There is A Prophet in Israel
2 Kings 5:1-19
Linden Heights Baptist Church
May 1st, 2016
We read about Naaman and there are a few things that we learn about him just immediately. We learn that he is the chief of hosts is the phrasing in the Hebrew which is the person in charge of the Army of this time in the history of Israel. Aram was the neighbor to the North a source of conflict and obviously a threat to Israel. The main characters in the story is not only from Aram, but he is in charge of the instruments that have inflicted great suffering on the people of Israel. We learn that he’s a general. This means he has significant power and influence. He is able to send men into battle. This means that he has earned the confidence of his king. In fact the text itself says that he was a great man in his master sight highly regarded. He had achieved victory on the battlefield. What elements would have contributed to his excellence? Perhaps he was able to inspire confidence in his troops. Perhaps he exercised good judgment deploying strategies for vanquishing enemies. He would have made decisions that put people’s lives in danger. People trusted his judgment. They trusted his judgment because he prevailed. But something else we learn about Naaman we learn that he had a skin disease. This small detail carries a significant impact for the way we view his success. All the worldly success that one might aspire to achieve can be thwarted and undermined when our physical strength our physical bodies are afflicted by some disease. Skin diseases in the world were especially inconsequential for people’s place in society because they ostracized one. I think of my brothers rules of dermatology number one if you don’t if you know what it is you don’t need to touch it and rule number two if you don’t know what it is for goodness sakes don’t touch it. This clearly would have been something that cost suffering physical suffering emotional suffering.
The first character in the story is Naaman. In verse two we are introduced to the next character who will be significant in this narrative. We learn that when Aram had gone on one of its raids they had brought back from the land of Israel a young girl to serve as a slave. She had been taken from her family. She had been taken from her village. The future that she would’ve grown up longing for would have been interrupted. Imagine a young girl looking forward to her wedding day the day when she would have a family of her own and all of this was taken from her because of the sheer power of Aram. She is forced to serve the whims the needs of the mistress of the wife of Naaman. We know that she is a slave. Slaves would be the lowest in the pecking order. And she’s young. The young don’t have the experience to inform their approach to difficult decision and that can leave them vulnerable to judgments. She is a woman and in the ancient world simply being a young girl would also be seen as being among the weakest in the society. This young serving girl we don’t even know her name is a stark contrast to Naaman the general the strongman. And she is going to be the instrument to lead Naaman to his healing. She wants what’s best for her master and she says if only the master would go to Samaria there’s a prophet in Samaria who could make him whole.
The other major character that we’re going to see in this narrative is Elisha the man of God. He is the one that this little girl tells Naaman about Elisha is a prophet. Naaman is powerful because he is the chief of the army. Elisha is powerful. What gives him strength and power is his relationship with God. Naaman comes expecting Elisha to come out and do some demonstration of his power to go along with the healing. He expects him to say some incantation and wave his hands over his body. But Elisha won’t do this. Elisha will not even come out to meet him. Elisha will simply send a messenger to tell him to wash in the Jordan seven times. This is because the power that is being demonstrated is not from Elisha but from God.
THREE DIFFERENT RESPONSES
Affliction can make us especially receptive to God. I doubt that Naaman would have listened or for that matter shown any interest in there being a prophet in Israel if he did not suffer the skin disease. Because of his sickness, he was desperate. His desperation made him receptive to the message of this little girl. And he would place his hope in the one who can heal. Naaman listened. Some people dismiss the claims of the gospel by linking together all religious claims. They recognize that desperate people will open themselves up to believe that which they want to be true. It can be the case that people believe things that not true out of desperation. But this doesn’t mean that the gospel is not true. The proof is in the healing. Having a need and there being a cure doesn’t mean that one will receive. One time I was driving an unfamiliar vehicle. I needed to get gas so I stopped at a gas station. I had money to pay. There was gas for me to buy. But I couldn’t figure out how to get the gas into the car. It’s not enough that there is a need or that there is a remedy there needs to be the way for that remedy to meet the need. We find in this story that this will come because Naaman goes to the prophet of Israel.
