2
Kings chapter 5 shows a sharp contrast between greatness as the world
sees it and greatness from God’s perspective. First we learn of
Naaman
“commander
of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man… highly
regarded… He was a valiant soldier“.
But we also read, “But
he had leprosy“.
Leprosy was a horrific, incurable disease that would literally cause
the flesh to slowly rot off the body. Here you have a man that
seemingly had it all, but his body was carrying death. Next we read
of a young
girl taken captive from Israel that served Naaman’s wife.
From a human perspective, she was as lowly as it gets. We do not
even know her name, yet she knew the only hope for life.
She said to her mistress, “If
only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure
him of his leprosy“.
It is important to understand the two nations were enemies. A
desperate Naaman was given permission from the King of Aram to seek
help from the King of Israel. “Naaman
left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of
gold and ten sets of clothing. 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’.”
Many people want to believe they can simply pay a penance to relieve
their sins. We instinctively know the toll of our sin is great and
the cost of cure must be even greater.
The
King of Israel was corrupt and Elisha, the man of God, was not even
allowed in the king’s palace. Listen to his reaction to the
letter, “Am
I God? Can I kill and bring back to life… See how he is trying to
pick a quarrel with me!“.
Reluctantly, “Naaman
went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s
house“.
This was a humbling step for such a powerful man. And we read,
“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’.”
Naaman’s reaction was like many people when they learn that
Salvation requires only a humble act of faith. He 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… So he turned and went off in a rage“.
Naaman was too proud to obey the word of a servant. Are you too
proud to believe the promise of Christ, “if
you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart
that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”
(Romans 10:9)?
Once
again Naaman received the wisdom of his servant, “My
father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you
not have done it?”
And the result is miraculous, “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“.
Naaman returned to the prophet, this time filled with gratitude.
Note his desire is no longer to pay off God, but rather to give with
a thankful heart. “Now
I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. Please
accept now a gift from your servant“.
Do not think the cost of our sin is cheap. It was paid in full by
the blood of Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:23 explains, “But
we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the
Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and
Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the
foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is
stronger than men“.
Don’t be too wise to trust God.