On The Back of Little Things

When we do the little things, big things happen.

Anyone enjoy playing with Legos or does any have children that enjoy Legos?

Beyond the fact that they can be the bane of your existence

If you step on one of those little buggars barefoot it’s like stepping on a nail.

But you can make some pretty awesome stuff out of Legos.

My son Ben was a Lego guy.

He built a - I don’t know - 2 - 2 1/2 foot long ballistic submarine.

We had it on display for years right beside the Lego Starship Enterprise from Star Trek fame.

He would spend hours and hours patiently placing one brick at a time just in the right place.

And slowly but surely over days and weeks, his creations took shape.

One Lego at a time.

We all want the big things.

But big things are built on the back of small things.

You might remember in the Old Testament a prophet by the name of Elijah.

Well, he had a protege named Elisha who took over when Elijah left the scene.

And this story is about Elisha.

Turn in your Bibles to 2 Kings 5:1-19.

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Please join us by opening your Bibles and following along.

And if you are guests here for the first time, we are so very glad the Lord led you to First Baptist.

I know He has blessed you already and I pray that His word speaks the words you need to hear.

Hear the Word of the Lord from 2 Kings 5:1-19

2 Kings 5:1–19 ESV

Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” So Naaman went in and told his lord, “Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel.” And the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.” But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and he came and stood before him. And he said, “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; so accept now a present from your servant.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused. Then Naaman said, “If not, please let there be given to your servant two mule loads of earth, for from now on your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the Lord. In this matter may the Lord pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, leaning on my arm, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon your servant in this matter.” He said to him, “Go in peace.” But when Naaman had gone from him a short distance,

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Naaman was a man accustomed to big things.

He was the commander of the army of the king of Syria.

Syria was a powerhouse in the region and Naaman was one of the reasons they were.

Obviously he was a good leader and tactician and the king thought highly of him.

But there was another reason why he was so good at his job.

Notice this strange statement in verse 1, “because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria.”

What do you make of that?

Do you think that the LORD can use the ungodly to do His will?

Well of course he can.

And He did.

And He is even today.

Because, He is Lord of all the earth.

This is important - the Lord is about to use Naaman in a way he never expected.

But God does that, doesn’t he?

There is something else to notice about Naaman.

He has a flaw.

Everyone has a flaw

And his flaw was a problem for him.

Now for those who have been in Sunday School for a while, be careful about crossing cultures here.

Naaman had leprosy - a very serious skin disease.

In Israel, that makes him unclean.

He would have to live outside the camp with other lepers.

He wouldn’t have a normal life.

But in Syria, obviously things are different.

No he’s not outcast.

But he is still pitied by those who love him.

This rich, powerful man who controlled almost everything, couldn’t control his own skin.

Many of us can relate to that, can’t we?

We have something that we can’t change.

Yet, God is still in control.

2 Kings 5:2 “Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman’s wife.”

Simple little sentence - but listen to the terror that represents.

Syria - this military powerhouse - raided Israel.

The raid would have been noisy and loud.

Sweating, dirty men with swords and shields would have rushed through the streets.

People would be screaming.

Those fighting back were being killed - slaughtered in the streets.

And this “little girl” - obviously a child - was abducted.

Kicking and screaming she would have been carried far, far away from home.

Somehow she ended up a slave in Naaman’s house helping his wife.

As luck would have it, right? Listen

Even bad things can be providential

The Lord knew these bad things would happen - and in the middle of it all.

He had a plan for this little girl’s life that would eventually make a difference in the nation of her captors.

She was old enough to know about Elisha.

She was old enough to have heard what the Lord could do through him.

And she was faithful enough to believe that Elisha could heal Naaman.

And she was obedient enough to speak.

Here’s why I say that. Jeremiah 29:7 says

Jeremiah 29:7 ESV

But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

The Lord was about to carry the nation of Israel off into exile to Babylon

Because they had been unfaithful to Him.

And he told the people, even as you are in captivity, do your best and pray to the Lord for the city where you are.

That’s a good message isn’t it - I mean for right now?

It seems like ever entity around - corporations, government - name it - they are all trying to destroy the family.

They are hell-bent to destroy the Christian faith - to be successful in what they want, they have to do that.

What is one of the things we should do?

Do our best and pray to the Lord for our land.

Be an example for Jesus - and pray for the city.

The little girl told Naaman’s wife about Elisha - 2 Kings 5:3 “She said to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.””

His wife told him.

And he told the king of Syria.

He had everything a man could want - but he still needed one thing.

All of the money and power in the world can’t buy contentment

You and I know that - Naaman lived it every day.

So the king knew how badly Naaman wanted to be healed

He writes a letter of safe passage to the king of Israel and Naaman goes to him with his entourage.

The king receives the letter and goes bonkers.

“Who am I? Am I God that I could heal this man?

“I know what this is about - he’s picking a fight.

“He wants a war with me.”

Somehow Elisha heard about the king’s distress and he sent word, “Let him come now to me, that HE MAY KNOW that there is a prophet in Israel.

There is our key.

The original Syrian raid.

The girl getting captured.

The girl becoming a slave in Naaman’s household.

Probably not THE reason all of that happened - but in the context of all of that chaos - the Lord was working on a plan

To do good to one man and to show him and his nation God’s glory.

