Naaman the Leper 2 Kings 5:1-14 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
The account of the cleansing of Naaman the leper is a great picture of a sinner getting saved. Naaman was the captain of the Syrian host, the highest ranking military commander, he was a great man, he was honorable, he was used of the Lord, and he was a mighty man in valor but he was a leper. He was unclean! Notice:
The Problem he had – he was a leper – this kind of leprosy is a picture of sin – it starts small, you can’t feel it’s corruption [Gal 6:7, 8], it becomes apparent, it eventually spreads, it consumes the body, and it is contagious. The Lord has a cure but Naaman has to first know about it. A sinner needs to know he has a problem and that the Lord can fix it.
The People God used – the Lord used a little captive maid [a teenage slave girl], the mistress, someone who relayed the message to Naaman, the king of Syria, the king of Israel [who, if nothing else, admitted that he couldn’t help Naaman], Elisha, Elisha’s servant, and the servants of Naaman. That’s a lot of people involved in various stages of telling Naaman how he could be clean and restored. In bringing a soul to Christ, there are often many people used by the Lord to get the job done.
The Pride he revealed – Naaman wanted Elisha to make something big happen or he was willing to do some great thing, and he was willing to pay handsomely for the healing. But contrary to what Naaman thought, Elisha didn’t even honor Naaman by calling on him personally; he sent his servant with the message. And Naaman went into a rage. But like proud sinners, Naaman eventually humbled himself and went “down” into theJordan River and did what he was told. He obeyed the word of the Lord by Elisha. Likewise, sinners must humble themselves and obey the word of the Lord.
The Promise he received – Sure enough, Naaman was healed, just like Elisha and the little maid had said. Notice that the maid said that Elisha would “recover” him of his leprosy and Elisha said, “thou shalt be clean.” Naaman got both. His flesh was restored like a child and he was clean. When a sinner gets saved, the Lord recovers him and cleanses him!!
Conclusion: There are two responses to this message. For sinners, you need to go to Jesus and be cleansed by his shed blood uponCalvary. For saints, you need to get the message to sinners that there is a “prophet” [Jesus] who can recover and clean them. Even a little maid can be used of God to help bring someone as important as a top ranking military official to Christ. Don’t be intimidated; they all need Jesus.