Naaman, a valiant and highly regarded soldier, had difficulty humbling himself before God and obeying the instructions of the prophet Elisha. When Naaman finally obeyed, he was healed.
All too often we face the same reservation of humbling ourselves in whatever simple act God has asked us to do.
Next Steps
- I will do my work to my fullest potential.
- I will work in a manner that will bring glory to God.
- I will do good wherever I am, no matter what has been done to me.
- I will take action and get help when I need it.
- I will do the simple thing God asks of me.
Full Sermon Script
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 of silver, six thousand shekels 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.
Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”
Alright, we’re going to walk through this story and make applications to our lives today.
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The first and central character in the story is a man named Naaman. He’s the commander in chief of the country known today as Syria.
The writer of scripture says Naaman was a great man.
He was highly respected by those above him and below him.
He was respected for his efforts in battle.
He was courageous.
He had engineered many victories.
In that day, war heroes were like the celebrities of the culture.
They carried enormous influence.
They had a kind of power available to them.
They were viewed as prominent people in the culture.
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We read in the very first verse of this passage that Naaman was a valiant, celebrated soldier…
Except he had one big problem — he had leprosy.
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In our day maybe it would read in the news that a four-star general had pancreatic cancer.
We would read that and think — “That’s someone who’s time is limited.”
It would be the same with leprosy in that day. It was incurable. Anyone who had leprosy was going to die.
It might be weeks, months, or years, but it was a terminal disease.
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The next character we meet in the story is a young Jewish girl who was a servant to Naaman’s wife.
Now how does a young Israeli girl end up in Syria, serving in the home of a celebrated soldier?
It’s because Syrian soldiers would sneak into the border towns of Israel and kidnap these young girls. They would rip them right out of their family’s arms — tear them from their homes.
Then they would sell them to affluent Syrians back home. And these girls would work as servants for the rest of their lives. It was a horrible thing.
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Now, when you think of this from the perspective of this young, kidnapped girl, can you imagine how terrified she must have been when she was captured and dragged off…
And what it would be like to be a piece of property to a band of criminals… and then sold like a farm animal at an auction?
Can you imagine what that would do to the psyche and soul and faith of a little girl?
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As hard as it might be to believe, the writer of Scripture tells us that when this young Israeli servant girl learned that her master’s husband, Naaman — this valiant soldier — had contracted leprosy, she didn’t delight in his misfortune.
But rather she pulls aside Naaman’s wife and says it’s a shame that Naaman wasn’t back in Israel, because there a prophet of God would probably heal Naaman — because the God of Israel is a powerful God who could do such a thing.
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Now that’s an incredible response from this young kidnapped girl — to show any concern at all for the family of those who are keeping her in captivity. Wouldn’t you agree?
Wouldn’t she have the right to just revel in the knowledge that her boss’s husband was headed for an early grave?
But she demonstrates compassion for him. She let him know that there’s someone who could heal him.
We’ll come back to that in just a moment.
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The next character in the story is the king of Syria.
This is Naaman’s boss who, when he heard that there might be a prophet in Israel with healing power, strongly encourages Naaman to travel there and just give it a shot.
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So, loaded up with gifts and money and clothing from the coffers of the king, Naaman and his entourage head to Israel, looking for the famous Old Testament prophet, Elisha.
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Now Elisha, for whatever reason, decided that God wanted him to heal Naaman, but he wanted him to do it at arms-length.
So Elisha doesn’t even come out of his house to acknowledge this celebrated war hero from Syria.
He simply sends a messenger outside who says, “If Naaman wants his leprosy cured, the God of Israel can do it. Not a problem. Just go down to the Jordan River, wash yourself in it seven times, and God will, in fact, heal you.”
That’s it.
No long sermon.
No dramatic prayer meeting.
No secret anointing oil.
No putting his hands on Naaman’s forehead and slaying him in the Spirit while the choir sings in the background.
No little caption on the bottom of the screen telling you where to send your money.
Elisha just sends a messenger out and he says if Naaman is serious about this healing, so is God. — “Go wash seven times and you’ll be healed.”
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Naaman is ticked off by the lack of respect.
The writer tells us Naaman 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.
Naaman says, “I don’t even like the marching orders he gave me to go wash in the Jordan River. There are much better rivers in Syria than the muddy waters of the Jordan.”
