This is a chapter about the grace of God, humility and the Judgment of God
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. v 1
Naaman was a leper
His wife’s servant, who was Jewish,
suggested he see Elisha and he would be healed of his leprosy
The King of Israel didn’t believe and Elisha corrected him
Elisha knew Naaman was asking the King to see Elisha to be cleansed:
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. v 8
The King was humbled and allowed Naaman to see Elisha
Naaman, the leper came to Elisha’s door and he did not like what Elisha said:
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 clean. v 10
Naaman thought things should be different
He did not like those directions and he was angry
He thought of better ways to be cleansed of his leprosy
He thought there were other rivers and if the man of God was so special,
why did he have to wash in a river at all?
Why couldn’t he just call on God and it would be done?
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. 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. vs 11 and 12
God has his ways and we have ours
Humility in following the Lord is always crucial
We do not tell God what to do
He does things His way
God extended His grace to Naaman
God gave Naaman’s servants wisdom and faith that Naaman did not have:
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? v 13
Naaman heeded their advice and humbled himself
Sometimes good advice can come from the lowly
Jesus uses all sorts of people to get through to us, not always who we expect:
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. v 14
Completely healed, flesh like that of a little child
An amazing healing
Naaman was convinced there was no God but in Israel
Naaman wanted to pay Elisha and Elisha refused to be paid for God’s work
Elisha’s servant Gehazi ran after Naaman and lied to Naaman to get the things Elisha had been offered because he wanted those things
Here is where we see God’s Judgment:
But he went in, and stood before his master.
And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi?
And he said, Thy servant went no whither. v 25
And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee,
when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee?
Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards,
and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants?v26
The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee,
and unto thy seed for ever.
And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow. v 27
This reminded me of Ananias and Saphira
when they lied to Peter and the Holy Ghost in the book of Acts
Nothing gets by God
Scriptural References:
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.
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 were with the prophet that is in Samaria!
for he would recover him of his leprosy.
And one went in, and told his lord, saying,
Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.
And the king of Syria said,
Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel.
And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver,
and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.
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.
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 clean.
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.
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?
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 he said, As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none.
And he urged him to take it; but he refused.
And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee,
be given to thy servant two mules’ burden of earth?
for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice
unto other gods, but unto the Lord.
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.
But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said,
Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian,
in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the Lord liveth,
I will run after him, and take somewhat of him.
So Gehazi followed after Naaman.
And when Naaman saw him running after him,
he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well?
And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying,
Behold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim
two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them, I pray thee,
a talent of silver, and two changes of garments.
And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents.
And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags,
with two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants;
and they bare them before him.
And when he came to the tower, he took them from their hand,
and bestowed them in the house: and he let the men go, and they departed.
But he went in, and stood before his master.
And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi?
And he said, Thy servant went no whither.
And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee,
when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee?
Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments,
and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants,
and maidservants?
The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee,
and unto thy seed for ever.
And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.
2 Kings 5
But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it,
and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold,
was it not in thine own power?
why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart?
thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost:
and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out,
and buried him.
And it was about the space of three hours after,
when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.
And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.
Then Peter said unto her,
How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?
behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door,
and shall carry thee out.
Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost:
and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.
Acts 5:1-10