Naaman:
A Sick Man With A Spiritual Need
Text: 2 Kings 5:1, 14
Intro: Over the next decade, 2010-2020, the Southern Baptist Convention will conduct a nation-wide evangelistic initiative called, “GPS—God’s Plan for Sharing.” Its rallying cry is rather simple—“Every Believer Sharing, Every Person Hearing by 2020.”1
This initiative will involve a four-pronged approach to evangelism: "Praying-Every church praying for lost people; Engaging-Every believer sharing as a trained witness; Sowing-Every lost person receiving a witness; and Harvesting-Every church harvesting and celebrating every salvation response."2
Regardless of what you might think about this new initiative, it is most certainly the duty, and divine privilege of the Church to give witness and testimony of the saving power of Christ, through the sinner’s faith and trust in our Lord’s shed blood on Calvary, as the complete payment for their sins. The question today is not whether we should witness to the lost, but whether we are being a witness. The Church, which is comprised of every born again child of God in this age of grace, has been given this clear command from Christ, Himself. It’s often referred to as, “The Great Commission.” Here it is:
Matt. 28:19 “Go ye therefore (“as you go”—ISV), 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.”
With these thoughts in mind, I want to speak to you today about a man named Naaman. There isn’t a lot written in our Bible about this man, but what we do find there tells us much about the type of man he was.
Apparently, Naaman was a likeable individual who was well respected by his superiors and inferiors alike. Even his name means, “pleasantness.”3 But Naaman was also an able military leader who was credited with many victories over the enemies of Syria, his native land. This would seem to imply that he was a man of above average intelligence, as well as physical prowess. Without a doubt, he was envied by many of his peers.
However, for all his prestige, position, and power, there was one thing that diminished it all—leprosy. For all his greatness, Naaman was a leper. By the standards of his day, this great warrior would have lived an ideal life, had it not been for this putrid, disfiguring disease.
As depicted in Second Kings, chapter five, Naaman is a picture of the unregenerate sinner. He typifies for us, a man who, though possessed of many good qualities on the outside, is ultimately corrupt on the inside. He pictures one who needed not merely a cleansing of the flesh, but also a cleansing of the soul and spirit. In short, Naaman illustrates for us a man in need of salvation.
The physical miracle experienced by Naaman, can be experienced spiritually, by every lost sinner who will place their faith and trust in Christ, the One whose “…blood can make the vilest sinner clean,”4 as the old hymn says. This account tells us that, like Naaman, the lost must “wash, and be clean” (2 Kings 5:13b).
Theme: The sinner’s need for salvation is illustrated by…
I. NAAMAN THE MAN
A. Naaman’s Position.
2 Kings 5:1a “Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria…”
NOTE: One’s position in life sometimes warrants privileges and respect among their peers. Naaman enjoyed all of that, as the captain of the king of Syria’s armies. He was a man of authority and power. But though this man was a man of position, he warranted no special favor or acceptance from God, for He is “no respecter of persons,” according to Acts 10:34. The sinner can gain acceptance with God on one basis, and one basis only: repentance of their sins, and faith in the work of Christ on Calvary.
B. Naaman’s Popularity.
2 Kings 5:1b “…was a great man with his master, and honorable (“very rich”5)…”
NOTE: [1] You know folks; one of the sad things of our day is some of the people our children and teens admire. Just because someone is considered to be popular doesn’t make them worthy of admiration. Notice the following facts:
Pop Culture
Have you thought lately about who teenagers admire? World Almanac and Book of Facts surveyed eight graders a few years ago and discovered that the top thirty names were movie stars and athletes. Not one admired adult was a religious leader, statesman, author, painter, doctor, astronaut or educator. It tells you something about our times!6
[2] Money might make one popular and sought after in the world, but it won’t keep a person from facing eternity without Christ.
After buying a $50,000 insurance policy before a plane trip, the traveler stepped on a nearby scale. Out came one of those fortune-telling cards. The message read, “A recent investment may pay big dividends.”7
C. Naaman’s Prowess And Power.
2 Kings 5:1c “…by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour…”
NOTE: Naaman was a brave warrior, and a smart military strategist. He was good at what he did, and it had produced many victories over the enemies of Syria. But in spite of all we’ve mentioned about Naaman to this point, he still had one major problem that overshadowed his whole life.
D. Naaman’s Problem.
2 Kings 5:1d “…but he was a leper.”
NOTE: [1] Be careful not to ignore the point the Holy Spirit wishes to impress upon your minds this morning: Naaman’s position in the government of Syria did not change the fact that he was a leper. His popularity with the king and the people of Syria made him no less a leper. Naaman’s military prowess and power could not change the fact that he was a leper. No matter how many good things could have been said about Naaman, they could not have changed what he ultimately was: a leper. Only by the direct intervention of Almighty God could Naaman avoid his ultimate end: death.
Following the terrible Mexico City earthquake of 1985, live satellite coverage carried the news of Mexico’s anguish to a watching world.