I’ve been to the Jordan river. It’s not a spectacularly beautiful river. It would be like the river that runs through Niles Canyon. Maybe a little worse than that.
So Naaman is disgusted and feels disrespected.
The writer says he turned his chariot around, took his entourage, and headed back toward Syria. He’s in a rage.
The same passion that made him a powerful leader and a courageous soldier — it takes passion to lead; it takes a lot of fire to be a great soldier in battle — it’s that passion that’s fueling his anger that he’d be so disrespected by a religious faith-healer from Israel.
So he leaves. He’s done with it.
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His servants catch up to him to calm him down.
They say to him, “Naaman, we know you well. If Elisha had told you to do something great to earn this healing —
If he would have said you have to defeat a fortified city
If he would have told you to capture 2,000 enemy soldiers
If he would have asked you to prove your courage in order to receive your healing
You would have done it.
“We know you, Naaman. We’ve followed you. You would have risen to whatever challenge Elisha put before you; that’s how you’re wired. That’s how you’ve gotten as far as you have in this world.
“It just so happens that this prophet and his God only requested that you do a simple thing, a humble thing — they requested that you go bathe in a nearby river seven times. Why don’t you give it a try and see what happens? It’s worth a shot Naaman.”
So after thinking about this for a little while, this high-powered, battle-hardened, valiant, driven leader does something he probably never had done before in his life — he humbled himself.
He humbled himself before his attendants and he says, “You know what? You’re probably right.”
He humbled himself before the prophet Elisha.
And he humbled himself before the God of Israel… because that’s the God under whose power the healing is supposed to occur.
This powerful soldier heads down to the muddy waters of the Jordan River and he washes seven times.
And when he towels off the last time, his leprosy is gone.
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And the writer of Scripture says he was washed so clean — his leprosy was cured to such an extent — that he had the skin of a little child.
I don’t know if you’ve held a little child recently. Those of you who have infants… imagine this old guy and he’s got — not only a cure for leprosy, but he now has — skin like a little child.
And Naaman declares before Elisha, his attendants, and everyone in public:
Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel.
Naaman not only had a physical healing in that moment, he had a spiritual healing — “I know who the true God is now, and I’m going to submit my life to him.”
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So he thanks Elisha sincerely, offers him gifts, which Elisha refuses, and then Naaman heads back to Syria.
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Now, I want to make four quick applications from this story to all of our lives.
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The first one is right out of the life of the central character, Naaman, and it’s about his career as a military leader.
The writer of Scripture describes Naaman as a highly regarded commander of the army and a valiant soldier.
So here’s the first application for us:
Do your absolute best at whatever you put your hand to do.
Do your absolute best.
Naaman was considered a great man.
He was highly respected by everyone above and below him.
He was a valiant soldier.
He won many battles.
He had a pretty good résumé.
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Question: How would people describe you in your chosen field or vocation if they had a few sentences to do so?
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Would they say:
She’s a great woman / He’s a great guy?
They’re a person who is highly respected in our office / at our school / in our neighborhood?
They’re an incredibly loving person?
They’re incredibly effective at what they do?
Believe it or not, it is a foundational value of the Christian faith that whatever God calls you to do — butcher, baker, candlestick maker — you distinguish yourself with your colleagues and with your customers by exhibiting character and competence in such measure that it brings glory to the God you serve.
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Look at a few verses with me.
Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.
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Sometimes I’ll hear people say things like, “Yeah, I have a cush job. It’s not ideal, but it pays the bills.”
And I think to myself, “Are you going to work with all your might? Are you going to do your job to your fullest potential, with a measure of excellence that impresses your boss and colleagues?”
The writer of Scripture says, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.”
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Look at the next verse of Scripture — 1 Corinthians 10:31:
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
This is interesting to me — “whatever you do.”
Don’t do it to some standard that you’ve established in your own heart.
Don’t do it to some standard the organization sets for you.
The apostle Paul says whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
In any situation, whatever you’re doing, say to yourself:
“Would God be happy with this? In the way I’m doing this little task, in the way I’m handling this situation, would this glorify the great God in heaven who I have a relationship with?”
It’s a whole different standard than we usually hold ourselves to.
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Look at Colossians 3:23-24
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
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Now I really don’t know what motivated Naaman to distinguish himself like he did, but the writers of Scripture call all of us who bear Christ’s name — to work in a manner that will bring glory to God.
