It's Not That Difficult

2 Kings 5

Have you ever been in a situation where there was something you had to do or something someone told you to do and you thought to yourself, it just could not possibly be that simple. What I need to do has got to be more difficult.

Perhaps you were given a specific place to go to get something and you thought to yourself, “why do I need to go all the way over there for that, when I can just go right over here to the dollar store and get it.

Maybe you were given a set of instructions to do something in a particular order and you thought you knew a short cut or a better way to do it, so you did it your way and when you got to step 5 you found out why the instructions said to do it, the way they said do it and now you either have to take it apart and start over, continue going forward and hope for the best or attempt to gerry rig it.

Well we’re going to see in our text this morning a story about a man dealing with something and because nothing about the situation happened like he thought it should, he almost missed his blessing.

Anybody ever been there? Anyone ever almost lost your blessing because it didn’t go down the way you planned it in your mind?

Turn with me in your Bibles to 2 Kings 5, we’re going to go through a few Scriptures all in chapter 5 so just leave your Bibles open and you can follow the story. Beginning at verse one reading from the NLT, but what I need to tell you is, “It’s Not That Difficult”.

2 Kings 5:1 The king of Aram had great admiration for Naaman, the commander of his army, because through him the LORD had given Aram great victories. But though Naaman was a mighty warrior, he suffered from leprosy.

OK, there are a few things of note from the very start, Naaman was the commander of the king of Aram’s army and the king had great admiration for him. He appreciated Naaman because he had been used by God to win many battles for him, he made the king more powerful, because he was a mighty warrior. But there was just one issue with Naaman, he had leprosy.

Leprosy was how any contagious skin disease was classified back then. They couldn’t really break down all the different skin diseases, so they lumped them all under the umbrella of leprosy.

In the Luke 17 Jesus shared a parable about 10 lepers, I won’t go into the whole story but what’s important to know, is when a person had leprosy they were required to stay separate from all other people and could very easily starve to death if they had no family members to take care of them.

So it’s safe to assume that whatever kind of leprosy Naaman might of had, it wasn’t of a nature that he had to remain separated. We know this because he commands the Aramean army, he has won great victories and you can’t do that without being around people. The king also had some sort of contact with him, because it’s kind of difficult to have great admiration for someone you don’t ever have contact with.

Continuing at verse two,

2 At this time Aramean raiders had invaded the land of Israel, and among their captives was a young girl who had been given to Naaman’s wife as a maid. 3 One day the girl said to her mistress, “I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy.” 4 So Naaman told the king what the young girl from Israel had said.

Evidently not only was Naaman a great commander, he must have been an OK man at home too, and his wife, because this young girl who was a captive from Isreal, and a maid for his wife volunteered some information she had not been asked for nor was she required to give.

There had been no testimonies of Elisha curing leprosy, but because of the other miracles he had done, she was sure he could and would do this one too. It didn’t matter that it was a Syrian in need. Is there anyone in your life that knows your character that well to say what you will or won’t, can or can’t do?

When you live with people you see and hear things others would not be privy to and it was no different for this servant girl. She had probably overheard some conversations between Naaman and his wife. Maybe she knew there was an issue because she washed their clothes, and when you have a skin disease there will sometimes be evidence left on your clothes.

However it was, that she came into the knowledge of his condition, she had information that could help and she shared it. She told Mrs. Naaman, who told her husband, who told the king he needed to go see the prophet in Israel. He was the commander of the king’s army, but he worked for the king, hence he was subject to the king and had to have permission to go.

In verses 5 - 7 the king of Aram writes a letter of introduction to the king of Israel. The commander of an army, especially one as successful as Naaman, would have a reputation and be well known in the land. It may even have been Naaman who led the charge against Israel when his wife’s maid was taken captive.

As he set out on this journey to Israel, he wouldn’t be traveling alone, and to venture into another king’s territory could be viewed as an act of war.

Naaman wasn’t traveling empty handed, he had gifts, a lot of them, by today’s standard it would be about $20,000 in silver, $60,000 in gold and 10 really nice outfits. As if these gifts were going to buy him his healing.

