The Mission and Miracles of Elisha - Part Five

Extract

The Mission and Miracles of Elisha – Part Five
A. W. Pink

11. The Tenth Miracle Continuing
12. Eleventh Miracle
13. Twelfth Miracle
14. Thirteenth Miracle

11. The Tenth Miracle Continuing That to which we devoted much of our attention in previous meditations was the requirement made upon Naaman, because that demand and his compliance therewith is the hinge on which this miracle turns, as the response made by the sinner to the call of the Gospel settles whether or not he is to be cleansed from his sin. This does not denote that the success or failure of the Gospel is left contingent upon the will of men, but rather announces that order of things which God has instituted: an order in which He acts as Moral Governor and in which man is dealt with as a moral agent. In consequence of the fall, man is filled with enmity against God and is blind to his eternal interests. His will is opposed to God’s and the depravity of his heart causes him to forsake his own mercies. Nevertheless, he is still a responsible creature, and God treats him as such. As His Moral Governor, God requires obedience from him, and in the case of His elect He obtains it, not by physical compulsion but by moral persuasion, not by mere force but by inclining them to free concurrence. He does not overwhelm by Divine might, but declares, “I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love” (Hosea 11:4). What has just been pointed out above receives striking illustration in the incident before us. When God’s requirement was made to Naaman, it pleased him not: he was angry at the prophet and rebellious against the instructions given him. “Go and wash in Jordan seven times” was a definite test of obedience, calling for the surrender of his will unto the Lord. Everything …