Meeting Naaman

Stories of Heroes – that’s the title of our summer break sermon series. Today we’re looking at Naaman the leper. We’ll jump right in our text this morning:

Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. 2 And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife. 3 Then she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.” 4 And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel.”
(2 Kings 5,1-4)

Here, we meet Naaman, who is the commander of the Syrian army – an enemy of Israel. He is described as a great and honorable man and a mighty man of valor. That’s very heroic language. That description is significant because the Bible uses the same kind of language for someone like King David (1 Samuel 16:18).

Our text shows us that, on the one hand, Naaman had everything you could wish for. On the other hand he had leprosy (no pun intended). It was a severe skin disease that could be fatal, and its effects were visible. This disease would surely bring an end to Naaman’s position as commander of Syria.

The Unnamed Israelite Girl

Then, in verse 2, we meet another character:

And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife. (2 Kings 5,2)

She is an unnamed Israelite girl. In this complicated relationship between Israel and Syria, the Syrians had gone out on raids and brought people back as slaves. This particular girl became the servant of Naaman’s wife. She goes to her and tells her about a prophet in Israel who could heal Naaman of his disease.

Then she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.” (2 Kings 5,3)

We’re only a few verses into the story, and I love how the Bible just summarizes major, life-changing events in just a single sentence. When you look at these events through the eyes of the people affected, they’re enormous. This girl was torn away from her home and her life and placed into an entirely different situation.

As we go through this text, we’ll discover three fundamental truths that will give you a better understanding of God’s ways and the major, life-changing impact they can have on your life.

Are you ready? Here’s the first one:

God’s plans often unfold in unexpected ways at unexpected times.

First Truth: God’s Plans Unfold Unexpectedly

In verse 1 we read that

by him the Lord had given victory to Syria (2 Kings 5,1)

That is speaking about Naaman. God gave victory after victory to Syria through Naaman. So Naaman was part of God’s plan without him even realizing it. In an entirely different way, this young girl was also an instrument of God. God used the tragedy of her captivity to accomplish a greater purpose. He did not abandon her. He was with her. It’s similar to Joseph, whose brothers sold him into captivity. But Joseph did not become bitter:

you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good … to save many people  (Genesis 50:20)

And now look at this amazing girl. Instead of blaming God, she remained faithful to Him. Instead of walking in bitterness, this girl chose to walk in kindness. She knew about the prophet in Israel and she had compassion on Naaman. She wanted him to be healed. It may seem simple and insignificant, but what we see here is that God chose to use a little girl to accomplish His plan.

So if you are a child today, you need to realize that you don’t have to be a grown-up for God to use you. Or maybe you’re sitting here asking, “How can God use me? Nobody knows me.”

Nobody knew the girl in 2 Kings either. She’s not even named. But without her, the rest of the story we’re about to read would never have happened. She is the unsung hero of the story.

You, too, can allow God to use you in unexpected ways at unexpected times. Through every act of kindness or love, and through every prayer, God can use you.

Naaman Responds

Naaman hears what the girl has said, and he takes it seriously. He goes to his king and tells him what the girl said. Keep in mind what he’s asking. He goes to his king and says, in effect, “I want to go to this hostile country because there’s a prophet there who could heal me.”

I don’t know how that conversation unfolded. I would love to hear the whole conversation. But in the end, the king says:

Then the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.”  (2 Kings 5,5a)

The King who forgot the prophet

Let’s continue reading our story:

So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. 6 Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said, Now be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy. 7 And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me.” 8 So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. (2 Kings 5,5b-8)

Now we see the king of Israel reading this letter, and he is not happy about what it says. The king of Israel assumes this is a provocation. He doesn’t think God has any intention of healing this man.

It’s also interesting that the king seems to think Naaman expects him to do the healing, not the prophet. The prophet doesn’t even come to his mind. There’s a reason for that.

