it to heart; And devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from evil, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Isaiah 57:1 The righteous man perishes [at the hand of evil], and no one takes it to heart; Faithful and devout men are taken away, while no one understands That the righteous person is taken away [to be spared] from disaster and evil. |
Bible Question:
Greetings Mommapbs I went and read about Naaman: II Kings 5:1-15 'Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman's wife. Then she said to her mistress, "If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy." And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, "Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel." Then the king of Syria said, "Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel." So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said, Now be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy. And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, "Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me." So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, "Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel." Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha's house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean." But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, "Indeed, I said to myself, "He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.' Are not the Abanah[1] and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage. And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, "Wash, and be clean'?" So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, "Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant."' Naaman did believe or have faith in what the little maid from Isreal said about the prophet in Samaria being able to heal him of his leprosy, didn't he? Otherwise, why did he depart to Isreal? And even before he was healed, he said 'Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his GOD, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper'. That sounds a lot like the woman with the issue of blood to me. He did believe there was a GOD in Isreal at this point, didn't he? After he got healed of the leprosy, he said 'Behold, now I know that there is no GOD in all the earth, but in Isreal'. Though he may not have submitted himself to the GOD of Isreal before his healing, he nevertheless believed that the GOD of Isreal existed. After he was healed, then he proclaimed that the GOD of Isreal is the only GOD there is (now that makes me want to shout!!). The Bible says in the mouth of two or three witnesses let every word be established, so do you know of any more scripture passages that show someone who did not have faith to get healed be healed? What I want to do is read it in context and see what circumstances where involved. Thanks again and Abba Father bless you always!! |
Bible Answer: Your wrote: "Naaman did believe or have faith in what the little maid from Isreal said about the prophet in Samaria being able to heal him of his leprosy, didn't he?" Yes, Naaman exercized his "faith factor," but remember that the issue you are addressing is the OBJECT of that faith! I think we can compare this situation to seeking advice about what Dr. to go visit! Like Naaman, when we see the Dr, we too have a choice to follow his instructions or not! What Naaman chose to believe about the prophet Elisha, determined his response. WHO was Naaman trusting in - even though he believed the God of the Israelites existed, it was not HIS god! (Sure, Dr. so-and-so went to a fine medical school, but he uses "alternative therapy" and I just can't buy into that! How 'bout some good old fashioned pills Doc?!) Notice how he rejected the instruction of the prophet - the waters of his own land were "better." This passage also suggests that Naaman felt that HE had to play a more important role in his own healing; it also appears that he was angry that Elisha had not paid him his "due" by just sending a message of words rather than seeing him personally. There is a lot to think about here! And yet when pressed to "take a chance" and comply with the instructions he was given, he obeyed. Yet, WHO did he obey? It wasn't GOD - he obeyed his servants! The faith factor Naaman exercized was NOT in God. But even through his unbelief,I believe God healed Naaman to bring glory to Himself! Indeed, God chose to heal Naaman even before he ascribed honor and Glory to The Great Physician. Another reference for you to consider: Hosea 11:1-3 says, "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. But the more I called Israel, the further they went from me.They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images. It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them." God still heals, even when we do not acknowledge Him. As far as other passages, I am reminded about the paralytic who was brought to Jesus by his friends.(Matthew 9) God's word say "When he saw THEIR faith" (v2); this is collective or plural. But it leaves room to wonder if the reference is to the friends apart from the man in need of healing. If this indeed is the case, how much more should we, as believers, be standing in the gap as intercessors for our unbelieving friends! Perhaps THIS is the greater issue for you to consider - for "they did not realize it was I (Jehovah) who healed them." In Christ's love, Mommapbs PS: Don't limit God by resisiting the possibility for the Lord to heal (or do anything, for that matter!) without believing faith in Him as a prerequisite. I believe that healing is God's desire for us - He wants none to perish - But this healing has an eternal objective! I urge you to keep your focus off the physical blessing of good health and recall the words of Jesus to the woman at the well, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." John 4:10. |