162
Prophets and Kings
of his death he remained a leper, cursed of God and shunned by his
fellow men.
“A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies
shall not escape.”
Proverbs 19:5
. Men may think to hide their evil
deeds from human eyes, but they cannot deceive God. “All things are
naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”
Hebrews 4:13
. Gehazi thought to deceive Elisha, but God revealed to
His prophet the words that Gehazi had spoken to Naaman, and every
detail of the scene between the two men.
Truth is of God; deception in all its myriad forms is of Satan,
and whoever in any way departs from the straight line of truth is
betraying himself into the power of the wicked one. Those who have
learned of Christ will “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of
darkness.”
Ephesians 5:11
. In speech, as in life, they will be simple,
straightforward, and true, for they are preparing for the fellowship of
those holy ones in whose mouth is found no guile. See
Revelation
14:5
.
Centuries after Naaman returned to his Syrian home, healed in
body and converted in spirit, his wonderful faith was referred to and
commended by the Saviour as an object lesson for all who claim
[253]
to serve God. “Many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus
the prophet,” the Saviour declared; “and none of them was cleansed,
saving Naaman the Syrian.”
Luke 4:27
. God passed over the many
lepers in Israel because their unbelief closed the door of good to them.
A heathen nobleman who had been true to his convictions of right,
and who felt his need of help, was in the sight of God more worthy
of His blessing than were the afflicted in Israel, who had slighted
and despised their God-given privileges. God works for those who
appreciate His favors and respond to the light given them from heaven.
Today in every land there are those who are honest in heart, and
upon these the light of heaven is shining. If they continue faithful in
following that which they understand to be duty, they will be given
increased light, until, like Naaman of old, they will be constrained to
acknowledge that “there is no God in all the earth,” save the living
God, the Creator.
To every sincere soul “that walketh in darkness, and hath no light,”
is given the invitation, “Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and
stay upon his God.” “For since the beginning of the world men have