HEBREW WORD STUDY – STAND IN HONOR – ‘AMED  עמד Ayin Mem Daleth

II Kings 5:15-16:  Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company and he came and stood before him.  And he said: ‘Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; so accept now a blessing from your servant.’  But he said: ‘As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none.’”

I wonder if there is any healing evangelist who would try to model themselves after Elisha.  A beloved and trusted servant to the most powerful king in the world at that time comes to Elisha for a healing.  God heals him and this advisor is so grateful that he offers great wealth to Elisha and Elisha turns him down. I mean he is adamant.  He swears that as the Lord lives and before whom he stands he will receive no gift whatsoever. I can’t say in my 70 year sojourn on this planet and listening to countless sermons by preachers, pastors, teachers, radio preachers, divine healer, prophets etc., I have never heard a sermon on this story with the speaker encouraging everyone, including himself to go and do likewise.  

There is a Jewish parable about a king who sent a trusted servant on a long journey.  The servant and his caravan arrive at an inn to spend the night.  The innkeeper is honored that this close advisor to the king would choose his inn to spend the night.  He gives the servant a private room. In those days you did not get private rooms, you paid for a space on a bed.  Sometimes there would be four or five travelers to a bed, not just the room.  This practice continued even into the 19th century.  Ever hear the saying: “Politics makes strange bedfellows.”  Democratic and Republican candidates on the real campaign trail often slept in the same bed together in a local inn.  In Herman Melville’s Moby Dick you have the account of Captain. Ahab listening to a story by someone in the same bed as he was in an inn. 

Anyways, back to the story.  The innkeeper wined and dinned the kings servant and held back nothing.  The next morning the innkeeper present his bill, quite inflated for after all this was the kings servant and he could afford it. The kings servant paid the bill without question and went on his way.  

The next evening the servant stopped at another inn. The Inn keeper was also honored by the presence of the kings servant and he too gave him a private room and lavish attention. But the next morning when the servant asked for the bill, the inn keeper said there was no way he would accept payment.  Just having the presence of the kings servant was honor enough.  The kings servant was so impressed that he ordered the innkeeper to accept a small case.  When the king servant left the innkeeper opened the case to discover it was filled with precious jewels and there was a note that if ever the inn keeper needed a favor or help he was to send notice to the king himself directly and whatever he asked for it would be granted. 

The sages teach that there are two types of servants to God.  The first one serves God in order to receive a reward. God certainly looks upon his Divine service favorably, but he ultimately receives only his due reward.  

This is not the case, however, with one who serves God with joy over having been given the privilege and honor to serve the King of all Kings.  His reward is many times greater and brings God much gratification.  It is so instructed in the Talmud: “Be not as servants who serve the master for the sake of receiving (even a token) of reward; but rather, be like servants who serve the master not for the sake of receiving a reward.” Avos  1:3

One other thing.  When Naaman came to Elisha he stood at the door of his house, this word for stood in Hebrew is ‘amed.  II Kings 5:9.  When Elisha did not appear Naaman in anger said that he expected Elisha to stand, again the word ‘amed, before him (verse 11).  Finally after he was healed he came and stood, same word, ‘amed, before Elisha but Elisha responded: “As  I stand, ‘amed, before God…” (Verse 16)  That is an awful lot of ‘amed(ing). ‘Amed does mean to stand, but this particular standing means to stand in respect, in awe, in trembling.   Naaman came to Elisha and stood at his door.  He came showing respect for the man of God.  This is why Elisha could not meet Naaman personally.  All honor and respect was to go to God.  When Elisha failed to show, Naaman was upset that Elisha would not ‘amed honor, show respect before him.  In the eyes of God Naaman deserved no special recognition, he was no different than the lowest slave, ie., God loved him no more for his position. He loved him just as much as he loved a lowly slave.  If a special advisor from the President of the United States were to come to you church you surely would show that person great honor and respect, would you not?  Why?   Elisha said he could not accept the blessing because he stood in respect and honor before God.  He respected, honored and was in awe of God. How could he receive respect and financial blessing for what this God that he so loved did.

President Eisenhower was really a Godly man but did not attend church.  At the counsel of Billy Graham he agreed to start attending church regularly while he was President. He met with the pastor of a church and explained to the pastor that in the eyes of God he was no different than anyone else and asked that if he attended the church no recognition would be given to him, no member of the press was to be allowed to interview him or any other member of the congregation.  The pastor agreed, but quickly broke his promise.  President Eisenhower expressed in a memoir his great disappointment over this broken promise. President Eisenhower  was truly a man who did not want honor because of his relationship with God.  Maybe that is one thing that made him such a great man.

When you love someone, are proud of them and respect them, you want no honor or payment for yourself for any contribution you make that brings honor to this the one you love.

I recently read an article that said respect for the clergy has declined greatly in the past 25 years.  The article went on to say how sad this was and what a terrible reflection that is on our nation. But then considering the story of Elisha, maybe that is not such a bad thing after all. 

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