BEHOLD, I THOUGH?
II KINGS 5:1-14
When you read this you instantly wonder. Why is there a story about a Syrian Captain wedged in this continuing story of Israel’s mishaps.
God had delivered Israel from Egypt and brought them into the land that flowed with mike and honey. He had promised to keep them safe from their enemies as a long as they would serve him – but they forgot. That is America’s problem today.
This is a story about a young lady that was taken in slavery because of Israel’s disobedience. They had taken her from her family – Her people – her nation. She was made to serve in a foreign land. The one thing they could not take from her was her God. We are not even told her name but make no mistake – She is the real heroine of this entire story.
She would seem to be an insignificant part of this story but without her faithful witness – this story would not have taken place.
Now, admittedly the story focuses on Captain Naaman. So today:
T/S. We want to consider 3 things about captain Naaman.
1. The Character of Captain Naaman.
2. The Condition of Captain Naaman.
3. The Conduct of Captain Naaman.
I. THE CHARACTER OF CAPTAIN NAAMAN.
A. The Holy Spirit dips his pen and tells us 6 things about this Man.
1. He was Captain of the Host of King of Syria.
He was the general - a man who had been successful in life. Disciplined. Trained, a leader. He had risen to the top of his profession.
2. He was also a servant.
In verse 6, He is referred to as a Servant. A person can never learn to lead unless he knows how to follow. The one true, great mark of a leader is they are a person who has learned to be a follower.
3. He was a great man with his Master.
He was trustworthy, Honest. a person that could be depended on.
4. He was an honorable man.
He had a sense of fairness with people. People liked him. They respected Him. He was a hero among his people. Wonderful character trait. You would have liked this man. He was popular. He is one of the remarkable characters on the page of Scripture.
5. He was a mighty man of valor.
He was brave, man of battle, man of action. He was not a pencil pushing general. He was the Schwartzkauff of his day.
6. . . .but he was a leper. (Which brings us to the second point.)
II. THE CONDITION OF CAPTAIN NAAMAN.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could stoped and not say anything else. If be didn’t have to put that last {but} on there. If it were a fairy tail we could say, "And He lived happily ever after". but it not a fairy tail it is a true life adventure so it records . BUT HE WAS A LEPER.
A. This is a parallel picture of the human race.
B. The Bible give leprosy as an exact picture of sin. What leprosy does to the physical body - sin does to the spiritual body.
C. You can list all the fine qualities of a person today but you have to add . . . but he/she is a sinner. The wages of sin is death . .
D. We have lived in a day that historians have delighted in digging up dirt on great men. Washington, Lincoln, Jackson. etc.
If they threw out of office ever politician they could find some skeleton in their closet pretty soon I would be running the country but then someone would investigate me.
There so much good in the worst of us,
and so much bad in the best of us,
That it behooves the most of us,
not to talk about the rest of us.
G. We are all sinner saved by wonderful Grace.
(Isa 64:6 KJV) But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteous nesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
So. of all the good we can say about him we must add – BUT HE WAS A LEPER.
III. HIS CONDUCT.
A. We must take notice than His conduct was greatly influenced by this Young madden. She is God’s faithful witness in a foreign land. A missionary – she is the only preacher that Naaman. He was under the death penalty without her brave testimony. All she did was point him in the right direction. "If my Lord was only with the Prophet that is in Israel"
B. He come to the King. People always want to go to the wrong source to get salvation.
C. He come to Elisha’s Tent. [Tell the Story]
D. SURELY I THOUGHT . . .the reason most will go to hell.
E. He was saved because He [did it according to the Word of God].
F. He had a worse disease than leprosy. It is called pride.
(PRIDE) The demonstration of a life which testifies by the way they live that they don’t need God.
G. The 7 drippings .
Every dip was an offense to Naaman.
CONCLUSION:
The cross is an offence to the natural man and to his reasoning. Paul talk about the offense of the cross.
Paul is using it in this sense. When a man comes to God by the cross he is saying, "I Can do nothing by myself. Nothing in my hand I bring . . . .
It is an offense to this carnal nature to bow before God and say, Just as I am without one Plea.
A. The book, Pilgrims Progress has a the character named "Loath to stoop."
Phil 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
B. When God created the universe He didn’t half way try. He just spoke and it was done. When he worked out our salvation it took all the resources of heaven.
C. There are millions who would come to God if they could come on their own terms. If they could bargain with God and offer something for their salvation. My friend you have nothing to offer God except yourself in absolute surrender.