The gifts were undoubtedly being transported on animals and in chariots being pulled by animals covered and guarded by soldiers. So to see this commander, from a nation who had previously attacked them, coming with a contingent of soldiers and chariots would certainly be cause for alarm.

There was no calling ahead to let the king of Israel know he was coming and certainly not why. The correspondence written by the Aramean king was undoubtedly not read by Naaman because there was some very problematic information in the letter.

It’s like the communication game you played in school that got no better as an adult, of passing a message around the room and by the time it reached last person, the message had completely changed.

The maid told the wife, who told her husband, who told the king he needed to see the prophet in Israel. The king wrote a letter of introduction, no problem, except he said, “I want you (speaking to the king of Israel) to heal him of his leprosy.” There’s no mention of the prophet and that was a pretty important piece of information to leave out.

The king of Israel tears his clothes, thinking the Aramean king is trying to pick a fight, especially since the message is being delivered by Naaman, the commander of his army. Us military folk know commanders don’t deliver letters.

Some news travels fast, even back then. Verse eight says,

8 But when Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes in dismay, he sent this message to him: “Why are you so upset? Send Naaman to me, and he will learn that there is a true prophet here in Israel.”

Translation don’t worry about it king send Naaman over here and he’ll find out there is a true prophet in Israel.

Alright now we’re back on track Naaman is headed to the right place and the right person. He’s about to get his healing. He heads over to Elisha’s with his horses and chariots and gifts. He’s waiting at Elisha’s door for him to come out and see him, after all he is an important man. He’s devised in his mind how this encounter was going to happen, but wait…

10 But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy.”

What! Wait a minute. Elisha sent instructions, through a messenger. He sent very specific instructions of what to do, where to do it, how many times and what the result would be. They were simple instructions, nothing should have been confusing, there wasn’t two Jordan Rivers, there was no doubt about the result, it was a guarantee, he would be healed of his leprosy.

But how many of you know, the message you send is not always received in the manner or attitude in which you sent it.

Elisha evidently wasn’t impressed by Naaman’s position or title. He had a prescription for him and he didn’t need to see him in person to deliver it. It’s like when you call your doctor’s office, talk to their nurse, who conveys your symptoms to the doctor and the doctor calls your prescription into the pharmacy, then you receive a message to go pick up your prescription. Are you not going to go get the medicine to treat you because the doctor didn’t come to your house? Of course not.

11 But Naaman became angry and stalked away. “I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!” he said. “I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the LORD his God and heal me!

Naaman got in his feelings, he thought more highly of himself than he should have. Naaman had a guaranteed cure for an incurable disease and he got angry, he stalked or stormed away and now he in essence is saying, doesn’t he know who I am? Then you see the plan he had made in his mind about how this interaction was going to go.

Naaman said in his mind, I’m going to take all these gifts, and the letter my boss wrote for me telling the king of Israel how important I am, so I’ll get right in. In fact he’ll probably send for the prophet to come see me at the palace, after all I am a powerful man. Little did Naaman know, Elisha and the king of Israel didn’t roll like that. In fact, the king didn’t evern remember he had a prophet there with him.

But then, in a twist of events, Elisha does hear about it and Naaman’s told to go over to Elisha’s house, the king was only to happy to oblige, he wanted Naaman away from him as quickly as possible, so this issue was no longer on his plate.

So Naaman says, Wait he wants me to come to his house? OK, I guess I can do that, alright, alright a little change in plans, so I’ll go over to his house and he’ll come out and he’ll make a show of it. He’s going to waive his hand and call on his God to heal me and boom the leprosy will go away. All the people will ewww and ahhh over my miracle and I’ll return home to a parade.

Y’all know how we can conjure up some stuff in our minds, no matter how crazy or farfetched it may be.

Then he gets even more incensed because not only did Elisha not even bother to come out of his house; “Who does he think he is, after I came all the way over here, he wants me to go wash in that dirty Jordan River, not once, not twice, but SEVEN TIMES?! We’ve got better rivers than the Jordan, they’re cleaner, in fact we’ve got three rivers better than the Jordan River, why can’t I wash in one of those.

Well shoot, there’s nothing about this trip that’s going the way Naaman thought it world or should go, and the less things went like he thought they should, the more angry he got; to the point he’s now in a rage.

