2 Kings 5: 1 Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper.
Syria represents the world culture opposed to the gospel. In 2 Kings chapter 5, Naaman was general of the Syrian army. But Naaman was a leper.
You have to wonder:
How could a man suffering from a chronic, terminal, and physically maiming condition not only endure the physical rigors of battle but lead an army?
He managed his condition. As commander of the army of the king of Syria, Naaman would have had the best physicians in the nation. I imagine that before and after every battle, Naaman was thoroughly examined by a team of personal surgeons. Servants would have washed his body, cleaned and dressed every wound, and carefully attended to his every physical need.
Naaman no doubt had the unflinching gaze of a blooded warrior. He surely had the swagger of a man of power. He used his resources and position to present an image of health. And from a distance he probably looked perfectly healthy. He managed to keep going. He managed to keep working. He managed to rise in power and influence. Naaman managed his condition.
There was a "place" (2 Kings 5: 11) on his body that could not be managed. There are places in our lives that are stained by sin. We try to hide them and manage them, but these issues just won't go away.
Naaman was managing his condition, but ultimately he was going to either die with leprosy or die from leprosy.
Mark 8: 36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
Nothing.
But our peers in the world seldom tell us that. No. We are too profitable to them as we are.
Have no doubt that there are people in your circle of so-called friends who will not be happy to hear that you got saved. There are people who prefer to have you addicted, distressed, depressed, indebted, angry, weak, and dishonest. When they are gaining victory by you, they will not call you unclean.
The Syrian king did not offer a cure for his general’s condition. None of the captains or lieutenants in Syria sought to deliver their commander from his uncleanness. Few if any of your unsaved peers will speak honest conviction/ diagnosis. Often God has to send someone outside of your circle or social station.
In 2 Kings 5: 2-4, a slave girl from Israel shared a word about the prophet in Samaria (Israel) who knew how to make Naaman clean. If you look around, you’ll probably realize there’s someone like that in your life---somebody who invites you to come hear the man of God/ the woman of God, somebody you may not generally take seriously who invites you to church, to Bible study, to Christ.
When you hear that invitation, you can ignore it. You can say,
“I’m fine. I know how to handle this. “
“I got my addiction under control. I can quit whenever I want to.”
You can try to keep your sin from coming out or from getting too bad.
You can manage your sin. But you’ll still be a sinner, and ultimately you’ll die in your sins, and you may even die from your sins.
Naaman accepted the invitation and went to see the preacher, the prophet Elisha. But, before Naaman reached Elisha’s home, the prophet sent a messenger with the instruction for a cure.
And did Naaman thank the messenger? No. Actually he didn’t. Naaman was ticked. Naaman was mad for one of the main reason we get mad when we go to church.
Elisha had told Naaman to “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” (2 Kings 5: 10) The number 7 often represents completeness or perfection in the Bible. So, spiritually, Elisha was telling Naaman to go down under the water until he was completely delivered. It would not be spectacular or fun. It would not look good on a resume. It would be unpleasant, muddy, and tedious.
That wasn’t what Naaman wanted.
2 Kings 5: 11 But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘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 heal the leprosy.’
That’s how we want to be healed. We want to go to church and come to the altar. We want the preacher to wave his hands, call on the name of the Lord and declare us “Healed and delivered!”
We come to church weighed down by the pressure of trying to manage our issues and we want the preacher to make it all better—in 20 minutes or less.
God can, God has, and God does still heal instantly. God can, God has, and God will grant immediate deliverance for some from bonds that have held them for years.
But God doesn’t always choose to do things instantly. Sometimes God’s Word for healing is:
“Stop eating pork rinds and doughnuts.”
“Pray and study your Bible every day.”
“Take your medicine.”
“Fast and listen.”
“Go do the muddy, tedious, spiritual work of ministry and accountability over and over and over until you are completely cleansed.”
Again, your unsaved peers probably won’t tell you this. They’ll say, “If you can’t get what you need, I don’t see why you keep going to that church.”
Fortunately, Naaman listened not to his lieutenants, but to his servants.
2 Kings 5: 13 And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”
Naaman washed. After going under all of the times he had to, Naaman was healed.
You can manage the sin in your life. You can try to keep it under cover. You can try to keep it secret. But if you never deal with your issues as what they are—sin, you will never be free from the pain. You may have an entourage that strokes your ego, but you will still be sick in your soul. You'll still be a spiritual leper.
Next Time: DENYING THE DIAGNOSI
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