"In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing. And he said unto him, Go in peace."~ 11 Kgs. 5:18
Although Naaman now believes in the one true God of Israel, his king still expects him to continue his official acts, one of which was to enter the pagan temple with his master, and to kneel with him as the king leaned upon his hand for support, either because of his attire, age, or regal protocol.
To illustrate, it would be something like a Protestant son entering his aged mother's Catholic church and, as she holds his hand for assistance, he kneels with her at the altar. Notice in our story that Elisha did not preach to Naaman about abstaining from all appearance evil. There was no lecture, just, "Go in peace.
We must be careful about judging those in difficult positions, such as politics, business, etc., not to mention young converts. The three Hebrew children didn't bow because of the conviction they held. Naaman did bow because of the position he held. They are not the same. But each believed in, and loved, the same God.
It's not the bending of the knee, but the bowing of the heart, that's top priority with God.
by an Old Disciple
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