Selfish Sacrifice

Naaman was man whom God chose to redeem. He was a valiant warrior, a highly respected army captain, and a leper. He was also an Aramean and an enemy of Israel and God. His physical brokenness led him to seek the prophet Elisha. When this commander of the army finally humbled himself to obey Elisha’s unusual command, “his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.” (2 Kings 5:14) Namaan’s brokenness in body directed him toward humility of spirit, which, in turn, brought him to restoration of body and soul. He said to Elisha, “Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel…” (v. 15)

Elisha refused any gifts from Namaan, but rather sent him on his way. Elisha’s servant Gehazi, however, decided that Naaman was indebted to Elisha. Gehazi’s heart was hardened, and the lies of pride and deception directed him to dishonor his master. He went out to Namaan and lied to him about needing some of the gifts that he had offered earlier. Gehazi thought he was doing what was best for Elisha, his master, but he was actually only seeking to serve himself. He wanted the goods, not Elisha. Because of his disobedience, Gehazi and his descendents took on the leprosy of Namaan forever. Broken because of pride. In my estimation, he is better off to be humbled and cursed for the rest of his earthly life than to live pridefully and separated from God for eternity.

In Matthew 9, Jesus said, “But go and learn what this means, ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (v. 13) “Sacrifice” in this respect refers to good work which would ultimately serve oneself. The “righteous” refers to the prideful. These words of the Lord originate in 1 Samuel 15 when He directs Saul to “utterly destroy” the Amalekites and all their possessions. “But 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 not willing to destroy them utterly; but everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.” (v. 9) Notice that Saul was not willing to obey God. He also excused his disobedience by sacrificing to the Lord from the choicest of spoils taken from the Amalekites. This is the crux of the problem of pride, and it grieves God. He spoke through the prophet Samuel in verses 22-23, “Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king.”

“Break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord until He comes to rain righteousness on you.” Hosea 10:12