Naaman Was Healed from Leprosy

2 Kings 5

"And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed--only Naaman the Syrian."  Luke 4:27

Naaman was the commander of the army for the king of Aram.  He was highly regarded because he was a valiant soldier, and God had given Aram victory through him.  But Naaman had a terrible problem he could not solve.  He was a leper.

Naaman's wife had a young Israelite servant girl who had been captured in a raid.  One day this girl told her mistress that, if only Naaman could see the prophet in Samaria, this man would cure his leprosy.  This information was passed along to Naaman, who told the king of Aram what the servant girl had said.  The king told Naaman,  "By all means, go!"  The king of Aram sent a letter to the king of Israel saying,  "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman so that you may cure him of his leprosy."

You can imagine the reaction of the king of Israel when Naaman arrived and presented that letter to him.  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?"  From 2 Kings 5:7  When the prophet Elisha heard what happened, he sent a message to the king to tell Naaman to come to him so he would know there was a prophet in Israel.

Naaman and his caravan stopped at the door of Elisha's house.  Elisha sent a messenger out to tell Naaman to go wash himself in the Jordan River seven times and he would be healed.  Naaman became very angry because Elisha didn't come out himself.  After all, Naaman was an important man in Syria, and he expected the VIP treatment.  His pride was injured.  He asked why he couldn't just as well wash in a river in Syria instead and stormed off in a rage.

Fortunately, Naaman's servants calmed him down and gave him some good advice.  And, fortunately for Naaman, he was open to wise counsel.  We do well to listen to the advice of those people God puts in our lives to help us.  If pride causes us to turn a deaf ear and we ignore the suggestions of others, we may do so at our own detriment.  We need to weigh the advice we receive, because some of it may not be wise or godly, but it is to our benefit to be open minded and listen to godly counselors before we make decisions.

Naaman swallowed his pride and dipped himself in the Jordan River seven times as Elisha had instructed,and his leprosy was gone!

There are some analogies in the story of Naaman and our salvation.  Naaman was a helpless leper, and we are born helpless sinners.  Naaman could not remove his leprosy, and we cannot remove our sin.

Naaman wanted to be healed his way.  He expected Elisha to come out, call on God, wave his hand, and cure him that way.  Then Naaman didn't see why he couldn't just as well wash in a Syrian river.  Men try their methods for reaching God, but there is only one way to do that, and it is through faith in Jesus Christ.  If we want to become God's children, we must come to God in God's way.

Naaman brought seven hundred fifty pounds of silver, one hundred fifty pounds of gold, and ten sets of clothes to give to the prophet for healing him.  But Elisha refused to accept any of these gifts.  Naaman's healing was God's free gift to Naaman.  Likewise, our salvation cannot be bought or earned.  It is God's free gift to those who put their faith in His Son, Jesus.

One of the main reasons God healed Naaman was to show that He was God, not only of the Israelites, but of all people.  Jesus came for the the whole world.  Anyone who so chooses has the opportunity to become a child of God.

Father, thank You for sending Jesus for every person who will put their faith in Him.  May we spread that wonderful news all over the world.  Amen.

Are You Planning for Success?

2 Kings 4:1-37

“When all the jars were full, she said to her son, ‘Bring me another one.’ But he replied, ‘There is not a jar left.’ Then the oil stopped flowing.” 2 Kings 4:6

A widow cried out in distress to Elisha. Since her husband, who had revered the Lord, had died, his creditor was coming to take her two boys as his slaves. Elisha asked how he could help. Then he asked the widow what she had in her house. She replied that all she had was a little oil.

Elisha told the widow to gather up many empty jars from her neighbors. He said for her not to just get a few, to get a lot. Then she was to go in her house, shut her door, and begin pouring oil into the empty jars.

The widow and her sons went home and shut the door behind them. She began pouring, and her sons kept bringing her more empty jars. Finally, when she told her son to bring her another jar, he told her there was not another empty jar left. They were all full. then the oil stopped flowing.

The widow reported what had taken place to Elisha. He told her to sell the oil and pay her debts. Then she and her sons could live on the rest.

