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Lessons
For The 21st Century From OT Saints And Sinners
The Officer Whose Leprosy Was Cleansed
2 Kings 5:1-15a
Introduction
These
familiar words from the prophet Isaiah provide the contextual
backdrop for better understanding this morning’s Old Testament
dramatic scene as it unfolds.
Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way
and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have
mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.
"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah
55:6-9 NIV
These
familiar and well-loved words are addressed to those who don’t
yet know the Lord. The prophet invites those people to seek
God, but he also issues an implicit warning that those who
come must abandon their wicked practices as well as their
unrighteous thoughts. If they are willing do so God offers
two pretty incredible promises: He will have mercy on them
and He will freely pardon them.
In
the remainder of the passage God clarifies that there is a
surprise factor in coming to Him. The surprise is that He
thinks differently than we do, that His ways are beyond being
predictable and that His plan for our lives is much higher
than our own. Like a puzzle with a missing piece, His infinite
thoughts and ways and plans are intriguing, mystifying and
sometimes frustrating to our finite minds. To put it as plainly
as I can: Because God is God and we’re not, we aren’t always
going to be able to figure out what His plan is.
One
person who wrestled with the sometimes puzzling ways of God
was an unbeliever named Naaman. Judi was talking
the other day about how Sunday School teaching methods have
changed. She said when she was in Sunday School that the story
of Naaman was one of her favorites because a teacher who was
really good with flannelgraphs (when did we stop using flannelgraphs?)
could make it look like he had really gone into the river
and came out healed. For Naaman, God’s plan followed
no pattern and made no sense at all.
Naaman
had a decision to make that we also face often in our walk
with God. Will he follow anyway, seek God and find God’s compassion
and healing? Or, will he turn away in frustration and walk
away from God? Let’s turn to 2 Kings 5 and see how the truths
of Isaiah 55 are lived out in this great story.
A Bit Of History
A
bit of history is necessary to reconstruct the setting. Naaman’s
story takes place at a time when Israel is engaged in a civil
war. The ten northern tribes, claiming the name Israel, secede
from the kingdom, leaving only two tribes, which take the
name Judah, in the southern kingdom. If you have studied this
difficult period of history you know that not a single king
who ruled the ten northern tribes ever followed God. The only
way God had to communicate with those people was through His
prophets. In this account the prophet is Elisha.
As
the successor to Elijah, Elisha carries on the prophetic traditions
of a faithful walk with God. This leaves him completely out
of step with his times and the king. Into this troubled, conflict-riddled
setting God brings the unbelieving Naaman.
The Story Of A Miracle
Who
is this man Naaman? Why does he come to see Elisha? These
are great questions worth answering because this may be a
story covered in children’s Sunday School, but it has some
lessons that are really important for adults to learn, too.
A Proud Man
And His Disease
Naaman
is the captain of the Syrian army. His leadership attributes
shine like the medals he may have worn on his chest. Look
at this description.
Now
Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was
a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded,
because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He
was a valiant soldier…
2 Kings 5:1 NIV
I
see a five-star, rough-and-ready general like George Patton.
He commands the Syrian army and has the absolute respect of
his king. As commander of the army of the most powerful nation
on earth there is nothing beyond his control… almost nothing.
We need to finish the verse.
Now
Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was
a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded,
because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He
was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. 2
Kings 5:1 NIV
After
facing countless enemies and always prevailing, Naaman is
now crossing swords with the most formidable foe he has ever
faced—the devastating and incurable disease of leprosy. He
is losing. Leprosy is the Aids of that day. He will be an
outcast and will die a horrible death. God, in His unforeseeable
plan, however, has a young girl who steps into his life to
send Naaman a ray of hope.
A Servant Girl
And Her Counsel
If
I were Naaman I would never imagine that hope for a new lease
on life would come from a young Jewish slave girl, whose name
isn’t even mentioned. She is one of God’s unsung heroes (heroines).
Naaman, however, doesn’t know enough about God to know that
God’s ways are not our ways.
