2 Kings 5:1-27


Pride and selfishness are qualities that put us in a very dangerous position.  God blesses the humble and obedient but He opposes the proud.  Naaman almost remained a leper because of his pride while Gehazi became a leper because of his selfishness.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is very clear, easy to understand and is not at all difficult to attain.  The Gospel is in reach of all men and does not come from our own merits or hard work.  However, the Gospel is unattractive to so many because it eliminates all potential of pride.  Humble repentance and simple faith are the only demands the Gospel makes.  It would be far more attractive to men if the Gospel required some form of self-sacrifice or if it could be purchased.  Pride and the Gospel are incompatible which is why we must learn to humble ourselves before the Lord and simply trust what Christ has done as our only hope.

NAAMAN LOST HIS PRIDE AND FOUND HIS HEALING: Naaman was a powerful warrior and a man of great influence in Syria.  However, he was afflicted with a dangerous, debilitating and degrading disease.  As a leper he was an outcast of society and doomed to a painful death.  His wife’s maid was from Israel and knew that Elisha could help him through the power of God and begged him to go and seek out the God of Israel.  The king of Syria sent Naaman to the king of Israel imaging that anyone who could heal in this manner must be king.  He also sent very expensive gifts to pay for this healing.  However the king of Israel could offer no hope and only assumed that the king of Syria was trying to pick a fight with him.  However, when Elisha heard about the kings distress he rebuked the king and reminded him that there was a God in Israel that could do anything. Elisha asked for Naaman to come before him and simply told him to wash in the Jordan River seven times.  This was not how Naaman imagined Elisha would do the healing so he went away mad.  Fortunately, one of his servants simply pointed out that he had nothing to lose by humbling himself and obeying the prophet.  This act of humility and obedience brought healing.  Pride is a dreadful disease that will keep us from the healing power of the Gospel in our spiritual lives.

GEHAZI FOUND HIS PRIDE AND LOST HIS HEALTH: Naaman is overwhelmed with joy over the healing and he immediately wants to give the gifts he has brought to Elisha.  However, Elisha will have nothing to do with these gifts.  He does not want to communicate that the healing power of God could somehow be purchased.  Naaman leaves praising the all-powerful God of Israel and vows to worship Him alone.  Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, hears the entire conversation and cannot believe that Elisha would pass up such a generous gift.  His heart is filled with greed and dishonesty so he makes up a story and runs after Naaman to get a part of the gift for himself.  He thinks that he has managed to hide this act from Elisha and, more importantly, from God.  He is sorely mistaken.  Elisha confronts him and then inflicts him with the same leprosy that Naaman had.  It is a futile thing to think that we can hide any of our actions or thoughts from the Lord.  Sin and selfishness are both clearly seen by the Lord and their consequences are never pleasant.  We might not be struck with leprosy but there will be eternal consequences that are far more hurtful than any disease could be. 

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