Whose Will
Shortly after Israel became a united monarchy, King Saul was instructed to attack Amalek (I Samuel 15) and to “utterly destroy all that they” had and to “not spare them.” After engaging in battle with the Amalekites, “Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them.” After a rather contentious exchange of words with Samuel, Saul ultimately confessed, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.” Subsequently, the kingdom was taken away from Saul because of his disobedience to God’s command.
About a century later, after Israel and Judah divided into separate nations, a man of God was commissioned by the Lord to go to Bethel to decry the altar that King Jeroboam had built for Israel (I Kings 13). After completing his mission, the man of God began his return to Judah as the Lord had directed him. An old prophet heard about the things the man of God had done in Bethel and set out to find the man of God. When the old prophet found the man of God, the old prophet invited the man to come home with him. Initially, the man of God declined the invitation by stating that the Lord had instructed him to “not eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by going the way” he had come. The old prophet claimed that an angel had instructed him to bring the man of God home to eat and drink. Upon hearing the false statement of the old prophet, the man of God yielded and went to the old prophet’s home “and ate bread in his house, and drank water.” Afterward, as the man of God resumed his journey to Judah, he was killed by a lion.
An incident of strife between Israel and Syria (II Kings 5) take place about 100 years after the division of the northern and southern kingdoms.4The commander of Syria’s army, Naaman, was “a mighty man of valor, but a leper.” Naaman was told that there was a prophet in Israel who could heal his leprosy. Ultimately, Naaman went to see Elisha to be healed. Elisha told Naaman, “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.’” Naaman went away in a rage. At this point in the story Naaman’s leprosy remained.
The three preceding accounts regarding King Saul, a man of God, and Naaman, have a common thread, namely, an individual receiving instruction from God but choosing to do something different. In each case, when the Lord’s instruction was not heeded, the outcome was not favorable. These accounts are not simply human-interest stories but are preserved for us that we may learn. The apostle Paul states, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope (Romans 15:4).”
King Saul heeded the will of many people instead of the will of God. The man of God heeded the will of a man instead of the will of God. And Naaman initially heeded his own will instead of the will of God. All three of these situations are relatable to us today. How may have these three men, and how may we, avoid such traps?
A recognition of God’s sovereignty ought to be predominant in our hearts. Regardless of the number of people who might say otherwise, God’s word is true. We must be careful to evaluate the words spoken by men as to whether they reflect the words of God. And we must not substitute our own will for the will of God. Peter’s response to the Sanhedrin, “We ought to obey God rather than men,” rings true (Acts 5:29). Also, Solomon’s proverb is fitting:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
— Proverbs 3:5-7
Fortunately, Naaman returned and obeyed the command of God. He was cleansed and made whole. Likewise, we can stand pure and whole before our God by heeding His word.
