{"id":35414,"date":"2025-04-08T22:00:20","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T05:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/?p=35414"},"modified":"2025-04-01T20:35:16","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T03:35:16","slug":"2-kings-5_13-27","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/2-kings-5_13-27\/","title":{"rendered":"Worship Is a Heart Thing"},"content":{"rendered":"

2 Kings\u00a0 5:13-27 \u00a0(CLICK HERE FOR\u00a0BIBLE VERSES)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is 2 Kings 5:13-27.\u00a0 As usual,\u00a0I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.\u00a0 See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

2<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Kings<\/em><\/strong>\u00a05<\/em><\/strong>:<\/em><\/strong>13<\/em><\/strong>-14 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n13<\/sup>\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0Naaman’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’!”\u00a0<\/em>
\n14\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0So 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.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses\u00a013-14:\u00a0 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).\u00a0 Yet his servants advise Naaman to take Elisha’s advice seriously (v13).\u00a0 Naaman follows Elisha’s advice.\u00a0 When he dips himself 7 times in the Jordan River, his leprosy is cleansed and his skin is restored (v14).<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0\u00a0May 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.<\/strong><\/p>\n

2. Naaman submitted to the word of God as spoken through Elisha and he was cleansed as a result.\u00a0 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).\u00a0 Rather, it was Naaman’s submission to the word of God that unlocked his healing.\u00a0\u00a0God’s word is for our good.\u00a0 If you will submit to the word of God and live it out, you will have everything you need.<\/strong><\/p>\n

3. “Jordan” means “judgment” and 7 is often symbolic in the Bible of completion.\u00a0 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.\u00a0\u00a0By placing our complete trust in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross where God judged our sins, we receive God’s cleansing for our sins.<\/strong><\/p>\n

2<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Kings<\/em><\/strong>\u00a05<\/em><\/strong>:15-16 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n15\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0Then 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.”\u00a0<\/em>
\n16\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0The prophet answered, “As surely as the\u00a0LORD\u00a0lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 15-16:\u00a0 As a result of the healing he received, Naaman becomes a believer in the Lord.\u00a0 His immediate response is to give Elisha a gift to thank him for his help.\u00a0 Elisha humbly refuses.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0When 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.<\/strong>\u00a0 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.\u00a0\u00a0Don’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.<\/strong><\/p>\n

2<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Kings<\/em><\/strong>\u00a05<\/em><\/strong>:17-19 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n17\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0“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\u00a0LORD.\u00a0<\/em>
\n18\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0But may the\u00a0LORD\u00a0forgive 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\u00a0LORD\u00a0forgive your servant for this.”\u00a0<\/em>
\n19\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0“Go in peace,” Elisha said.\u00a0After Naaman had traveled some distance,<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 17-19:\u00a0 After his healing, Naaman has become a fully devoted follower of the Lord.\u00a0 However, he’s in a predicament.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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”.\u00a0 In response, Elisha says, “Go in peace”.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0Worship is ultimately a matter of the heart.\u00a0 You can go through all the physical motions of worship, but if your heart is not in it, it’s not worship.<\/strong>\u00a0 God seeks worshipers who will worship Him in spirit and in truth.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 (As Naaman says in v17, “your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord”.)<\/p>\n

This may provide some encouragement and wisdom for Christians whose family traditions require them to do things that their Christian conscience struggle with.\u00a0 For example, in Asian culture, it is common for families to venerate their ancestors by bowing down to their image and offering incense.\u00a0 What should a Christian do in that case?\u00a0 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.\u00a0 If you find yourself in that situation, like Naaman seek the Lord’s guidance on this issue.<\/p>\n

Two Christians whom I respect\u00a0(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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 This seemed to be a satisfactory arrangement for everyone involved.\u00a0\u00a0I 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.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

2 Kings 5:20-27 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n20\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Gehazi, 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\u00a0LORD\u00a0lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”
\n21\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0So 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.
\n22\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“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.'”
\n23\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“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.
\n24\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0When 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.
\n25\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then he went in and stood before his master Elisha. “Where have you been, Gehazi?” Elisha asked. “Your servant didn’t go anywhere,” Gehazi answered.
\n26\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0But 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?
\n27\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Naaman’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.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 20-27:\u00a0 Elisha had adamantly refused to receive any gift from Naaman (v16), even though Elisha could have accepted it if he wanted to.\u00a0 Elisha’s servant Gehazi thought Elisha had been too easy on Naaman.\u00a0 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).\u00a0 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).<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0 Gehazi may have meant well.\u00a0 He may have been trying to look out for Elijah’s needs or his company’s interests.\u00a0 But the way Gehazi went about doing it was wrong.\u00a0 First, he went against Elisha’s clearly stated wishes, undermining Elisha’s authority and effectively undoing what Elisha had already firmly decided.\u00a0 Second, he lied about it.\u00a0 In situations like this, the end does not justify the means.\u00a0 \u00a0When 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.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>The leprous sickness Gehazi contracted only reflected the sickness that was already in his heart.\u00a0 Be careful with thinking that the end justifies the means.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lord Jesus, thank You for being my Jordan River who cleanses me of all my sin and restores my youth.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Thank You for reminding me today that above and beyond appearances, You look at the heart, so may I live every day with integrity.\u00a0 May I be more like You. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n

copyright \u00a9 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is 2 Kings 5:13-27.\u00a0 As usual,\u00a0I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.\u00a0 See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!\u00a0<\/p>\n

2\u00a0Kings\u00a05:13-14 (NIV)\u00a0
\n13\u00a0\u00a0Naaman’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’!”\u00a0
\n14\u00a0\u00a0So 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On verses\u00a013-14:\u00a0 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).\u00a0 Yet his servants advise Naaman to take Elisha’s advice seriously (v13).\u00a0 Naaman follows Elisha’s advice.\u00a0 When he dips himself 7 times in the Jordan River, his leprosy is cleansed and his skin is restored (v14).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35416,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35414","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35414"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35414\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35417,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35414\/revisions\/35417"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}