I don’t care how bad things feel like they are going right now.

The world feels like it is spiraling out of control

Yet, God is still working to do good to us and to show His glory to the world.

Naaman goes to Elisha’s house and Elisha disses him and his home.

Now think what’s happening here.

Naaman is the greatest general in Syria’s army.

George Patton is striding up to Elisha’s front door.

His military pomp and circumstance is all around him.

By crackies, he is somebody and he’s accustomed to be treated like somebody.

2 Kings 5:10 “And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.””

Elisha didn’t even come to the door.

He didn’t send his right hand man.

He sent - a messenger.

What is this saying to us?

The ground is level at the foot of the cross

It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from.

To know Jesus - to be saved - requires the same thing.

You humble yourself

You realize that you are flawed - that you have done things that God says aren’t right.

You’ve sinned.

And you need forgiveness

And you ask for that forgiveness.

Oh but that’s not our nature.

It can’t be that simple.

It has to be something I can do.

It has to be something I can control.

There must be some big thing I can do to make myself good and acceptable.

In God and everybody’s sight.

The hard challenge we will accept - but the small things we ignore

But you can’t build a Lego ship 10 tiles at a time.

I would have hated to have been that messenger.

Naaman went crazy.

“I expected him to at least come out here and see me.

“Maybe wave his hands around and say abracadabra or glory to the Lord or something.

“But wash in that nasty river.

“The rivers at my house are crystal clear - they aren’t brown like this mess.

“I’m not doing this - this is ridiculous - I’ve never been so insulted.

Now stop and think about something.

If the story ends here - what happens to that little girl?

And what happens to Israel?

Don’t you think a general who was just shown incredible disrespect by another country

You can see what would come next right?

This story could end very badly

So what stopped it from becoming a catastrophe?

Good friends challenge us when we are wrong

This is where I’ll lean on another translation that makes the nuance a little more clear.

In the New American Standard, verse 13 says, NASB 2 Kings 5:13 Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, “My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”

That took guts - to challenge a raging bull that way - he’d probably killed people for lesser offenses.

But obviously, he knew these servants loved him

Notice - they came to him very humbly - “my father” they said.

They loved him.

They knew how much the skin disease was a problem for him and how much he hated it and they hated it for him.

They wanted to see him clean.

“Father, if he had sent you to gather the rings of Sauron you would have left no stone unturned.

“Please - go wash yourself and see what happens.

So he cools off and he goes to the Jordan and he dips himself seven times - why seven?

Beyond 7 being the number that represents completion and perfection, Leviticus 14:7 “And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed of the leprous disease. Then he shall pronounce him clean...”

Dip yourself 7 times and you will be clean - Elisha was following scripture.

2 Kings 5:14 “So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.”

Naaman was not only changed on the outside, he was changed on the inside.

He returned to Elisha’s house and this time Elisha met him face to face.

He confessed his faith to Elisha 2 Kings 5:15 “...And he said, “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; so accept now a present from your servant.””

Elisha refused the gifts and finally Naaman asked to carry some dirt back to his house to build his own altar.

He’d use this dirt for it’s foundation.

But even with all of that - you know what says to me the most that Naaman was changed?

Look at verse 18

2 Kings 5:18 “In this matter may the Lord pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, leaning on my arm, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon your servant in this matter.””

Naaman was convicted of sin.

I don’t know if he’d ever heard of the LORD’s 10 commandments, but its obvious at least a couple were now written on his heart.

He knew there was one God.

He knew he should not bow down to any image of a god.

But he knew his boss would.

And he knew he would be at his bosses side and if he didn’t bow when his boss bowed, well, it would be a bad day a black rock.

Elisha merely said to him, “Go in peace.”

Now that’s not simply saying good-bye.

That’s saying - you have entered into a covenant.

Keep the covenant.

He didn’t launch into an exposition on the 10 commandments.

He didn’t condemn - he didn’t try to change Naaman because that wasn’t his job.

It is the Lord who cleans up the life of a sinner

It’s not us.

And you know as well as I do - when you belong to the Lord and you sin - he is quick to call it to our attention.

When Naaman got back to Syria healed - I wonder how long he was able to walk with his boss into that godless temple.

I even wonder if maybe his boss might have become a believer over time.

When we do little things, big things often result

Naaman wasn’t sent on a quest.

He was told to go wash in the Jordan river seven times.

He didn’t want to.

He was offended he was treated as a commoner.

He was offended that he had to wash in that nasty Israeli stream.

But when he swallowed his pride and became obedient, he was healed.

Isn’t that like our relationship with Jesus?

Isn’t it as simple as humbling ourselves before him and admitting the obvious - we are the master of messes.

In our quest to make ourselves ‘good’ people, we’ve made more messes than we have fixed.

Jesus is the only answer to our quandary.

He alone can forgive us.

He alone can change us.

He alone can make us clean.

Simple things.

Come to Jesus - confess your sins and be saved.

Pick up your Bible every day for just 5 minutes - read Proverbs, read Luke, read John

Let those words sink into your heart.

And pray - talk to Jesus for just 5 minutes.

And watch what happen.

When we do little things, big things often result

Let us pray.