Introduction
In 2 Kings 4, which we studied last week, we had four stories about miracles. There was the story of the widow’s oil. Though she only had a little oil, Elisha told her to collect as many jars as possible. And when she began to pour out the oil, she was able to fill every jar. And so, she was able to sell the oil and pay off her debt and live off the remaining income. Then there was the story of the Shunammite woman who was able to conceive and have a child even though it once seemed that she would remain childless. And then, when her son was older, he took ill suddenly and died in the arms of his mother. But when she appealed to Elisha for help, Elisha was able to revive his dead body so that he came back to life. And then there was the story of the deadly stew. Someone went foraging and threw what he found into the pot, without knowing what it was. And the stew became inedible, which was a very serious matter, because there was a famine in the land and food was scarce. But Elisha was able to fix the stew so that it became harmless. And finally there was the story of the feeding of a hundred men with only twenty loaves of bread. Everyone ate until they were full and there was some left over afterwards.
So, four stories about miracles. And today’s chapter contains a fifth story about miracles, because today’s chapter tells us the story of Naaman, who was healed of his leprosy.
Verses 1 to 8
We’re introduced to Naaman in verse 1, where it tells us that he was the commander of the army of the king of Aram. Aram is also known as Syria and it was one of Israel’s neighbours. In fact, they were one of Israel’s enemies. For instance, in the last chapter of 1 Kings we read that there was war between Aram and Israel for three years. And Naaman was the commander of the Aramean army.
We’re also told in verse 1 that he was a great man in the sight of his master and he was highly regarded. So, he was a hero in the nation and no doubt everyone looked up to him and admired him. And who or what was the source of his success? Our narrator tells us: it was the Lord. The Lord gave victory to Aram through Naaman. This is a reminder to us that the Lord is King over all and the nations are in his hands. He raises up one; and he tears down another. He gives victory to one nation; and he causes another nation to fall. And it seems that the Lord was willing in those days to give victory to Aram, even though it was a pagan nation, where the people did not know him or worship him. However, the Lord was prepared to help them. And that meant helping Naaman when he went to war.
So, Naaman was a great man and a valiant soldier. However, he also had leprosy. The little footnote beside the word leprosy tells us that the Hebrew word translated leprosy refers to various kinds of skin disease. So, Naaman may not have had what we call leprosy. But he was afflicted with some kind of serious skin disease.
That’s Naaman. Next we’re told about this young servant girl, who had been taken captive in one of their raids into Israel; and she was now working as a slave in Namaan’s house. Though she was Namaan’s slave, it seems she felt sorry for him because of his condition and she mentioned to Namaan’s wife that there was a prophet in Israel who could cure him of his disease.
When Naaman heard what the girl said, he went to the king about it. And the king allowed him to go to Israel to see this prophet. The king also agreed to write a letter to the king of Israel to ask for his help. And Naaman set off, taking with him loads of silver and gold and clothes. He brought a fortune with him. And he brought it with him because he assumed that there’s no such thing as a free lunch and he’d have to pay for the services of a prophet.
And our narrator tells us what the king’s letter said. It said: ‘With this letter I’m sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.’ Naaman took the letter to the king of Israel. He probably assumed that if there was a prophet in Israel, he would work for the king. That seems to be the way things worked in other nations; and foreign kings surrounded themselves with prophets and wise men and magicians to help them. While that’s how it worked in other nations, it’s not the way it worked in Israel. At least, that’s not how it worked with the true prophets of the Lord. They did not work for the king; they worked for the Lord. In fact, because the kings of Israel were often wicked, the true prophets of the Lord were often against the kings. God would send his prophets to the kings to call on them to turn from their wickedness and to return to the Lord. So, the king of Aram was wrong if he thought that the prophets worked for the king of Israel. They didn’t work for the king, but for the Lord.
And so, when the king of Israel read the king of Aram’s letter, he was distraught. And he panicked. ‘Am I God?’ he asked. ‘Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy?’ He knows that he doesn’t have the power to cure Naaman and that there’s no-one in the palace who can cure him. What can he possibly do to cure this man? And it seemed to the king of Israel that the king of Aram was only trying to pick a fight with him.
Fortunately Elisha heard what had happened and how Naaman had come to Israel to be cured; and how the king had torn his robes in alarm. And he sent word that Naaman should come to him.
Verses 9 to 14
And so, this commander, this valiant soldier, this highly regarded, much admired, important man turns up at Elisha’s house with his horses and chariots and servants and silver and gold and clothes for gifts. And he’s expecting Elisha to come out to him; and he’s expecting Elisha to put on a big show of calling on the Lord and waving his hands over his leprosy. That’s perhaps what he was used to. That’s perhaps what the prophets did in Aram. That’s what the prophets of Baal did in the contest on Mount Carmel. Do you remember? They called on their god and they danced and they shouted and they even cut themselves. Maybe Naaman was expecting something like that. But all Elisha did was send out a servant with a message for Naaman to go and wash himself seven times in the River Jordan. Do that and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.
