"Behold, I Thought" — "Behold, Now I Know"
By Arthur V. Fox
YES, Naaman saw things differently now. Religion had ceased to be a mere matter of opinion; it had become a matter of personal experience and conviction. Instead of "Behold, I thought," words which we are all ready enough to use on religious questions, he could say, "Behold, now I know." He was a changed man altogether. The wounded pride which had made him turn away in a rage when he received Elisha's message, has given place to true humility. The prejudice and unbelief which made him scorn the thought of bathing in Jordan, have vanished before the manifestation of divine power: and now, Syrian and idolater as he was, he can witness for God in perfect confidence. That great foundation truth, which by its very nature lies outside the range of scientific or philosophical demonstration, has become to him a matter of absolute certainty. "Behold, now I know," he cries, "that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel." There are still, alas, too many people in the "Behold, I thought" stage. They can not let religion alone, because they are conscious of a deep need within. But there is an idol in their heart which shuts out all real blessing. It is the idol of their own opinions, to which, altho continually shifting, they hold on as if they thought themselves infallible. They have not yielded themselves to Him who is Himself the truth. Religion is to them a mere matter of opinion, hence they meet the plainest direction of God's Word with the one objection, "Behold, I thought." Those who do not know, may be left to play at ninepins with their own opinions, setting up their own and knocking down other people's as they please. There may be a good deal in your favor, as there was with Naaman, but at the end Scripture adds the fatal words, "but a leper." You are not perhaps conscious of it. It does not interfere much with your comfort. The leprosy may, like Naaman's, be confined to one place — "I thought, He will . . . strike his hand over the place;" and that spot may be amply covered by a splendid uniform. Yes, there may be nothing outwardly loathsome or repulsive about your sin. You perhaps look down upon the drunkard or blasphemer as belonging to a totally different class from yourself, for their leprosy shows, while yours is gracefully concealed; but for all that, you know you are a sinner. Naaman was more than an imperfect specimen of humanity; he was a leper, totally corrupt and unclean. And your heart is just the same. The Saviour said, "Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies." It was so then, and it is so still. Men have learned in these days to sin with elegance and unblushing audacity. But the heart is just as unclean as ever. Selfishness, greed, pride, lust, are the very woof and warp of our fallen nature. Civilization may conceal the evil, but it can not remove it. There is no need of arguments to prove this. It is a fact to which the heart of every honest man bears witness. You know that you are unclean. And when God does a work of pardon and cleansing, you will be as conscious of the salvation as you were of the sin. "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." No argument from without can take the place of the witness from within. No man's religion is the reality it should be, until he can say with Naaman, "Behold, now I know." Let there be the persevering obedience of faith. Naaman dipped himself seven times. Had he stopped after four or five dips only, he would have lost the blessing. You must believe not once, but continually. You must believe and keep on believing, until God seals you with His Holy Spirit, and you know that you are His. Then face the world, and say, "Behold, now I know."