DELIVERANCE INSTEAD OF DIGNITY
Choosing deliverance instead of earthly or human dignity is a great wisdom. It is a great wisdom because it is a choice based upon God's terms of value and priority. The true value of life is that which is based upon eternal values for life. When we choose to respond positively to those values of God's plan and priorities, we will see the hand of God in miraculous deliverance. This is what we can see demonstrated in the lives of the following bible characters:
NAAMAN
This man was the captain of the army of the king of Syria. He was a great man with his master and was very honourable because of his many exploits in warfare. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. This great man, with all his dignity was a leper. He needed nothing but deliverance (2Kings 5:1). The course of his deliverance was set in motion when he harkened to the advice of the Jewish slave girl in his house to go the land of Israel to meet Elisha, God's prophet, for his healing. God in His wisdom chooses to use non entities to bring out the message of salvation and deliverance to teach us humility. If we, through pride despise and ignore them, we will remain in our bondage. Though he went, he still carried along the mentality of his dignity. He was yet to learn in a hard experience that the God of Elisha was not a human magician who would respect his dignity and attend to him with urgent attention. Indeed his dignity stood between him and his deliverance as a big obstacle which must be removed before he could experience divine healing. The Lord directed Elisha to hit the hammer right on the head of Naaman to break it to pieces (2 Kings 5:8-14). The same way the Lord deals with pride in the life of everyone who comes to him.
Naaman was wrathful when he was met with a humbling message by the servant of Elisha, that while he was still on his way to the prophet he told him to dip himself seven times in river Jordan to receive his healing. This is , in most cases the reaction of a man when his pride is touched. And the Lord would not do anything for us without first removing the stronghold of our pride (Isa. 2:11-17). The Lord however still used Naaman's servant to bring him back to sanity of mind to see the wisdom of choosing deliverance over dignity. The great reproach of leprosy was rolled away after he laid aside his dignity and chose deliverance.
THE CAPTAIN OF THE THIRD FIFTY
This captain was to be one of the victims of judgment by the fire for the flagrant sin of Ahaziah, king of Israel. The prophetic rebuke of Elijah touched the stronghold of the pride of this king that he resorted to using military intimidation against the prophet. After the judgment of fire had destroyed the first and second captains with heir fifties, this captain of the third made up his mind to abdicate his pride and dignity in the presence of Elijah the man of God and in the presence of his fifty soldiers to receive deliverance from this horrible judgment of fire (2Kings 1:13-16). For what dignity under heaven should a man exchange his life? He humbly came before Elijah the prophet, kneeling and begging his life and that of his fifty to be spared. They were spared from the horrible judgment of fire and went back honoured.
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