BELIEVE AND OBEY. 2nd Kings 5 It’s not enough to know what’s right or even where to go; good information can never cleanse a leper from his disease or a sinner from his sins. Information can never heal the soul. Facing a problem and admitting our helplessness is the first step taken by all sinners who have been saved by God’s grace. Pride is a dangerous enemy that keeps people from honestly admitting their guilt of sin to God. It triggers all the rest of our sins, like self-will and evil anger, that follow after pride’s arrogant independence. The only way to overcome pride’s stiffened back is to stop and humble oneself and admit to one’s need for grace.
I learned from this great man of old, Naaman, the leper, how not to act when told of the simple act of faith to take when grace is offered. The alphabet of this man’s life makes it very plain to see that the pride that almost damned his soul can be the same kind of pride in me. Listening to instructions may seem simple: the first faith step I can make is to admit my condition is hopeless and that the only way my soul can be made clean is by believing what God says and putting my personal faith in Christ. Grace waits for the humbled, longing soul to come in true repentance, and the sinner will be made whole.
Decorated Deliverer, Experienced leader, Famous soldier – but he was a leper.
Great with his master, Honorable with his people, Judicious in judgment – but he was a leper.
Keeper of the king, Leader of his household, Master of his servants – but he was a leper.
Naaman was his name; Opportunity came; Prophet to see – because he was a leper.
Quickly to go; Recovery to get; Simple instructions – for he was a leper.
Turned away in a rage, Understood not God’s ways, Victim of his pride – he still was a leper.
Wash and be clean—eXactly what he was told he did. You are clean—no longer a leper.
Zeal for self or the wrong reasons, cannot cure a leper. Zeal for God is evidence of being clean.
North of Israel is Syria, which has seldom had peaceful terms with Israel. When Elisha was a prophet in Israel, the Arameans, under the military leadership of Naaman, were the dominant force in that area. When David was king of united Israel, tribute was paid by the Arameans, but by Elisha's time, they raided the weakened tribes of the north, and Naaman got a captive girl to serve his wife.
We can all learn from a young slave girl the futility of bitterness when things don’t turn out the way we had hoped. Taken captive in one of the skirmishes on the border of Israel and Syria, the sovereign God had arranged for the healing and salvation of a Gentile soldier. Through this story, thousands of people have learned the value of simple childlike faith, the weakness of stubbornness from an Israelite king, the dangers of arrogance and pride in a leader, the positive value of obedience to the word of God, and the necessity of a servant of the Lord being guided to focus the attention of others on the Lord, not himself.
Of interest is the fact that the Lord had given the victory to the Syrians. The writer of this book draws attention to God's sovereignty at the beginning of the narrative. In His sovereignty, God uses who He will, regardless of nation or religious persuasion, to fulfill His purposes. When His people fail to fulfill their responsibility, He may use the unconverted to accomplish His sovereign intentions. God has not limited Himself to a particular group of people or to some protocol to follow. He is Lord over all. By nature, we are "Dead in trespasses and sins," which describes the condition of unbelievers. "You hath He quickened (made alive) who were dead ..." is what happens when faith takes root, and one is born again into the family of God.
A person with leprosy was thought to be contagious and was isolated from society when that disease became obvious. A number of the diseases we have today would likely be called leprosy. Some are extremely contagious, and some are incurable. That is why leprosy is often spoken of as a type of sin. People think some sins are worse than others because of their effect on society, but open or private, blatant or subtle, inward or outward - sin is sin. The consequence of sin is death. Separation from society because of leprosy is like the separation of sinners from God.
An unnamed child was used to bring hope to the mighty general Naaman. In God's plans, He arranged for a little girl to be placed in a particular place at a particular time to teach us lessons, not just to heal a leper. The maid to Naaman's wife did not hold bitterness against her master but had the spirit expected of a child of God in any situation we may be found.
When God works through people, there is no reason for pride to enter, no matter how great or small the position one may hold in life. In His sovereign grace, He provides opportunities for us to pass on our faith to others who are in the place of spiritual death. We may never know in our lifetime the results of one act of faith or how it has benefitted others. To bless others is our calling in the world today. There are answers to people's problems and needs.
People need what we have already found in our Lord Jesus Christ. We know that "There is no respect of persons with God," and that "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son..." The need for salvation and eternal life for every man, woman, and child in the world should motivate us to pass on what we know, even if our understanding of divine things is limited. We cannot help people's misunderstanding when they hear the Gospel because most people have preconceived ideas about how God works in people's lives.
The maid knew who represented God, and that moved her to pass on a message of hope. Even though Naaman took matters into his own hands and did things his own way, his step of faith to leave Syria and go to Samaria was a start in the right direction. People still think in their own frame of reference, but our sovereign God can use even a wicked king to give some understanding of a matter, even when it is negative.
Simple obedience to God’s instructions in His word is the only way to receive God's blessing. If we harbor thoughts of self-importance, we need to remember that “God resists the proud.” If we face our needs with humility and uncomplicated obedience, “God gives grace to the humble.”
Worldly wealth, a wrong idea about God, and opposition from others can all be used to hinder seeking the Lord with all of one's heart. We may never know what word or action will be used when God saves a soul, but we know He knows the thoughts and intents of one's heart and can direct one to the humbling of pride and obedience to a simple, thoughtful comment.
Naaman was convinced of his importance. He was so big in his own eyes that he had arranged in his mind how healing from leprosy would happen. When Elisha treated him as an ordinary man who was helpless to meet his own needs and needed God to heal him, he became angry because he realized he was wrong. As far as he was concerned, God’s way of healing him was beneath his dignity.
