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“A Tribute To Servants” • 6.11.17 • Calvary Christian
Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- Throughout
these first four chapters, the author of Second Kings has put the spotlight,
not upon the Kings of Israel and Judah, but on the ministry and work of Elisha
the prophet!
- Elisha's fame
has spread far and wide. His work has carried him from the frontlines of a
national crisis to the front porch of a destitute widow.
- Despite
Israel's apostasy, God has left a shining witness to speak of His reality, in
the hopes that His people would turn from their idolatrous ways and return to
Him.
- Today, we
leave the confines of Israel, where we expect God to move, to a neighboring
nation that has no relationship to God. God wants to advertise Himself there as
well! Verse 1.
Text
• II Kings 5:1 : "Now Naaman, commander of the army
of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master,
because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was
also a mighty man of valor, but a leper." :
At first glance, Naaman is the envy of every Syrian man.
- He is known as a "great and honorable
man" who is highly respected by the most highly respected person in the
land of Syria! He is famous and incredibly successful.
- The text declares that God had used his
battle prowess to bring Syria to victory. Josephus and other extant sources
claim that his was the arrow that found Ahab in I Kings 22:34!
- Whether that is the case or not, Naaman is
foremost, a Gentile who had been used by God as a tool of discipline against
God's rebellious people! Unfortunately, this is where the envy ends.
- He was a brave and might man, but he was a
leper! It may be that he had recently developed or been diagnosed with leprosy,
or that he had been living with it for some time.
- In the ancient world, there was not a more
fearsome condition. Israel knew about leprosy and the Levitical law called for
examination and ultimately separation. (Leviticus
13)
- Outside of the commonwealth of Israel, other
nations were less vigilant in their treatment. Consequently, it seems that
Naaman's leprosy was allowed to progress as he continued to work.
- Leprosy, which scholars believe to be similar
to Hansen's Disease today, is a disorder of the nervous system which affects a
person's ability to feel pain.
- Before long, infection sets into open sores,
which would lead to horrifying disfigurement.
˚
"Its symptoms start in the skin and
peripheral nervous system (outside the brain and spinal cord), then spread to
other parts, such as the hands, feet, face, and earlobes. Patients with leprosy
experience disfigurement of the skin and bones, twisting of the limbs, and
curling of the fingers to form the characteristic claw hand. Facial changes
include thickening of the outer ear and collapsing of the nose. Tumor-like
growths called lepromas may form on the skin and in the respiratory tract, and
the optic nerve may deteriorate." Dr. Allen Gillen[i]
- No matter how successful, brave, famous or
rich Naaman was, he was living under the shadow of a death sentence. Verse 2.
• II Kings 5:2,3 : "And the Syrians had gone out on
raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She
waited on Naaman’s wife. Then she said to her mistress, 'If only my master were with the
prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.'" : In the meantime, there was a similarly hopeless individual
living in the land of Syria. She is a captive from the land of Israel.
- Syria and Israel often fought and traded
control over shared territories. Both sides would take captives. Israel was
given rules of conduct by God, but Syria did not hold to them.
- This young girl may have witnessed the execution
of her parents and male siblings. It wouldn't be surprising to discover that
she had also experienced personal trauma as well.
- Aside from her personal tragedies, she finds
herself in Naaman's house as his wife's servant.
- She has watched Naaman digress physically and
has seen the worry on Mrs. Naaman's face. Despite the potential personal
grudges that she might have held onto, she speaks up to help them.
"If Naaman would go to Elisha, he would be
healed!" This is incredibly bold! Aside from Moses' sister Miriam, there
hasn't been a case of a leper's healing in the record of the Old Testament!
- She is so sincere and so confident! She has
no hestitation in her voice. Elisha holds the key to Naaman's healing. With
only her word of hope, the wheels are set in motion. Verse 4.
• II Kings
5:4-8 : "And Naaman went in and
told his master, saying, 'Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of
Israel.' Then the
king of Syria said, 'Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.' So
he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of
gold, and ten changes of clothing. Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said, 'Now
be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant
to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy.' And
it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes
and said, 'Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to
heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a
quarrel with me.' So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of
Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, 'Why have you
torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a
prophet in Israel.'" : Isn't this incredible? The
most decorated General in Syria and the King act upon the advice of a Hebrew
handmaiden!
- This speaks volumes of the relationship that
Syria's King had with his General. This is his value: The King will spend
generously at the slightest hint of a possible cure!
- On the other side, look at the value of a
faithful captive's words. Her words are not only heard in the capital building,
but the government actually enacts her plan!
- She had simply testified confidently and her
words moved the heart of the King who immediately pens a letter to King Jehoram,
whom he assumes, has Elisha on retainer!
- He has no idea how much Jehoram hates Elisha!
When the letter arrives with a gift valued at several millions, Jehoram thinks
it's a ploy to engage Israel in a war!
- The King is distraught, but the Prophet is
excited! As the man of God! His confidence is in the Lord! He has no qualms
about Naaman's condition.
- "Let him come and he shall know there is
a prophet in Israel!" I love Elisha's response and would wish that we
would all share it!
