September 03, 2010
Naaman has leprosy. He is a commander in the army of the king of Aram. He was well respected because the LORD used him to bring victory to Aram against Israel. (The Arameans were the ones who fought Israel and killed King Ahab.) The Arameans captured a young Israeli girl and she was the servant for Naaman's wife. She tells them about Elisha and that he could heal Naaman's leprosy. The faith of a child. The king of Aram (who had battled against Israel and won) writes a letter to the king of Israel saying, "I'm sending my commander to you so you can heal him." The king of Israel is frightened. Am I God? How can I heal him? The king of Aram must be trying to set me up and provoke another war.
Elisha hears about it and steps in—send Naaman to me. So Naaman and his men went to Elisha's home and they stood outside the door. Elisha sent a messenger out to tell him what to do; dip in the Jordan seven times. Naaman is ticked. He feels insulted. He wasn't invited in and Elisha didn't even come out. And... the Jordan? Why the Jordan? Why not one of his own rivers? Dip in a river?? Surely it would be something more elaborate than that. He expected Elisha himself to come out and perform some sort of grandiose ceremony. Instead, a simple dipping in the Jordan River seven times?
Naaman was angry and left. His servants said—Look, if Elisha would have asked you to do some big difficult thing you would have done it! Why not try what he said? He said, "wash and be clean." So, Naaman went to the river. One time—nothing. Two times—nothing. Three times—nothing. Four times—no. Five times—no. Six times—no. Seven times—CLEAN!! Was he fearful, angry, humiliated and anxious as he dipped those one through six times? Did he doubt? The miracle of it all! Both the process and the result proved to Naaman that there was a God and it was the LORD of Israel.
He wanted to pay Elisha, to give him a gift as a thank you. But Elisha refused. Elisha understood that this was about God, not him. He sent Naaman on his way. Naaman was a changed man both physically and spiritually.
Written in the margins of my Bible: God sometimes uses the ordinary to accomplish the extra-ordinary.
Then Gehazi, Elisha's servant (who had been with Elisha and witnessed the amazing thing Elisha/God had done), decided since Naaman had brought all these gifts, why shouldn't he have some of it? So, he pursued Naaman. Naaman stops to see if anything is wrong, then Gehazi uses God to get what he wanted. He lies, and says some young men from a group of prophets just came and Elisha wanted to give them some of what Naaman offered. Naaman gladly hands over more than Gehazi requested, and Gehazi kept it for himself. Greed. How did he think he would get away with it? His desire was worth more to him than the risk. He was sure no one would know. The desire turned into lies and deceit. Gehazi knew God was with Elisha. He saw the miracles. Yet "he" was more important than anything else and he uses God as an excuse to get what he wanted.
When Gehazi gets back Elisha asks him, "Where have you been?" Gehazi lies and says, nowhere. What made him (and people today) think that he (and we as humans) can hide things from God? And, escape the consequences? Gehazi, and his children, were given Naaman's skin disease—forever.
Addendum: 5/13/14 - Oh, the importance of understanding that you cannot fool God. You may be able to (at least for a time) fool others, but you can NEVER—even for a millisecond—fool God. Accountability does happen.
Next Entry: II Kings 6:8 – 8:15
Naaman has leprosy. He is a commander in the army of the king of Aram. He was well respected because the LORD used him to bring victory to Aram against Israel. (The Arameans were the ones who fought Israel and killed King Ahab.) The Arameans captured a young Israeli girl and she was the servant for Naaman's wife. She tells them about Elisha and that he could heal Naaman's leprosy. The faith of a child. The king of Aram (who had battled against Israel and won) writes a letter to the king of Israel saying, "I'm sending my commander to you so you can heal him." The king of Israel is frightened. Am I God? How can I heal him? The king of Aram must be trying to set me up and provoke another war.
Elisha hears about it and steps in—send Naaman to me. So Naaman and his men went to Elisha's home and they stood outside the door. Elisha sent a messenger out to tell him what to do; dip in the Jordan seven times. Naaman is ticked. He feels insulted. He wasn't invited in and Elisha didn't even come out. And... the Jordan? Why the Jordan? Why not one of his own rivers? Dip in a river?? Surely it would be something more elaborate than that. He expected Elisha himself to come out and perform some sort of grandiose ceremony. Instead, a simple dipping in the Jordan River seven times?
Naaman was angry and left. His servants said—Look, if Elisha would have asked you to do some big difficult thing you would have done it! Why not try what he said? He said, "wash and be clean." So, Naaman went to the river. One time—nothing. Two times—nothing. Three times—nothing. Four times—no. Five times—no. Six times—no. Seven times—CLEAN!! Was he fearful, angry, humiliated and anxious as he dipped those one through six times? Did he doubt? The miracle of it all! Both the process and the result proved to Naaman that there was a God and it was the LORD of Israel.
He wanted to pay Elisha, to give him a gift as a thank you. But Elisha refused. Elisha understood that this was about God, not him. He sent Naaman on his way. Naaman was a changed man both physically and spiritually.
Written in the margins of my Bible: God sometimes uses the ordinary to accomplish the extra-ordinary.
Then Gehazi, Elisha's servant (who had been with Elisha and witnessed the amazing thing Elisha/God had done), decided since Naaman had brought all these gifts, why shouldn't he have some of it? So, he pursued Naaman. Naaman stops to see if anything is wrong, then Gehazi uses God to get what he wanted. He lies, and says some young men from a group of prophets just came and Elisha wanted to give them some of what Naaman offered. Naaman gladly hands over more than Gehazi requested, and Gehazi kept it for himself. Greed. How did he think he would get away with it? His desire was worth more to him than the risk. He was sure no one would know. The desire turned into lies and deceit. Gehazi knew God was with Elisha. He saw the miracles. Yet "he" was more important than anything else and he uses God as an excuse to get what he wanted.
When Gehazi gets back Elisha asks him, "Where have you been?" Gehazi lies and says, nowhere. What made him (and people today) think that he (and we as humans) can hide things from God? And, escape the consequences? Gehazi, and his children, were given Naaman's skin disease—forever.
Addendum: 5/13/14 - Oh, the importance of understanding that you cannot fool God. You may be able to (at least for a time) fool others, but you can NEVER—even for a millisecond—fool God. Accountability does happen.
Next Entry: II Kings 6:8 – 8:15
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