God’s Work in the midst of Suffering
Notes
Transcript
2 KINGS 5.1-19
GOD’S WORK
IN THE MIDST
OF SUFFERING
Luiz Sayão
IN 850-840 BC
ARAMEANS
(SYRIA)
DEFEAT
ISRAEL
IN WAR
Naaman, commander of the army of the king of
Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his
master because by him the LORD had given victory
to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior,
suffered from a skin disease. 2 Now the Arameans
on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive
from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s
wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my lord
were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would
cure him of his skin disease.” 4 So Naaman went in
and told his lord just what the girl from the land of
Israel had said. 5 And the king of Aram said, “Go,
then, and I will send along a letter to the king of
Israel.”
He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six
thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of
1
GOD SEEMS
TO BE FAR
AWAY
NO HELP
WAR, CRISIS AND EXILE.
IRONY: GOD CAUSED IT.
WHAT SHALL WE EXPECT
FROM A YOUNG GIRL?
He brought the letter to the king of
Israel, which read, “When this letter
reaches you, know that I have sent to you
my servant Naaman, that you may cure
him of his skin disease.” 7 When the king of
Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes
and said, “Am I God, to give death or life,
that this man sends word to me to cure a
man of his skin disease? Just look and see
how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.”
6
WAR
DISEASE
NO HOPE
FROM INDIVIDUAL
TO INTERNATIONAL
But when Elisha the man of God heard that the
king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a
message to the king, “Why have you torn your
clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn
that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman
came with his horses and chariots and halted at
the entrance of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a
messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the
Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be
restored, and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman
became angry and went away, saying, “I thought
that for me he would surely come out and stand
and call on the name of the LORD his God and
would wave his hand over the spot and cure the
8
WHO HAS
THE
POWER?
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?” He
turned and went away in a rage. 13 But his
servants approached and said to him, “Father,
if the prophet had commanded you to do
something difficult, would you not have done
it? How much more, when all he said to you
was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down
and immersed himself seven times in the
Jordan, according to the word of the man of
God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a
young boy, and he was clean.
12
WORD OF
GOD
HEALING
ARROGANT COMMANDER
BLESSED IN SPITE OF HIS ANGER
GOD’S WAY
Then he returned to the man of God,
TO MISSION
he and all his company; he came and
stood before him and said, “Now I know
that there is no God in all the earth
except in Israel; please accept a present
from your servant.” 16 But he said, “As
the LORD lives, whom I serve, I will
accept nothing!” He urged him to
accept, but he refused.
15
DEFEAT IN HISTORY?
THE MISSION HAS VICTORY!
Then Naaman said, “If not, please let two
WHEN ALL
mule loads of earth be given to your
SEEMS TO
servant, for your servant will no longer offer
BE LOST
burnt offering or sacrifice to any god except
GOD
the LORD. 18 But may the LORD pardon your
PROVES
servant on one count: when my master
HE IS STILL
goes into the house of Rimmon to worship
IN
there, leaning on my arm, and I bow down
CONTROL
in the house of Rimmon, when I do bow
down in the house of Rimmon, may
the LORD pardon your servant on this one
count.” 19 He said to him, “Go in peace.”
17
GOD REVEALS HIMSELF
IN HISTORY
SOVEREIGN
ALMIGHTY
MYSTERIOUS
GRACIOUS
GOD OF PAIN
GOD OF
MISSION
NO HELP
NO HOPE
NO NAME
NO HELP? NO HOPE?
NO NAME!!!
WHO IS SHE?
NOT YOUNG
ADULT
NOT A MAN
NOT A
PROPHET
NO NAME