And Naaman is offended. And he’s angry. He went off in a huff, because Elisha did not do what he thought he should do. And aren’t there better rivers in Aram? I could have washed in them instead of coming here! And we’re told that he went off in a rage.
Fortunately his servants had more sense and they went to him and persuaded him to think it over. If Elisha had asked him to do some great thing, some difficult thing, he would have done it. Well, he hasn’t asked you to do a great thing or a difficult thing. He’s asked you to do a simple thing. Why not do it? Why not give it a go?
And so, he went and he dipped himself in the river once, twice, three times, four times, five time, six times, and finally seven times. And after the seventh time, his flesh was restored and became clean. The skin disease was gone, just as Elisha said it would be.
Verses 15 to 19a
And he went back to Elisha’s house and stood before the prophet and said: ‘Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel.’ Isn’t that wonderful? Before this, he probably believed in many gods, because in those days people believed that this nation had their god and this nation had their god and this nation had their god They were many gods, as many gods as there were nations. But now Naaman believes that there is only one God: and it’s the Lord, the God of Israel. The gods of the other nations are nothing. They are only idols and false gods who are not real and who can do nothing. But Israel’s God, the Lord, he’s the one true and living God. It’s a wonderful confession of faith.
And in gratitude for what Elisha had done for him, Naaman now wanted to give him all these gifts which he had with him: the silver and gold and clothes. Please accept them! But Elisha would not take any of them. Naaman urged him to accept the gifts. But he steadfastly refused.
It’s not clear why Elisha would not take the gifts, but perhaps he didn’t want anyone in Aram to think that Naaman had to pay for his cure. Perhaps he wanted them to know that the Lord God of Israel is unlike all the gods of the nations in that he gives gifts to his people freely and without cost. Now, there’s nothing wrong with giving gifts to one another. And there’s nothing wrong with giving your money to support the Lord’s work in the world. After all, churches rely on the free will offerings of their members to pay our bills; and missionary organisations rely on their donors to pay for their missionaries. There’s nothing wrong with giving your money to support the Lord’s work in the world. But this was a different situation: the people of Aram needed to know that the Lord God of Israel is completely different from the gods of the nations. The Lord God of Israel has all that he needs; and he doesn’t rely on us for anything, whereas we rely on him for everything.
And Naaman then asks Elisha for something. He wants to take some earth from Israel to Aram. This might seem like superstition to us, but that’s not what it was. It’s likely that he wanted the earth so that he could build an altar to the Lord on it. And since he couldn’t come to Israel to worship the Lord, perhaps he could take a part of Israel with him and worship the Lord on it. And so, it wasn’t a superstition; but it was an expression of his new faith in the Lord. And then he also asked forgiveness for those times when he would have to accompany the king of Aram into a pagan temple and when he would be required to bow down to Rimmon. This was something he had to do, because he was the commander of the king’s army. But now he knew that Rimmon was nothing, and that the Lord God of Israel is the one true God over all.
Application
Before moving on to the rest of the story, let’s pause here to think about the significance of the story so far. And the significance of the story lies in the way that it illustrates for us God’s willingness to restore his world.
This is God’s world, because he made it. And when he made it, it was all very good. But ever since Adam disobeyed the Lord in the beginning, the world is not the way it’s supposed to be and it’s full of sorrow and sadness and sickness and disease and death. And so, we read about a man like Naaman, who was successful and highly respected and admired by all. He was a successful and valiant soldier, commander of the king’s army. It all sounds so good. But then there’s this blemish on his perfect life and it’s the fact that he has leprosy. His life was not what it could have been. Instead of enjoying perfect happiness, his life was full of misery because of this skin disease which afflicted him.
And it’s the same in every generation and in every place all around the world with everyone. Our lives are full of goods things, because the Lord is good to us and he distributes his good gifts to all. And there’s so much in our lives which is good and makes us happy. But then, there’s so much misery as well, isn’t there? It may be an illness or a condition, as it was with Naaman. But it may be something else entirely. But there are things in our lives and in our families and in our community and in our country and in the whole world which are not right. And these things which are not right cause us misery. And we think that our life would be so much better if it were not for this thing. And perhaps even now you’re thinking of something which is a source of sadness and sorrow and misery in your life.
For Naaman, it was his skin disease. But how wonderful! He went to see the Lord’s prophet; and the Lord cured him of his disease. And even though he was a foreigner, and a stranger to the Lord, the Lord was gracious and kind to him and he restored his flesh to the way it was supposed to be.
