The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-09-14
Rev. Or. Stage Draws Lesson
from Naaman's Attitude
ALL MEN ARE FOUND OUT
Mans Estimate and Gods Estimate.
The Bible story Applied to
Everyday Life-Large Con-
eregations at Church.

the First Presbyterian church, VINO re-
turned from his vacation Saturday, was
greeted by large congregations yester-
day. His sermon at the night service was
as follows:
and his servants came near and
snake unto him, and said, My father,
If the prophet had bid thee do some great
thing wouldst thou not have done it?' 3"
II Kings, 5th chapter, and part OF the
18th verse.
You remember these words are descrip-
tive of Naamans attitude toward the
prophet of God when he came to be heal
ed of his leprosy. They are not Naaman's
words they are the words Of his servants.
His servants were shrewd enough to UNI
derstand the real weakness of their mas
ter, and they were likewise smart enough
to know there was no real cause for
Naaman's being offended, and they were
men of enough ordinary sense to desire
to try every means available for the
cure of their master.
Wrong Estimate.
Naaman had a wrong estimate of HIM
self, because he had an erroneous con-
ception of God and Gods prophet. He
had been accustomed to being honored
by all beneath him. The contrast between
the glory of the court that he had left
in his own land, and the humble abode
Of the old prophet, made it natural for
him to expect some TODD to be made
when so great a parsonage should. be an
,,aurcad VVhap Elisha saamed unroncern.
ed to such an extent that he didn't even
come to his own door, but sent word to
him to go to the river and dip himself in
Jordan seven times this contemptuous
treatment snraged him, ana his rage
got the better OF his judgment. He was,
to us an ordinary expression, mad; mad
because for once the estimate that he
had put upon himself did not seem to
be acquiesced in by this humble man
who claimed to be prophet, In coun-
try that had been conquered, man
who claimed to be the servant of a God
whom Naaman did not acknowledge.
He was not concerned in the first In
stance about his God enough to acknowl-
edge Him in his life, therefore it could
not be expected that he would be over
much concerned about His prophet; and
weakness betrays itself, for try as hard
as we will to keep the mask over our
selves, occasionally 1t will be lifted and
men will find what we are, and what we
think of ourselves. 1 suppose 1t would
have been somewhat humiliating even to
Naaman If he had known what was go
ing on in the minds of his servants, as
they saw how little he really was. They
probed him with this question: IF the
prophet had commanded some great
thing-if his command and your estimate
of yourself were in accord-wouldn't you
have done what he commanded" And
you see readily that he would, from what
he, acknowledges when he tells his disap-
pointment. He said, II thought at least
he would come out and strike his hand
over the leprosy and call on the name
OF his God" |. e. that there would be a
great demonstration. That | apprehend is
really the mind of the man. He expect
ed that Gods prophet would make some
great to-do that would impress those who
were beneath him that at least now he
had the opportunity to honor himself by
doing good unto one who was great
Gods Estimate.
But Gods estimate of the man Is not
so to be read from His book.
| do not undertake to draw the gospel
story from this incident of Naamans
encounter with the prophet of God but,
simply to indicate that God, when He
will use and bring good to any man,
must first succeed in establishing His
claim as pre-eminent beyond all a man
Inns alf
must be $40 being higher in his alteration
than God. There must be no power wor-
their of being adored.
Everything that is Intermediary be-
tween man and God must be taken away
when man comes to deal with God. II
Is not a prophet 1t is not man In au-
thority. He might be next to the king
In his own country; he isn't next to God
when he comes to be healed of his help
lessness. There must be a clear vision
that looks at his own helplessness, and
then looks out at the power of God. No
man can be benefited, no man can be
helped in his contemplation of God that
does not so regard himself. And that
was precisely this mans trouble He
had not a correct idea of God He had
no correct conception of himself He
thought that he was to be compared al
ways In all circumstances, with those
who were beneath him; that he could
never come into any condition In which
honor would not be bestowed upon him;
but he had come now into the presence
of God who alone Is able to give help to
man. and 1t Is his nothlngness that must
be first impressed upon him, and that
Is what he Is reluctant to have done So
his servants said to him. 'If the prophet
had commanded you to do some great
thing wouldn't you have done it?'' 1t
isn't recorded in the scripture that Naa-
man made any answer save that he went
and dipped In the river seven time, ac-
cording to the command. Certain II Is
that the question went home. 1t revealed
his state Of mind 1t showed how SEN
seless 1t was for man to travel a great
distance, coming to one to whom he had
been recommended for help and then to
go away unhealed simply because he had
been offended. He had not been treated
as he thought he should be- and he WIS
going away. Here was help. here was
God giving command by His prophet
what should be done, and yet he was
going away unhelped.
Practical Application.
Now, I shall take this truth and I wish
to make 1t apply to the every day life
that men live in the world The trouble
was that Naaman did not wish to do an
ordinary thing. He was perfectly will
ing to do something that was great, but
he was unwilling to do anything that
was ordinary. That principle taken from
this incident, no longer concerns itself
with a man who has the 1eprosy and with
the command of God TO go and dip in
the river Jordan, but the fact that It is
dfffcuIt for men 10 be induced 10 do