Sermon Tone Analysis

 NY Yankee manager Billy Martin (Number One) told many stories in his biography.

Once, he went hunting in Texas with Mickey Mantle.

Mickey had a friend who let them hunt on his ranch.

They went.

When they got to the ranch, Mickey told Billy, "Wait in the car while I check in with my friend."

His friend quickly OK'd it.

But he asked Mickey for a favor.

His pet mule was going blind.

He didn't have the heart to put it out of its misery.

He asked Mickey to go to the barn & put it out of its misery.

Mickey came back to the car.

He pretended to scowl, then slammed the door.

Billy asked, "What's wrong" Mickey pretended to be angry.

"My friend said 'No.' I'm going to shoot a mule in his barn!" Mickey drove to the barn like a maniac.

Martin was alarmed.

"We can't do that!"

Mickey retorted, "Just watch me!"

At the barn, Mantle jumped out with his rifle.

He ran inside & shot the mule.

On the way back, he heard 3 shots & ran to the car.

Martin had his rifle out, too.

"What are you doing, Billy?" he yelled.

Martin's face was red with anger, "We'll show that son of a gun!

I just killed 3 of his cows!"

One simple joke had a much bigger impact than Mickey expected.

Simple things can have powerful results, especially when it comes to God.

E.g., In Jesus' hands, 5 loaves & 2 fish fed 5,000 men & their families.

And leftovers?

More than they started with.

In Jesus' hands, 7 loaves & a few little fish fed 4,000 men & their families.

With one simple prophet on top of Mt Carmel, God bested 400 prophets of Baal.

On a stone alter, an ox & wood were drenched 3 times so thoroughly, it filled a trench around it with 12 gallons of water.

On cue God sent a powerful lightning bolt.

White-hot, it burned up the ox, wood, stones of the altar, & even the water around it.

In Egypt, with one simple shepherd God sent 12 plagues with stunning displays of power.

God's prophet kicked Egyptian gods to the floor & delivered over a million people from slavery in Egypt.

With that same shepherd turned prophet, God parted the Red Sea, brought water from a rock (twice, tho' God said speak to it, the 2nd time), dropped migratory quail on their camp when the people asked for meat, & led the people around the desert for 40 years, feeding them with bread he dropped out of the sky.

In God's hands, simple things have powerful results.

That's what we'll see in 2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c.

Let's look.

1aNaaman was commander of the king of Aram's army.

Highly decorated, skilled, & successful soldier.

1bHe was a great man.

His character was sterling.

He had integrity.

He's 1chighly regarded in king Ben-Haddad II's eyes.

But other, more important eyes regarded him highly, too.

1dThrough him the Lord gave victory to Aram.

Israel's enemy!

That's how highly the Lord regarded Naaman.

His accolades continue.

1eHe was a valiant soldier.

Fierce in combat.

So far, all is going his way.

There's just 1 thing wrong.

1fHe had leprosy.

Not all ANE "leprosy" kept getting worse, disfiguring & eventually killing its victims.

But some leprosy did.

Whatever Naaman had, he could still command the army.

But he & his family are concerned.

Now earlier, 2abands from Aram took captive a young girl from Israel.

In Aram, she's a slave.

A nobody.

2bShe served Naaman's wife.

Yet she cares for her owners.

Why?

They aren't like others in Aram.

How so?

We'll see evidence of God in Naaman's life.

3aShe said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet Elisha in Samaria!

In Samaria, Elisha is known.

Not Aram.

Unlike most in the northern Kingdom & almost all in Aram, this young girl has faith.

Why send Naaman to Elisha? 3b"He'd cure Naaman of his leprosy."

She tells Naaman.

Will listen?

Take her word?

After all, he's an Aramean.

A great man.

She's nothing.

He's an army commander.

She's a slave.

He has fame.

She has none.

She just waits on his wife.

And now him.

Yet God has changed his heart, & he listens.

A simple thing, but he really listens.

Naaman went to Ben-Hadad II.

And in v. 4, Naaman told him what the girl said.

And Ben-Hadad II? V. 5, "By all means, go.

I'll send a letter to Jehoram (Joram), king of Israel."

The king sent him with a large gift (>$1M, today) & a letter.

V. 6, "I'm sending my servant Naaman to you so you may cure him of his leprosy."

7aAs soon as the Joram read the letter, he tore his robes.

He has even less faith than most of Israel (N kingdom).

7b"Am I God? Can I kill & bring back to life?

Why does he send someone to me to be cured of leprosy?" 7c"See?

He's trying to pick a quarrel with me!" Does he even remember Elisha?

Does he have any faith at all? Waaaah...!