Small, Imperfect, Beautiful Picture of the Coming Christ
2 Kings 5:1-14
As the picture of Christ, I'm referring to the servant girl that Naaman had stolen from her home and family. In fact, there is a very good chance that members of her family are dead, due to Naaman. She was stolen by Aramite raiders. This is not a peaceful process.
What would any of our reactions be? Imagine, you are taken from your home. Your family is hurt and killed in the raid. Then, the leader of the raiders contracts leprosy.
I imagine that you or I would get popcorn and sit back and watch his flesh rot. Not this little girl though. She showed love and compassion.
“If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” She looked past her own pain, to see to the pain of another. Not just any other, but the cause of her pain.
Is this not like Jesus. First, we are the cause of his pain. If it were not because of the sin of man, he would not have needed to die on the Cross. We needed His sacrifice, and need it still. He is innocent of all sin. He was tortured and killed because we, man, sinned. Knowing full well that it was because of us, He loved us enough to endure the pain and bring salvation to the lost and dying.
This passage speaks more of the subject of salvation as well. Let's look at Naaman.
Naaman was a proud man. He was a mighty warrior. He wasn't just any Aramite soldier. He was the commander of the Army of Aram. He answered directly to the king.
When he went to Elisha. Elisha did not come out to meet him. He sent a servant. This was a slight.
Can you hear the sarcasm? "What? Is this man of God too good to speak to me? I command thousands. This man has a couple servants, at most."
Then, come the instructions. Go soak your head. OK, not literally, but he is told to go to a muddy river, that can barely be called a river, a dunk himself seven times. Now, he's really riled.
Not only that, but he has a serious superiority complex. All things Syria far surpassed anything Israel had to offer. Listen to him, "Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?"
A man might see it that way, but of course this is not about the power of a man. This is about his humility. God, through Elisha, did not seek to humiliate the man. He sought to teach him humility. One of the absolutely most important qualities in a person is humility, especially before God.
It does matter your physical prowess, or your IQ. Your personal accomplishments are nothing when you face the Creator. Naaman was the commander of the Army of Aram. God created Naaman, the army, Aram, the Middle East, Africa, the Earth, and the entire universe in which they all reside. Who do you think has precedence?
Once again, it was a servant pointing the way. “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!”
If Elisha had instructed him to climb a nearly impossible mountain, seeking some nearly unobtainable berry, he would have done so without thought. If Elisha had said bring the pelts of a thousand lions you have slain yourself, this would not have been too much.
Go dunk yourself in a river seven times was just too easy. This is the stumbling block that stops so many. Salvation is too easy. Believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and ask his forgiveness for your sins. Humble yourself before him, (There's that humility thing,) and he will make a place for you in heaven.
That little girl was a picture of the coming savior. Naaman was a picture of the modern unbeliever. It just can't be that easy.
But it is.
Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.
Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”
Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents[b] of silver, six thousand shekels[c] of gold and ten sets of clothing. The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”
As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, 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? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!”
When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”
But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.
Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.
Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”
Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents[b] of silver, six thousand shekels[c] of gold and ten sets of clothing. The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”
As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, 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? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!”
When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”
But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.
Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.
As the picture of Christ, I'm referring to the servant girl that Naaman had stolen from her home and family. In fact, there is a very good chance that members of her family are dead, due to Naaman. She was stolen by Aramite raiders. This is not a peaceful process.
What would any of our reactions be? Imagine, you are taken from your home. Your family is hurt and killed in the raid. Then, the leader of the raiders contracts leprosy.
I imagine that you or I would get popcorn and sit back and watch his flesh rot. Not this little girl though. She showed love and compassion.
“If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” She looked past her own pain, to see to the pain of another. Not just any other, but the cause of her pain.
Is this not like Jesus. First, we are the cause of his pain. If it were not because of the sin of man, he would not have needed to die on the Cross. We needed His sacrifice, and need it still. He is innocent of all sin. He was tortured and killed because we, man, sinned. Knowing full well that it was because of us, He loved us enough to endure the pain and bring salvation to the lost and dying.
This passage speaks more of the subject of salvation as well. Let's look at Naaman.
Naaman was a proud man. He was a mighty warrior. He wasn't just any Aramite soldier. He was the commander of the Army of Aram. He answered directly to the king.
When he went to Elisha. Elisha did not come out to meet him. He sent a servant. This was a slight.
Can you hear the sarcasm? "What? Is this man of God too good to speak to me? I command thousands. This man has a couple servants, at most."
Then, come the instructions. Go soak your head. OK, not literally, but he is told to go to a muddy river, that can barely be called a river, a dunk himself seven times. Now, he's really riled.
Not only that, but he has a serious superiority complex. All things Syria far surpassed anything Israel had to offer. Listen to him, "Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?"
A man might see it that way, but of course this is not about the power of a man. This is about his humility. God, through Elisha, did not seek to humiliate the man. He sought to teach him humility. One of the absolutely most important qualities in a person is humility, especially before God.
It does matter your physical prowess, or your IQ. Your personal accomplishments are nothing when you face the Creator. Naaman was the commander of the Army of Aram. God created Naaman, the army, Aram, the Middle East, Africa, the Earth, and the entire universe in which they all reside. Who do you think has precedence?
Once again, it was a servant pointing the way. “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!”
If Elisha had instructed him to climb a nearly impossible mountain, seeking some nearly unobtainable berry, he would have done so without thought. If Elisha had said bring the pelts of a thousand lions you have slain yourself, this would not have been too much.
Go dunk yourself in a river seven times was just too easy. This is the stumbling block that stops so many. Salvation is too easy. Believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and ask his forgiveness for your sins. Humble yourself before him, (There's that humility thing,) and he will make a place for you in heaven.
That little girl was a picture of the coming savior. Naaman was a picture of the modern unbeliever. It just can't be that easy.
But it is.
posted by Douglas at 11:01 AM
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