II Kings 5:1-7:2; I Corinthians 1:1-25

Thought from Today’s Old Testament Passage: Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper [2 Kings 5:1]. This first verse gives us a thumbnail sketch of Naaman. He was captain of the host of Syria. Although he was a pagan, he was both a great man and an honorable man. By him the Lord had given Syria deliverance—this is a remarkable thing. I am sure that you will agree that he was a man the Lord had used. You will find that the Lord uses men in this world who are not Christian. That may seem strange to you, but you don’t have to read very far in the Word of God to find that He used men like Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, and Alexander the Great. Here we are told He used Naaman. We are also told that Naaman was a mighty man of valor. All of these things mentioned count in the high court of heaven. God does not despise these things. This heathen man was used of God: "By him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria." Even though we find all of these fine things are said of him, we have this to add, "… but he was a leper." There are many folks in the world today about whom nice things can be said although they are not Christians. You can say that they are fine men and women and have done fine things. But you have to conclude it all by saying that they are sinners—"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). No matter how nice people might be, they are all sinners in God’s sight. J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, © 1981 by J. Vernon McGee