2 Kings 5:1 – Story Of Naaman
James 1:21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
I. JAMES 1:21 -- TWO LITTLE WORDS THAT PACK A MIGHTY PUNCH: “LAY ASIDE”
apo ý= away ýtithami ý= to lay something down
1. Combined together
a. laying something down & pushing it far away (out of future reach)
b. dinner table, when full – lay down the food & push the plate away
2. Also used to describe someone taking off dirty clothes at the end of day.
a. James uses this - how to deal w/ wrong attitudes & actions
b. deal with them like an old set of filthy clothes
“You must make the choice to remove those filthy, stinking garments from your life, to permanently lay them down and then deliberately push them out of your range forever....”
II. OT TELLS STORY ABOUT ONE WHO FOUGHT & STRUGGLED TO MAKE THAT CHOICE
A. Naaman – Proud 5 Star General - Underneath Metals & Armor – Had Big Problem
1. Anyone tell me what it was? Leprosy? You’re partially right
2. Bigger problem – his pride & attitude & spirit
B. Used To Having Everything Go His Way – Now Life Was NOT Going His Way
1. Leprosy – white skin spots, facial disfigurement, limb mutilation, blindness
a. inspired fear, horror, disgust
b. social stigma, isolation – leper colonies, remote islands
c. throughout history, disease that ended in suicide
d Naaman at the top of his game, name meant “pleasant”
e. now anything but pleasant – had a secret – humiliating secret
2. Wife knew – desperate, afraid to say anything (sanitize her & house too!)
a. slave girl accidentally saw raised white lesions
b. to Naaman’s wife go see Israel prophet – Elisha
c. Naaman – to do so meant he’d have to tell King of Syria
d. “I’d rather die” – humiliation – risk his career
e. every day he waited white splotches spread across his body
3. Permission from King – don’t come back unless healed?
a. I’d rather die than go crawling into Enemy territory
b. I’d rather die than beg help from Enemy prophet
c. every day waited – numbness setting into his fingers
4. Pride - heck with the prophet, I’ll go straight to the man in power – the King
a. wonder that Israel’s king didn’t kill Naaman– killed Ahab
b. King disgusted – get rid of him - “Do I heal?” – Go to the prophet
c. I’d rather die than go to prophet – but the clock was ticking
5. Crawling to the prophet was humiliating in and of itself (a different God)
a. Elisha didn’t come out, but sent helper to greet the general
b. to show Naaman – wasn’t about the personality, but the power
c. Naaman frustrated, further humiliated – not taken seriously
d. being set up to look stupid – 7 times in muddy Jordan – Joke!
e. I’d rather die than do that! Just wave a wand or something
6. Naaman almost walked away from it all
a. can’t return to family, can’t return to my country
b. his back was against the wall
c. either do it or life ends – pride almost caused him to walk away
III. CAME TO JORDAN – WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH HIS MIND BEFORE EACH DIP?
Before Dip #1
1. Everyone watching - most watching probably didn’t know he had Leprosy
2. Maybe a few trusted advisors – others clueless to why they were there
3. I’d rather die than lay down my sword – that symbol of power - Gnarled fingers holding his sword – too vulnerable
4. Dipped the first time – Nothing
DIP #1
1. I ain't doing this – this is stupid
a. I’m a highly decorated general – used to the immediate
b. it’s not working – must be a better way
c. how many times do we short-cut God’s way?
d. we want short-cuts to spiritual growth – don’t read bible – daily
e. we want short-cuts to restoration – just forgive & forget?!?
f. we want short-cuts to mental health – 1,2 sessions? No!
g. we want short-cuts to weight loss – pop a pill
h. we want short-cuts to physical health – just pray, wave wand - doctor says “slow-down, rest” – I don’t need to rest
