AN INTERESTING TAKE ON A GIFT

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And the king of Syria said, "Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel." So he went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, "When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy." And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, "Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me."
2 Kings 5:5‭-‬7 ESV

¶Typical gangster move, coming to someone with a gift but with strings attached. Now you are under obligation to them, then comes the real reason for the visit. The real currency being exchanged here is honor. In the culture of honor, if the king of Israel were to reject the gift or the request, he would be dishonoring the giver, a grave offense. The line that follows from the giver is "what, my gift is not good enough for you?" On the other hand, accepting the gift without reciprocating dishonors the recipient, making him appear craven. Ultimately this is the reason men refuse to receive the free gift of eternal life in Christ: pride. If we think that eternal life is just bait, men are too proud to fall for it. But the truth is that we are being offered what is already ours in Christ. The gift is already given. We have nothing, not even our honor, left to lose by accepting it.

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