Praise the
Lord. It is Friday. Sunita called from Albania yesterday. She and Andy are
having a blessed time in Albania. She shared with me that they are witnessing
the mighty deeds of the Lord all around them. The Lord is performing His
miracles in and around the lives of those who love Him and serve Him. I get
excited when I hear about the mighty deeds of our Lord around the corner and
around the world. I get excited about the mighty deeds that we read about in His
Word. There is a very familiar miracle that the Lord performed in the river
Jordan as it is written in 2 Kings 5. The Jordan was, to say the least, an
unlikely spot for a bath and an even less likely spot for a miracle. In 2 Kings
5, however, we are told that both occurred.
The miracle unfolded as three lives were woven together by God’s timely providence. The three were a young slave, a Syrian general, and a prophet. Their story is worth understanding. The slave was a young girl, perhaps a teenager. Taken captive by Syrian raiders, she became a servant in the Syrian commander’s house.
Imagine what slavery meant to the girl. The burdens of loneliness, separation, and obedience must have been unbearable. Certainly her heart ached to go home, but she knew that she would very likely never see home again. What is remarkable in this young slave is that she did not succumb to bitterness. She did not let her circumstances control her thoughts or her faith. She rose above and triumphed over the circumstances. Not only did she maintain her faith, but she also became a witness for her faith. She told her master about the prophet Elisha and the possibility of healing. If this young slave had not had the right spirit, the miracle never would have occurred. Her master would still have been a leper, and God would have had one less member of His kingdom.
The message rings out loud and clear. Our joy in the Christian faith must not be linked to our external circumstances. Our faith does not merely have to be equal to life’s challenges. It can and should be greater. If it is, then we will seize every opportunity to shed some of our light into the darkness of other lives. Through our triumph, others might also overcome.
Naaman, the Syrian commander, had one flaw — he was a leper. That disease threatened to end his career if not his life. No doubt it had already robbed him of social contacts. Naaman was miserable despite his power, position, and wealth.
We all have such a flaw. We may not have a physical disease, but we certainly all have an inner leprosy, which permeates our lives until it eventually robs us of all we value. We must not be fooled by outward appearances. Under every armor of wealth, power, and glory lurks a soul needing the touch of the Physician’s hand.
The miracle unfolded as three lives were woven together by God’s timely providence. The three were a young slave, a Syrian general, and a prophet. Their story is worth understanding. The slave was a young girl, perhaps a teenager. Taken captive by Syrian raiders, she became a servant in the Syrian commander’s house.
Imagine what slavery meant to the girl. The burdens of loneliness, separation, and obedience must have been unbearable. Certainly her heart ached to go home, but she knew that she would very likely never see home again. What is remarkable in this young slave is that she did not succumb to bitterness. She did not let her circumstances control her thoughts or her faith. She rose above and triumphed over the circumstances. Not only did she maintain her faith, but she also became a witness for her faith. She told her master about the prophet Elisha and the possibility of healing. If this young slave had not had the right spirit, the miracle never would have occurred. Her master would still have been a leper, and God would have had one less member of His kingdom.
The message rings out loud and clear. Our joy in the Christian faith must not be linked to our external circumstances. Our faith does not merely have to be equal to life’s challenges. It can and should be greater. If it is, then we will seize every opportunity to shed some of our light into the darkness of other lives. Through our triumph, others might also overcome.
Naaman, the Syrian commander, had one flaw — he was a leper. That disease threatened to end his career if not his life. No doubt it had already robbed him of social contacts. Naaman was miserable despite his power, position, and wealth.
We all have such a flaw. We may not have a physical disease, but we certainly all have an inner leprosy, which permeates our lives until it eventually robs us of all we value. We must not be fooled by outward appearances. Under every armor of wealth, power, and glory lurks a soul needing the touch of the Physician’s hand.
In this story
Elisha’s keen insight into people is evident. Like the slave girl, Elisha’s
function was to give the directions which would lead Naaman to God and to
healing. Elisha was aware that each person is unique, with a different set of
personal barriers which keep them from God. Elisha had to understand the
individual first and then map out the directions which would lead to
God.
Notice how Elisha dealt with Naaman. First, Elisha refused to meet Naaman before the cleansing (vv. 9-10). This struck at Naaman’s sense of power and position. Elisha wanted Naaman to learn that what would happen was not the result of wealth, position, or power. Naaman was important to God but not any more so than the slave girl or any other person.
Second, Elisha refused to perform any elaborate ritual connected with the healing. Through a messenger, Elisha told Naaman to wash in the Jordan seven times. Already angry because of the impersonal nature of the visit, Naaman grew angrier as he considered Elisha’s laziness. He wanted Elisha to earn his pay. All religions have some rituals, and Naaman’s religion was no exception. The simplicity of Elisha’s directions mystified him. Naaman needed to know that the ritual was unimportant. The important thing was to follow the directions in giving oneself totally to God.
Third, Elisha told Naaman to wash in the “Big Muddy.” This was incomprehensible to Naaman. He knew of at least two rivers which were cleaner than the Jordan and ostensibly offered better prospects of cleansing his disease. The Jordan was an insignificant river by comparison. To wash in the Jordan seven times was a totally humiliating, humbling experience. That was precisely Elisha’s point. If Naaman complied, he would be stripped of his pompous, self-centered attitude.
After the shock and anger wore off, and after prompting from one of his servants, Naaman complied with Elisha’s directions. He was healed. More importantly, he became a follower of Israel’s God. From Jordan’s murky waters emerged a new man, born again in to the family of the Lord. The young maid became a great example of how God can use His witnesses who find themselves in less than desirable circumstances. She could have been a very bitter captive, but instead she radiated the “glow of the Lord” in the household of her captors.
Jesus the Risen Lord declared" "But you shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit has come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Acts 1:8
Notice how Elisha dealt with Naaman. First, Elisha refused to meet Naaman before the cleansing (vv. 9-10). This struck at Naaman’s sense of power and position. Elisha wanted Naaman to learn that what would happen was not the result of wealth, position, or power. Naaman was important to God but not any more so than the slave girl or any other person.
Second, Elisha refused to perform any elaborate ritual connected with the healing. Through a messenger, Elisha told Naaman to wash in the Jordan seven times. Already angry because of the impersonal nature of the visit, Naaman grew angrier as he considered Elisha’s laziness. He wanted Elisha to earn his pay. All religions have some rituals, and Naaman’s religion was no exception. The simplicity of Elisha’s directions mystified him. Naaman needed to know that the ritual was unimportant. The important thing was to follow the directions in giving oneself totally to God.
Third, Elisha told Naaman to wash in the “Big Muddy.” This was incomprehensible to Naaman. He knew of at least two rivers which were cleaner than the Jordan and ostensibly offered better prospects of cleansing his disease. The Jordan was an insignificant river by comparison. To wash in the Jordan seven times was a totally humiliating, humbling experience. That was precisely Elisha’s point. If Naaman complied, he would be stripped of his pompous, self-centered attitude.
After the shock and anger wore off, and after prompting from one of his servants, Naaman complied with Elisha’s directions. He was healed. More importantly, he became a follower of Israel’s God. From Jordan’s murky waters emerged a new man, born again in to the family of the Lord. The young maid became a great example of how God can use His witnesses who find themselves in less than desirable circumstances. She could have been a very bitter captive, but instead she radiated the “glow of the Lord” in the household of her captors.
Jesus the Risen Lord declared" "But you shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit has come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Acts 1:8
In
Christ,
Brown
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