The king had no use for the prophet because the prophet was there to make sure the king followed God’s ways. The prophet constantly opposed him because he was not following God’s ways. The king’s attitude was, “I don’t want anything to do with this guy.”

This is where we meet the prophet Elisha. He hears about the situation, and asks for Naaman to be sent to him:

So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. (2 Kings 5,8)

It almost feels as though he’s rubbing it in the king’s face, saying, “Let him come to me and watch what God is going to do.” It also seems that this young Israelite girl knew more about God’s ways than the king himself.

Naaman’s Expectations

Let’s see what happens next. This is where the fun begins.

Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ 12 Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. (2 Kings 5,9-12)

Imagine you are Naaman. This matter is incredibly important to you. You make the journey with your servants into a hostile country. You first go to the king, and he rejects you.

So you think, “All right, then I’ll go to the prophet.” You arrive at the prophet’s house with great expectations. And this man has the audacity not even to come out himself? What other business could possibly be so important that he can’t come out in person? That’s just outright disrespectful.

Well, I guess I came all this way. I might as well listen to what he has to say. Let’s give it a shot. So the servant comes to Naaman and says something like, “Hi, Naaman. The prophet is kind of busy right now, but he told me to tell you what you need to do.”

“Take a bath.” Naaman is furious and walks away. I think we can all relate to that. Naaman was accustomed to being honored. A great man deserves a great healing, don’t you think? But a bath in a muddy river? That’s foolish.

He had anticipated a particular way in which God would work, but he was offended when God didn’t do it that way. Look at him. His pride is hurt. We know that feeling.

Imagine doing exactly what the servant told you to do, and it doesn’t work. You would have made a complete fool of yourself. Then we even see him questioning what the servant said.

He’s leaning on his own understanding. He’s saying, “This river is dirty. Back home I have clean rivers. Why can’t I just wash there?”

A Simple Act of Obedience

Let’s read the next two verses:

And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. (2 Kings 5,13-14)

What’s remarkable is that, once again, it’s the servants who speak to him. They gently humble Naaman. They show him that his own pride is standing in the way. Essentially, they’re saying, “You were ready to do something great, something spectacular. Why not do this simple thing, even if it seems foolish?”

So Naaman goes down to the river. He immerses himself seven times. And he is healed.

Let us take a closer look at this miracle. A miracle is never an end in itself but always points to a greater meaning.

The Meaning of the Miracle

In Naaman’s case, it was not simply that he was healed, and that was the end of it. His physical healing led to spiritual healing. How do we know this? In the next verses, we see Naaman’s confession:

And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, “Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant.” 16 But he said, “As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused. (2 Kings 5,15-16)

Through this miracle, Naaman realizes that there is only one true God, and he expresses his gratitude with a gift. But Elisha refuses it. God’s miracles cannot be bought. They are given by grace alone, not because Naaman was the commander of Syria’s army.

Jesus Mentions Naaman

What’s fascinating is that Naaman’s entire story is contained in just one chapter. Then Naaman is never mentioned again – until about 880 years later, Jesus talks about him:

And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” (Luke 4:27)

Jesus’ reference to Naaman also helps us understand the deeper meaning of the miracle.

In Luke 4, Jesus is in Nazareth, where He was raised. He enters the synagogue, reads from Scripture, and begins to teach. He says some things that make the people very excited. Then He says some things that make them very angry.

So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath (Luke 4:27)

He teaches that the prophecies are fulfilled in Him—that He is the Messiah. He also exposes their hearts because they were demanding that He perform miracles for them. Jesus compares them to stubborn Israel in earlier days and shows how God extended His grace beyond the people of Israel to the Gentiles.

He gives two examples, and the second example is Naaman the Syrian. The people understand His point so clearly that they become furious and try to throw Him off a cliff.

Not Simply More Faith

Now, someone might look at Naaman’s story and respond to Jesus, “Oh, so we just need more faith, right? If anyone had gone to Elisha, they would have been healed, too?”

