2 Kings 5:13-27 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 2 Kings 5:13-27. As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first. See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
2 Kings 5:13-14 (NIV)
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.
On verses 13-14: Elisha had told Naaman to wash himself seven times in the Jordan River and his leprosy would be cleansed. Naaman was outraged at how “unspiritual” Elisha’s advice was, believing Elisha’s advice to be purely practical and natural instead of supernatural (v11-12). Yet his servants advise Naaman to take Elisha’s advice seriously (v13). Naaman follows Elisha’s advice. When he dips himself 7 times in the Jordan River, his leprosy is cleansed and his skin is restored (v14).
What can we learn from this?
1. Notice that Naaman, the most senior military commander of Aram, would neither have heard of Elisha nor followed his advice had it not been for Naaman’s servants who encouraged him. Naaman was wise to heed the advice of people who did not have the same social standing that he did, but who trusted God and cared for him dearly. May we too be humble to consider the advice of those who may be younger or less experienced than us but who trust God and care for us dearly.
2. Naaman submitted to the word of God as spoken through Elisha and he was cleansed as a result. It wasn’t necessarily because the Jordan River contained any magic healing powers. (As Naaman himself said, there were other rivers like the Abana and Pharpar that had cleaner waters than the Jordan – v12). Rather, it was Naaman’s submission to the word of God that unlocked his healing. God’s word is for our good. If you will submit to the word of God and live it out, you will have everything you need.
3. “Jordan” means “judgment” and 7 is often symbolic in the Bible of completion. So when Elisha tells Naaman to bathe himself 7 times in the “river of judgment” so as to be cleansed, some scholars consider this to be an allegorical reminder that for us to be cleansed of our disease called sin, we must fully immerse ourselves in (and identify with) God’s judgment over our sin, as displayed at the cross where Jesus died. By placing our complete trust in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross where God judged our sins, we receive God’s cleansing for our sins.
2 Kings 5:15-16 (NIV)
15 Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. Please accept now a gift from your servant.”
16 The prophet answered, “As surely as the LORD lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.
On verses 15-16: As a result of the healing he received, Naaman becomes a believer in the Lord. His immediate response is to give Elisha a gift to thank him for his help. Elisha humbly refuses.
What can we learn from this? When you receive a good blessing from God through someone God has placed in your life, the mature, high EQ thing to do is to go back to that person whom God used and offer them a gift to say thank you. Whether that person receives your gift or not is up to them, but mature Christians express their thanks to God and to the people He uses in practical ways. Don’t be an ungrateful consumer of God’s blessings, but go out of your way to thank and bless in practical ways the people whom God uses to bring blessing in your life.
2 Kings 5:17-19 (NIV)
17 “If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the LORD.
18 But may the LORD forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I bow there also–when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD forgive your servant for this.”
19 “Go in peace,” Elisha said. After Naaman had traveled some distance,
On verses 17-19: After his healing, Naaman has become a fully devoted follower of the Lord. However, he’s in a predicament. For he can foresee that there will be times when his “master” — likely, the king of Aram — will want Naaman to accompany him to the temple of the idol Rimmon where the king leans on Naaman for help and together they bow before the idol Rimmon. Seeing this as part of his duty as the highest commander in Aram, Naaman says to Elisha, “May God forgive your servant when I do this”. In response, Elisha says, “Go in peace”.
What can we learn from this? Worship is ultimately a matter of the heart. You can go through all the physical motions of worship, but if your heart is not in it, it’s not worship. God seeks worshipers who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. So when Elisha tells Naaman to “go in peace”, it suggests that in Naaman’s case, when he would accompany his boss the King of Aram to the Temple of Rimmon and bow down before that idol, God would have mercy on Naaman, knowing that Naaman’s heart is not set on worshiping the idol Rimmon, but on worshiping the Lord. (As Naaman says in v17, “your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord”.)
This may provide some encouragement and wisdom for Christians whose family traditions require them to do things that their Christian conscience struggle with. For example, in Asian culture, it is common for families to venerate their ancestors by bowing down to their image and offering incense. What should a Christian do in that case? If you’re a younger member of the family, it may be offensive to your older relatives for you not to participate at all in these traditions. If you find yourself in that situation, like Naaman seek the Lord’s guidance on this issue.
Two Christians whom I respect (a brother and a sister) would face this struggle every Chinese New Year when the older members of the family would, as a family tradition, bow down to an image of their deceased ancestor and offer incense. As Christians what should we do? After some prayerful consideration, my Christian friends decided that when their parents bowed they would bow along with them as a sign of respect to their ancestors, but they would not hold the incense and would be praying silently in their hearts to Jesus while doing all this. This seemed to be a satisfactory arrangement for everyone involved. I encourage those of you who find yourself in a similar predicament to give prayerful consideration to what you should do in your particular situation, always being clear that the one you worship and the one your heart is set on is the Lord Jesus.
2 Kings 5:20-27 (NIV)
20 Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, “My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”
21 So Gehazi hurried after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from the chariot to meet him. “Is everything all right?” he asked.
22 “Everything is all right,” Gehazi answered. “My master sent me to say, ‘Two young men from the company of the prophets have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.'”
23 “By all means, take two talents,” said Naaman. He urged Gehazi to accept them, and then tied up the two talents of silver in two bags, with two sets of clothing. He gave them to two of his servants, and they carried them ahead of Gehazi.
24 When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the things from the servants and put them away in the house. He sent the men away and they left.
25 Then he went in and stood before his master Elisha. “Where have you been, Gehazi?” Elisha asked. “Your servant didn’t go anywhere,” Gehazi answered.
26 But Elisha said to him, “Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money, or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, flocks, herds, or menservants and maidservants?
27 Naaman’s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever.” Then Gehazi went from Elisha’s presence and he was leprous, as white as snow.
On verses 20-27: Elisha had adamantly refused to receive any gift from Naaman (v16), even though Elisha could have accepted it if he wanted to. Elisha’s servant Gehazi thought Elisha had been too easy on Naaman. Going behind Elisha’s back, Gehazi speaks to Naaman and lies about how he was sent by Elisha to ask for two talents of silver and two sets of clothing for two young men (v22). The unsuspecting Naaman is happy to oblige, but Elisha reprimands Gehazi for what he did and says that Naaman’s leprosy will now cling to Gehazi and his descendants (v27).
What can we learn from this? Gehazi may have meant well. He may have been trying to look out for Elijah’s needs or his company’s interests. But the way Gehazi went about doing it was wrong. First, he went against Elisha’s clearly stated wishes, undermining Elisha’s authority and effectively undoing what Elisha had already firmly decided. Second, he lied about it. In situations like this, the end does not justify the means. When you undermine your leader’s authority, going against their decisions and lying about it, in the end you will look like a flake who can’t be trusted. The leprous sickness Gehazi contracted only reflected the sickness that was already in his heart. Be careful with thinking that the end justifies the means.
Lord Jesus, thank You for being my Jordan River who cleanses me of all my sin and restores my youth. May I not be a selfish consumer of the blessings You give me, but like Naaman may I at least try to return the favour toward those You have used to bless me. Thank You for reminding me today that above and beyond appearances, You look at the heart, so may I live every day with integrity. May I be more like You. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
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