- "Let them come with their impossible
scenario. Let them meet my God and see His power!" Do you have that kind
of confidence in your God?
- We're so afraid that He will not meet their
need that we fail even to offer His help in prayer! Elisha wanted Naaman to
come and couldn't wait to advertise God's greatness. Verse 9.
• II Kings
5:9,10 : "Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he 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 to you, and you shall be
clean.'" : Naaman made his long journey from
Syria to Mount Carmel. He stood at the very door of Elisha's house expecting to
meet the prophet face to face.
- Can you imagine his feelings? Was he nervous?
Did he think about what he was going to say or wonder what Elisha was going to
look like? He knocks on the door and gets quite a surprise!
- When the door opens, it is not only not
Elisha, but it one of his lowly messengers who proceeds to let the General know
what he must do! "Son, do you know who I am!?"
- Without batting an eye, the messenger tells
him to bathe himself in the Jordan river 7 times!
- If he does that, the leprosy will be healed.
He will be "clean." That's it? I would be ecstatic and incredibly
relieved! Wouldn't that bring you incredible relief? Wouldn't you rejoice?
- Naaman, a man who has traveled thousands of
miles, simply can't relate. Verse 11.
• II Kings
5:11,12 : "But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, 'Indeed, I
said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name
of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over
the place, and heal the leprosy.’ Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, 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." : Naaman is beside himself with anger! The word speaks of
"bursting out into rage." You have to understand that his
expectations were high and they have been crushed!
- He expected to see Elisha's face. "He
will surely come out to me." Naaman was used to people being impressed
with him. Even now as a leper, he expected this from Elisha!
- He wasn't prepared to meet a lowly servant.
He came all this way to see the main man!
- Second, he expected an elaborate ceremony. He
wanted to see Elisha "do something" for him. He wanted to hear him
call on the Name of the Lord with chants and a smoke machine.
- He wanted to see Elisha mystically wave his
hand over the leprosy and ultimately, he wanted to see that leprosy that had
manifested itself, disappear before his eyes.
- Ironically, this is what the unbeliever has
in common with the immature carnal believer: They crave experience!
Interesting.
- Naaman wanted an impressive show that rivaled
the "World" of religious people in Syria!
- Finally, he had a problem with the locale.
The Jordan river was no match for the rivers of Damascus, the Abanah, which the
Greeks called "The Gold River" and the Pharpar.
- As believers, we revere the Jordan river. It
is significant to Bible believing Christians because God has worked there
repeatedly! John the Baptist and Jesus stood there!
- But when you take that away, the Jordan is
hardly wide enough to be more than a glorified creek in some places! During the
dry season, it can become a bit more like a muddy bog!
- Naaman expectations lead him to believe that
if the cure was going to be found in a river, then it ought to be one that is
marked by beauty! He's incredibly mistaken! Verse 13.
• II Kings
5:13 : "And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, 'My
father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have
done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?'" : You have to love the heart of these servants.
- Look at their posture. They "came
near." They didn't say this from an uncaring distance. They were right up
next to him. Listen to their affection for Naaman. "My Father."
- These servants loved him and wanted him to
listen to reason for the hope he would be cured.
- They reason that if the Prophet would have
asked him to stand upon his head and rub his belly, while whistling dixie, he
would have done it!
- How many in our world today are walking on
hot coals, flagellating themselves, crawling to the top of giant stairwells and
kissing remote statutes just for the hope of attaining righteousness?
- His desperation had brought him this far and
now, an easy cure lay before him. All he has to do is get in the Jordan river
and bathe 7 times! "Why not simply try it? What could be the harm?"
- These are the type of servants that I wish
everyone had around them. They speak to him from a heart of love and loyalty,
hoping to encourage him toward the best and most hopeful outcome.
- Thankfully, Naaman listens to their pleas and
resigns himself to give it a try. Verse 14.
• II Kings
5:14 : "So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according
to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a
little child, and he was clean." : Here
again is the victory: So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan
according to the saying of the man of God!
- He didn't stop at three or five. He went down
into that river the exact number of times!
- If you have not been with us over the last
few chapters, this has been the theme. Elisha, a representative of God via the
office of the prophet, declares what must be done.
- Regardless of how unbelieveable or incredible
the word is, the people who obeyed saw victory! The army dug their trenches
with no sign of rain. The desperate widow gathered empty jars.
- Here, the proud General wades into the humble
waters of the Jordan river!
- What would have happened if he had followed his
feelings or listened to his instincts? Think about that for a moment.
- Thankfully, his faith prevailed after a
period of doubt and disagreement, neither of which hinders or hurts God.
- God is not afraid of our moments of doubt and
He cannot be intimidated by our disagreement with His methods. If anything, the
hindrance and hurt is our own!
- How often have we hindered our own growth and
maturity by doubting God's plan or disagreeing over His proposed method? In the
life of an unbeliever, this is a fatal flaw!
- Following your feelings over against God's
truth will lead you straight to hell! But there is an equal danger for the the
believer to do the same!
- The unbeliever might be headed for hell, but
the believer is destined to wander aimlessly!
- How many have sought some other place, some
other experience, over what has been established as good ground in their life?