A pastor was sitting in front of his television set stunned by the extent of the damage. Mountains of broken concrete filled the screen. Rescue workers dug frantically. Fires raged. Smoke and dust filled the air. Then suddenly in the lower left-hand corner of the screen appeared the words “Courtesy: SIN.” The letters S-I-N actually stood for Spanish International Network. Actually, however, SIN (man’s transgressions against God) [is] at the root of all sorrow, suffering and death.8
[2] In God’s eyes, the same can be said of every sinner without Christ. Whatever the sinner may be in the eyes of the world does not change what he or she is in the eyes of God—a sinner condemned and waiting for judgment. But God, in love, has already intervened on behalf of the condemned sinner, for He sent His own Son to pay their penalty on the cross of Calvary, so that they could be forgiven, and receive eternal life. But Naaman’s story continues.
II. NAAMAN’S TINY MAID
A. She Was A Prisoner.
2 Kings 5:2a “And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid…”
NOTE: Syrian marauders making raids on Israel’s northern border had captured this “little maid.” The NLT refers to this “little maid” as “a young girl.”9 She was perhaps 10 or 11 years of age. These raiders either gave her as a gift to Naaman, or perhaps even sold her to him. While her capture was tragic for she and her family, it was a tremendous act of God’s providence and grace on behalf of Naaman.
B. She Was A Peon.
2 Kings 5:2b “…she waited on Naaman’s wife.”
NOTE: It doesn’t take a person in a position of high degree, or above average intelligence to be a witness for Christ. This little girl was a nobody. But this little nobody knew somebody who could meet the need of her master; she knew Jehovah God, and His servant, Elisha. God had providentially placed this little peon, if you will, in this particular place, in order to fulfill His divine purpose. Are you ready to share Christ with others where God has placed you?
C. She Was God’s Provision.
2 Kings 5:3 “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.”
NOTE: This young girl was just a prisoner, a peon who served as a common slave to Naaman’s wife. She was nothing but a piece of property. At least that was the way Naaman and his wife saw her. In actuality, this girl was the provision of God, who, through His mercy and grace, placed her in Naaman’s home so that he could come to know Jehovah God, who could cleanse his disease, both physically and spiritually. Folks, what I’m saying is that this situation was no accident, or merely a situational happenstance. It was the providence of God, much like the following story:
Church Explosion NO ACCIDENT
Normally all of the good choir members of the West Side Baptist Church in Beatrice, Nebraska came to church on Wednesday night to practice, and most of them even came early. That meant they showed up well before the 7:30 starting time.
But one night, March 1, 1950, one by one, two by two, they all had excuses for being late. Marilyn, the church pianist overslept on her after-dinner nap, so she and her mother were late. One girl, a high school sophomore, was having trouble with her homework. That delayed her, so she was late. One couple couldn’t get their car started. They, and those they were to pick up, were subsequently late. In fact, all eighteen choir members, including the pastor and his wife, were late. Every single person had a good excuse. So, on that Wednesday evening, at 7:30, the time the choir rehearsal was supposed to begin, not one soul was in the choir loft. This had never happened before.
But here’s the rest of the story. That night, the only night in the history of the church that the choir wasn’t starting to practice at 7:30, was the night that there was a gas leak in the basement of the West Side Baptist Church.
At precisely the time at which the choir would have been singing, the gas leak was ignited by the church furnace and the whole church blew up. And the furnace room was right below the choir loft!
That, my friends, is an example of the providence of God.10
III. NAAMAN’S TREMENDOUS MIRACLE
A. Notice The Misconception.
NOTE: Misconceptions and misunderstandings are quite common in our world, and often they create a lot of trouble for us.
The following series of advertisements reportedly appeared in a daily newspaper:
Monday: “The Rev. A.J. Jones has one color TV set for sale. Telephone 626-1313 after 7 p.m. and ask for Mrs. Donnelley who lives with him, cheap.”
Tuesday: “We regret any embarrassment caused to Rev. Jones by a typographical error in yesterday’s paper. The ad should have read: ‘The Rev. A.J. Jones has one color TV set for sale, cheap...Telephone 626-1313 and ask for Mrs. Donnelley, who lives with him after 7 p.m.’”
Wednesday: “The Rev. A.J. Jones informs us that he has received several annoying telephone calls because of an incorrect ad in yesterday’s paper. It should have read: ‘The Rev. A.J. Jones has one color TV set for sale, cheap. Telephone 626-1313 after 7 p.m. and ask for Mrs. Donnelley who loves with him.’”
Thursday: “Please take notice that I, the Rev. A.J. Jones, have no color TV set for sale; I have smashed it. Don’t call 626-1313 anymore. I have not been carrying on with Mrs. Donnelley. She was, until yesterday, my housekeeper.’”
Friday: “Wanted: a housekeeper. Usual housekeeping duties. Good pay. Love in, Rev. A.J. Jones. Telephone 626-1313.”