Now
bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young
girl from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. She said to
her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet
who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." 2 Kings 5:2-3 NIV
First
a note on Aram: Aram and Syria are different names for the
same place—just like America and the United States identify
the same place. During one of the occupation trips, soldiers
from Aram had taken this young girl as one of the prizes of
victory. Somehow she knows about the Lord’s prophet, even
thought the nation had essentially forsaken God. Since Elisha
has never cured a leper, she must reason from other miracles
that Elisha would be able to help. Without mentioning his
name, she recommends to her mistress, Naaman’s wife, that
Naaman go see this prophet. She is confident there is help.
The information is quickly passed on to Naaman.
While
it’s not stated, there is enough of a stirring in Naaman’s
spirit to move him to action. I wonder how many useless potions
and obnoxious rubs he has tried with the hope that this next
one might work. How many so-called physicians have poked and
pricked him? For some reason, when he hears this news from
his wife, he feels something new—a twinge of hope in his soul.
A Desperate
Search And Its Results
Naaman
immediately goes to tell the king what this girl has told
him. Showing how important Naaman was to the nation, the king
agrees that he should go and writes a letter to the king of
Israel. Naaman pulls a little gift together to take with him.
He takes 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold and ten
sets of clothing. It is a gift worthy of royalty. His action
reveals the faulty reasoning of some people in the early stages
of seeking God. What is his mistake? He thinks: I’ll buy my
healing. He believes there is a deal just waiting to be made.
When
he arrives in Israel, another action reveals a second mistake.
He thinks: I’ll get my healing from a man. Thinking this,
look where he goes. He goes to King Joram (not be confused
with the king of Judah who has the same name). Naaman does
this even though he was told he needed to see the prophet
in Samaria. He goes to the king thinking this man should have
some clout. Try to imagine what the king of Israel was thinking
as he read this letter from the King of Syria.
The
letter that he took to the king of Israel read: "With
this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that
you may cure him of his leprosy."
2 Kings 5:6 NIV
Israel
and Syria have a long-standing history of conflict. Now, the
commander of the Syrian army appears with a letter like this
asking for something everybody knows is impossible. It smells
fishy and smacks of a set-up that isn’t going to turn out
well. The King of Israel goes into panic mode.
As
soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes
and said, "Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life?
Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his
leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!"
2 Kings 5:7 NIV
I
love the irony. The king of a nation that has turned away
from God admits that only God could do something like healing
leprosy. He knows about Elisha, but he doesn’t call for him
or ask God’s help. Through this God demonstrates His remarkable
way of doing things. Elisha hears about the problem and sends
word to the king.
When Elisha the man of God heard that the king
of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: "Why
have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will
know that there is a prophet in Israel." So Naaman went
with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's
house.
2 Kings 5:8-9 NIV
Naaman
has reached the end of his desperate search. Frustrated with
Israel’s king and tired of traveling the dusty roads, he stands
at the door…waiting. Remember that at home men bow as he passes
by. In battle they obey his word because they fear what will
happen if they fail to do so. The enemy trembles at the mention
of his name. Standing at the door, he is the one who is nervous.
He hopes to see a man he has only heard about so he can ask
for a cure that he has only dreamed about. It’s almost unthinkable
what happens next.
Elisha
sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven
times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you
will be cleansed." 2 Kings 5:10 NIV
I’m
not sure what reception he had in mind, but this one is not
even on the list. He probably thought he would be invited
into the house. Maybe he thought Naaman would do something
magic, wave a wand and ta da … no more leprosy. But not this;
definitely not this!
But
Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would
surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the
LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my
leprosy. 2 Kings 5:11
NIV
This
reveals Naaman’s third mistake: He had a specific way in mind
for God to work. Well, his expectations are dashed. Like all
people who don’t know God, he must face God’s “surprise factor”—that
God’s ways are not our ways. If you turn it around, it also
means our ways probably aren’t God’s ways. Does that surprise
you? It shouldn’t, but we do forget this fact—to our detriment.
If
Naaman is going to be healed, he will have to conquer his
pride and obey God. He doesn’t fully believe. His prejudices
are strong. For a moment, his pride is winning.
Are
not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than
any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be
cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage.
2 Kings 5:12 NIV
Rather
than surrendering to accept the Lord’s way, Naaman turns on
his heels and stomps away. But then, just at the right time,
he feels a tug on his sleeve.
A Humble Man
And His Cleansing
Capturing
Naaman’s attention, his servants gently confront their master.
