THE COMPROMISING CHARACTER

Naaman was a gentile, a Syrian army commander who sought healing for his skin disease-leprosy. With the help and knowledge of a little girl he adhered to, he went to Israel to see the prophet Elisha, and thanks be to Our Lord, he received healing instantly after executing the instructions and directions of the man of God. After this did Naaman make this statement which drew my attention to this character many Christians have come to adopt.

2 Kings 5:18(and Naaman said, shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant….for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the Lord. In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of rimmon when I bow down myself in the house of rimmon, the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing).

Naaman found himself in the position to compromise, and he did, though the prophet Elisha bid him farewell and he departed, he departed in the permissive will of God. The will which Christians walk in after they have compromised is the permissive will of God. If Naaman asked the Lord to pardon him in what he was going to do when he returned, then Naaman knew for sure that what he was going to continue doing when he returned was very much unacceptable. Now that he had chosen to be a servant of the Lord, he also knew he had to choose whether to continue worshipping with the king in the temple of the god rimmon which couldn’t heal him, but rather, he preferred to ask for a pardoning and continue with the worshiping idols when he returned.

A similar scenario like that of Balaam (Numbers 22:21-34) further explains this position, where Balaam’s compromising attitude successfully took him into the Lord’s permissive will which led him to his doom. Balaam treaded also on this same path but found repentance, a temporary repentance. Balaam however returned to his evil ways to assist Balak to device a stumbling block of the Israelites. He died by the sword when the children o Israel realized that he was behind their downfall. “The children of Israel also killed with the sword Balaam the son of Beor, the soothsayer, among those who were killed by them.” (Josh 13:22) Although Naaman’s fate wasn’t recorded I am quiet certain it was a happy ending. But this last example sites precisely what happened to a man who allowed this compromising spirit to destroy him (1 Kings 13:13-23). He was killed by a lion; the lion didn’t eat up the body nor did the donkey. He was just killed by the lion to fulfilled God’s word against disobedience. This young prophet compromised when he was told strictly from God not eat nor drink or even go the same route from which he came from.

These are but just a few instances in the bible where some people compromised their allegiance and faith to fall for worldly desires (the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, pride of life); temporal things which only perishes. The accuser the devil seeks to use every tool and weapon against the children of GOD. (Not only do people perish for lack of knowledge but also for its rejection – Samuel Entsua).Stand your ground, (like Daniel and his boys), guard your heart with all diligence (like Joseph, the son of Israel) and be vigilant (like the watchmen on the towers of the city).

Psalm 119:2-3 TLB (says, happy are those who obey his decrees and search for him with all their hearts, they do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths).

Proverbs 25:26 TLB (if a godly man compromise with the wicked, it is like polluting a fountain or muddying a spring.)

written by Jonathan Aryee

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