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2KINGS
CHAPTER 5

1 Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. 2 And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife. 3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy. 4 And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel. 5 And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.

Now here's a man with a real problem - leprosy. He is a very influential man, and realizes that this disease will jeapordize his career. But he is also a GENTLEMAN and says NOTHING. Naaman simply goes about his duties from day to day, diligently fulfilling his obligations.
Then, we are introduced to a young lady, who though taken captive, also goes about her duties diligently. She shows no bitterness in her captivity. She is not fearful to praise her LORD, and not ashamed to give His prophets acclamation. And she even shows her captor kindness.
Someone heard her tell the "lady of the house" that Naaman might be cured if he went to see Elisha. When the King of Syria heard the news, he insisted that Naaman go to Elisha.
Naaman went, taking very valuable gifts with him to give to the prophet. How differently people react to the Gospel of the Great Physician today!

6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy. 7 And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.

The King of Israel suspected a PLOT when Naaman came with a letter of recommendation from the King of Syria. He KNEW he had no power to heal Naaman, and he believed the King of Syria was trying to start a war. See how POLITICALLY minded he was, and unable to see the SPIRITUAL application of this incident.
Today it is the same. Many are so focused upon worldly things; they couldn't see the TRUTH if it jumped in front of them.

8 And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.

Fortunately, Elisha heard about the incident and sent a note to the King of Israel requesting that Naaman be sent to him.
Thank God for real devoted Christians who are not afraid to stand up and testify of FAITH in CHRIST!

9 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. 11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? 14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

Naaman came to Elisha in a procession of kingly glory. But Elisha didn't even do him the courtesy of going out to meet him.
Elisha sent Gehazi to tell Naaman to dip in the Jordan River seven times. Naaman, the gentlemen, did have SOME pride! Every person, no matter how self-disciplined, has some seed of pride. There's nothing wrong with that. However, when it gets in the way of SURRENDER to TRUTH, then it's a problem. It is a problem that can cause DEATH - even ETERNAL death!
Naaman thought if dippin in water would help, he could do that in a CLEANER river than the muddy Jordan. There were cleaner rivers in his own country.
But his servants convinced him that what the prophet said was NECESSARY.
Friends, THIS is the kind of witness we need from Christians today. We need to CONVINCE the lost that unless they do as Jesus says, they cannot be healed from the eternal leprosy of SIN!
Naaman went and did as Elisha had said, and received healing from the Lord. He went because he BELEIVED God. He went because he BELIEVED God's spokesman. He went publicly surrendering himself to appropriate directions. THEN, and ONLY then, was he cleansed.

15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant. 16 But he said, As the LORD liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused. 17 And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules' burden of earth? for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the LORD. 18 In this thing the LORD pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon thy servant in this thing. 19 And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way.

Naaman wanted to reward the prophet. Elisha refused. MAN! This was some obstinent prophet! First, he woldn't come out to great the royalty. And then he wouldn't take a payment or reward.
But Naaman was committed now. And he had an urgent request of Elisha. Naaman now believed in the ONLY true GOD. And he was concerned that when he returned home that he would be committing sin if he continued to go with his king to worship the king's idol. Evidently the king NEEDED Naaman, because Naaman said the king "..leaneth on my hand.."
Naaman was ALREADY contrite, and was begging God's PARDON!
God tells us that He is FAITHFUL and JUST to forgive us our sins if we CONFESS them to Him(1John 1:9). Elisha told Naaman to "..go in peace." A man can only find PEACE when he is FORGIVEN of God!
20 But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the LORD liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him. 21 So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well? 22 And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments. 23 And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him. 24 And when he came to the tower, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house: and he let the men go, and they departed. 25 But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither. 26 And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants? 27 The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.

Gehazi, Elisha's servant and probably a prophet apprentice, saw an opportunity to get some money out of this. He followed Naaman and asked for a reward.
Gehazi LIED when he said that Elisha sent him. Then he compounded the lie by telling Naaman that two men came to them having NEED.
Oh! MY friends, sometimes, even Christians will become greedy and allow their greed to sway their faithfulness!
The work of the servant is to SERVE the Lord. The LORD'S work is to do the healing and saving AND to determine any rewards we may receive.
In this earth we DO receive rewards from God. However, we are not to SEEK them. Elisha asked, "Is it a time to receive..?"(verse 26).
The time to receive rewards is when Jesus comes again! Not NOW. Let God be God, and let us be SERVANTS!

There is another instance of this happening to a great man of God. Paul spoke kindly and recommended a man named Demas (Colossians 4:14 and Philemon 1:24). However, later, when Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, he said, "For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed to Thessalonica.." (2Timothy 4:10).

What an awful thing, when the pleasures of the world draw Christians away from service to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Our lives on earth are so BRIEF and UNCERTAIN! But life in glory with God will be FOREVER!
What little time we have here, let us spend it in SERVICE; not in SELFISHNESS!

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