Healing Naaman

Introduction

Good morning. If you will open your Bibles with me to 2 Kings chapter 5. In 2 Kings chapter 5, we find a fascinating story of a man who just would not obey. And the question reigns with him, as it does with us, why do we not just take God’s way? And what’s fascinating about 2 Kings chapter 5 and the account of Naaman is that he chose us several reasons why not just he did not obey, but why we sometimes don’t either, and why the world at large sometimes lacks in that area. And as we read 2 Kings chapter 5, be mindful of the words of Isaiah chapter 55 and verses 8 and 9, when it’s written, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

And of course, verse 9 shows the emphasis, for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. We understand conceptually that God’s way is best, and we would all acknowledge God is worthy to be praised, amen. And if that’s true, then we would simply do as he asked. But I think what we’ll see with Naaman is that it’s not just Naaman, it’s not just this important Syrian member of the world. But it’s me. It’s all of us who sometimes reason the way he does, reach the conclusions that he reaches, and sometimes leaves enraged the way that he was enraged. But in 2 Kings chapter 5, beginning in verse 1, we read a little bit about Naaman.

1. A Mighty Man of Valor, but a Leper

He’s the commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. Now the Syrians on one of their ways had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, Would that my Lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his leprosy. So Naaman went in and told his Lord, Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel, and the king of Syria said, Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.

So he went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, When this letter reaches you, you know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy. And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, Am I God to kill and to make alive that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me. But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, Why have you torn your clothes?

Let him come now to me that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel. Note verse nine through verse twelve of this section. I think there’s a lot to take out of this, some very basic, some a little bit more subtle. In verse 9, so Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean. But Naaman was angry, and went away, saying, Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and saying and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.

Are not Abana and far far the rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. But his servants came near and said to him, My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you. Will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, Wash and be clean? So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God. And his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. I think when you see this, you see, in verse 1, the real important note is that who was Naaman? Was this just somebody?

No, this was the commander of the king of Syria’s army. He was a great man, a mighty man. And what do you think this great man was accustomed to? What type of lifestyle, what type of response do you think Naaman usually garnered from those who were around him? But do we say he was in good standing? Could we say he was a man who had accumulated great admiration? You might think of a man who has many medals. And yet you see at the end of verse 1, what comes with any greatness in this life, there is almost always a but. And in verse 1, but he was a leper. Now the Syrians are one of their raids had carried off, notice the little girl from the land of Israel.

And what’s interesting about Naaman is that he’s not just some closed-minded fool. If you look, what did the little maiden from Israel have to say? Oh, that if he were with the prophet in Samaria, he would heal him. Now certainly that young maiden, that war taken little girl from Israel, was not telling this great commanding officer of the Syrian army what to do. Can we accept that that would not be how that household functioned? But she was throwing something out, knowing that Elisha, the man of God, had the capability, had the power to cure this man even from leprosy, and we’re going to see just how bad leprosy was in just a few verses. But you consider this is a suggestion, and Naaman is willing to take this risk because he knows that it’s worth it.

Leprosy was awful. It was terrible. It was a big problem, and we know that. And so verse 4 and 5 talks about how he’s going, and the king of Syria even sends with him a great amount, ten talents of silver, 6,000 shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. But do you know what the king of Israel responds? This is King Joram of Israel. In verse 7, when he read the letter, he tore his clothes. First of all, notice the second response Am I God that I can cure this man of his leprosy? I can’t do that. They’re seeking a quarrel with me. And perhaps this King Ben Hadad of Syria was doing just what he had done, just what Syria had already done in 1 Kings chapter 20, seeking a quarrel with Israel.

But we know that not to be the case. We know that they simply wanted this great commanding officer to be healed of his leprosy. Now, fortunately, Elisha heard that, but as we think about the king’s response, note how desperate the situation of Naaman had to be that the king, when told, You have the cure for my great commanding officer’s response is not, let’s find somebody who can fix him. But this is impossible. This cannot be done, certainly not done by me. The king realized it was out of his power, and certainly we understand that it was out of anyone’s power, including Elisha, except that he was a man of God. So as we continue in the story, then you see that Naaman finally approaches Elisha. And I want to see in verse 9 a couple, a couple points here.

