The Grace of God

In 2 Kings chapter 5 we find the story of Naaman who was a great general in the Syrian army. He had secured victory for Syria against her enemies and as a result had become the king’s favorite commander. Naaman had it all but good health. In the prime of his success, leprosy, a deadly killer disease then, checked in, threatening to nip his life in the bud. Luckily for him, in one of his army’s military expeditions against Israel, had captured a girl who knew about the prophet Elisha’s miracle working ability, at the time, the girl was his wife’s maid, hence Naaman having learnt about the prophet set out to Israel to secure his healing. He carried a lot of gold, silver and expensive clothes which he intended to give in exchange for his healing.

The story gets more interesting when against Naaman’s expectation, the prophet of God chose not come out to meet him but instead sent his servant with instructions on what Naaman should do in order to be healed, instructions which Naaman was not ready to follow but upon his servant’s persuasion he agreed and was afterwards healed. The story doesn’t end there. Amazed Naaman went back to Elisha ready to give the gift intended but Elisha refused to take it. Gehazi, Elisha’s servant was watching all these silently and it is clear that he felt that Naaman should have paid for his healing, that Naaman was easily let off (2 Kings 5:20 But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “Look, my master has spared Naaman this Syrian, while not receiving from his hands what he brought; but as the LORD lives, I will run after him and take something from him”) Hence Gehazi deceptively received the gift from Naaman and as fate would have it, he received Naaman’s leprosy as well. 

Fast forward to about 850 years later in Samaria an incident almost similar to the one stated above happened again but in a different setting. In Acts chapter 8 the church was undergoing persecution and as a result, Philip, one of the apostles went down to Samaria, probably to evade terrorists. While in Samaria a great revival took place through Philip, where people were freed from demonic oppression, the sick got healed and to cap it up, Simon Magus, one of the greatest sorcerers in Samaria then, who had bewitched the whole community into believing that he was a god, also received salvation. When Simon Magus, saw how people received the gift of the Holy Spirit through laying of hands, he offered money to Simon Peter so that Peter could sell the gift to him, Peter being a man full of the Holy Ghost, saw the evil intent in Magus’ heart and rebuked him instantly (Acts 8:20-21 But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God”). 

What I find common in the two narratives is that through the working of the Holy Spirit, miracles took place and people quantified their value in terms of money. It is a natural thing for people to determine the value of things in terms of money. We do this all the time, we gauge someone’s worth by the value of the metal they drive, we determine the intelligence of people through the schools they were educated in, we determine someone’s value in society through their residence or how well connected with the high and mighty one is. We are all living in a value oriented world where as the saying goes, there is no free lunch. 

The question that arises is how come we determine the value of someone or something in terms of money? The more I think about this the more am drawn to the book of Genesis where I think the answer can be found, (Genesis 3:17-19 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you shall return.”) Prior to this, man had not toiled for anything hence to him everything was equally highly valued, but now, because of sin, he was introduced to a value based system where you have to pay for your food and all the basic needs, the currency then was “toil or sweat “, which later on shifted to “gold or money”. This means that the system was set up by God himself. Why then should Christians be chastised for paying high amounts for a bottle of anointing oil from a pastor who claims to be highly anointed or why should we blame pastors for selling anointed handkerchiefs to believers at exuberant prices? Aren’t they just fulfilling what God set in motion, toiling?

 Toiling or working is very good, it is ingrained in our systems and it’s the best way to determine and acquire value, through work man has advanced both economically and technologically, through work we find solutions to difficult problems, I can never overstate the importance of work. The problem arises when we use our value systems to quantify the value of gifts or miracles offered by the Holy Spirit, there the blunder arises. In order for the gifts of the Holy Spirit to be available to man, a price was paid (there is no free lunch in the universe), a high price. It cost God his blood in order for man to have the Grace of God. As God would have it, there was no sacrifice, no payment large enough, no act of valor that man could or can do or offer in order to earn the amazing Grace of God, hence God being a merciful father, offered himself to pay fully for it so that all men could enjoy this Grace through faith in his son Jesus Christ. We all have equal access to the holy of holies; we are all a royal priesthood, a holy nation. Hence you and I do not have to pay for healing or deliverance but we can receive it through faith in Jesus. Grace is amazing when you realize that you can never save enough in order to purchase it, neither do you qualify for it because of your family background nor because of the level of your education, or because of how well connected you are, but only through God’s mercies.  (Click here to read about significance of the blood of Jesus)

It is sad when that which is supposed to wow and woo people to Christ is used as a tool to gain wealth, this has left many a man of God leprous. There are many servants of God who are currently still dancing long after the music of the Holy Spirit had ceased, simply because they were not ready to give back the glory to whom it is due. The level at which this generation is swallowing God’s glory is astonishing. I wonder if Elisha’s refusal to take anything from Naaman could be acceptable in the current pastors’ fellowships, what of Peter’s refusal to sell the gift of the Holy Spirit, would that be a behavior to emulate? Where are the Pauls of this generation who would tear their garments in reverend fear, refusing to be worshipped as gods. Can we still find Daniels in this generation who would acknowledge that it was God’s wisdom and not their own ability that enabled them to interpret dreams? This generation has raised superstars, men of God who are icons, not ready to relinquish the glory of God lest they lost favor with the people as King Saul did, they have been corrupted by power. May this sound as a warning to you and me, may we learn to surrender back all the glory of God back to him, may we in reverend fear bow before God acknowledging his hand when healed, saved or delivered, acknowledging that yes it did cost, and the cost of Grace is the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary.