Pride
Let It Go • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Communion:
Why do we hold on to things that hinder us? Sometimes it is pride
I would rather stay in my misery than do it God’s way.
You have to get out of your own way if you are to Let IT Go.
1 Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. 2 Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 4 Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. 5 “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. 6 The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.” 7 As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!” 8 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” 11 But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage. 13 Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” 14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. 15 Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.” 16 The prophet answered, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.
1 Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.
The king of Syria was Ben Hadad II, and as commander of the army, Naaman was the number two man in the nation.
But with all his prestige, authority, and wealth, Naaman was a doomed man because under his uniform was the body of a leper.
It appears from verse 11 that the infection was limited to one place, but leprosy has a tendency to spread and if left unchecked, it ultimately kills. Only the power of the God of Israel could heal him.
Although Naaman didn’t realize it, the Lord had already worked on his behalf by giving him victory over the Assyrians. Jehovah is the covenant God of Israel, but He is also Lord of all the nations and can use any person, saved or unsaved, to accomplish His will.
2 Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 4 Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said.
The Lord also did a gracious thing when He permitted Naaman to bring the captive Jewish girl into his house to be his wife’s maid. The girl was a slave, but because she trusted the God of Israel, she was free.
Even more, she was a humble witness to her mistress. Her words were so convincing that the woman told her husband and he in turn informed the king.
Never underestimate the power of a simple witness, for God can take words from the lips of a child and carry them to the ears of a king.
Although there is no direct scriptural statement that leprosy is a picture of sin. Like leprosy, sin is deeper than the skin, it spreads, it defiles, it isolates.
5 “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing.
Vs. 5 Breakdown:
10 Talents of Silver:
A talent of silver was a significant weight, and based on estimations, 10 talents could be worth up to $265,720 to in today's money.
6,000 Shekels of Gold:
A shekel of gold would represent a considerable amount of gold, and 6,000 shekels would equate to a substantial sum, potentially in the millions, based on current gold prices (around $3 million based on some estimates).
10 Changes of Clothing:
While difficult to pinpoint an exact value, the clothes were likely high-quality and luxurious, given Naaman's status. A conservative estimate for these could be in the thousands of dollars, potentially even tens of thousands if they were truly opulent garments.
In essence, Naaman's gifts represented a substantial fortune in ancient times, and their equivalent value today would be a considerable sum, likely reaching into the millions of dollars.
6 The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”
Sending him to you so you can cure him.
7 As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!”
The king of Isreal understood that he was not God.
8 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.”
This action was a sign of distress and grief
9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”
11 But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.
Vs. 11: His pride got in the way / Don’t you know who I am?
Vs. 12: The Abanah River began in the Lebanon mountains and flowed to Damascus, producing orchards and gardens with its clear water. The Pharpar River flowed east from Mount Hermon to the south of Damascus. If Naaman needed to wash in a river, those two rivers were superior to the muddy Jordan.
Abanah River: https://images.app.goo.gl/T4xDrizpH8zdDqLN7
If Naaman began his journey at Damascus, then he had traveled over one hundred miles to get to Samaria, so another thirty miles or so shouldn’t have upset him.
But it did, for the great general became angry. The basic cause of his anger was pride. He had already decided in his own mind just how the prophet would heal him, but God didn’t work that way. Before sinners can receive God’s grace, they must submit to God’s will:
5 In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble
“Everybody has the privilege of going to heaven God’s way or going to hell their own way.” - Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse
13 Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!”
Get out of your own way and do it God’s way.
14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.
Seven Times
“He lost his temper; then he lost his pride; then he lost his leprosy; that is generally the order in which proud rebellious sinners are converted.” - D. L. Moody
15 Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.” 16 The prophet answered, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.
