WHEN GOD SAYS SEVEN, SIX WON’T DO
2 Kgs. 5:1-17
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: THE SINGING PERFORMANCE
1. A lady had a wealthy father who gave her private singing lessons. At last she sang in a concert. Afterward, she was very excited. A friend came to her dressing room.
2. The singer asked her friend, “You were seated next to my singing instructor. What did he say about my performance?”
3. “He said that you sang heavenly.” “Really? That doesn’t exactly sound like something he’d say.” “Well, I think that’s what he meant.”
4. “Yes, but exactly what did he say? I want to know the exact words.” “Well, if you must know, he said it was an ‘unearthly noise!’”
B. TEXT
1 Now Naaman was commander of the Army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. 2 Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. 3 She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." 4 Naaman went to his master. 5 "By all means, go," the King of Aram replied. "I will send a letter to the King of Israel." 6 The letter... read: "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy." 7As soon as the King of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, "Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life?" 8 Then Elisha the man of God…sent him this message: "Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel." 9 So Naaman went... and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will
be restored and you will be cleansed." 11 But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.13 Naaman's servants... said, "If the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed!" 14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times... and his flesh was restored and became like that a young boy. 15 Then Naaman went back to the man of God...and said, "Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel."
C. THESIS
1. Title: "When God Says Seven, Six Won’t Do.”
2. This story begins in Syria, a powerful enemy of Israel directly to the north. This was a brief period of peace or cease-fire between the 2 nations. The saga begins in Damascus, the great and beautiful capital city of Syria. Here we meet the principle character.
I. NAAMAN’S ALMOST PERFECT SITUATION
A. THINGS GOING FOR NAAMAN
1. Naaman was a five star general, a Patton, a MacArthur, a Schwartzkoph; the commander and chief of all the military forces of Syria.
2. He was second only to King Ben Hadad II. In war, he had a winning record. The Bible even says that God gave him victory! He was distinguished by his courage he was also a man of great wealth.
3. He had a palace in the nicest suburb of Damascus, with a three-chariot garage, stables, servants and all the rest.
B. “BUT HE WAS A LEPER”
1. Leprosy! Even the word stung people with terror.
a. It was incurable, terminal, a slow death. It had no respect for wealth, fame, fortune, or beauty.
b. Physically and psychologically, it was devastating. Its victims became social outcasts who died without family or friends.
2. Naaman had it all -- until leprosy came!
a. It was the cross he had to bear, the drop of gall in his cup, the worm eating at the root of his prosperity.
b. Sometimes a cross is actually a mercy in disguise. This affliction became his salvation! It led to his conversion.
II. THE SLAVE GIRL’S ADVICE
A. HER PRESENCE AT NAAMAN’S HOUSE
1. The solution in our story comes, as God often does, from the least expected places – a little servant girl, a slave against her wishes in the palace of Naaman.
2. She had been CAPTURED by Syrian soldiers raiding in Israel. She had been SOLD to Naaman's wife. She was like Joseph.
3. Her presence there was PROVIDENTIAL. It was a sad twist of fate to be torn from her land and family, yet it was designed by God as a blessing for others.
B. HER SPIRITUAL CONDITION
1. She had every reason to harbor hatred and revenge toward her captors. She could have said, "Leprosy? That's poetic justice! That's just what you deserve!"
2. But instead, she grieved over his torment. She had a Christ-like spirit -- "love your enemies, bless them that curse, do good to them that despitefully use you..." She let grace flow!
3. So she told her mistress all about Elisha the prophet and the wonderful miracles he had performed. She grasped the opportunity to do good to her master.
C. NAAMAN, THE MANIPULATING POLITICIAN
1. Like all politicians, he thinks all problems are political problems and he made the mistake all politicians make: he turned to another politician to solve the problem. His king sends a letter with him to Israel’s king.
2. Like any of us going on a trip, his last stop is the First National Bank of Damascus where he withdraws a little cash from the ATM.
3. Well, a lot of cash. Nine hundred pounds of gold and silver. He intends to take a lavish, extravagant gift. (Money can solve all problems!)
4. This kind of thinking is still true today. The problem in Syria today must have a political solution. The problem in Miami or Louisiana or Kansas City or North Carolina must have a political solution.
5. The solution for our national crises, racial tensions, gun violence and terrorist threats are not political solutions, but the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to bring salvation, change hard hearts and mend broken lives.
6. Our real problem is that our national conscience is so seared we can no longer see our spiritual bankruptcy. Nothing will save us except repentance, salvation, and a reformation of our hearts and lives.
7. Our national motto is “In God we trust.” The most crucial need of our day is to be on our knees before the almighty God.
III. THE PROPHET & NAAMAN
A. THE KING OF ISRAEL’S POWERLESSNESS
1. When Joram, the King of Israel, reads the letter (vs. 6), he freaked out. He tore his clothes.
2. He probably assumed that the King of Syria was deliberately asking him to do something impossible so that he’d have an excuse to attack.
3. It’s a sad thing when the king of the country has the least faith in God of anybody in the story.
B. ELISHA’S REBUKE
1. "Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel!"
2. Sometimes we have to be told, YOUR GOD IS TOO SMALL! Many people have forgotten the promises of God’s Word:
a. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He’s a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” Hb 11:6.
b. God said, “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for Me?” Jer. 32:26-27.
c. “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.” Ps. 50:15, NASB.
