"Do you think that I like to see wicked people die?..." ~ Ezekial 18:23

Ouch!  It really hurts to see hurting people hurt.  More on the Atheist encounters from earlier this month.   At first, when talking with Atheists I thought they were mean and nasty to anyone not in line with their beliefs, but they really are not any nicer or supportive to one another either.  It's pretty "cut throat" - the Atheist world.

I have a very deep sorrow about the people I've encountered on that blog.  Continuing to pray about them.  It's glaringly apparent what living in absolute denial of God can do.  I'm not saying that all those who claim to know God are any better.  Humans, we are just one messed up bunch.  But, there is a particular brand of dead bitterness of soul that I have never encountered before. These are deeply wounded people who don't even see how evident their hatred of God shows through their protestations of His non-existence.

I had an interesting exchange with a Muslim on the blog who was open to atheism.  He was sure that there were errors in the Bible and I mentioned that typically there was some misunderstanding that could be clarified by careful study of the original language.  He then asked me - "I remember reading a very peculiar cure for leprosy in the Bible which involved wiping the blood of doves on the leper or something like that. Do you know what I’m talking about?".  I noted a passage in Leviticus and paraphrased - "I have not seen the cure for leprosy that you describe, however, there is a ceremonial cleansing that takes place in Leviticus (Old Testament) after a person has been examined and found healed of a defiling skin disease. I believe it’s in Leviticus 14 and requires 2 birds - one to be killed and it’s blood mixed with water. The healed person is then sprinkled with the water 7 times and pronounced clean. This seems to be a way of publicly authorizing and announcing (a ceremony confirming status change) that a person previously unclean and outside the camp has been examined is clean and can now be inside the camp."

But then, God drew my attention to the passages in 2 Kings 5 about Naaman's real healing from leprosy.  I noted a paraphrased version of the passage to him in the blog - "The cure for leprosy that stands out in the Old Testament is where Naaman goes to see the prophet Elisha. Elisha sends his servant to tell Naaman to wash 7 times in the Jordan and his flesh will be restored and he will be cleansed. Naaman, interestingly enough, is very angry with this. He struggles with the fact that the prophet did not come out personally, call on God’s name and wave over the spot and cure him. Then he frets that other rivers outside of Israel are better than the Jordan to wash in and why couldn’t he be cleansed in one of those? Finally one of his servants talks to him about it - noting that if this prophet had told him to go out and do some big great thing, he would not have hesitated to do it. How much better is it that he just said to wash and be cleansed? After this,it said that Naaman went and did what the prophet said to do and his flesh was restored and became like that of a young boy."

The irony that God should have drawn my attention to that Naaman passage was not lost on me.  It so beautifully illustrated the problem.  People have a pre-conceived notion of what knowledge of and encounter with God should look like and what they will accept or not when it comes to it. Just like Naaman – humans are offended that God does not do what they believe He should in the way they think He should. They miss the point and opportunity. Naaman suspended his pride, rage and anger long enough to actually encounter the living God - and that changed everything.

Praying that those who do not know God will have their heart touched by Him and take the opportunity to know Him.  He's so amazing and worthy of all praise!!