Anybody ever pray and ask God for something? You may not have been so bold as to have told him how to answer your prayer or maybe you were, but even it you didn’t you thought of a plan in your mind and when God didn’t do it

the way you thought He should,

using the person you thought he would

to do what you knew He could

you got beside yourself and decided just forget it. If I’ve got to talk to her, if I’ve got to eat with him, I don’t want it. Or maybe you said, this other person has more experience I like them better so I’ll ask them to help me; I’ll ask them to do it.

Praise God He doesn’t strike us down on the spot, but what I need to tell you, what God would have you to do, it’s not that difficult.

We see in verse 13 Naaman had some help

13 But his officers tried to reason with him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be cured!”

This is another testament to the type of leader Naaman was. As angry as he was, the officers under him were able to talk to him and try to reason with him.

It’s important that no matter who you are, what position you hold, or what your title is, you have someone that can reason with you, even when you’re angry. That ability may just save your life at best, and save you heartache and or time at the least.

Sometimes we just can’t believe something could be so simple. My husband will say people believe if something is free, they think it has no value so they won’t take or accept it. If you want people to receive something put a price on it. It’s the same concept with something being too easy. If it’s too easy it can’t work. But I need to tell you, it’s not that difficult.

All Naaman had to do was go wash or dip himself in the Jordan River seven times and he would be cured of his incurable disease.

Everyone needs to have someone who is able

to challenge you enough to get you to move

someone who can challenge you when you’re being temperamental or just down right stubborn

Someone to tell you, it’s not that difficult, dude, dudette, just follow the instructions you were given.

Let’s back up for just a moment. If Naaman doesn’t follow the instructions Elisha sent, how would it make the king of Aram look when he had vouched for Naaman, writing a letter of introduction for him to the king of Israel, and giving him the time off to make the trip?

Have you ever put your name out there for someone and they embarrassed you to the point you said never again? Not only did you say never again for that person, you won’t step out to vouch for anyone out of fear they won’t represent you well.

How would it have looked if Naaman had taken all these gifts for Elisha and the text doesn’t say where he got all the silver, gold and clothes he took with him, only to return still having leprosy.

How do you think that conversation with the king would’ve gone? And how about his wife? What do you think she would’ve said had he come home with that story. The story that he wasn’t healed because he wasn’t going down to that dirty Jordan River even though that’s all he had to do.

Come on now weally, come on now weally, weally?

Thankfully, Naaman was the kind of man who not only had people who could speak truth to him, but they were also people he would listen to and heed their counsel.

14 So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child, and he was healed!

It’s not that difficult. God places people in your life to give you instruction, instructions to make your life better, instructions so you can be blessed. Yet, you find all sorts of excuses to not follow those instructions.

Those people come as teachers, doctors, prophets, preachers and yes even pastors. God gives them instructions for you and

you get angry and storm off

you get angry and ignore them

you get angry and stop going to church.

You get angry and you miss your blessing.

You get angry and you miss your healing.

You get angry and you miss your breakthrough.

You get angry and you miss your deliverance.

You get angry and you miss your miracle

Someone may be angry at God because a loved one died and you’re missing your salvation because what you fail to realize is death in the Lord is the ultimate healing.

Jesus took on all of our sin so we would have the opportunity for eternal life, so we can receive salvation and all that comes with it, and it’s not that difficult.

Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.

Will you make that declaration today? Yes it’s easy and yest it’s free but it is the most priceless gift you will ever receive. Your gift is waiting for you to claim it. Will you claim it today? It’s not that difficult.

There’s nothing you need to prepare.

There’s nothing you need to give up first.

There’s nothing you need to put in order first.

There’s nothing you need to purchase first.

Just come, come with all your hang ups, heartaches and hurts and allow God to heal you.

If you’re watching online and want to come, you don’t have to wait, contact us, comment and tag us on whatever platform you’re watching, or you can contact us directly by email, you can meet us here at the church for intercessory prayer and Bible study on Wed. night. Prayer begins at 6 and Bible study at 7.

Come to Jesus, come to Jesus, come to Jesus, just now, just now, come to Jesus, come to Jesus, just now.

It’s not that difficult.