But that is not Jesus’ point. The people in Nazareth did not become furious because Jesus told them to have more faith. They became furious because He compared them to unbelieving Israel and reminded them that God’s grace had extended even to Gentiles like Naaman.

That is the deeper meaning of Naaman’s miracle: God’s grace is not limited to Israel. He can even turn the heart of Israel’s enemy and bring him to faith in the true God.

Second Truth: God Gives Grace to the Humble

That brings me to the second truth, which is actually a Bible verse:

God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6)

In their pride, the people in the synagogue thought that through their works they had gained God’s favor. But God’s grace is not received by the impressive, but by the humble. He resists the proud.

Now, someone might look at Naaman and say, “But wasn’t he healed because he obeyed? Wasn’t he saved by his works?”

No. Naaman was not a man of great faith or impressive obedience. He began as an unbelieving pagan who knew that he could not heal himself. Yet he had enough faith to listen to the Israelite girl and seek the prophet of God.

And even when Elisha told him what to do, Naaman initially refused. His faith was weak. But eventually, he listened to his servants, humbled himself, and acted on God’s word.

That is faith: trusting God’s promise, not in yourself. And true faith leads to obedience.

And the same is true of us spiritually. We cannot save ourselves. We need Jesus Christ.

Naaman Risks Looking Foolish

Naaman risked looking like a fool. Just imagine his walk down into the river and dipping himself again and again.

One, two, three—what am I doing?

Four, five, six—is somebody watching? Is somebody laughing?

Then comes the seventh time. He goes under—and God heals him.

But it was not the water that healed Naaman. It was God fulfilling His promise. Perhaps that is why Naaman had to dip seven times: to make sure he understood, “It’s not the water.”

I imagine plenty of people went down afterward to try it for themselves, but it didn’t work.

Third Truth: The Foolishness of God’s Way

That brings me to the third and final truth:

The simplicity of God’s way appears foolish to those who trust in themselves.

It looked foolish when Noah built an ark with no flood in sight. It looked foolish when David faced a giant he could never defeat in his own strength. And it looked foolish when Naaman dipped himself in a muddy river that had no power to heal him.

They all had one thing in common: they had a humble faith in God. They obeyed Him even when their obedience looked foolish.

Let’s read 1 Corinthians 1:25–27:

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.

Of course, Paul is not saying that God is foolish. He is saying that what appears foolish by human standards is wiser than human wisdom.

Last week, with David and Goliath, we saw God use weakness to put the mighty to shame. Today, with Naaman, we see God use what appears foolish to put human wisdom to shame.

Think about this:

When you know the Almighty, what the world calls foolish becomes wisdom.

The Foolishness of the Cross

And yet God demanded one more foolishness—the greatest foolishness mankind would ever experience:

That fallen and sinful people like you and me would be redeemed through the death of a Jewish carpenter on the cross. The death of Jesus Christ looks like failure to the world, but God accomplished salvation through something many consider foolishness.

God’s ways are unexpected, and the beauty of this is that God and the Word of God are are fully aware of how this message appears to the world. And so should we.

The Bible does not even pretend that you can explain all of this through rational and logical conclusions. Let’s look at the final verse for today:

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18)

When your fellow students or coworkers call your faith foolish, when your friends or family call it foolish, or even when your own mind begins to question it—remember this verse. Bind it to your heart.

When the world is against you, embrace the foolishness. Make it your prayer: “God, make me a fool for the world.” But for us, it is the power that saves us.

Like Naaman, you can take that step of faith. Trust God’s word, come to Jesus Christ, and receive the salvation that only He can give.

What We Learn from Naaman

So what do we learn from the story of Naaman the leper?

• God’s plans unfold in unexpected ways at unexpected times.
• God’s power is not found in human greatness, but in humble, faithful obedience.
• And even when the world calls it foolish, we follow Jesus Christ, our Savior.