2. Why Did Naaman Not Just Obey?

As we think about why did Naaman not just obey. He went through all this effort to come and find and be outside the house of Elisha. He finds himself on the doorstep of this man of great fame, of great understanding, both in the ways of God and of doing miracles, so much so that his little maiden girl was able to tell Naaman about this great prophet of God. He finds himself outside the door, and he finally gets a solution, and yet he says, What? That’s not what I wanted at all. You’re supposed to come out here and wave your hands over me, and I’m supposed to be magically better. It didn’t meet his expectations. But it goes a little bit further than that. If you note in verse 9, the first problem I think can be identified here.

Remember, who is Naaman? Of what stature is Naaman? He is a great man, a mighty man of valor, so strong in reputation and repute, that the king of Syria had sent him with a letter with those ten talents of silver, those sixty thousand or six thousand shekels of gold and ten changes of clothing. This was a man of great stature, and in verse nine. He’s outside the house, and who does Elisha approach him with? In verse 10. Elisha sent a messenger to him. I think it’s interesting that you can you can understand that Naaman’s response would be, I came all this way. I found the location of this great prophet of Israel, and you know what he does to me? Nothing. He sends his messenger out to me.

Think about how that might have affected him. You think maybe this is part of the problem in verse 11? What is what does Naaman call out? Yes, he says, I thought he would come out and wave his hands on me, but note the first part of verse 11. What is part of Naaman’s complaint? Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me. Now, yes, that’s implicit in coming out and waving his hands over him and curing his leprosy right away. But can we not see that Naaman was bothered that Elisha didn’t do it the way he thought? Elisha himself didn’t even come out and do it. I wonder if I’ve ever had that happen. Have I ever allowed frustration with somebody else to affect my standing with the Lord?

I wonder if I’ve ever thought about the way somebody should act, or how somebody treated me, and then maybe changed how it was. Hold on to that thought for a little bit later. But secondly, you see that Naaman had those different expectations at the end of verse 11, not just that Elisha would come out and stand, but that he would call upon the name of the Lord as God, wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. This was his expectation, and because it was not met, what did Naaman do? He got mad and he left. Now that’s certainly not the response of someone who wants to be cured and wants to be healed. You’d think, why not just give it a try? But that wasn’t Naaman.

He was upset because that wasn’t the way he thought things should go. Do I dare even say that that might have some application to us today? I want to look at a third aspect. He thought there were better options. It wasn’t just that he didn’t do it the way he thought. It was that the option given to him, not only was it sent by a messenger, not only was it not how Naaman wanted to be cured, but it just wasn’t even the best option of doing what Elisha’s messenger was telling him to do. You see that in verse 12. Are not Avana and Farpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean? So he turned and he went away in a rage.

You see, it wasn’t just that he didn’t like what Elisha did. He didn’t like the messenger that Elisha sent. He didn’t even like the actual counsel that he was given because sure, Damascus, the waters of the Jordan would have been about 20 miles away. And certainly the waters of Damascus would have been considered much more clean and clear than those muddy waters of the Jordan. And yet it’s easy for me to sit here and to say, Naaman, that silly foolish man. He was not like the fool, he was not like the wise man in Matthew chapter 7 and verse 24 through 28, who heard the words of Jesus and decided to do them. No, he was the foolish man who did what in Matthew chapter 7.

He built his house on the sand, and he was that way because he was willing to hear but not do. Naaman found himself outside the place of the man of God, the man we know who could and did cure him of his leprosy. And yet, even though he got all the way to the precipice, he turned away angry. I want to make sure that we don’t do that. I want to make sure that I don’t, in my walk with Christ, come all the way to the door of God, maybe even sometimes serve Christ, and then fall away. Because maybe one of these three things or other reasons, but such as those that Naaman experienced. And really what was lacking in Naaman, of course, was a willingness to submit because of what?

3. Sometimes We Let Others Affect Our Service

Lack of faith. You see, if you come into it with the understanding that we do, which is you just do whatever God says, and you’ll be cured. It’s that simple, then he would have done it. But that wasn’t the way Naaman was. And you know, the truth is, sometimes that’s just not the way I am either. Sometimes we may let others affect our service. Know what Jesus says about this in Matthew chapter 5. Uh, turn in your Bibles with me to Matthew chapter 5. You see, in this great telling of the Sermon on the Mount, beginning in verse 38, as Jesus is going through and saying, You have heard that it was said of old, but now I say to you, notice his expansion on this in Matthew chapter 5, beginning in verse 38.

