Transcript

Two engineers applied for one job at a computer company. They had identical qualifications, so to determine which one to hire, the firm gave them a test. Each did well, except they both missed the same question.

The manager called the first candidate, explained the results of the test and then said, “I’m afraid we’re going to hire the other applicant.”

“Why? We both got nine questions right,” said the rejected engineer. “Our choice isn’t based on the correct answers, but on the question you both missed.” “But if we both missed the same question, why would you choose him over me?”

“Well, in answer to question 5 on the test, the other guy put down ‘I don’t know.’ And you wrote: ‘Neither do I.’” A man by the Naaman was put to the test, and though he struggled with it, ultimately, by faith, he passed with flying colors.

2 Kings 5:1-3: “Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.

“And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman’s wife.

“And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.

In chapters 2 through 13 in 2 King we read of the prophet Elisha’s ministry. He was the disciple and successor to the prophet Elijah. In chapter 5 we learn about the healing of Naaman during Elisha’s ministry.

Verse 1 tells us that Naaman was “captain of the host,” or the highest ranking, military official in the Syrian army, leader over all the armies of Syria. And this being so, he was the chief military commander of a country that was a persistent enemy to Israel.

Verse 1 describes Naaman as “great,” “honorourable,” a mighty man of valour”. So we learn that Naaman was a person of great influence and wealth, highly respected, and an auspicious and brave soldier.

And Naaman was second only to the king himself when it came to power. Verse 1 says that he was “a great man with his master.”

Namaan’s “master” was the King of Syria, and this shows that there was no one else between Naaman and the king and he answered only and directly to him and only the king was above him in power. Naaman was a leader of men, capable, esteemed.

A number of accolades are strung together in rapid succession: he’s esteemed, he’s great, he’s noble, he’s valiant, he’s a leper. And the last one is meant to shock us.

General Naaman had all the world could offer: riches, power, social standing, fame, he had everything, except good health. He had so much going for him, but what he had against him was tragic and devastating.

Naaman was stricken with the slow, agonizing, flesh-eating, and eventually fatal disease of leprosy.

It’s been said, “Naaman commanded not only the Syrian army but also the respect of king and country. However, there was one thing he could not command: his health. After facing countless enemies and prevailing, Naaman is now crossing swords with his most formidable foe: the devastating and incurable disease of leprosy. And he is losing.”

By the account and the great lengths that Naaman goes to find a cure show that he is losing the battle and is a desperate man.

Verse 2 shows us how in the course of their occasional raids and battles with Israel over the years, the Syrians captured Israelites whom they made slaves. As a result of this, Naaman had an Israelite maid for his home.

Verse 2 describes her as “a little maid,” or literally a young girl. And she was a personal servant to Naaman’s wife.

Naaman and his wife were evidently kind to the girl as she sought Naaman’s good, and she told his wife of a prophet in Samaria who could heal him of his leprosy.

She had heard about the power of God working through Elisha. And she makes a simple statement of faith: “I wish that my master was with the prophet who is in Samaria. Then he would cure him of his leprosy.” Now think about this young girl.

She illustrates how a person, regardless of age, being in a key place at the right time, and demonstrating faith and faithfulness to God, and speaking out for Him, can impact someone for the Lord, and lead others to Him.

God used the tragedy of her captivity to accomplish a greater good. And she was greatly used in a simple way. She cared enough to speak up, and she had faith in God to believe that Elisha could and would heal Naaman of his leprosy.

D. L. Moody said, “A little maid said a few words that made a commotion in two kingdoms [Syria and Israel]. How often has the finger of childhood pointed grown-up persons in the right direction. The maid boasted of God that [His prophet could heal Naaman of his leprosy], and God honored her faith.”

This girl was the provision of God for Naaman. She teaches us the impact that the young can make for the Lord. She shows that God can use us wherever we are at. She demonstrates how it doesn’t take a degree in theology to be a witness for the Lord.

This little girl simply knew somebody who could meet the need of her master. She knew God and His servant, Elisha, could do it, and she said so and pointed Naaman to him.

And, likewise, we know Somebody who can meet the need of salvation of any around us, Jesus Christ, and we are called to point others to Him and share Him simply with others.

2 Kings 5:4-8: “And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel. And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.

“And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.

“And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.

“And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.”

In verse 4 we learn how Naaman, after hearing of this prophet from the young girl, then went and told, “his lord,” the King of Syria. Showing his power and access to the king, Naaman was able to gai an audience with the king very easily.

And then, in turn, showing how much he valued Naaman, the king immediately dispatched him to Samaria with a letter for the king of Israel. He told Naaman to “Go to, go” or depart, go at once, don’t lose any time.

Along with the letter from the king, Naaman, out of his own great wealth, brought 6,000 pieces of gold, ten talents of silver and 10 changes of costly, valuable raiments. It’s been estimated that the value of all this would be around 1.2 million dollars today.

The natural order of things says that nothing in life is free. And if this healer was authentic, he could probably charge what he wished. So Naaman came prepared.

His first mistake, however, was that he thought that HE COULD BUY HIS CLEANSING. And we see a principle in this with salvation, and the cleansing of our sins: that many are willing and feel like they need to try to pay their way into heaven.

