Sermon Tone Analysis

BIG IDEA: Naaman’s cleansing and new life experience from God forms the pattern by which we too receive cleansing and new life through Christ.

BIG IDEA:

Is God really in control of our world?

Elisha is set in a time of turmoil for the people of God.

Given the blessing of the promises of God, that he would be their God and they would be his people, they were called to be a blessing to the rest of the nations around them.

To show these nations the blessed life that living with God brings.

But instead of doing this, they were living under the blight and curse that rejecting God brings.

God was using the nations around them to bring discipline and correction to them.

You know things are going bad when the people you’re meant to be teaching, are instead the ones teaching you a lesson.

5 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.

Elisha is set in a time of turmoil for the people of God.

Given the blessing of the promises of God, that he would be their God and they would be his people, they were called to be a blessing to the rest of the world around them.

To show the world the blessed life that living with God brings.

To show the world the love that God had showed them.

But instead of doing this, they were living under the blight and curse that rejecting God brings.

God was using the nations around them to bring discipline and correction to them.

You know things are going bad when the people you’re meant to be teaching, are instead the ones teaching you a lesson.

We read this in verse 1.

God’s power and interests are not just local, but global.

1 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.

The big thing to notice from this opening line is that The LORD was the one who had given the victory to Syria, who are enemies of the people of God at this time.

God can and does use painful experiences in our lives when we’re in need of his discipline.

However, it’s a sure sign of his love, not of his indifference.

We read on, Naaman was a mighty man of valor, BUT he was a leper.

Think for a moment as one of the people of God at that time.

Is Naaman the kind of guy that you like?

Is he someone that you’re cheering for?

Absolutely not!

He’s the leader of the enemy state who has led campaigns that have ended in your family members being stripped of their wealth, taken away from you as captives of war, or killed.

So the fact that he’s a leper, that’s awesome!

Karma right.

Serves him right.

God must be punishing him for all that he’s done to us.

Well, we’ll come back to the problem with this thinking later.

We read on, verse 2 that the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she was working in the service of Naaman’s wife.

How is this unnamed little girl feeling do you think?

How would you be feeling?

Taken captive as a prisoner away from your family and your friends, to a foreign place, to be a slave.

Listen to what she says to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria!

He would cure him of his leprosy.”

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. 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.” 4 So Naaman went in and told his lord, “Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel.” 5 And the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.”

Hold up.

What did she just say!? She’s wanting to help this guy?

This is the one thing we don’t wanna do.

He’s the enemy!

But no, she’s showing concern for him.

She’s concerned for his wellbeing, even if he isn’t concerned for hers.

She’s being a blessing to the nations, and inviting the nations to share in the blessed life that living with God brings.

All in the most unlikely situation.

And it’s not complicated.

She’s not a master at apologetics or a trained evangelist, she just says, “I know someone who can heal you, and this is where you can find him.”

What a testimony this young lady is for all of God’s people who find themselves in situations that seem outside his plan.

God’s plan for this girl was being fulfilled through her being a light to the nations.

She carried within her the treasure of the gospel.

That God is a God for all nations, and has not only the power but the desire to cleanse those not only from leprosy, but from spiritual leprosy, which is sin, even from the non-Jewish nations.

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.” 4 So Naaman went in and told his lord, “Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel.” 5 And the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.”

Because of the witness of her life lived in front of Naaman and his wife, they took her words seriously, and acted in faith upon them.

Don’t ever underestimate what God might do with our seemingly weak and insignificant tesitimonies about God’s goodness in our life, and our pointing people to him.

God used Naaman to bring victory for Syria (v2).

God was the one in control of the rise and fall of nations other than Israel.

4 So Naaman goes in and tells his lord, “Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel.” 5 And the king of Syria says, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.”

So he goes, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing.

That’s 3 tonnes of silver, and 3/4 tonne of gold! 6 And he brings the letter to the king of Israel, which says, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

The faith of the Israelite girl is contrasted with the King of Israel (Jehoram), who doesn’t even think to send Naaman to Elisha, the man of God, but instead panics, and takes it the totally wrong way.

So he goes, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing.

6 And he brings the letter to the king of Israel, which reads, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

As I said before, God’s people, led by their king, were meant to bring blessing to the nations, and despite their lack of obedience to this, God brings the nations right to their doorstep to receive that blessing.

So what does the king do?

Praise be to God, he is using us to be a blessing to the nations.

NO!

The faith of the Israelite slave girl is sharply contrasted with the King of Israel, who doesn’t even think to send Naaman to the prophet Elisha, but instead panics, and in self-absorption takes it totally the wrong way.

7 And when the king of Israel reads the letter, he tears his clothes and says, “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.”

Well wisdom is often not found among those in positions of great power, but rather with the humble who fear God and not man, as is the case here.

The faith of the Israelite girl is contrasted with the King of Israel (Jehoram), who doesn’t even think to send Naaman to Elisha, the man of God, but instead panics, and takes it the totally wrong way.

When Elisha the man of God hears that the king of Israel has torn his clothes, he sends 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.”

Elisha gets it.

This is an opportunity for us to be a blessing to the nations.

This is an opportunity for Naaman and for our enemies to see our loving gracious God in action.

9 So Naaman comes with his horses and chariots and stands at the door of Elisha’s house.

You can sense the anticipation.

The excitement that Naaman must be feeling at this point.

Will this be the day I’m finally healed?

He’s got everything with him.

Tonnes of silver, gold and clothing, whatever this prophet’s god might require.

He rocks up with his onterage...and there’s no one to meet him.

Elisha doesn’t even come to the door to say hello.

Instead he sends his servant out to meet him.

Elisha doesn’t receive Naaman, but sends his servant to meet Naaman.

He must understand that Elisha served a greater king than did the syrian general.

Naaman was expecting God to act like the gods he’d known.

He’d brought plenty of money, so he expected that this would bring on the magic show, waving of hands, calling on God, and healing the leprosy.

This may be one reason why Elisha acts this way.

He definitely doesn’t treat him as you would a friend.

Rather, he’s acting in a way that shows that Naaman that he is not as important as he thinks he is.

God will heal him not because of his goodness, his gifts, or his position, but purely because of his grace.