You have heard that it was said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. I think when I look at verse 39, and I see that Jesus’ advice for someone who’s been slapped in the cheek is to turn the other cheek. I look at that and I think, yeah, that’s the right thing to do.

I should be doing that. And yet, you know what would happen if someone walked up to you and slapped you on the cheek. Husbands, what would you do? What would you do if it wasn’t your cheek but your wife’s cheek? What is the first impulse? I’m not decrying self-defense or anything of the kind. What is the human impulse if someone comes up and slaps you in the face? Slap them back and slap them harder. That is what we would do. A couple honest laughs there. When you think about the human way versus God’s way, there’s always that distinct difference. In fact, it’s continued, but I think the best one is in verse 41, when Jesus says, if someone forces you to go one mile, what are you to do?

Go with them two miles. We need to be unmoved by the service of others. Whether that is good or bad or disappointing. Yes, it’s right to take advantage of being with others. Iron sharpens iron, is that not the Bible message? But when it comes to people not doing the things that we want in the way that we desire, what often happens? I get upset with that, and then I sit on the sideline and pout instead of doing what I am to do. Jesus says, even in the face of being slapped, you turn the other cheek. And Matthew chapter 5 and verse 11, even look at this. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you, and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Our goal in this life is not to get even. Our goal in this life is not for everybody to share the same amount of work. Our job in this life is to serve God. Period. That’s it. That’s our goal. And whatever it takes for me to serve God in the most pleasing way and to use my talents for him, a thought we’ll examine at the 11 o’clock hour, that’s what I am to do. It doesn’t matter what others around me have done. But that’s really hard. How do I break out of that mold that says the human flesh says, when someone hits me, I want to hit back harder.

4. We Don’t Always Want God’s Way

When someone doesn’t do anything, I want to sit back and not help as well. We have to be focused on God. In Matthew chapter 5, and those two verses in verse 11 and 12, what are we what are we to remember? What is great? Great is our reward in heaven. Great is being with God. That is the expectation, that is the understanding that we have to have. Not just the mental acceptance with Isaiah chapter 55, verses 8 and 9, that God’s ways are higher than my ways. We all understand that. But in the thick of battle, when times are hard, when life isn’t falling the way I expect it to, I have to be willing to serve anyhow. I think you see another point of this is that frankly, we don’t always want God’s way.

We look at Jeremiah chapter 10. In Jeremiah chapter 10 and verse 23, I think if everybody wanted God’s way, then the narrow way wouldn’t be the way that leads to life. That would be the broad way. But the truth is, as Jesus says in Matthew chapter 7, the broad path is the one that leads to destruction. And in Jeremiah chapter 10 and verse 23, the prophet writes, I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself. You see this last part? That it is not in man who walks to direct his steps. Why is it that it’s not in man to direct his own steps? Is it because we’re stuck, we’re somehow totally depraved, as the Calvinists would teach it? That we’re just stuck in our sins, we can’t possibly choose right from wrong.

That goes against the whole Bible story. Many of the Bible principles. Certainly it violates the life of Jesus and the fact that we are to deny ourselves and pick up our cross and follow after him. But what does it mean that it’s not in man to direct his own steps? Without focusing on God, without trusting what God’s way is, that God’s way is first and foremost, we’re not going to make it because we’re not going to choose God’s way. You think about Naaman, and when the messenger of Elisha came out, and he tells him, Go dip in the Jordan seven times. That didn’t fly with Naaman because perhaps most importantly, most obviously, he expected Elisha to be different, to be better. He expected to show, right?

He expected him to come out. He’s going to wave his hands and say, Be clean. And there he would be. Could Elisha have done that? Sure. Sure, that could have been the way that God had allowed Elisha to cure Naaman, but it wasn’t. And did Naaman have the right response? Of course not. You see, the problem was Naaman wanted to be healed. But not quite enough if he had to stray from the way he wanted it. Can I think a little bluntly this morning? I think sometimes we want to be Christians. We want to be the fastest growing church. We want to be the strongest growing church. We want to be the best individual Christian, the best individual Christian family, the best church family that has ever been and ever will be, as long as the Lord allows life.