People often believe that they must come to the Lord with offerings of money in order to receive His grace and so He’ll grant them a place in heaven. And unfortunately, there are a lot of churches and shysters and preachers more than willing to take that money.

But the Bible says that God’s grace is free of charge. Salvation and cleansing for our sins is a free gift of love. No gifts or money is required. There’s no strings attached. We receive salvation from our sins and have the sure hope of heaven by faith ALONE.

Naaman then traveled to the king of Israel, which was Jehoram at the time, and gave him the letter from the king of Syria. The letter simply stated to make sure that Naaman was healed of his leprosy. No problem.

But when the king read the letter, he was understandably upset and was grieved. He rent and tore his clothes, because of this impossible request. And he correctly stated that only God can heal from this deadly disease. It was beyond his power and ability.

The king of Syria assumed that the king of Israel knew Elisha well and was on much better terms with him than he actually was. But Jehoram had no relationship with Elisha, the man of God, who could help Naaman, so this thought didn’t cross his mind.

Thus, the king’s only logical thought was the king of Syria was seeking “a quarrel against me,” or attempting to instigate a war with Israel, and looking for an excuse to do so.

Jehoram’s tearing of his garments and complaint was a public act and he wished for his subjects to know about the outrageous request of the Syrian king.

So word spread and Elisha caught wind of and heard about the king’s anxiety and tearing of his garments. And Elisha sent word to the king to send Naaman down to him (v. 8).

And as he sent word to the king, Elisha gave a gentle rebuke to him by asking: “Why are you tearing your clothes?” In other words, “The reason this is a crisis to you is because you have no relationship with the true and living God who can heal lepers.”

He told him to send Naaman to him that he might know that there is a prophet in Israel, because obviously the king didn’t know and had forgot that there was a prophet in Israel.

2 Kings 5:9-12: “So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.

“And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.

“But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.

“Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.”

Upon hearing the invitation for Naaman to come see him, Naaman came in a hurry to the door of Elisha’s home, “with his horses and with his chariot.”

The general arrived in grand style which included him in his chariot, an entourage of mounted soldiers, and his extravagant gifts of gold and silver and expensive raiment.

I like to imagine the scene. After rushing up to Elisha’s humble residence, noisily arriving with all the horses and chariots, dust filling the air, Naaman and all these soldiers in fulldress uniforms, with their war horses and bags of gold and silver draped over them, all stopped and are now looking at the door of Elisha’s home.

Then an unknown household servant, opened the creaky wooden door slowly, stepped outside on to the porch step, and said, in effect, “Elisha says to go dip in the Jordan River 7 times, and you’ll be fine. Thank you.” Then he turned and went back into the house, gave a little wave, and shut the door.

And Naaman is speechless. Not at all awed by the great military commander, Elisha didn’t even bother to come to the door. Nor does he invite him to come in.

Naaman had taken the trouble to travel from Syria and to then come to the home of Elisha, but Elisha refused to give him a personal audience. He simply sent a messenger out to him. No remark was made about all the nice things he had brought with him. And then on top of it all he had given him a humiliating and ridiculous set of instructions.

As a result of all this, feeling he’d been slighted, Naaman’s pride was hurt and he was hot with anger at such an offhanded treatment. The term “wroth” in verse 11 is one of the strongest words describing anger in the Bible.

Naaman expected that he and his illness would be taken more seriously by the prophet. He was a man who commanded armies and when he spoke people jumped.

He was important; he was accustomed to being honored, men bowed in his presence, in battle they cowered. But Elisha didn’t even come out to meet him and just sent his messenger out. He felt insulted and demeaned, and didn’t like the way he was treated.

And so it says he “went away” or he literally turned around and started heading back for home in his frustration and rage, as he came dangerously close to just going back home with leprosy to die rather than endure this insult.

Pride was getting in the way of his cleansing. And pride often gets in the way of a person’s personal salvation also.

Naaman’s pride was hurt because of the simple request given him, and so that can be true of anyone at the truth of salvation for today and the simple thing God asks to receive it. In salvation, we have a great need, like Naaman had a great need with his leprosy.

In salvation, we must humble ourselves to accept God’s provision, like Naaman was being required to humble himself to accept God’s provision for his cleansing.

Salvation is by the humblest of means, by the Cross and resurrection of God’s Son, and is humbly received without us doing anything, acknowledging that we can’t do anything to save ourselves and Christ did it all, and we just trust what Christ did for us.

Naaman’s pride and stubborn unwillingness to abandon his way for God’s almost killed him and almost caused him to miss his cleansing that he might live.

And pride, stubbornness, and an unwillingness to abandon our way for God’s can lead one to eternal death and missing heaven, eternal life, cleansing and salvation of our sins too.

As Naaman was leaving and on his way home to Syria he spoke to his men. And we see that Naaman’s next mistake was that he had come with a list of his own expectations, and his encounter with the prophet of God had met none of them.

He had expected the cure to be elaborate and dramatic. “I thought…surely” he said in verse 11. Namaan’s cleansing wasn’t in the way that HE had in mind, or the way that HE thought it should take place.