The Lord has already used a young slave girl and Elisha’s
servant. Now He is going to use a group of slaves to touch
Naaman’s heart.
Naaman's
servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet
had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done
it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!"
2
Kings 5:13 NIV
This
makes sense to Naaman. He recognizes his pride stands in his
way and turns his rage into repentance as he wades into the
center of the muddy Jordan River.
So
he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times,
as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored
and became clean like that of a young boy.
2 Kings 5:14 NIV
I
wonder how he felt as he came up each time and saw no difference.
Did he have to decide each time to keep going until he made
it to seven? What happened when he came up the last time and
found his skin clean—healed? Did he shout? Did the servants
cheer? Here’s what we do know. Naaman finally believed God
with a childlike faith and the Lord gave him fresh, childlike
skin. It was new skin to match his new heart.
Then
Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God.
He stood before him and said, "Now I know that there
is no God in all the world except in Israel.”
2 Kings 5:15 NIV
Naaman
learned there was a prophet in Israel and he also learned
there is no other God than the God in Israel. We will pick
up the historical account right at this point next week. For
now we need to see the
Lessons Learned At Naaman’s Expense
Naaman
didn’t understand why he was asked to wash himself seven times
in the Jordan River. He didn’t have all the pieces of the
puzzle put together. But, he still believed enough to follow
through. From his experience we can draw four lessons about
searching for God’s direction, peace and forgiveness.
1st
Lesson: It’s Not Until We Accept The Fact That We Are Diseased
That We Seek Cleansing
In
one way Naaman was fortunate. His disease was obvious. Everybody
could see it. Our sin-disease lies under the surface and isn’t
so obvious. It can be easy to hide behind a mask of self-righteousness.
The first step toward cleansing is to take off this mask and
admit sin’s presence.
This
can be very hard for good people. We have a friend in California who is without a doubt the nicest, kindest
person in the world. Even Mother Teresa would have come in
second to her. That was her biggest hurdle. She had to reach
the point of understanding that no matter how good a person
you are that God’s standard of righteousness is absolute perfection.
Fortunately most of us don’t have her problem. At least I
don’t. I know I’m not perfect. How about you?
2nd
Lesson: It’s Not Until We Hear The Truth That We Discover
The Way To Find Relief
God
has one main way of helping people hear the truth about His
amazing love and forgiving compassion. He uses people—sometimes
seemingly insignificant people. In Naaman’s case he used a
slave girl, the prophet’s servants and some of his own servants.
They were in places where God could use them. When God needed
them, they came through.
People
can’t respond to follow Christ unless they hear the truth.
The Apostle Paul makes a statement about salvation in his
letter to the Romans and then follows that statement with
some important questions.
As
the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never
be put to shame." For there is no difference between
Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses
all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the
name of the Lord will be saved."
How,
then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?
And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not
heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to
them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it
is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who
bring good news!"
Romans 10:11-15 NIV
Each
and every one of us who are believers had someone who spoke
the good news to us. God plants us in places where we can
develop relationships with people so we can be the ones who
help them hear the truth.
3rd
Lesson: It’s Not Until We Come To The End Of Ourselves That
We Are Ready To Go God’s Way
Naaman
tried everything he knew before he was ready to try God’s
way. Our way to God may follow paths of human reasoning, social
status or even being a good person doing good things. God
says there is only one way—His way.
This
is a huge stumbling block for many people on the road of faith.
For many people it much’s easier
to attend the church of Oprah and hear her spiritual guru
Eckhart Tolle combine Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity into a system
where you become your own truth. At
the beginning of his book A New Earth he denies
the deity and grossly twists Jesus’ teaching about Himself.
The
Truth is inseparable from who you are. Yes, you are the Truth.
If you look for it elsewhere, you will be deceived every time.
The very Being you are is Truth. Jesus tried to convey that
when he said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” (CT,
August 2008, p. 50)
The
human created method of salvation stresses that we need to
become the end in ourselves. Jesus told us, instead, that
we need to come to the end of ourselves.
4th
Lesson: It’s Not Until We Actually Do As God Requires That
Our Cleansing Occurs
God’s
way may not make sense. Always remember that God’s ways are
higher than our ways. If we want to know God and have peace,
forgiveness and hope beyond the grave, we have to obey and
come His way—nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.
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