The instructions from Elisha, who was under divine authority, the attitude of a proud man, and the caring words of a simple man were all used to bring the proud man down to yield his will to the will of God. When that happens, God is willing to reveal Himself in saving power, and in this case, healing power, to the humbled soul. One has said, "God is determined to bring the proud man down, and He is determined to bring the humbled man up." God "gives grace to the humble" regardless of who they are or what they might have done. There is a preciseness in the divine order of salvation. "Repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ" cannot be substituted with "I did it my way."
Obedience begins with humility. Then obedience acts in faith in the word of God, not our opinions or those of any other person. Elisha’s words from the Lord demonstrated to Naaman that healing would come from the power of God if he obeyed God no matter what it meant. "Seven ducks in a dirty river" was a simple instruction. Naaman had to act on the authority of divine instruction, not on his perception of what should be done.
The twenty-five-mile journey to the Jordan River gave him time to think seriously about his need, the word of the Lord through the prophet, and his actions of faith. His resistance against God’s word was dropped when he dipped seven times in Jordan. He received the healing he needed physically and spiritually; he was reborn.
Some people think it is "too easy" to be saved by grace alone "and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." They seem to think there should be some physical or metaphysical reaction from themselves to assure them of the value of that which Christ has done for them.
To not accept the gift of eternal life without some emotional response to make it real or a physical experience to assure one of the realities of the offer is to doubt the words of the Giver. Some want salvation and ask for that assurance through the word of a preacher. They want him to say, "You are saved." They would be satisfied if they could see a light, hear an audible voice, or feel some unusual emotion.
But it is by grace alone we are saved. It is through faith in Christ we are saved. It is the work of Christ that saves and the word of God that makes faith real. It is not a gradual process that brings the healing of one's soul. It is the instantaneous action of a satisfied God that produces life. The evidence of this new life is then seen in the changed life of one who has believed in Him. The change is the result, not the reason or the process.
The results of Naaman's faith were obvious the moment he did what God said through the prophet. A whole new attitude was seen in Naaman when he went back to Elisha's house. Now, he could speak directly to Elisha and testify as to the reality of his faith. No longer was he looking for some magic power to maintain this new life he had received. Now, he got assurance from the prophet that God would be with him, and he was told to "Go in peace." Rest to the soul results from knowing one has been accepted by God.
When we humbly accept God’s mercy and act in faith in His word, believers' attitudes and actions change in ways similar to those of repentant sinners who came to Jesus. Confessions of faith may differ in actions, but the source and motivation are appreciation for God's mercy, grace, and love when we don’t deserve the least of His mercies.
Naaman’s open confession of faith would have set him apart from the king of Syria and all those around him. His desire for some dirt from Israel indicated he believed in the God of Israel as the God of the whole world. A bit of ground in Damascus was set aside as a place to worship God and bear testimony to his faith and the holy character of God.
Obedience to God begins with humility. God's ways are best, and He wants our obedience to Him. Then, He can accomplish His will in a way most suited to Him. God's salvation cannot be earned by works, paid for by labor or money, or bargained for. Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ - His Person and His work is what He expects of the seeking sinner. Naaman did not add God to his worship of other gods. He testified to his faith in the one true God but knew he still had his duty to perform to his king. We may have obligations we cannot escape, but there is a way to please God when we are willing to submit to His divine authority to live and for salvation.
Elisha’s refusal of Naaman’s gifts and money shows that God’s blessings cannot be bought, and giving money does not make us more acceptable to God. The selfish actions of Gehazi contrast sharply with those of Naaman. Gehazi's evil began with covetousness, then deception and lies, which would cast a negative light on God's undeserved grace. That would reflect badly on God's character. Elisha's servant, Gehazi, was involved in serving God's man, but his motivation was not love or devotion to God. He accepted money that had been offered to someone else. He thought God's blessing could be valued by money. He was willing to lie to cover his motive of getting what did not belong to him, and he had no right to claim. Naaman was blessed by God's grace and responded in faith. Gehazi was cursed by greed and responded with deceit.
Both of these lessons are important to remember. It is impossible to “serve God and mammon” simultaneously. Greed and deceit are in direct contrast with grace and faith. When we make choices, we will always have to accept the consequences. Sin brings death to the person who sins; that is the “wages” that cannot be avoided.
The generations of Gehazi’s family that followed suffered unavoidable sickness because Gehazi willingly accepted money that was offered to someone else. He implied that God’s gifts and healing can be bought with money, and he lied to cover his selfish motives. Money was not the problem; the man was.
God's plans are so different from ours. We often overlook that blessings pour from His hand from many sources to complete every act as it unfolds. In her youth, a little captive maid had learned of the one true God who can meet every need. Her parents, from whom she had been taken, had taught her the value of humility and obedience when we pay heed to God.
As we get older, pride raises its big head, so we think we are in full control of everything, and we forget the consequences when we are led by pride. Pride brings damnation to the soul, but even then, if we stop to listen to the One who can see beyond here to the end, it may be that God will act for us. When, with humility and even tears that glisten, and when our heads and knees bend, God draws near.
By nature, our thoughts are not God’s thoughts, nor our ways His. Obedience to Him demands our submission to His will. It begins with humility, and obedience follows this when we take the path of faith. Seldom does it lead downhill if our faith is in the right person. So, when people of faith pass on what God says, we are wise when, in silence, we wait to hear God’s voice. It may come through a child or, in unusual ways, obedience with humility guides to the right decision.
It happens every day in things big and small. I have to act in faith because those who are just live by faith. They will consider that God allows or directs those who may bring blessings. I need to start each day with this thought engraved on my heart: “It is God who is in control of each unfolding event.” When humility and obedience are present at the start, I will rejoice in whatever result my God sends.