Seven Ducks in a Muddy River

Seven Ducks In A Muddy River 2 Kings 5

Saturday, January 28, 2017

10:21 PM

Songs have been written I suppose from the beginning of time, man has expressed himself lyrically and poetically. Songs inspire, motivate, teach, and entertain. They have started wars, political tumult, and brought hardened men and women to tears. Many beautiful songs have been written throughout time. Sometimes however that is the danger. The music and melody draw in the emotions while the words and language give the wrong ideas or even falsehoods.

I think one of the worst was a song that was made popular by Frank Sinatra several years ago called "My Way." Here are some of the lyrics:

And now, the end is near And so I face the final curtain My friend, I'll say it clear I'll state my case, of which I'm certain I've lived a life that's full I've traveled each and every highway But more, much more than this I did it my way For what is a man, what has he got If not himself, then he has naught To say the things he truly feels And not the words of one who kneels The record shows I took the blows And did it my way[1]

One of the first things we have to learn even before we become a Christian, is it is no longer "my way of doing things" it is God's way.

Namaan struggled with this.

The latter days of the reign of Israel's king Jehoram were marked by hostilities with the Aramean king Ben-Hadad II. Probably due to Israel's failure to participate in the continued Syro-Assyrian confrontation that marked most of the sixth decade of the ninth century B.C., the Arameans continually chastened the northern kingdom with systematic raids (cf. 2 Kings 6:8), culminating in an all-out military excursion into Israel (cf. 2 Kings 6:24-7:20).

During the course of one such raid, an Israelite maiden had fallen into the hands of Ben-Hadad's field marshall, Naaman (vv.1-2). [2]

Naaman had to give up his control of the situation and put it into God's hands He had to do it God's way

Naaman could have stopped short and missed what God had for him - Don't stop short

He had to realize that he was not in control of the healing, that it wasn't the water, or the dipping, that it came from God - so it is with those seeking Him (Heb. 11- Faith - He that cometh to God must believe…) - The obedience produced, and showed his faith.

It is interesting that the author of the this passage tells us that Naaman's success as a military man came from God.

Now to Namaan this was just another business transaction, a strategy a plan he intendted to purchase his healing -

he "had brought with him a large gift for Israel's king ($20,000 in silver, $60,000 in gold, and ten suits of clothes—5, Berk.), this did not allay his fears."[4]

Seven things Namaan dealt with every time he ducked in the water

Pride -

Naaman was the epitome of a man who knew what he wanted from God, but he thought it was a business arrangement that could be purchased or a mechanical arrangement that could be manipulated. The thought that his healing involved humble submission to God, on his terms alone, did not occur to him. The way of God was too simple and too silly: "dip seven times in the Jordan."[3]

AngerDoubtSinSubmissionObedienceTrust

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[M] From <https://play.google.com/music/preview/Tlrypzlg7p76gtsaeiiqca4nefi?lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-lyrics&u=0#>[M] Frank E. Gaebelein, The Expositor's Bible Commentary – Volume 4: 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1988), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 189.[M] Gary Inrig, Holman Old Testament Commentary – 1, 2 Kings, ed. Max Anders, (Nashville, TN: Broadman Holman, 2003), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 226.[M] Beacon Bible Commentary, Volume 2: Joshua Through Esther (Kindle Locations 7691-7692). Beacon Hill Press. Kindle Edition.