3. IS YOUR GOD TOO SMALL?
a. During a terrible famine with no food, a man was told that the next morning, food would be flooding the streets and be very cheap. He said it was impossible. His God was too small!
b. The prophet Elisha and his servant were surrounded by a foreign army of 50,000 soldiers. The servant, terrified, cried, “What shall we do?” His God was too small!
4. If you have a Great God, Mountains can be moved! Miracles happen every day. God’s in the business of the impossible!
5. We should rather be numbered with the Centurion and the Syro-Phoenician woman – who amazed Jesus with their great faith – than the rich and powerful who serve nothing but images of wood and stone!
C. NAAMAN AT THE PROPHET’S HOUSE
1. Normally, prophets were summoned to the Palace for such important people as Naaman. But Elisha said, "Send him to me."
2. Naaman's entourage arrived in grandeur. He had 150 pounds of gold ($4.5 million), 750 pounds of silver ($480,000) and 10 Armani suits.
3. Naaman didn’t see Elisha, just a servant who told him, “Wash seven times in the Jordan and you will be cleansed.”
4. So much for diplomatic protocol. This bad form, bad manners. It would be a little like Obama sending a White House page boy to greet Putin or the Queen of England.
5. Naaman got mad. Naaman wanted to be treated as a great man who happened to be a leper. Instead Elisha treated him as a leper who happened to be a great man.”
6. This is the offense of the gospel of Jesus Christ; it’s utterly indifferent to distinctions among people. Everyone is put on the same level; all are sinners in need of cleansing.
D. NAAMAN’S REACTION
1. Naaman got into a rage because the prophet didn’t honor him with razzle-dazzle, an authoritative “Abracadabra” and a puff of smoke.
2. How frequently people want to design their own salvation! People look at the Cross in the natural and fail to see its value; that it alone pleased the Maker of the universe. It really doesn’t matter what WE think about it!
3. Naaman said, "If he'd asked me to do some hard thing..." That's like salvation by works; we want to earn it and not feel indebted to God. It’s by grace you’re saved!
IV. THE TEMPTATION TO NOT DIP 7 TIMES
A. DOING THE WHOLE WILL OF GOD
1. Not only did Naaman have a pride problem, he had a peer pressure problem. I imagine that with each duck he had to be encouraged to continue.
2. We're too concerned about what others think of us:
a. At 20, were worried about what everyone thinks;
b. At 40, we don't care what everyone thinks;
c. At 60, we've learned that no one is thinking of us anyway.
3. Many Christians today are willing to dip 4 or 5 times, but they don’t want to dip that 6th or 7th time.
4. We’re willing to go cooperate with the forms of religion, but when it gets really personal – when the Holy Spirit points out your pet sin and says, “Give it up!,” we balk at it. [“7 times? Really? Seems so extreme!” Obey!]
5. That’s why Jesus told the…
a. rich man to give up all his wealth: it was his idol. Mk. 10:21;
b. The Samaritan woman was told to leave the man she was living with (John 4:16-18);
c. The Crowd to pluck out their eye rather than to look lustfully and go to hell with 2 eyes (Mk. 9:47);
e. The Church at Ephesus was told they’d lost their spiritual passion (Rev. 2:4).
d. We were told to forgive those who’ve sinned against us, or we ourselves can’t be forgiven!
f. The only sin that will send us to hell is the one we won’t repent of!
7. God asked Naaman to do something which looked useless, even foolish. Clean from being in a muddy river?
And it wasn’t the river that cleansed Naaman, but his humbling himself and submitting to the will of God.
B. THE RESULTS
1. But on the seventh dip—wow. Skin smooth as a baby’s bottom. He could have done a Palmolive soap commercial. What a blessing for those who obey!
2. Naaman jumped in his chariot and raced back to Elisha’s place. He makes a tremendous confession, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel.” He is a changed man. He’s a poster child of how the power of God can change and renew people.
3. Notice how deep this healing runs. Not only is his body healed, but his heart is transformed as well. His heart is full of gratitude, he wants to give a gift, make an offering.
4. The man who didn’t want to wash in Israel’s dirty river, now wants to take some of Israel’s dirt back to Syria.
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: BLIND MAN LOSES PLACE
1. A blind man once stood on a corner at a busy intersection reading aloud Acts 4 from a portion of a Braille Bible.
2. A gentleman on his way home stopped to listen. At that very moment, the sightless man lost his place. While trying to find it, he kept repeating the last three words he had just read: “No other name. . . No other name. . . No other name. . .”
3. Many smiled, but the inquisitive bystander went away impressed. He had been searching for inner peace and grasped those words like a life-line.
4. He’d heard that verse before, but this time the Holy Spirit opened it’s meaning to him.
5. “I see it all now,” he cried. “I’ve been trying to be saved by my own works and prayers. But Jesus alone can help me, save me, deliver me. There’s no other name whereby I must be saved.”
B. THE CALL
1. Naaman went down the seventh and last time. Each time before, he had seen NO CHANGE in his leprosy spots. It wasn’t until he went down in obedience the 7th and last time that the miracle occurred.
2. Some of you are looking for a miracle, but there are still areas of your life, or lack of spiritual desire that are holding you back. You need to dip all seven times!
3. How many would say, Pastor I want to get the
a. leprosy of sin out of my life?
b. I need a miracle?
c. I’m searching for something and I think I found it this morning, please pray for me.
4. Let’s all stand. Altar call. Prayer.
[Some quotes from Robert Woodyard’s “Seven Ducks in a Muddy River” were used.]
