This is a wonderful sermon of encouragement for the Christian, and hope for the lost.
2 Kings 5:1-19
This chapter starts by saying that Syria had been delivered by God through Naaman. V1 "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." the word delivered means a great victory. Quite profound.. God the LORD, Yahweh, Jehovah is in control of international politics. It is God who grants success. Yahweh or Jehovah is the God of the whole earth, not just Israel. Yahweh draws near to his people but the whole earth is under God. God controls the nations. God is involved in national events. God is also involved in people's lives, even in little circumstances. In this passage are several things regarding bigness, smallness and cleanness before God.
The great man with a big problem: V1 "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." The verse tells us of the greatness of Naaman, he was more than a captain, he is the top man in the army of Syria.. a "great man" a man of renown, he is honourable, exalted and lifted up. He is a powerful warrior, mighty, and by him Syria had been given victories. A national hero. But he was a leper. Naaman was a great man but he had a big problem. The teaching is that fame and bigness does not mean that all is well with you, that all is right and happy in your life.
The little maid with the big answer: V2-3 "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 (Naaman) were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy." The verse emphasizes her littleness, she is the complete opposite of the greatness of Naaman. A little girl captive from her home, a servant girl but the rest of this chapter hinges upon her. She is not even named.
Isn't it just like God to take someone who is unheard of, someone who is unimportant in the eyes of men and they are the cause, humanly speaking, of changing national events, affecting great men. After all it was only a little boy's lunch, 5 loaves and two fishes and we heard about it over 2000 years later. It was only a few fishermen, it was only a little shepherd boy from Bethlehem that became a king that we remember. God takes those who were unheard of and they end up becoming the cause of life-changing events. This little girl who was taken would never see her home again. She was from a godly home because she knew that Elisha the prophet was God's prophet and that God's power operated through him. Without her, Naaman would never have been made clean. She was in Naaman's house for the express purpose of saying a few words that would lead to the salvation of the most powerful man in Syria. That was God's will for her. She didn't hate her master, one day she was doing her housework and she said how she was burdened over Naaman's illness. This little girl believed in the power of God and God does great things with nobodies who believe in him. So Christians, do not worry if you or I are unnoticed and not important because that is just who God uses because they are the people that when something great happens, God gets the glory.
The Israelite king who hasn't got a single clue: V5-7 "And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed....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." The king of Israel was Jehoram, 2 Kings 3:1 "Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eightheenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years." King Ahab's son. A totally ungodly king, a politician with no confidence whatsoever in God. When he hears of Naaman's problem he doesn't even think of God's prophet who is living in the same city. Is there no God in Israel? This man Jehoram is meant to be king of God's people and he doesn't even know God. He was only worried that Naaman was seeking a quarrel against Israel.
The unimpressed Elisha: V8-10 "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. 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 cleansed." Can you picture that? Naaman stood at the door of Elisha's house. The famous man comes to Elisha's front door. Elisha must have lived in a very humble home when this entourage pulled up at his house. But Elisha does not answer the door, he sends a servant who tells Naaman what to do, which is go and wash in the Jordan. Famous people are not used to that. No personal greeting, and Naaman storms off in an angry way. V11 "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." Naaman thought that Elisha would come out to him. Naaman was someone and he knew it. He thought he had it all worked out what God was going to do but he was wrong. All Naaman got were words of promise. "Go, wash in the Jordan seven times and you will be healed" Elisha treated Naaman like a leper who needed healing and Naaman didn't like that because that is humbling.
Christians are not far from Naaman, we have our own ideas of how God might operate and when it doesn't happen we become disappointed with God. Some people say that they trust in God but when things don't happen like they think it should, they feel a sense of grievance, and Naaman fits this mold. Naaman wanted to express the way that God would bring healing so the sovereign God would become his errand boy but God doesn't do things this way. God gives commands, demands obedience. Naaman was told to wash 7 times, do it or else. It was narrow and this is the way of God and the way of the gospel. God's commands humble the sinner and God's commands are simple: trust in Christ, trust in his blood to wash your sins away. It's not easy but it is simple. You do it God's way or you remain in your sin.
Naaman had servants with wise words: V12-13 "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. 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." If the prophet had told him to do something difficult he would have done it and then you would have been proud afterward because you accomplished it, but why not dos something simple, obey the simple command.
Aren't we like that? Do you want to be cleansed of your sin? The command is simple: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Repent and believe, that is so simple but many people scorn that. But if you said to them to "attend this church and don't miss a Sunday for 40 years." or something difficult like "whip yourself every day".. if you had to do something difficult you would try and then you would be so proud that you accomplished your salvation. And that is precisely why salvation is simple, because it takes away our pride. It is humbling. I didn't do anything to accomplish my salvation, God cleansed me. No works that I have done are added to that. God commands us simply to believe. It is humbling. Simple obedience.
Simple obedience equals a changed man: V14-15 "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 Elisha would receive nothing. V16 "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." Namaan dipped down in the river, was cleansed and went back to talk to Elisha. Namaan obeyed and he was cleansed and not only that but he was changed. Namaan uses the words "your servant", that is quite a change from the earlier ranting. Namaan knew that there was no God in the earth except in Israel. Namaan wants to go back to Syria and worship Jehovah, that is a change. V18-19 "In this thing the LORD pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon thy servant in this thing. And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way." The transformation is clear from his sensitivity. He sees the difference between worshipping the true God and the false. But the fact is that Elisha sends Naaman off in peace.
The applications are this: God doesn't make a fuss of you no matter who you are. God's commands humble everybody. If you reject his gospel you will remain uncleansed, still in your sin. Christians don't think you are small or useless or insignificant because God's insignificant and unimportant servants are neither insignificant nor unimportant . Remember it was through an unnamed servant girl who believes in Jehovah that God hinges the salvation of the most powerful man in Syria. Christian wherever you are you keep your little witness for Christ. On this side of eternity you will never know the results of that witness, perhaps it is just a word in season, perhaps it is something you don't do that everyone else does, perhaps it is a prayer. Just keep your witness where you are and God will use you. You don't have to be great for God to use you to do great things.
Sinner, none of us are great but we have a great problem which is leprosy of the soul..
If thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God has raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved.
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The notes above were made by myself from the sermon by Paul Dowling of Whiteabbey Congregational (Reformed) at Sermon Audio.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=72207175429
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