6.26.25 ~ A New Attitude

Good morning!

Earlier this week I introduced you to two groups of individuals, though not related, they were similar in their arrogance; Both groups despised leadership and the Promised Land, but one repented. The first group we looked at was Korah/Dathan/Abiram + 250 nobility (Num. 16) and the 2nd was Naaman (2 Kgs. 5).

The ground opened up and swallowed our Numbers 16 boys and leprosy struck Naaman. But through humility and a change of attitude towards leadership and the Land of Israel his skin became like a baby's bottom.

The stories in Scripture reveal, in a limited fashion, that leprosy really only broke out on people for their arrogance and slanderous tongues. Yet, in real life, there were huge leper colonies outside God's camp.  There's something to think about: aren't we glad that the biblical type of leprosy isn't active today :-/. However, when the plagues of Revelation activate the tormenting boils, there might be a general media and social media collapse due to the infestation of those who take the mark of the beast and worship his image (Rev. 16:2).

At the beginning of Naaman's story, we see a commander that had authority issues, and consequently leprosy appears.  With his anger, a sign of pride, he rebelled against the authority of the prophet until his servants basically said, "All your pharmaceutical drugs haven't worked, what have you got to lose? Go to the man of God (2 Kings. 5:3,4,12,13)."  In his pride, similar to our first group of individuals, Naaman wanted to be treated in a way that recognized his high position.  Immersing in the dirty little Jordan was beneath him.  Dirty little Israel; those covenant people. Naaman's home environment affected his mindset (1 Cor. 15:33). He was from Aram (aka Syria), a high and beautiful place with great military strength and prosperity.

What Naaman needed to see was what humility could accomplish: resurrection to a new life.  It wasn't a matter of finding the cleanest river, but the humbling crossing place of the Jordan/Yarden/to descend in judgment. The Prophet was giving him a chance to love the physical Land of Israel because of its spiritual significance. And it's here, at least according to tradition, that the upper Garden hovers just above it.

Once healed, like a child (2 Kgs. 5:14), Naaman humbly asks if it is okay, when he has to escort his king into a place of idol worship if he can consciously reject the idolatrous worship (2 Kgs. 5:17,18).  He doesn't ASSUME! After his conversion experience, he knows now that there is only one true God; the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  He seeks direction from a man who is just a man;  An equal human being, but an anointed prophet. Instead of despising the dirty, rocky Land of Israel,

"Naaman said, "If not, please let your servant at least be given two mules' load of earth; for your servant will no longer offer burnt offering nor will he sacrifice to other gods, but to the LORD." (2 Ki 5:17)

In other words, he wanted to take part of the Land back with him. Do you see the heart change towards leadership and the Land?  He adjusts his primary allegiance to the Land in spite of the place where he's planted...quite a different position than Dathan, Abiram, Korah and the 250 princes.

It doesn't take much for leaders to think they are a 'bag of chips and a whole lot more'. Just ask Aaron and Miriam.

"Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had married a Cushite woman); and they said, "Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?" And the LORD heard it. (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.) (Nu 12:1-3)

Do you see the parallel with Korah and the motley crew?

"They assembled together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "You have gone far enough, for all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is in their midst; so why do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?" When Moses heard this, he fell on his face;" (Nu 16:3-4)

Humility is the thing we remember about Moses; the meekest man to ever live (Num. 12:3).  Moses knew how to descend, so he was able to see that Israel could ascend.  He saw life, not death.  He saw cures, not sickness.  He saw obedience, not inconvenience and self-indulgence.

The Israelites under the influence of the 10 spies rejected the Land of their inheritance (Num. 13, 14). The 2nd generation of
Israelites, the seed of Abraham, have a high calling (Gal. 3:29; Isa. 41:8).  Within this calling the Israelite knows that residing in the four corners of the earth is a self-inflicted punishment to make our hearts long for home (Deut. 30:4-6). Ironically, and without going into a long discourse, the Land is also likened to the people of God (Matt. 23:37-39).

For those hungry for His return, the unity of His people and the Land of your inheritance, all of your study and conforming your life to as much of the Torah Covenant as we can, prepares us for the return, resurrection, adoption of the sons of God (Rom. 8:23), while securing your inheritance in the Land (Eph. 1:13-18).  These individuals, who progressively are being conformed into the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29), like Naaman, can feel their "skin" changing already to conform to the instructions of Garden life.  The physical Land is not "beneath" them because they know Who is above them. Ahh, what a life of hope (Rom. 8:24,25)

On this 26th day of counting towards the first fruit of the wine, may our hearts be humble and our hunger for His people and His presence be insatiable :-)

Shalom,
Alan