Bible Lesson: Miracles Of The Old
Testament: The Leprosy Of Naaman, Healed.
Occasion: Naaman's Obedience,
Precipitates Miracle.
Location: River Jordan.
Bible Text:
II Kings 5:1-15 NLT
1 The king of Aram had great
admiration for Naaman, the commander of his army, because through him
The Lord had given Aram great victories. But though Naaman was a
mighty warrior, he suffered from leprosy.
2 At this time Aramean raiders had
invaded the land of Israel, and among their captives was a young girl
who had been given to Naaman’s wife as a maid.
3 One day the girl said to her
mistress, “I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria.
He would heal him of his leprosy.”
4 So Naaman told the king what the
young girl from Israel had said.
5 “Go and visit the prophet,”
the king of Aram told him. “I will send a letter of introduction
for you to take to the king of Israel.” So Naaman started out,
carrying as gifts 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and ten
sets of clothing.
6 The letter to the king of Israel
said: “With this letter I present my servant Naaman. I want you to
heal him of his leprosy.”
7 When the king of Israel read the
letter, he tore his clothes in dismay and said, “This man sends me
a leper to heal! Am I God, that I can give life and take it away? I
can see that he’s just trying to pick a fight with me.”
8 But when Elisha, the man of God,
heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes in dismay, he sent
this message to him: “Why are you so upset? Send Naaman to me, and
he will learn that there is a true prophet here in Israel.”
9 So Naaman went with his horses and
chariots and waited at the door of Elisha’s house.
10 But Elisha sent a messenger out
to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the
Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed
of your leprosy.”
11 But Naaman became angry and
stalked away. “I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!”
he said. “I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call
on the name of The Lord his God and heal me!
12 Aren’t the rivers of Damascus,
the Abana and the Pharpar, better than any of the rivers of Israel?
Why shouldn’t I wash in them and be healed?” So Naaman turned and
went away in a rage.
13 But his officers tried to reason
with him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do
something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should
certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be
cured!’”
14 So Naaman went down to the Jordan
River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had
instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young
child’s, and he was healed!
15 Then Naaman and his entire party
went back to find the man of God. They stood before him, and Naaman
said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in
Israel..."
II Kings 5:1 NLT
The king of Aram had great
admiration for Naaman, the commander of his army, because through him
The Lord had given Aram great victories. But though Naaman was a
mighty warrior, he suffered from leprosy.
Naaman was the
commander in chief of the Syrian forces. Now the fact that Naaman was
a brilliant military commander, did not preclude him from
debilitating health issues, for Naaman was leprous.
Yes, Naaman, had
leprosy, but he had something else!
II Kings 5:2,3
NLT
2 At this time Aramean raiders had
invaded the land of Israel, and among their captives was
a young girl who had been
given to Naaman’s wife as a maid.
3 One day the girl said to her
mistress, “I wish my master would go to see the prophet in
Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy.”
Naaman had leprosy,
but he also had, a friend!
A young refuge,
Israeli girl, who was given to him as a maid.
She at her tender
age, remembered the man of God, Elisha.
Dearest fellow
Christian, we need friends!
And our dearest
friend of all, of course is our Savior!
Proverbs 18:24
KJV
A man that hath friends must shew
himself friendly: and there is A Friend that sticketh closer than a
brother.
And we need fellow
Christian brothers and sisters young and old, to fellowship, and to
pray with.
The Apostle Paul,
warned about the neglect of this saying....
Hebrews 10:25
NLT
And let us not neglect our meeting
together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially
now that the day of His return is drawing near.
A little Israeli
girl, refuge, was unafraid to speak up, to help her master!
And think of the
commission given to us Christians by The Lord Jesus!
Matthew 28:18-20
KJV
18 And Jesus came and spake unto
them, saying, All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of The Father, and of The Son,
and of
The Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all
things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you
always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Dear Christian, for the few
remaining days left, before our Lord's appearing, resolve to be a
friend to those in need!
Yes, material need, and paternal
need, but most certainly, a friend to help in time of spiritual need.
John 4:35 KJV
(Jesus)
Say not ye, There are yet four
months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your
eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
II Kings 5:4-7
NLT
4 So Naaman told the king what the
young girl from Israel had said.
5 “Go and visit the prophet,”
the king of Aram told him. “I will send a letter of introduction
for you to take to the king of Israel.” So Naaman started out,
carrying as gifts 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of
gold, and ten sets of clothing.
6 The letter to the king of Israel
said: “With this letter I present my servant Naaman. I want you to
heal him of his leprosy.”
7 When the king of Israel read the
letter, he tore his clothes in dismay and said, “This man sends me
a leper to heal! Am I God, that I can give life and take it away? I
can see that he’s just trying to pick a fight with me.”
What an honest
representation of humanity. If we need something, we buy it!
Naaman needed
healing, so the king of Aram, loaded him down with gifts to buy the
healing he so desperately needed!
Religion that tries
to “buy” God, “oh how ridiculous,” you say!
But our Lord, and
the Apostle Paul both addressed such issues!
Matthew 7:21-23
KJV (Jesus)
21 Not every one
that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to
Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and
in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful
works?
23 And then will I
profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work
iniquity.
For a thorough
examination of these words of Jesus see
the ebook
“SALVATION-We Are Not Afraid.” at the top of this
page. Read it and tell a friend to read it, and lives will be
changed!
Ephesians 2:8,9
KJV (The Apostle Paul.)
8 For by grace are
ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God:
9 Not of works,
lest any man should boast.
No doubt the
thinking of the King of Syria, was that the King of Israel, could and
would in his official capacities, summon and demand, Elisha to heal
Naaman.