When the oil stopped flowing, do you wonder if the widow and her sons wished they had borrowed more jars? They had as much oil as they had containers. Do you suppose that God is willing to pour into our lives all of His word and His love and His power that we can contain? Do you think if we were more open to His Spirit that He would fill our lives fuller of Himself? Is it true that we limit how much of God we can experience by not making more room for Him in our lives?

Father, I want to be available for You to fill me ever fuller with Yourself. May I empty more of the things in my life to make more room for You. Amen.

Mountaintops and Valleys

1 Kings 19:1-21, 2 Kings 2:1-18

“Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with a sword. So Jezebel sent a message to Elijah to say, ‘May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.’”  1 Kings 19:1

After the face off on Mt. Carmel, Elijah had the prophets of Baal put to death. Then God caused the rain to fall on Israel again.

Elijah had just experienced a tremendous victory on Mt. Carmel. He had courageously faced 850 prophets of the false gods and won. But we are often most vulnerable to Satan’s  attacks after we have had a great victory.

When Elijah received the threatening message from Jezebel, he ran for his life. He told God he had had enough, to take his life. Then he traveled to Horeb, a journey of 40 days, and spent the night in a cave. God came to Elijah and asked him, “What are you doing here?” Elijah was having a pity party. He told God, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” 1 Kings 19:14 God’s prophet was frightened, discouraged, and ready to resign. God assured Elijah that he was not alone. God was with him, and there were still 7,000 in Israel who had not worshiped Baal. When we are discouraged we can be sure that God is with us as well.

God sent Elijah back to Israel with an assignment. He was to anoint two kings and then anoint Elisha to be his successor. When God’s people die, God’s work goes on. God raises others up to step into their shoes. Nobody is indispensable. We have only our lifetime to serve God, and surely we want to do all we can for Him in the time He allots us.

Elijah found Elisha and threw his cloak over him as a signal that Elisha was to be the next prophet for Israel. From that time on, Elisha became Elijah’s attendant, an apprentice prophet.

When the time came for Elijah to leave this earth, God had a special plan for him. He and Elisha knew that God planned to take Elijah that day, and Elisha stayed close by Elijah’s side. When the two men came to the Jordan River, Elijah took off his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the river with it. The river parted, and the two men walked across on dry ground. Suddenly chariots of fire with horses of fire came down from heaven and separated the two men. Then Elijah was taken to heaven in a whirlwind. He went so fast he dropped his cloak. Elisha picked it up and walked back to the Jordan River. He struck it with Elijah’s cloak, and it parted for him just like it had for Elijah. God had passed Elijah’s ministry to Elisha.

Had God chosen someone for you to prepare to walk in your footsteps? Or has He chosen you to walk in someone’s footsteps and become prepared to step into their shoes?

Father, may I serve You well as long as I live. May I make footsteps for others to follow that will lead them to You. Amen.

Freedom

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Jesus Christ the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death."  Romans 8:1-2

Sometimes those of us who have been blessed to enjoy freedom take it for granted. We forget that freedom isn't free. It comes with a very high price extracted from those who are at the battle fronts in the world, fighting to preserve freedom for the majority of us. How grateful we should be for their sacrifices!!! And we should do whatever we can wherever we are to preserve the liberty that we enjoy.

When Jesus died on the cross, He freed us from the penalty and the power of sin. We should pay the price for all our sinful thoughts and deeds, but Jesus sacrificed His life to give us freedom from what we owe. He paid our penalty. Also, Jesus freed us from the power of sin over us. Whenever a temptation arises, we have a choice. We can choose to ignore it. God has given us the Holy Spirit within us so that we have the power to resist temptation and choose to obey God instead. The One who is in us, the Holy Spirit, is greater than the one who is in the world, Satan, the tempter. We should be eternally grateful to Christ for purchasing liberty for us with His own precious blood. And we should do everything we can wherever we are to tell others that this freedom is available to them as well.

Father, thank You for those who have made sacrifices to purchase freedom for us.  May we be grateful most of all for the sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ, who died so that we can have spiritual freedom.  Amen.