Mistakes are inevitable in the publishing business.11
1. Naaman and the king of Syria thought God could be impressed by their clout.
2 Kings 5:5a “And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel…
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.
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.”
2. Naaman and the king of Syria thought God’s miracle could be bought with large amounts of currency.
2 Kings 5:5b “…And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.”
NOTE: [1] According to the New Living Translation, the weight of all of the currency Naaman was carrying was “750 pounds of silver”12 and “150 pounds of gold.”13
[2] According to the notes found in my King James Version of the Bible, the weights of silver and gold mentioned here, amounts to “52,800”14 in silver, and “$384,000”15 in gold. This would amount to approximately $436,800 total. We might think that was a lot of money. But keep in mind that we’re talking about the redemption of a man’s soul, for that is what this account illustrates for us. Since leprosy is a type of sin, this account illustrates the washing away of one’s sin. That being the case, even the ten sets of clothing added to this amount of money, was still infinitesimal, when compared to the cost of redeeming a man’s soul from sin. The Bible puts it this way: “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul” (Matt. 16:26)?” Even if one could purchase their salvation, which is impossible and unthinkable, this amount of money would have been an insult to God, for the purchase of our salvation cost the life and blood of the perfect, sinless, Son of God.
3. Naaman and the king of Syria thought that God would be impressed with an extravagant ceremony.
2 Kings 5:9 “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 (“perennial”16) and Pharpar (“swift”17), 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.”
NOTE: Naaman seems to have envisioned the prophet Elisha performing a dramatic healing service, with lots of bells and whistles and hoopla, in order to encourage God to respond with healing power. But how does this relate to how God saves a person? For one thing, God saves on His terms, never on man’s terms. The lost sinner cannot come to God with a list of demands and expect to get saved. Salvation is about turning from one’s sins, and turning to Christ by faith in unconditional surrender to the Lord of glory. There’s no such thing as Burger King Redemption. You can’t have it your way.
B. Notice The Message.
2 Kings 5:10 “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.”
NOTE: [1] It’s sobering to think that Naaman’s pride almost deprived him of not only physical healing and life, but of knowing Jehovah God altogether. The prophet’s instructions seemed too elementary and simple for a valiant warrior such as himself. Why, he was humiliated and insulted by the suggestion that all he had to do was go and wash in the dirty Jordan River, in order to be clean.
[2] It’s also significant that Naaman was instructed to wash in Jordan “seven” times. Seven is the number of perfection in the Bible. Naaman’s only hope of becoming perfectly whole was his surrender and obedience to God’s plan. The sinner doesn’t have to go wash in the Jordan to have eternal life today, but he does have to trust Jesus by faith, repenting of his sins. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).
C. Notice The Miracle.
2 Kings 5:13 “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.
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.”
NOTE: [1] Naaman’s servants knew him well enough to know that, had it been required, he would have been willing to do some great work for his healing. However, the command was not “work,” but “wash.” Like Naaman, the lost sinner cannot obtain forgiveness and cleansing from their sin by good works, but only by washing in the shed blood of Christ by faith. The Scriptures plainly tells us, “…and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1: 7b).
[2] Finally, notice that the free gift of salvation is further illustrated for us by the fact that when Naaman realized that he was completely healed from his leprosy, he tried to offer Elisha a gift. But the prophet adamantly refused the gift, thus proving that salvation is “the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8c-9).
Theme: The sinner’s need for salvation is illustrated by…
I. NAAMAN THE MAN
II. NAAMAN’S TINY MAID
III. NAAMAN’S TREMENDOUS MIRACLE
End Notes:
1 Informational material from North American Mission Board entitled, “GPS—God’s Plan for Sharing Across North America.”
2 Ibid.
3 Dr. William Smith, Smith’s Bible Dictionary, published by A.J. Holman Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; pg. 211.
4 All-American Church Hymnal, compiled by Earl Smith and John T. Benson, published by John T. Benson Publishing Company, Nashville, TN., “Yes, I Know!,” by Mrs. Anna W. Waterman, pg. 141.
5 Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, as recorded in e-Sword software.
6 Dr. J. Mike Minnix, Editor, PastorLife.
7 Author unknown. Acquired from pastorlife.com.
8 Ibid.
9 Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. All rights reserved. Pg. 441.
10 Story found at http://www.pastortom.org/nobility9.htm (from a sermon by Tom Rietveld), contributed by Dr. J. Mike Minnix, Editor, PastorLife.
11 First United Methodist Church, Meadville, PA, Content, The Newsletter Newsletter, August, 1990, p. 3.
12 Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. All rights reserved. Pg. 441.
13 Ibid.
14 Holy Bible, King James Version, copyright © 1976 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, TN., pg. 612.
15 Ibid, pg. 612.
16 Dr. William Smith, Smith’s Bible Dictionary, published by A.J. Holman Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; pg. 1.
17 Ibid, pg. 244.
