Second Chances - Naaman

Naaman became angry and stalked away. “I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!” he said. “I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the LORD his God and heal me!”

2 Kings 5:11

In one infamous play, Roy Riegels established himself as a legend in college football. In the first half of the 1929 Rose Bowl, Riegels, a lineman for the University of California, scooped up a fumble and headed for Georgia Tech’s end zone. Inexplicably, Riegels reversed field and ran the wrong direction, leading to Tech’s two-point safety.

Despite his teammates’ encouragement to head back out after halftime, the despondent Riegels told his coach, Nibs Price, “Coach, I can’t do it. I’ve ruined you, I’ve ruined myself, I’ve ruined the University of California. I couldn’t face that crowd to save my life.”

But Price wouldn’t have it. “Roy,” he instructed, “get up and go back out there—the game is only half over!” Nibs Price obviously believed in the biblical principle of second chances, a principle also operative on behalf of a highly decorated Syrian officer named Naaman.

Naaman had a serious infectious skin disease. When the prophet Elisha heard of his condition, he sent for Naaman, but when Naaman arrived at Elisha’s home, he was disappointed and angered when the prophet just sent a messenger telling him that if he washed in the Jordan River seven times, he would be healed.

Naaman stormed away from Elisha’s home, but his servants encouraged him to do as Elisha had said. When he obeyed, his disease disappeared.

Naaman found out that day that the God of Israel is a God of second chances.

Because of his humble, if reluctant, obedience, Naaman found healing. More importantly, he found salvation in the only place it could be found. “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel,” he exclaimed, and then Naaman began serving him (see 2 Kings 5:15-18).

You may have really messed up your past life of faith, but you don’t have to live in the past. God believes in second chances!