Why did Joram blame the Lord for his troubles (3:10)?
It is human nature to shift the blame from oneself. Joram, like many (Proverbs 19:3), blamed God for problems of his own making. There is no evidence that God had sanctioned this expedition, as Joram claimed. The kings did not pray or consult a prophet for advice until they were in desperate straits (v.11). Initially motivated by political self-interest, the three kings now saw that they needed God s help. The Quest Study Bible Why would leprosy strike someone God had favored (5:1)? When God uses people for good, he doesn t necessarily insulate them from life s other experiences, even harsh ones. Paul had a thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:79) and Timothy was often sick (1 Timothy 5:23), yet the Lord enabled them to serve effectively. Though leprosy sometimes represented divine punishment (5:27; 2 Chronicles 26:1623), Naaman s suffering led to a dramatic encounter with the power of God (5:15,17). We cannot know all the reasons for suffering, but we can trust that the outcome will u