Naaman's Great Journey Series

NAAMAN’S GREAT JOURNEY

2 KINGS 5:1-15

1. A MAN OF GREAT IMPORTANCE.

2 Kings 5:1 Now Naaman, captain of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man with his master, and highly respected, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man was also a valiant warrior, but he was a leper.

Naaman has great accomplishments. He is great, respected, victorious, and valiant.......BUT he is a leper.

* Kind of like the guy in the Olympics that beat the previous record by 2 seconds BUT his opponent beat it by 2.1 seconds.

* Naaman was brave, but he was a leper. Respected, powerful, etc.

* No matter how great Naaman is or what great things he does, he is forever marred by something that is out of his control.

* No matter how perfect his life was, leprosy caused people to shun away from him. It was a debilitating disease that disfigured anyone that has it. Often, lepers were separated from society so that they do not infect other people.

* Maybe you look at your life today and feel like Naaman. Overall you have had a great life, BUT you can never seem to get past some great failure in your life. Pay attention as we examine Naaman’s great journey and see how we can be set free from our own curses in life.

2. A SERVANT OF GREAT FAITH.

2 Kings 5:2-3 2 Now the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel; and she waited on Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “I wish that my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy.”

* Israel and Syria had border skirmishes regularly and captives made into servants. This little girl gives him news that is too good to be true.

There is a prophet in Israel that could cure him. I imagine how his heart wants to believe but his mind tells him there is no way.

* But the faith of this little girl gives him enough hope to at least consider the possibility.

3. A KING WITH GREAT COMPASSION.

2 Kings 5:4-6 4 Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus spoke the girl who is from the land of Israel.” 5 Then the king of Aram said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” He departed and took with him ten talents of silver and six thousand shekels of gold and ten changes of clothes. 6 He brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, “And now as this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

* The king loves Naaman. Naaman is his dear friend and favorite captain.

The king tells Naaman, “Don’t worry Naaman. I got this. I am the King! When I want something– I make it happen!”

* So he drafts a letter and prepares a gift of great riches to give to the king of Israel for his help in finding the cure for Naaman’s leprosy.

4. A KING WITH GREAT FEAR.

2 Kings 5:7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man is sending word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? But consider now, and see how he is seeking a quarrel against me.”

Israel’s king gets scared when he reads the letter. He tears is clothes!

He says, “I may be king, but I’m not God. I can’t heal someone with leprosy.” Then his mind starts to worry. That’s what happens when we get scared. His fear leads him to believe it’s nothing but a trap. The king of Aram is just making up an excuse to attack us.

5. A PROPHET OF THE GREAT GOD.

2 Kings 5:8 It happened when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent word to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Now let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.”

Elisha hears about it and sends a message to the king. “Send that leper to me! I got this! I know that My God is able to deliver him. And, after his healing, He’ll know that there is a prophet in Israel and that this prophet serves El Shaddai, The Lord God Almighty!”

6. A BEGGAR WITH GREAT PRIDE.

2 Kings 5:9-12 9 So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots and stood at the doorway of the house of Elisha. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.” 11 But Naaman was furious 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 wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.’ 12 Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage.