It's easy from a certain perspective to see Naaman's weakness. He had come from Syria, where he served as captain of the host, to Samaria, home of the Israelite prophet Elisha. There, Naaman hoped to find a cure for his leprosy. And the prophetic suggestion - bathe seven times in the River Jordan - appeared to make little sense. He was understandably reluctant. Luckily, Naaman had some strengths which helped him rethink his original doubts.
Though it isn't plainly written in 2 Kings, Naaman must have been a good man. If not, he certainly would not have heard the suggestion from a young Israelite girl, a servant in his household, to seek out Elisha for the cure he desired. Come to think of it, the whole idea of a captain of the host (the equivalent of the Secretary of Defense) being a leper is pretty strange in itself, like a blind portrait painter or a one-legged wrestler. The fact that he held this high position in spite of his disease indicates that he was probably far more qualified for this position than the other military men of Syria.
By diplomatic arrangement, Naaman traveled to Israel with just a few subordinates. They also must have regarded him highly, because when the prophet's advice was delivered, not by Elisha himself but by someone evidently employed as a cook, Naaman temporarily forgot the message and focused on the shortcomings of the messenger. Luckily, one of his men felt comfortable enough to suggest going ahead, noting correctly that Naaman would have certainly attempted to do "some great thing" if he knew it had come from a prophet who had the power to cure him. Naaman, it seems, was a good leader, as well as a good man, or else the soldier would not have cared about the boss' condition, and would have remained silent.
After receiving his cure, Naaman went out of his way to return to Samaria and offer payment for services rendered, which Elisha declined. Not all people expert in the art of military destruction would have made such an offer.
Finally, this incident convinced Naaman that the Syrian gods were second rate compared to the Lord. He gathered up some dirt from Israel to use in a kind of private shrine he envisioned for his home back in Damascus, even though he didn't feel that open worship of the Lord would be understood by his countrymen. Elisha graciously agreed to this arrangement, and the number of secret believers in the Lord among non Israelites increased by at least one.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
The Nameless King, Alma 20-24, The Book of Mormon
Note: The author alone is responsible for the contents of this blog.
Plenty of people are described in scripture without any mention of their names. This is usually because their role in the narrative is limited, but it could be for other reasons, too.
A good part of the Book of Alma in the Book of Mormon relates the epic missionary labors of four brothers, born the sons of a king, who decide that taking the Gospel message out to the furthest reaches of the land to an overtly hostile people (the Lamanites) is even more important than ruling their own people and enjoying the life of privilege which would accompany ruling positions.
Far removed from their country, family and friends, no one knows or cares about their former status. The brothers, wishing to avoid trouble, do not bring the matter up.
One of their first successes is with a local king named Lamoni, who rules in a part of the land but is still subject to his father. One day, Lamoni is traveling with one of the brothers when they happen to encounter Lamoni's father. At first, this ruler seems to be little more than a walking cliche: bullying, demanding and easily provoked to violence. He attacks the brother, Ammon, but is soon over-matched and finds himself pleading for his life. To his surprise, the king retains his life under conditions which seem, even to the king, to be quite generous. He notices that Ammon and his son have become quite close, and he is impressed enough to wish to know more about what has caused this change in his son.
Ammon's brother Aaron later teaches the king the principles of the Christian message, and he and all his household are converted. This might be one of those times in scripture which describe a process that may have actually taken months or years appears to be immediate. I'm unable to say how long it all took, though the record itself says that the brothers are away from their homeland for fourteen years.
The king is anxious to help the missionary work go forward, and issues a proclamation that is meant to guarantee religious liberty and the safety of the brothers and other missionaries, but the Lamanite converts, though numbering in the thousands, are never more than a despised minority group, and are subjected to persecution in spite of the king's efforts. The record praises these people and their descendents as especially fine men and women, whatever their living conditions.
As for the king, we must scratch our heads a little over the fact that while he plays a major role in these chapters, his name is not recorded even though his name would have been known by ALL the Lamanites and by some Nephites as well.
I have an idea as to why this is the case, but freely admit that it is pure speculation. There is, I believe, no sin in speculating, as long as one can remember which is which. The king, in my version, approached one of the brothers and said something like this: "It's true that I have been the king over these people, but there are a thousand peoples and a thousand kings, and my works in this regard are no different than many before me or others who will come forth later. I have come to believe that such an earthly honor is really of little or no consequence when I compare it to the gift you and your brothers have given me of knowing about Christ and his role in my life. My wish, therefore, is to ask that you omit any mention of my name from your official records. It matters nothing what people think of me. It only matters that I have been able to turn my life around and serve God in some tiny way."
Plenty of people are described in scripture without any mention of their names. This is usually because their role in the narrative is limited, but it could be for other reasons, too.
A good part of the Book of Alma in the Book of Mormon relates the epic missionary labors of four brothers, born the sons of a king, who decide that taking the Gospel message out to the furthest reaches of the land to an overtly hostile people (the Lamanites) is even more important than ruling their own people and enjoying the life of privilege which would accompany ruling positions.