And so, this story shows us the Lord’s willingness to restore his world. And we see his willingness to do this in a much greater way in the way that the Lord God came down to earth in the person of his Son. Jesus Christ is God the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity. He is God. And so, God came down among us in the person of his Son whenever the Lord Jesus was born in Bethlehem. And what did he do when he was on the earth? He graciously and freely healed the sick. Those with skin diseases like Naaman came to him and he healed them. The blind cried out to him and he cured their blindness. The lame were brought to him and he enabled them to stand and walk. He gave sight to the blind. He brought the dead back to life and gave them back to their loved ones. He saw the sadness in the world, the misery, and he took it away. He graciously and freely restored the lives of people who were suffering.
And what he did then for some people, he will do for all his people when he comes again in glory and with power to renew all things and to bring his people into the new heaven and earth, where there will be no more sorrow or suffering, no more disease or death, no more tears, no more misery. In the new and better world to come, which will begin when Christ comes again, there will be nothing to make us weep and there will be nothing to hurt us. Everything will be perfect and we’ll never think, ‘If only…’ ‘If only I didn’t have this problem….’ ‘If only I didn’t have this illness….’ ‘If only I didn’t have to put up with this….’ We’ll never think anything like that again. And it’s all because of the Lord, who is willing and able to restore and renew his world and to take away all our sorrow and sadness and to give us perfect peace and rest and everlasting joy and happiness in the new and better world when Jesus Christ comes again.
That’s the great hope which the Christian message gives to all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. By curing Naaman through the prophet Elisha, and by curing all kinds of people through the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord God was showing what he will do for all who believe in his Son. He will restore and renew everyone who believes when Christ comes again to make all things new. And while we wait for Christ to come, he gives us his help and strength to put up with and to endure all the sorrow and sadness of this troubled life. We can look to him for the help we need to endure our present suffering.
Verses 19b to 27
However, we haven’t reached the end of the chapter yet. And the conclusion to the story is important, because it shows us that not only do we need God to save us from our misery in this life, but we also need God to save us from our sin in this life.
Elisha refused to take anything from Naaman. As I said, he may have wanted the people of Aram to know that the Lord God of Israel is unlike all the gods of the nations in that he gives his gifts to his people freely and without cost. However Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, had other ideas. He went after Naaman and made up a story about visiting prophets and asked for some of Naaman’s money and clothes.
And in this, we see his greed. He saw all of Naaman’s silver and gold and clothes and he wanted some of it for himself, even though he had done nothing to deserve it. And, of course, he was deceitful and he told lies. He deceived Naaman with the made-up story about visiting prophets. And he deceived Elisha when he returned and lied about where he had been. And there’s a hint of prejudice or discrimination in the way he refers to Naaman in verse 20 as ‘this Aramean’. Presumably he wouldn’t treat a fellow Israelite like this, but he had no scruples about doing it to a foreigner. And, of course, if Elisha wanted to teach the Arameans about the kindness of the Lord, Gehazi had now undermined what his master was trying to do.
And so, this part of the story shows us Gehazi’s sin. And there is sin in all of us, because all of us are sinners who sin against the Lord everyday. Everyday we disobey his commandments and we do what’s wrong, instead of what’s right. And because we do what’s wrong, we end up hurting the people around us. We make their lives miserable because of the things we do to them. And we make our own lives miserable too, because our conscience accuses us and makes us feel bad because of what we have done. But worst of all, since we have broken God’s law, since we have disobeyed his commandments, since we have done what is evil in his sight, then we are liable to God’s wrath and curse in this life and the next. God is against us because of what we have done. And the story illustrates this for us, because look what happened to Gehazi. He thought he could get away with his sin. He thought no-one would know. But Elisha knew and the Lord knew. And as a punishment for what he had done, the Lord afflicted him with the skin disease. Not every illness which people suffer is punishment for sin. But Gehazi’s illness was.
And there’s only one way to deal with our sin and guilt and with the problem of all the wrong things we have done. There’s only one way to deal with it. We need to be washed and cleansed like Naaman. We need to be washed and cleansed. But not in a river. We are washed and cleansed of our sin and guilt whenever we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave up his life on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. He took the blame for all that we have done wrong. He suffered the punishment we deserve, which is death. And whoever believes in him receives forgiveness, which means God washes away all our sin and guilt. He washes it all away and he promises to remember it no more. And the baptism which we had today was a sign of that, because the water of baptism signifies God’s willingness to wash away the sin and guilt of everyone who believes.
And then, having forgiven us, God also gives us his Spirit to help us to do what’s right, instead of what’s wrong. And so, he helps us to live, not for ourselves, as Gehazi did, but to live for God and for his glory and honour.
And though we will still die, our death is no longer punishment for our sin, but it’s become the doorway into God’s presence to wait for the day when Christ comes to renew all things and to bring his people into that new and better world, where there is no more sorrow or suffering, no more misery or sin, but only perfect peace and rest and happiness in the presence of the Lord. This is the good news of great joy which Christ gives to the world: forgiveness for all who believe; and the hope of everlasting life in the presence of the Lord in the new and better world to come.
Sermons and Stuff 