And we think about that, and we want that, and we want to be good. We want to be righteous. But sometimes we want something else more. And what we want that causes us to err from the path of God is obviously not God’s way. I think sometimes it’s hard when life isn’t fitting the way I want it to. When sometimes situations aren’t coming together, when my life, my family, my job, everything around me is falling apart, I need to realize that it is then that I stick with God and should recognize especially who he is and that he is there for me, as opposed to turning the other way. Because this isn’t what I signed up for. Have you ever thought about that? Why did God let this happen to me?

Why is this God’s way? This can’t be God’s way. Sometimes that’s the extension of the thought. Why did God let this happen to me? What we really mean by that is I can’t believe God would let this happen. This isn’t the way I expected. I thought God’s Christians live perfect little lives in their perfect homes in America forever and ever. Amen. That’s not life. Brothers and sisters, we need to be aware of and praying actively for the many Christians around the world who aren’t here and who aren’t living with all the blessings that I and I’m afraid all of us take for granted. There are Christians literally dying and being persecuted for the name of Christ. The only way that that happens is if they are devoted to God, to understanding who the Christ is with no hesitation at all.

I wonder where would my faith be if this church or my home or my family life broke down entirely? Is my faith in this church building? Is my faith in my spouse? Because those things can be taken away. Job experienced the loss of just about everything around him. But Job remained faithful to the Lord. Why? His faith, by and large, was focused entirely and solely on the one being whom it would never be shaken from, and that is God. You see, Naaman allowed the actions of others to affect his willingness to obey God. And we sometimes allow others to influence us that way. But frankly, even from a personal perspective, if life doesn’t go the way we want it to, sometimes we’re quick to abandon shift.

5. Sometimes We Think Our Way Is Good Enough

Sure, it’s great to run parallel with God’s will when we want to do that anyway, when we know it’s the right way to be, and when it’s prospering, me to be honest and to be good. But what about when it’s hard? What about when God’s way is here and what I want is over here? That’s the test of someone who truly has faith. But I think the third aspect is that sometimes we think our way is good enough. If you look at Acts chapter 22, in verse 16, you find a very controversial passage, and it is quite unbelievably so, and yet it is. In Acts chapter 22 and verse 16, a simple fact is stated by Paul. In Acts chapter 22, as he’s retelling his conversion story, he starts in verse 3, talking about his Jewish background, and he comes all the way forward to that trip to Damascus.

And on that trip to Damascus, what happened in verse 16? And now, why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his names. You see the problem there, right? That the Bible says, rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name. Now, if you’re just reading the Bible for what it is, there is no problem there. But if you’re talking with others, there’s a great problem there because some people teach that faith is all you need. I believe that faith is all you need. But true faith submits to the will of God. That was Naaman’s problem, was it not? He thought at least if he’s going to have to go dip in some waters, it’s going to be these clean waters of Damascus.

And sometimes the religious world today, maybe myself, maybe others, we think, you know what? Yes, I know God says this, but isn’t this on the side good enough? And I’m telling you, this happens. There’s a story, tragic story, of a four-star general’s wife in Oklahoma who had been diagnosed with a fatal illness, and she had just weeks to live. And so, being focused on after death as she was, she called in the local preacher, and it was a sound preacher. And he came in and he started showing her the passages like Romans 10 and verse 17. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But as we know from Naaman, as we know in our own lives, hearing is not enough. To be the wise man who built his house on the rock, we need to hear and do the words of Jesus.

And so he goes into these other passages. He explains the need of belief and repentance and confession and baptism. And he teaches her all these, and she understands them. And when he’s excited and thinking that this is going to be the moment where she can converts to Christ. She’s going to give up self. She’s not going to be worried about others. She’s not going to care about her own way anymore. It’s this last part that hung her up. Because you know what she told this local preacher after looking at passages like Acts chapter 2 and verse 38, 1 Peter 3 and 21, Acts chapter 22 and verse 16. I just don’t think baptism is really that important. I just don’t see it’s why, I don’t see why it’s that big of a deal.

It’s a big deal if God says it is. You see, the bottom line when it comes to serving God, whether the question is about washing and being cleansed of our sins, or in serving God each and every day. The question is not what do I think, what do others do, but what does God decree? And if God has said something, if God has expectations for my life, which he does, then I need to fulfill them. But I can’t help but think that in this passage in 2 Kings chapter 5, that Naaman’s focus reminds me a lot of the problems we have today with baptism. You see in Acts chapter 2, we know verse 38, but look at verse 36. In Acts chapter 2, this is the important point.