But the King of
Israel, hardly took it that way, he considered it a ploy for war,
seeing how he certainly knew that he would not, be able to deliver
what the King wanted.
Oh human,
nonspiritual rationalizing of men.
II Kings 5:8,9
NLT
8 But when Elisha, the man of God,
heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes in dismay, he sent
this message to him: “Why are you so upset? Send Naaman to me, and
he will learn that there is a true prophet here in Israel.”
9 So Naaman went with his horses and
chariots and waited at the door of Elisha’s house.
Why hadn't the King
of Israel, thought of that?
Elisha the true
prophet of The Lord, knew of the events that had transpired, and he
acted accordingly.
Naaman, with all
his earthly baggage of flashy buying power, traveled to Elisha's
house to present his opulent gifts, credentials, and endorsement from
the King of Syria.
But, to no avail,
…..
II Kings 5:10
NLT
But Elisha sent a messenger
out to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times
in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be
healed of your leprosy.”
There would be no audience with the prophet, only a decree from one
of his messengers.
What an insult to such a man of so high a degree!
II Kings 5:11,12 NLT
11 But Naaman
became angry and stalked away. “I thought he would certainly
come out to meet me!” he said. “I expected him to wave his hand
over the leprosy and call on the name of The Lord his God and heal
me!
12 Aren’t
the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than any of
the rivers of Israel? Why shouldn’t I wash in them and be healed?”
So Naaman turned and went away in a rage.
Men cannot “buy, or negotiate with,” Almighty God.
Human ingenuity, can “never-buy,” what only repentance, obedience
and humility will give!
I Samuel 15:22 KJV
And Samuel
said, Hath The Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and
sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of The Lord? Behold, to obey is
better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
Psalm 40:6 NLT
You take no
delight in sacrifices or offerings. Now that you have made me listen,
I finally understand— you don’t require burnt offerings or sin
offerings.
Psalm 51:16,17 KJV
16 For thou
desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in
burnt offering.
17 The
sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart,
O God, thou wilt not despise.
Proverbs 21:3 NLT
The Lord is
more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer Him
sacrifices.
Isaiah 1:11 NLT
“What makes
you think I want all your sacrifices?” says The Lord. “I am sick
of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle. I get
no pleasure from the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
Hosea 6:6 KJV
For I desired
mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt
offerings.
Malachi 2:13,14,17 NLT
13 "...You
cover the Lord’s altar with tears, weeping and groaning because He
pays no attention to your offerings and doesn’t accept them with
pleasure.
14 You cry
out, “Why doesn’t The Lord accept my worship?”...
17 You have
wearied The Lord with your words.
“How have
we wearied Him?” you ask.
You have
wearied Him by saying that all who do evil are good in The Lord’s
sight, and He is pleased with them. You have wearied Him by asking,
“Where is The God Of Justice?”
Matthew 7:21 KJV
Not every one
that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in
heaven.
Matthew 9:12,13 KJV
12 But when
Jesus heard that, He said unto them, They that be whole need not a
physician, but they that are sick.
13 But go ye
and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice:
for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
John 14:21 KJV
He that
hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me:
and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love
him, and will manifest Myself to him.
Acts 5:29 KJV
Then Peter
and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather
than men.
Hebrews 9:9-12 NLT (Christ the sinless, perfect sacrifice.)
9 "...For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are
not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them.
10 For that old system deals only with food and drink and various
cleansing ceremonies—physical regulations that were in effect only
until a better system could be established.
11 So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things
that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle
in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this
created world.
12 With His own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—He
entered The Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our
redemption forever.
II Kings 5:13 NLT
But his
officers tried to reason with him and said, “Sir, if the prophet
had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done
it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and
wash and be cured!’”
Naaman had leprosy, but he also had something else,.....friends.
Proverbs 17:17 KJV
A friend
loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
Proverbs 27:9 KJV
Ointment and
perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by
hearty counsel.
John 15:13 KJV
Greater love
hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:14 KJV
Ye are My
friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
John 15:15 KJV
Henceforth I
call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord
doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have
heard of My Father I have made known unto you.
Naaman's officers, reasoned with him, and their reasoning was sound
and Naaman knew it.
II Kings 5:14 NLT
14 So Naaman went down to the Jordan
River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had
instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young
child’s, and he was healed!
I Samuel 15:22 KJV
And Samuel
said, Hath The Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and
sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of The Lord? Behold, to
obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
All the religious pomp and circumstance, long prayers, offerings,
sacraments, tears, etc. etc. etc.
Men
cannot “buy, or negotiate with,” Almighty God.
Human ingenuity, can “never-buy,” what only repentance, obedience
and humility will give!
II Kings 5:15
NLT
Then Naaman and his entire party
went back to find the man of God. They stood before him, and Naaman
said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except
in Israel..."
Naaman, had lost
his leprosy, but gained faith in God.
Luke 18:1 KJV
(Jesus)
"... men ought always to pray,
and not to faint;
Psalm 34:18 KJV
The Lord is
nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a
contrite spirit.
Psalm 37:4 KJV
Delight
thyself also in The Lord: and He shall give thee the desires of thine
heart.
Psalm 51:17 KJV
The
sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart,
O God, thou wilt not despise.
Psalm 86:11 NLT
Teach me your
ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your Truth! Grant me
purity of heart, so that I may honor you.
Psalm 119:2 KJV
Blessed are
they that keep His testimonies, and that seek Him with the whole
heart.
Psalm 119:34 KJV
Give me
understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with
my whole heart.
