Honor God

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Opening Prayer

Loving Father, You are so worthy of it all–my attention, my praise, my worship and my love. You are amazing.

Read 2 KINGS 5:1-14

^[1] Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. ^[2] Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. ^[3] She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” ^[4] Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. ^[5] “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. ^[6] The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.” ^[7] As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!” ^[8] When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” ^[9] So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. ^[10] Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” ^[11] But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. ^[12] Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage. ^[13] Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” ^[14] So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.

Meditate

“The Lord knows your faith and will release his healing for you at the deepest level of your need. You can glorify the Lord that his healing miracle has begun” (Lloyd John Ogilvie). Wise words for anyone seeking healing.

Think Further

It is important for Naaman and all those observing this drama to see that his healing comes from the God of Israel. Though Elisha has already established his credentials as God’s prophet, glory must go to the source of his healing powers. The servant girl understands this. She recommends that Naaman go to Elisha, a conduit to the God of Israel. The king of Israel, however, doesn’t understand, immediately suspecting a plot, not an opportunity for God’s power to be demonstrated (7). At first Naaman doesn’t see the point either, even though God has been working through him (1). He thinks a pile of money and goods (5) might lead to his healing.

Naaman might have understood immersion in a special stream, like the one flowing through his home city, Damascus, as efficacious magic especially when multiplied by the magic number seven, but simple obedience to the command of this obscure prophet? You must be kidding! Anything would be better than plunging into the muddy waters of a foreign river (11-12). Jesus uses this as an example of a prophet not accepted in his home town (Luke 4:24-27). With hindsight, it also illustrates the rejection by Israel of their God–made more obvious by the contrasting attitude of the servant girl (who has every reason not to help her captor) and the final obedience of this foreign general.

This story is not so much about healing, but more about honoring God. Miracles are not uniformly spread through Scripture but occur in God’s timing at strategic points. Those in the previous chapter point to a compassionate God working through the new prophet. Here, the general’s healing is because he honored God (14), unlike Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, whose deceit and greed showed that he didn’t (21-27).

Apply

What actions demonstrate that you honor God? Is the Spirit convicting you of some activities which are not holy?

Closing prayer

All honor and praise to You, my Lord and my God. I am dependent on You for all things.

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