Far removed from their country, family and friends, no one knows or cares about their former status. The brothers, wishing to avoid trouble, do not bring the matter up.
One of their first successes is with a local king named Lamoni, who rules in a part of the land but is still subject to his father. One day, Lamoni is traveling with one of the brothers when they happen to encounter Lamoni's father. At first, this ruler seems to be little more than a walking cliche: bullying, demanding and easily provoked to violence. He attacks the brother, Ammon, but is soon over-matched and finds himself pleading for his life. To his surprise, the king retains his life under conditions which seem, even to the king, to be quite generous. He notices that Ammon and his son have become quite close, and he is impressed enough to wish to know more about what has caused this change in his son.
Ammon's brother Aaron later teaches the king the principles of the Christian message, and he and all his household are converted. This might be one of those times in scripture which describe a process that may have actually taken months or years appears to be immediate. I'm unable to say how long it all took, though the record itself says that the brothers are away from their homeland for fourteen years.
The king is anxious to help the missionary work go forward, and issues a proclamation that is meant to guarantee religious liberty and the safety of the brothers and other missionaries, but the Lamanite converts, though numbering in the thousands, are never more than a despised minority group, and are subjected to persecution in spite of the king's efforts. The record praises these people and their descendents as especially fine men and women, whatever their living conditions.
As for the king, we must scratch our heads a little over the fact that while he plays a major role in these chapters, his name is not recorded even though his name would have been known by ALL the Lamanites and by some Nephites as well.
I have an idea as to why this is the case, but freely admit that it is pure speculation. There is, I believe, no sin in speculating, as long as one can remember which is which. The king, in my version, approached one of the brothers and said something like this: "It's true that I have been the king over these people, but there are a thousand peoples and a thousand kings, and my works in this regard are no different than many before me or others who will come forth later. I have come to believe that such an earthly honor is really of little or no consequence when I compare it to the gift you and your brothers have given me of knowing about Christ and his role in my life. My wish, therefore, is to ask that you omit any mention of my name from your official records. It matters nothing what people think of me. It only matters that I have been able to turn my life around and serve God in some tiny way."
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Welcome
Hello. I'm Mark Bailey, the person you might know as the blogger behind "Left Handed Rants", now with over 300 entries, which comments mainly on politics and sports.
This new blog, "People in Scripture", has a very different purpose. I'm not so much trying to find converts as to suggest how people who lived anciently felt and acted, especially regarding matters of spirituality. I must also include a disclaimer. Though a lifelong active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I am writing without the church's approval or cooperation. I am solely responsible for all content. Mormon teachings can be clarified by local members or through LDS.org. Questions are welcome there, and treated with respect.
But this blog owes its approach to E. M. Blaiklock, a classical scholar from New Zealand who published a volume entitled "Today's Handbook of Bible Characters" in 1979. I found it at the public library about ten years ago and ended up checking it out more than once, and now own a copy.
What impressed me most about Dr. Blaiklock's approach was, first, that he saw ancient people as the same as people today. This simple approach helped him in another, second, way. He helped the reader see the scene of the scriptural incident he was describing. This technique helps the reader understand old characters, I believe, in new ways.
My entries will follow a similar format, though with shorter entries. I will also include less well-known characters (to most Christians) from the Book of Mormon and, to a lesser extent, The Doctrine and Covenants, a record of revelations given to Joseph Smith, the man Mormons credit with following God's command to restore Jesus' church in the early part of the nineteenth century. I will identify all the scriptural passages, but plan no chronological or alphabetical order. I sat down one day recently to see how many entries I might comfortably expect, and came up with about fifty. I hope someone enjoys them.
This new blog, "People in Scripture", has a very different purpose. I'm not so much trying to find converts as to suggest how people who lived anciently felt and acted, especially regarding matters of spirituality. I must also include a disclaimer. Though a lifelong active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I am writing without the church's approval or cooperation. I am solely responsible for all content. Mormon teachings can be clarified by local members or through LDS.org. Questions are welcome there, and treated with respect.
But this blog owes its approach to E. M. Blaiklock, a classical scholar from New Zealand who published a volume entitled "Today's Handbook of Bible Characters" in 1979. I found it at the public library about ten years ago and ended up checking it out more than once, and now own a copy.
What impressed me most about Dr. Blaiklock's approach was, first, that he saw ancient people as the same as people today. This simple approach helped him in another, second, way. He helped the reader see the scene of the scriptural incident he was describing. This technique helps the reader understand old characters, I believe, in new ways.
My entries will follow a similar format, though with shorter entries. I will also include less well-known characters (to most Christians) from the Book of Mormon and, to a lesser extent, The Doctrine and Covenants, a record of revelations given to Joseph Smith, the man Mormons credit with following God's command to restore Jesus' church in the early part of the nineteenth century. I will identify all the scriptural passages, but plan no chronological or alphabetical order. I sat down one day recently to see how many entries I might comfortably expect, and came up with about fifty. I hope someone enjoys them.
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