He thought sure Elisha himself would come out to perform a cleansing ceremony, waving his arms over him, calling out to his God. He was looking for some dramatic, emotional, religious ceremony which would declare him AND make him clean.

It’s been said that “He anticipated a way God would work, and he was offended when God didn’t work the way he expected.”

Naaman wanted God’s cleansing, but on his terms, and in his way. He wanted a drivethru healing. He wanted to pay his money, have a quick, dramatic healing service, with all the bells and whistles, and then go home, healed and happy.

It’s the same with the spiritual cleansing from our sins, that many fight the way God says we are saved today, telling themselves “I thought…surely” it would be this other way, that I could earn it, pay for it, be a good person, do good things, be religious, and go to heaven.

Many like Naaman, want God’s cleansing of their sins, but on their terms, the way they had in mind and feel it should be.

Like Naaman, many feel there needs to be a big, showy, emotional ceremony or a religious experience in order to be saved, or to feel like they are. But God’s ways are not our ways.

God asks a very simple thing of Naaman here to be cleansed and God does the same with the way of salvation today, He asks a very simple thing, just by faith alone, in the quietness of your heart, to trust that Christ died for your sins and rose again.

It’s been rightly said that “There’s no such thing as Burger King Salvation. You can’t have it your way.” God saves on His terms. And we must come to God and be saved in the way God says to be saved.

In verse 12, Naaman in complained and resented being told to wash in a dirty, muddy river which was inferior to the glorious, pure, clear rivers near his home in Damascus, the rivers Abana and Pharpar.

He said, in effect, that he wasn’t about to belittle himself by getting washing in a filthy, sorry, little river in some backward country like Samaria, when they had their own glorious rivers back home. And so he turned and “went away in a rage,” to continue his journey back home.

2 Kings 5:13-16: “And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?

“Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

“And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant. But he said, As the LORD liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused.”

Naaman’s servants then reasoned with him as they traveled (carefully since he was in a rage), saying that if Elisha had asked him to do some big elaborate thing, he would’ve done it. But Elisha hasn’t asked him to do a difficult thing, so why not try it? It couldn’t hurt.

First, we see God using a young slave girl to give Naaman the message about who could help and where he could find healing. Second, God used the prophet Elisha to tell him where to go and what to do to be healed.

And third, when he was reluctant to obey, God even used his servants to encourage him to be obedient to the Word of God. God had a lot of people working on Naaman’s life. In leading people to salvation, God often uses many people to share and lead them to Him.

Naaman’s then pride gave way, and he humbled himself and did it. He was an important man with a high position and the prophet told him to dip into the Jordan to be cleansed of his leprosy, thus he was a Big Dipper, the title of this message.

Naaman went down into the Jordan River, dipped himself 7 times, and on the 7th time, he came up and was healed. And his child-like faith led to him to be given child-like skin and completely cleansed. Ajax couldn’t have gotten him any cleaner.

Was it the Jordan River that cleansed him of his leprosy? Nope. Was it dunking himself 7 times in the river that removed his disease? No, it was all God. And it was in obeying God’s command in doing what He required that resulted in his cleansing.

If Naaman had refused to go to the Jordan and had decided to wash 7 times in the Abana or the Pharpar, he wouldn’t have been healed. If Naaman had only gone down 6 times only he wouldn’t have been healed.

But when he went down and came back up the 7th time as God instructed through the prophet, he was healed. God answered his faith with a complete and miraculous healing.

By Elisha not coming out and giving instructions for his healing through his servant, it showed Naaman that the cure was entirely of God and not of Elisha.

Naaman humbly returned to the house of Elisha thankful, changed, and healed, and he desired to give Elisha a gift out of his deep appreciation, but Elisha declined.

Naaman had come to trust in what he says in verse 15: “I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel.” That was the true blessing that Elisha, the man of God, received from this experience, and that was all he needed.

Pastor Charles Swindoll wrote this: “No angels sang. No trumpets, fire, or smoke. Nothing glowed. The only extraordinary element in this miracle story is the invisible, invincible Lord—His invitation, His ways, His grace, all for His glory. As the man’s flesh was restored, only One was deserving of his praise.”

Leprosy is a picture of sin in the Bible. Like leprosy, sin is terminal and leads to death, eternal death. And we are all sinners and filled with the leprosy of sin and we need to be cleansed in order to live. As we obey the gospel of grace, we receive that cleansing.

The Savior was sinless by birth and in life, and at the Cross He took our sins upon Himself and paid sin’s penalty for us. God’s Word tells us “Christ died for our sins.”

And Scripture says that He “bare our sins in His own body on the tree” and “suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (I Pet. 2:24; 3:18).

Through His perfect payment for sin, the cleansing of all our sins is offered absolutely free to us, as a gift.

Ephesians 2:8,9 states, “For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.”

God asks a very simple thing of us for salvation today: just believe, just trust that Christ died for you, for your sins, and rose again and you are saved by His grace through your faith, and all your sins, like Naaman’s leprosy, are then washed away.

Like Naaman’s servants, we urge you, why not do it? Why not believe it? God hasn’t asked a hard thing of you. Believe and be saved right now.