- Those who follow such things are immature,
foolish, carnal believers who are destined to follow feelings and experience
well into a great wilderness of emptiness!
- If Naaman were present today, he would tell
you how glad he was to forego his feelings!
- After he argued, God's curative measure
remained in place. Naaman dipped in the Jordan river and his flesh was
completely clean!
- He was restored, listen, his flesh was
restored as if he had been a baby! His skin was that soft and that pure! The
leprosy was gone and Naaman was clear! Verse 15.
•
II Kings 5:15-19 : "And he returned to the man of God,
he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, 'Indeed, now
I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore,
please take a gift from your servant.' But he said, 'As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing.' And he
urged him to take it, but he refused. So Naaman said, 'Then, if not, please let your servant be
given two mule-loads of earth; for your servant will no longer offer either
burnt offering or sacrifice to other gods, but to the Lord. Yet in this thing may the Lord pardon your servant: when my master goes into the temple
of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand, and I bow down in the
temple of Rimmon—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord please pardon your
servant in this thing.' Then he said to him, 'Go
in peace.' So he departed from him a short distance." : After Naaman was clean, he approached Elisha with a much
different attitude. His doubts are gone.
-
He is still staring at his skin, remembering what he was only minutes ago. He
is marveling at how much joy is in his heart! He traded in a death sentence for
a real life!
-
When he comes before Elisha, he stood before him and testified to the reality
of God! There isn't any other God except in Israel! What a statement and what a
truth!
-
The God of the Bible, the God of Israel, is the only living, true God! When you
believe upon Jesus Christ, you begin a relationship with Him through His Son!
-
Any other supposed god is either a demonic entity seeking to distract you from
the knowledge of the true God or is a manifestation of your own psyche! Take
your pick!
-
Whatever god Naaman had trusted before had failed to deal with his leprous
condition.
-
In a world without a cure for leprosy, it was the God of Israel that brought it
to pass!
-
He declared his faithfulness to this God and then offered a gift to Elisha,
which the prophet promptly turned down! He was not willing to receive a single
item for his service to the Lord!
-
Elisha was not in service for his own benefit. He served God and had God. That
was reward enough for him. Truly, there is no greater reward than that!
-
As for Naaman, he cannot just walk away without some token of the moment. He
takes some of the soil of Israel along with him. Understand that Naaman's faith
wasn't perfect. It didn't need to be.
-
He displays the average idolator, who believed in "henotheism,"
essentially that God was only strong in Israel. There's no doubt that he would
use the dirt as a point of contact for his faith.
-
His faith wasn't perfect and neither was his life. Some of his official duties
will still take place within the temple of the Syrian's local deities.
-
Some scholars believe that he is asking forgiveness for having done this in the
past, but the natural reading of the passage leads us to believe that this is a
future conflict.
-
The point is that Naaman understands that his faith has implications for his
daily life. He cannot simply go back into his old life without having to change
some things!
-
In his case, the King of Syria would lean upon the General, who would have to
bow to help him stabilize on the way down and the way back up from his worship.
-
He could be there physically, but his heart wouldn't be affected by it. His
heart would remain loyal to the God of Israel. He would be "in the
world" but not "of it!"
-
Elisha doesn't rebuke him. He tells him to go in peace. It would be equivalent
to our saying, "Don't worry about it!" Would Elisha have said this
across the board?
-
If you had a job that you knew would compromise your own heart, I'm fairly
certain Elisha would have given another word.
-
This man knew who healed him. He knew that any other temple was represented by
falsehood. This man is so satisfied with God that he can stand virtually
anywhere and be safe!
-
That is the issue: Are you so satisfied with God that your heart wouldn't even
think to look another direction? That person is safe anywhere they go!
Conclusion
- What a rich chapter! What a wonderful God who gives His people the chance to follow Him by faith, to trust that His way is more reliable than their feelings!
- What a rich chapter! What a wonderful God who gives His people the chance to follow Him by faith, to trust that His way is more reliable than their feelings!
-
May He give you and I the wisdom to proceed in the same manner, repeatedly
obedient to His voice! For those outside of the faith, there is also a
fantastic illustration here!
- We may be the
envy of men or women by the success of our lives, but let it be known that we
are indeed lepers!
-
We have a sin problem that stems from our heart and is seen in our actions!
We're diseased and doomed to die spiritually! God says for you and I to look to
Jesus Christ!
-
He is the only fountain of eternal life, scorned by the Philosopher and the
powerful, but whose life is effective to cleanse the darkest stain according to
God.
-
You might have come a long way and thought it would take a much more complex
process to change a condition as bad as yours. It doesn't.
-
Simply put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, signaling that by your
repentance from sins and you will find that God is able, not simply to cleanse
your skin, but to transform your being!
-
The question for all who have ever heard this message is simple: If someone had
told you to do something difficult to take care of your desperate condition,
wouldn't you do it?
-
God says, "Simply look to Jesus and be cleansed for all time!"
[i] https://answersingenesis.org/biology/disease/biblical-leprosy-shedding-light-on-the-disease-that-shuns/
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