i. how is it when God says this is the way to do it
- and we get impatient, take short-cuts
- not working, we suddenly become experts and
-Think we can advise God a better way
2. Unbuckled sheath & knife, weapons / Sloshed back in – nothing
DIP #2
1. No way I’m going back in – muddy – rivers of Syria better than this
a. sometimes God’s methods are not so glamorous
b. sometimes God’s methods are as clear as mud
2. Advisers pleaded - probably took off his helmet – warrior more exposed
3. Sloshed back in – nothing
DIP #3
1. No way – spitting water out / Do it / Takes shoes off – sharp rocks
2. Naaman NOT even feeling sharp rocks, paralysis of nerves in limbs set in
3. Goes under – comes up – nothing
DIP #4
1. What a waste of time – heck with this / Adivsors stopped him – do it again
2. This time took off his breastplate & rest of armor – absolutely no protection
a. if a mutinous soldier from far away wanted to launch an arrow
b. exposed for assassination (in enemy territory) terribly risky
4. Dipped again – nothing - Water-logged suit of armor
DIP #5
1. Clothes now muddy – no way – that’s it / Servants – 7x prophet said
2. I’d rather die before I strip down to my underwear –
3. But took off his outer garments – soldiers far away starting to snicker
– Naaman’s in his underwear – utter humiliation - Sloshed in
DIP #6
1. Looked at his hands, his fore-arms – nothing – no more, I’m done!
2. This time stripped off his inner garments – totally naked
3. Servants, nobody had seen him totally naked
4. Worse everyone for first time saw the Leprosy
a. some probably didn’t know about it – shock, gasps, disgust
b. saw the horrors of the leprosy - white skin, disfigurement limbs
5. Withered skin, withered spirit - Naaman starting to break – total humiliation
6. I can’t dip again, it’s just not working – but you must!
7. But why? Why 1 dip?
Good Question Naaman, Why 7 Dips?
1. Something magical about #7? - a cardinal divine number in the OT & NT
a. end of Bible – 7 stars, 7 angels, 7 lampstands, 7 churches
b. beginning of Bible – 7 days of creation – 7th day = COMPLETION
2. Something magical about #7?
- I doubt it - had Naaman not been stubborn,
- God could have done it in 1 dip
3. Notice what happened with each dip - progressively
a. progressively – Naaman laying aside garments of pride
b. progressively (pealing onion) layers of self, stubbornness & pride
c. progressively – until those layers COMPLETELY stripped away until stripped down to nothing
4. Sometimes it’s not until we’re COMPLETELY nothing in ourselves – that’s when God does his best & most COMPLETE work
5. Naaman’s problem wasn’t Leprosy, but his attitudes & arrogance
a. if it was just Leprosy – God could just snap his fingers
b. God can’t just snap his fingers & over-ride your “free-will”
c. there are no short-cuts to dealing with pride & ego
d. it would take 7 dips – progressively stripping away hard layers that have built up over time – not 1,2,3,4,5,6 – but 7
6. James 1:21 Therefore LAY ASIDE all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
a. “Lay aside” = progressive - doesn’t happen all at once for most
b. takes a lot of “dips” in the Jordan & lots of “trips” to the altar
c. progressively & COMPLETELY laying down / pushing them away
d. progressively & COMPLETELY removing filthy leprous attitudes
Just Before That 7th Dip
1. He turned his naked rear end & back to his men & faced the Jordan
2. Slowly walking into Jordan 1 last time - things were at critical mass
a. bare - stripped of everything
- his bow & arrow – killed other mighty kings
- his sword – used to kill his thousands in battle
- his shield & armor – everything that gave him protection
- his medals, decorations, his pride, self-respect
b. probably contemplating how to end his life
c. suicide by servant (cop)
3. He’d either come out of the Jordan fully healed or fully dead
4. If this doesn’t work, I’d rather die . . . than face the thought of
a. my decorated career being over, never return
b. facing the disgust of my king & countrymen – banished to island
c. face the thought of never seeing my wife, my kids again
d. face the thought of watching my most trusted men walk away
5. Cries out
a. is this where it all ends?
b. I’d rather die!!!!!
c. in that last desperate cry, he plunged beneath the waters
DIP #7
1. In that last plunge – wishing to die, something did die!
a. felt tingle in hands, sharp surface of rocks at his feet
- felt the chill of water against his legs
- somehow he knew
b. felt a warmth inside and all around – release & freedom
2. Came up in splash, gasping – laughing – why is he laughing (gone mad?)
a. opened one eye, and then the other
b. dared to look at his hands & arms
c. sure enough skin healed, clock turned back – skin as baby’s
3. In his spirit – clock was turned back – to the heart & mind of a baby before pride & arrogance is ever conceived
4. Naaman was COMPLETELY made whole
IV. INVITATION – SOMEONE IS DYING TO TAKE THAT PLUNGE? TAKE IT – RIGHT NOW!
Fully & COMPLETELY immerse yourself – bringing nothing but yourself
Every moment you delay – leprosy of sin & separation – spreads deeper, further
COMPLETLEY laying aside all those things you’ve clothed yourself with
Immerse yourself COMPLETLEY (like baptism) into the flow of God
a. immersed in river of God’s will,
b. current of God’s power & God’s purposes