There are two additional minor characters. One wouldn’t expect them to minor. They are the kings. Their role in the story is interesting. the king of Aram is going to be the one who gives permission and support to Naaman to go and see this prophet in Israel. But the King of Israel is going to have a different response. The King of Aram sends the King of Israel a letter requesting his help. The King of Israel is not thrilled. He says, “am I a god?” The king of Israel is a contrast to the young serving girl. She is confident. He is terrified. What accounts for the different responses? Is it because the king has so much more to lose the King has some measure of power even though at this point in Israel’s history there somewhat of a vassal state era Arab is stronger than they are the kings trying to keep some measure of independence is afraid that if he is unable to deliver on this request from the king of Aram the things are going to get very difficult for. Perhaps that’s why he’s so upset does seem that he is going to perceive in this request some other motive at work. That’s also interesting to me in that I think we can often do that. We can think that we know why people are doing what they do. Because sometimes we can imagine that people have some motive that they’re not entirely transparent about. And sometimes we are not transparent about our own sin so we see in others what we ourselves are maybe the king is quite the sneaky operator and so he just assumes that that’s what’s going on in the other person with interesting issues even considered the possibility that the facts as stated our what is really going on Naaman’s sickening was to be made well and he believes that there’s a prophet in Israel can do it you wanted to also consider in this is that the king of Israel is only looking at what he’s able to do. And he knows his limitations. He’s not able to cure this kind of illness. There are some things he can do. In fact are a lot of things he can do that this survey Pro can’t. In some measure of power some measure of ability can lead us to be people who depend more on ourselves than on God. I wonder about your life or in your service to God do you only offer to do for God what you can have confidence that you can accomplish? Do you ever try to do things for God that could only be achieved if God were the one who brought the result?
Doesn’t Elisha get a great response when he hears that the king. He says send him to me. He has utter confidence that he can deliver. Not because he has power. Not because he has ability. But because he has faith. We’ve been looking at the series about from doubt to faith doubt can lead to despair like it did people of Israel and the Red Sea that can lead to idolatry like it did with the people at Horeb when they made the golden calf doubt can lead to one not getting this well. It was almost the case that the king would not of provided healing for Naaman because he didn’t realize that the profit of Israel could be used by God to bring that healing. And he’s not the only one that’s going to have this problem that Elisha demonstrates great trust. Elisha does is confident that God will act so that Aram will know that there is a prophet in Israel there is someone in Israel can speak for the Lord.
BAPTISM AND HEALING
What happens next is almost humorous. Elisha doesn’t want to see Naaman. Now this is kind of an interesting development in the story this is the man who is very powerful. Powerful people are used to people giving them deference. Powerful people are used to those who attend to them being especially sensitive to the fact that these individuals can exert great force. But Elisha shows none of that deference not only does he not see him he sends not only does he not go out and wave his hands over not only does he not go out and listen to his concerns complaints he sends a servant to give him instructions and the instruction strike Naaman as being in adequate to his situation. He was sometimes that might be the position that we find them what we think will make us well must be involved must involve elements that we think imagine what would be needed to be present for us to be well promise were given seems to simple go to the Jordan River wash seven times what that little rinky-dink river about the rivers of my country very enormously beautiful powerful clean what can I get those rivers why this little river? To me he so indignant and he seems he initially feels like this is not only not to work insulting and demeaning to in Sonoma sleeps is doubt in the cure almost leads them to miss. But we learn something about Naaman’s character is servant is able to challenge. And that reveals something about the man. There are people who don’t welcome a word that challenges their decisions. In the Proverbs we read the such a person is described as being foolish the wise person welcomes correction as the wise person realizes that it is always in the best interest to pursue the right course of action and if they’re pursuing the wrong course of action that will change them on and so having relationships with people can offer a dissident word is essential for there to be healthy wise decision but we know that Naaman has a history of making the space for them and so the serpent feels comfortable same master. Go to do something difficult you done come all this way when I give it a try and name and once Naaman demonstrates the very quality that no doubt under lie the servants comfort, it’s to bring such a word and so Naaman went and sure enough in obedience to the word of God he is made well
whenever I read stories at the healing of lepers I think of father Damien. Do you remember who father Damien was? Wonder how father Damien felt in hearing the story father Damien ministered in Hawaii. You might think that that sounds like a pretty harsh ministry. After all Hawaii is often the place we think of as a an exotic vacation destination. Father Damien’s why was not exotic he was on the help of Molokai not Wahoo is not like TBH he was at not only in on the Isle of Molokai but he was the person who opened a colony for people with leprosy he served those who suffered me would’ve seen suffering people didn’t get better did he and then one day he spilled water on his foot and feel he himself succumbed to the very disease of the people that he cared for me.flippers how would father Damien feel as she heard the story of Naaman’s healing Naaman this general area are so many people who have illnesses that don’t receive dramatic intervention whether it’s leprosy or some skin disease or its broken heart or its child was tremendous you know Jesus didn’t come just that we might have a life free of suffering that we might have many days that are uninterrupted by things that detract from. You sometimes people look at life in the way the ultimate aim life is getting the most out of our days before we die Jesus said I’ve come that you might have life and have it abundantly Jesus came to my never die that we might truly be healed of that which is our greatest problem – simply points to the and it is our broken relationship with God that’s what we need healing from you may not have a skin disease but I know you have an affliction because we all do we old
