Seven Dips In The Muddy Jordan

SEVEN DIPS IN THE MUDDY JORDAN

Text: 2 Kings 5:1-14 W. Max Alderman

INTRODUCTION: Pride is something that God absolutely hates. Pride has been the ruin of many a person. “Only by pride cometh contention”. “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall”… so says the word of God. Pride almost caused Naaman to remain a leper. He did not want to humble himself and dip in the muddy Jordan River as the Lord had instructed him. If he had not, so would have ended the story with him dying as a Leper. Many today will never come to the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved because of their wicked pride. If you are lost today, I hope that God will convict you of being lost and come to the place of spiritually being willing to dip in your muddy Jordan…

I. THE MASTER HAD A WOEFUL CONDICTION. (V. 1) “but he was a leper”

Naaman was a Gentile but he was given the same honor as those Jews who were recognized for their great valor and courage. This same title was applied to Gideon (Judges 6:12), Jephthah (Judges 11:1), David (1 Samuel 16:18), Jeroboam (1 Kings 11:28), and Eliada (2 Chronicles 17:17). It seems that this is the only specific Gentile mentioned as a mighty man of valor. The Bible recognized Naaman as being a mighty man of valor, “but he was a leper.”

ABOUT LEPROSY: Ancient leprosy began as small, red spots on the skin. Later, the spots get bigger, and start to turn white, with sort of a shiny or scaly appearance. After a brief period of time the spots spread over the whole body and hair begins to fall out - first from the head, then from the eyebrows. As the leprosy worsens, finger nails and toenails become loose; they start to rot and eventually fall off. Then the joints of the fingers and the toes begin to rot and fall off one piece at a time. Gums begin to shrink and they can’t hold the teeth anymore, so each of them is lost. Leprosy keeps eating away at the leper’s face until literally the nose, the palate, and even the eyes rot - and the victim wastes away until death.

For the reasons mentioned above, leprosy is a type of sin. It starts off small and finishes big. “Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:15).

A. He Had A Condition That Causes Dread.

When a person found that he had this terrible disease, he then would become aware of his terrible prognosis knowing that he could only expect painful suffering and eventually death. This disease was a disease that caused great dread. This should certainly be the attitude of the lost sinner who is under conviction. When you gain an understanding of the terrible consequences of sinning and also an awareness of where your sin will eventually take you, you should be dreading what will happen so much that you will be convicted to come to Christ!

B. He Had A Condition That Causes Defilement.

According to the Law of Moses, given by God, leprosy was a disease that brought great defilement. (Lev. 13:46). Just as leprosy defiles, so does sin… Sin will rob young people of their virtue. I heard a report that said that young people who engaged in premarital sex were more prone to suicide and mental illnesses than those who did not. They had greater difficulty adjusting to a healthy marriage relationship. This is one of the ways that sin defiles. I was talking yesterday to a banker about a promising politician who went far and was traveling up the political ladder only to get caught up in a financial scam that cost him his honor and sent him to prison. He eventually died only as the “shell of the man” that he once was. He had let sin defile him and rob him of his “good name”.

C. He Had A Condition That Causes Death.

Having leprosy during the time of Naaman meant having a death sentence which was caused by this terrible disease. Naaman needed to have a miracle or else he would die from leprosy. Leprosy was perhaps worse than cancer, because no one could be healed without a great miracle from the Lord. Likewise, every sinner must have a miracle of grace or will instead face eternal death in the Lake of Fire. “For the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23).

II. THE MAIDEN HAD A WEEPING COMPASSION. (Vv. 2-4)

“Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! For he would recover him of his leprosy.” (V. 3a)

This young maid was a great example of how God can use His witnesses who find themselves in less than desirable circumstances. She could have been a very bitter captive, but instead she radiated the “glow of the Lord” in the household of her captors. She must have been raised in a home that taught her to believe in the Lord just as Daniel did while in Babylon captivity. Notice what Clarke had to say about this little maid: “And see the benefits of a religious education! Had not this little maid been brought up in the knowledge of the true God, she had not been the instrument of so great a salvation.” (Clarke)