Be Willing
2 Kings 5:1-15
Introduction
In our series on Signposts for the Journey we have looked at some major Bible characters to learn that to follow God we must be Obedient, Courageous, Penitent, Wise - and today we conclude this series with a truth that brings them all together. Be Willing.
“When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change.” - Paulo Coelho
Naaman is about to face an unexpected challenge to test his willingness to hear and do what God said.
2 Kings 5:1-4; 9-15, 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.[a]
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,[b] 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, “Am I God, that I can give life and take it away? Why is this man asking me to heal someone with leprosy? 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,[c] 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, 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...."
Naaman was faced with some challenges that test his willingness - and we will identify with those as we look at them. Whether you are …
Someone who has yet to become a Christian
Someone who is living the Christian life
Someone who is trying to reclaim your Christian life
What does it mean to be willing?
1. BE WILLING TO LISTEN.
Naaman is a powerful man - leads an army, man of great reputation, highly thought of by the King, a valiant solider, the Lord gave him great victories (vs 1). He has access to people of wisdom and insight. He also was offended by Elisha. Elisha did not come out to meet him - sent a servant. Elisha gives him a weird instruction - feels disrespectful. He feels he could come up with a better plan! But whatever could have offended him, the Bible says, “he had leprosy” - and that condition trumped everything else for him. He had to be willing to listen.
Are we willing to listen to God’s Word? Four Reactions:
*Pride: I don’t need to hear what the Bible says.
*Rejection: I don’t want to hear what the Bible says.
*Intelligence: I’m smart enough to find my own way.
*Stubbornness: I don’t want to make any changes in my life.
*Acceptance: I want to hear what God has to say to help me overcome the struggles in my life.
Romans 10:17 CEV “No one can have faith without hearing the message about Christ.”
Are we willing to listen to God today?
2. BE WILLING TO OBEY
It was one thing to hear from Elisha what to do - and it was another to do it. Again, there were objections. The idea of dipping in water 7 times sounds kind of crazy. The Jordan river is not a nice clean appealing river. This mighty warrior would really have to humble himself in front of others to do this command. He had expectations Elisha would do something spectacular. His servants/offices asked: what if Elisha had asked you do some amazing thing? He did listen and obey and his leprosy was washed away.
It’s hard not to think about baptism here - dipping in the water brings cleansing. Someone else was baptized in the Jordan River - many years later - Jesus Christ! The church began with 3,000 people being baptized!
Acts 2:38 NLT “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Reasons why we might have a hard time deciding to obey?
*Maybe being baptized sounds odd or unnecessary to us.
*Maybe making some needed changes in our lives is going to require a humility we are not sure we have.
*Maybe we think God ought to do something spectacular!
*If God offered eternal life in heaven to you, what spectacular thing do you think He ought to ask you to do to receive it?
*Instead, we should humbly follow his simple teachings
Galatians 3:26-27 NLT For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.
Naaman teaches us to be willing to listen, willing to obey…and
3. BE WILLING TO WORSHIP
Vs 15 - Nathan declares his allegiance. When we realize that God has cleansed us - and continues to
cleanse us of our sins - we are moved to worship Him. We worship God in the assembly but also in our daily lives
when we love Him and love others. Chris Tomlin song: How can I keep from singing His praise? When we have let down our pride, torn down all the barriers, and given ourselves to the Lord - we are released then to praise Him all our days.
Conclusion
“When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change.” - Paulo Coelho
Naaman was a mighty man with a big problem. He was willing to listen, obey, and worship. He found healing, help, and purpose.
It is the same with us today - whether we need to get our life back on track because we’ve wandered away from Christ or whether we need to be immersed in water to receive a cleansing of our own - not from leprosy but from sin.
Naaman is mentioned once in the New Testament. Early in the ministry of Jesus, he was in the synagogue in Nazareth, revealing his identity as Messiah. In Luke 4:26-28 he indicates that there were many lepers in Israel, but only one was healed - a Syrian. The Jews were furious at the suggestion that the people of God were passed over for a Gentile. The very ones who OUGHT to have recognized God’s way were too busy telling God what he should do. Instead, God uses a Gentile King, a Syrian commander, and an Israelite slave girl to demonstrate his power.
When we are willing to listen, obey, and worship - we are well on our way to a long and adventurous journey with God!
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Discussion Questions 2 Kings 5
1. What is remarkable about the young servant girls’ response to Naaman’s leprosy (vv. 2-3)?
2. What approach did Naaman initially take toward getting his problem solved? (vv. 4-6)
3. Can you think of some ways Naaman had to humble himself before God in order to be cleansed?
4. Naaman was initially critical of Elisha’s prescription for cleansing. Why do you think Elisha was so low-key about this miracle?
5. After dipping in the muddy Jordan River six times, do you think Naaman might have been tempted to give up? Why do Christians sometimes give up on praying? In Naaman’s case, he was on the brink of the answer he sought. How could that be true of us sometimes in our prayers?
6. Many times we will be the only voice of hope and love that another person in our life will be able to hear. How hard/easy is it to be the voice of hope and encouragement in the lives of others? How can we do better?
7. Do you find that God’s instructions for salvation are still a stumbling block, even foolish, these days? Explain. (See 1 Cor 1:26-29)
8. What else did you want to talk about today? Is there anything we can pray about for you?
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A few other resources...
Commentary on 2 Kings 5 https://thefaithspace.com/lessons-from-the-story-of-naaman/
Devotional by David Guzik https://enduringword.com/humble-enough-to-receive/
Greg Laurie - The Truth about Naaman 4 minute video https://youtu.be/78uu_sYT9Iw
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