today we have a baptism baptism will have breakfast with the 11 o’clock service baptism is the simple the church has of salvation that we receive that were offered in Jesus Christ baptism the save anyone so the real question before anyone is even considered Baptist’s website is one receive the cleansing the healing that God offers the baptism is a symbol that reminds us of what that salvation water is been a symbol that is I’m in water is has a function I normally drink water we use watered clean things. We need to clean things things get dirty. Clean things in different ways when I clean my crockpot I use watered baking soda move cooked in parts of the Rose when I am cleaning my clothes I might use detergent I have some close that have to be cleaned without using water they need to be dry cleaned exactly how the take the back in the clean. Clean your car pressure hose you ever tried to clean your hands wash your hands with the pressure hose Scott to be recommend hurts the water comes up to too fast sometimes we cleans up to some dozen claims of the with among we don’t cleans up about depending on what the staying of the problem is he used different things for the cleansing but what can we do to cleanse our consciences? That’s what baptism salvation is having a clean conscience before God there are a lot of ways people might try to cleanse her conscience done something wrong when weighted people do it is to try to forget about trying to focus on other things get it out of your mind sometimes people try to cleanse her conscience by focusing on the failures of others doing some excuse for why the Y was the only decision that they could possibly have made some times people cleanse their conscience but blaming others for all sorts of different approaches people take to trying to run their conscience there’s only one way to really be and that is the blood of Jesus now blood tends to stay seems like this cleansing with blood is the mixing of of images and metaphors and what’s been drawn on this kind of image is that just like if you are cleansing something with water and cover with water scrub it out with water blood the symbol of life for ancient Israel through the wall the blood of Jesus points to life of Jesus was given that we might find our life in following him and recognizing the sacrifices he made for us that we might accept him as the master of our lives.
CONCLUSION
So close today with a question the first question is directed to those who are here who never been baptized and first I want you and I’m glad you’re here. And I never would want you to feel like you feel pressured into a particular response to Jesus I want you to respond I think you were called to be baptized and I believe that like you to be baptized I want to know that but I want you wanted to be your decision your personal decision that you want others to know that you’ve been saved but that’s really the most important things are the path this baptism Scott of secondary the real question is have you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and how do you how you know that? One is give a sense of your need for cleansing? And do you realize that you are cleansing comes from asking Jesus for forgiveness is not in being good enough not any of our own efforts being sneaky enough you know whose it is in our acknowledging our sinfulness before Jesus and asking for his forgiveness if you’ve done that and you haven’t been baptized and I would ask the question what prevents you from being baptized? Is it because there’s no water fears the water what prevents me that the Ethiopian unit desk to fill and really he was asking because you know if he was worldly because he had this physical marks of having been made a unit in ancient Israel he would been excluded from certain religious functions and sometimes people don’t come to the water because they’re not sure that there really were the sometimes people don’t come because they don’t feel that they’re worth something still don’t come because they’re a little embarrassed they feel like you know there not sure what someone might think of them and I would say to those things that it can be really helpful to kind of think through what is it you know what is it that’s really the barrier that you have is the fear of water is it fear of being in front of others sit some other reason the ring is there an I would like you to explore that so that you how to pray to the cheek and pray that God will give you whatever it is that you need that you will be able to be obedient in that way even thinking about why you have not been baptized the real asked if the answer is that you don’t believe I frequently that is very important to acknowledge and to explore what would it be what needs to be answered to enable you to believe in the session hide from you if you want to believe but you’re struggling with belief pray for that couple answer that pray for that ask others to pray for you for that. There’s also another group that will speak to today the majority of you is for church members open baptized and encourage you to remember your baptism and I think one of the guests a baptism in one of the reasons we practice baptism in the way that we do is so that everyone will remember their baptism and that is a gift because in life there are times when your conscience will be soiled it will be re-re-injure yourself by your own failure by your own stumbling by your own weakness you can remember your Baptist to remember that outward symbol of what happened inwardly when you accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior that you have been cleanse by because you deserve it because your flawless but because Jesus is sufficient
Reflections 