This is where Jesus derives his authority from. In Matthew chapter 28 and verses 18 through 20 says, All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. No, who does Peter say Jesus is in verse 36? Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ. This Jesus, whom you crucified. Who was it that they crucified? Jesus. Who is Jesus? He was both Lord and Christ. Dead crucified the Savior. They were stuck in their sins. Sin is deadly. Sin brings the wages, which are death. Might sin be at least a little representative or remind us of just a little bit of Naaman’s leprosy. Now, Naaman’s leprosy, obviously was not in a debilitating fashion at that point in his life.

After all, he was able to serve so faithfully in the Syrian king’s army. But can it be said that sin breaks us down? That sin will lead to our death, and that without God’s healing, we have no hope to get rid of this absolutely horrible choices, consequences of life. When I choose to sin, whether it’s because others have affected my service, or because I just don’t want God’s way, or frankly, maybe I just don’t even care about serving him at one point in my life. I just wasn’t concerned with it, but now I am. We need to know that our way is not good enough unless it’s God’s way. This is the point of the lesson, brothers and sisters. What Naaman did not accept until the end was if God says it, if the man of God reveals it, just do it.

Because God’s ways are higher than our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. God is to be served. Amen? That means in every way across the board. And if I’m not serving him with all of my heart, which servant am I in the parable of the talents? If I don’t serve God all the time the way he wants to be served, am I the five-talent man who reaped five talents? No. Am I the two talent man who reaped two talents? No. Probably like the one talent man who buried his, knowing that his master was going to come down harshly. We need to realize that our way is not good enough. And when it comes to being a Christian, when it comes to this important doctrine of what must what someone must do to be saved, the bottom line is Jesus teaches, as Peter teaches in verse 38, as Paul said in Acts chapter 22, repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins.

Lands tried to substitute all kinds of things. We’ve had a baptism of repentance. John the Baptist had that, and that should be clear enough that that can’t be anymore. Then you have the baptism of sprinkling, right? That’s not a baptism, because baptism is immersion by definition, that doesn’t work. Well, then you have a baptism that’s an outward sign of inward grace. Well, the problem with that is that’s not what the Bible teaches. What must one do to be saved? Repent and be baptized. Why? For the forgiveness of your sins. There is a separation of self and God until sin is wiped away. You want to choose God? Choose God’s path to forgiveness. Be forgiven of your sins today. Recognize that God is offering you the cure.

Conclusion

Don’t be like Naaman. Don’t say, I know a better way. Don’t say I have partaken of something, it’s almost just as good. Do you think if Naaman went down to those rivers of Damascus that he named, do you think he would have been healed if he dipped in them seven times? Of course not. Then how is it possible that many people today, the churches teach today, that baptism isn’t important for salvation. When the Holy Spirit through the apostles and Jesus constantly teach that it is. Don’t misunderstand, this lesson is not only about baptism, but when you think of somebody having some sort of horrible conflict, some type of leprosy, and the response, the teaching given is to go and be washed. Baptism comes screaming to mind, does it not?

But this is more than just to the non Christian, this is to me. This is to the Christian. My way is not good enough. God is to be served. Who am I serving today? In Matthew chapter six and verse twenty four, it’s clear that we can’t serve two masters. We must choose one. If we’re not putting God first, then he might as well be last. If we’re serving self first, God is not in his rightful place. Choose to serve God today. Don’t be distracted by others. Don’t think your way is good enough. And don’t cheapen God’s great offer of forgiveness. Will you go to God in prayer with me? Our dear God and most gracious and loving Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for making your will known to us and we pray that you forgive us of when we sin.

Forgive us of when we’ve looked at your pathways and we’ve decided against them when we have chosen to transgress your law and we know we’ve done so to the point at earning spiritual death. Thank you for sending Jesus the Christ to die on the cross for our sins to allow us to be new living beings with the hope of being with you for all of eternity. You’re a mighty God we thank you each and every day and we pray that you continue to reach out and show us your great grace and your mercy and your love. Help us always to be full of all that you are to be holy as you are holy. Help us to strive for the perfection that you require. Help us, Lord, to be good servants of yours.

Help us simply to trust and obey. As we go from here we pray that we study your word with eagerness and we use it as a test to see where we stand versus your expectations of us. Help us to worship in spirit and truth. Help us in all things and all ways to glorify you. It’s in your Son’s name we do pray. Amen. We’re now dismissed to our Bible classes.