NAAMAN’S GREAT JOURNEY
2 KINGS 5:1-15
1. A MAN OF GREAT IMPORTANCE.
2 Kings 5:1 Now Naaman, captain of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man with his master, and highly respected, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man was also a valiant warrior, but he was a leper.
Naaman has great accomplishments. He is great, respected, victorious, and valiant.......BUT he is a leper.
* Kind of like the guy in the Olympics that beat the previous record by 2 seconds BUT his opponent beat it by 2.1 seconds.
* Naaman was brave, but he was a leper. Respected, powerful, etc.
* No matter how great Naaman is or what great things he does, he is forever marred by something that is out of his control.
* No matter how perfect his life was, leprosy caused people to shun away from him. It was a debilitating disease that disfigured anyone that has it. Often, lepers were separated from society so that they do not infect other people.
* Maybe you look at your life today and feel like Naaman. Overall you have had a great life, BUT you can never seem to get past some great failure in your life. Pay attention as we examine Naaman’s great journey and see how we can be set free from our own curses in life.
2. A SERVANT OF GREAT FAITH.
2 Kings 5:2-3 2 Now the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel; and she waited on Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “I wish that my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy.”
* Israel and Syria had border skirmishes regularly and captives made into servants. This little girl gives him news that is too good to be true.
There is a prophet in Israel that could cure him. I imagine how his heart wants to believe but his mind tells him there is no way.
* But the faith of this little girl gives him enough hope to at least consider the possibility.
3. A KING WITH GREAT COMPASSION.
2 Kings 5:4-6 4 Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus spoke the girl who is from the land of Israel.” 5 Then the king of Aram said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” He departed and took with him ten talents of silver and six thousand shekels of gold and ten changes of clothes. 6 He brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, “And now as this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy.”
* The king loves Naaman. Naaman is his dear friend and favorite captain.
The king tells Naaman, “Don’t worry Naaman. I got this. I am the King! When I want something– I make it happen!”
* So he drafts a letter and prepares a gift of great riches to give to the king of Israel for his help in finding the cure for Naaman’s leprosy.
4. A KING WITH GREAT FEAR.
2 Kings 5:7 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 is sending word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? But consider now, and see how he is seeking a quarrel against me.”
Israel’s king gets scared when he reads the letter. He tears is clothes!
He says, “I may be king, but I’m not God. I can’t heal someone with leprosy.” Then his mind starts to worry. That’s what happens when we get scared. His fear leads him to believe it’s nothing but a trap. The king of Aram is just making up an excuse to attack us.
5. A PROPHET OF THE GREAT GOD.
2 Kings 5:8 It happened when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent word to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Now let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.”
Elisha hears about it and sends a message to the king. “Send that leper to me! I got this! I know that My God is able to deliver him. And, after his healing, He’ll know that there is a prophet in Israel and that this prophet serves El Shaddai, The Lord God Almighty!”
6. A BEGGAR WITH GREAT PRIDE.
2 Kings 5:9-12 9 So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots and stood at the doorway of the house of Elisha. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.” 11 But Naaman was furious 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 wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.’ 12 Are not Abanah and 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 arrives at Elisha’s house filled with pride and his own self-importance. He stands at the door waiting for the prophet to come to him and do something amazing. But, all he got was a message from Elisha “to go and wash in the Jordan 7 times.” What he didn’t understand was that this was all he needed, but he was too important for such a simple solution. And, He is angry!!
* His position was.... You must not know who I am. I am Naaman. I am a courageous warrior. I am the king’s favorite. I am important.
* I thought Elisha would come out to meet me! Do something amazing! I thought he would wave his hand over me and cry out to God and angels would burst from the sky to bring my miracle.
* Sometimes great pride stands in the way of God giving us a miracle.
7. A SERVANT WITH GREAT WISDOM.
2 Kings 5:13 Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, “My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”
After watching Naaman throw a fit, they helped him with perspective.
They said to him, “If you had to pay your life savings, If you had to chop off your hand, or anything else he told you to do, you would have done it. You would have done the impossible and pay any price for your healing, why are you rejecting your cure just because it is easy.”
* His Pride was holding him back from his miracle. This simple instruction was beneath him. Sometimes God will give us the choice of holding onto our pride or receiving what God has for us.
* What blessing is your pride keeping you from today?
Fortunately, Naaman listens to his servants.
8. A WORSHIPER WITH GREAT PRAISE.
2 Kings 5:14-15 14 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. 15 When he returned to the man of God with all his company, and came and stood before him, he said, “Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel."
Naaman is no longer an important beggar with great pride. He has met Jehovah Rapha, the Lord our Healer. He has been transformed into a better man. He has become a believer and gives one of the plainest statements of faith in the Bible.
“There is no God in all the earth, but in Israel.”
* Once again, we see illustrated the proper response to God when He blesses our socks off , praise and worship of Him.
I know some of us are hurting today. Maybe you’ve been suffering for a long time.
Maybe you’re on the verge of God’s deliverance right now but don’t even know it yet.
As you wait for God’s miracle, I want to ask you to do one simple thing when God comes thru for you.
* Don’t question it.
Don’t analyze it.
And don’t act like nothing just happened.
Do what Naaman did... Praise God and give Him the glory He deserves! Hit your knees. Put your hands in the air and get your praise on!