To work in whatever environment we’re in as though Jesus himself were our direct supervisor and we had the opportunity to honor him with our attitudes and our focus and our creativity and our intensity and our effectiveness.
I don’t know about you, but that’s inspiring to me.
How you work makes a difference in other people’s lives.
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I want to say this to all of you who bear the name of Christ and who go to a workplace every day — You need credibility in your Christian witness.
Some of you really care about your colleagues.
Some of you really do care about your boss and the people that work around you.
You want to make a difference and you’d love to see them come to faith someday.
You need credibility in your Christian witness. And the fastest way to earn that credibility is NOT to walk around with Jesus paraphernalia on — it’s not to leave an open Bible on your desk.
It’s to work hard.
It’s to serve diligently.
It’s to show up and to add as much value as you can possibly add.
And, thereby, gain the kind of credibility so when you speak about your faith, there’s respect involved and people will listen.
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I don’t know what fired up Naaman to be at the peak of his chosen profession, but I know what ought to fire us up to be at the peak of ours.
Whatever you put your hand to do, the writer of Scripture says, do it with all your might.
Do it for the glory of God. Do it as if Jesus were your direct supervisor, so that you could give him glory.
And then you’ll have all kinds of impact and influence on people around you.
How are we doing on this one?
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Alright, the second application from this story is this:
Do good wherever you are, no matter what has been done to you.
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If any of the characters in this story had a reason for having a bad attitude, it would be the servant girl.
ripped from her parents’ arms
hauled away from her brothers and sisters
loaded up like an animal
more than likely abused en route
and then sold at an auction
I mean, this is a terrible, terrible thing that happened in the life of this young woman.
As an aside, I know of people, and so do you, with so much less to complain about than this girl.
I know people who demonstrate a persecution mindset or they play the victim card — the ‘poor me’ card — all day, every day.
They make everyone around them miserable, because they’re the victim. They’re bitter and angry people who feel they’ve been treated poorly in this world.
They make everyone else pay. Everyone around them has to pay because something bad has happened to them in their life.
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Despite what had happened to this young woman — which was really bad — when she sees Naaman’s leprosy, she has the capacity for empathy. That’s significant — she had the capacity for empathy.
And she remembers a prophet in her homeland who had the power to heal the sick in the name of the God of Israel.
Despite all the stuff that had happened to her at the hands of the Syrians — of which Naaman was the commander — this young woman is just trying to help.
And she says to Naaman’s wife that if Naaman could just go to Israel, there’s a God there who’s so good, powerful, and loving that he could be healed.
God had done something in this little girl’s life.
God had done something redemptive to address the bitterness and the vengefulness, and he replaced that with a spirit of compassion and empathy.
How did that happen? What was the work that went on in her heart that changed her from an angry, vengeful young woman to someone who had the capacity for compassion and empathy?
I don’t know the specifics of that; it doesn’t say specifically in the text.
But in the teachings of Jesus, he’s so clear about this.
Jesus says no matter what has happened to you, no matter how badly you’ve been treated, no matter how many things have gone wrong in your life —
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Matthew 5:44
Love your enemies — that’s incredible, isn’t it?
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And then look at this passage from Romans 12:21:
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
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If we lined up a hundred people at Blue Oaks and we asked: How much evil has come your way? How many bad things have been done to you? — we would hear some serious stories.
I’ve heard about some really bad things that have happened to people in our church. I know we have some serious stories.
And there’s something in me, kind of the prophetic side or the justice side of me, that says, ”I wish someone would pay for the wrongs that have happened to people.”
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And then I think of Romans 12:21 — “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
We just can’t let these things get their claws in us in a way that turns us into spiteful, revenge-seeking people.
If we do that, no one wins.
It will poison you on the inside. And it will hurt everyone else.
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“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
The servant girl was living that out. She was overcoming evil with good.
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One more verse. I love this one, Galatians 6:9:
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
So here’s this little servant girl to whom bad things had happened.
She sees a need in her mistress’ husband and she thinks, “I can tell them about God.”
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So here’s my question to you: When is the right time to do good for others? When is the right time?
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“Now” is the answer I was looking for.
There is no better time than right now.
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Where is the right place?
This young girl is in another country. She’s oppressed. She’s a servant. Where’s the right place to do good?
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Right where you are.
In your job.
In your home.
In your neighborhood.
You may say, “I don’t like where I live; I don’t like my neighborhood; I don’t like my school.”
Do good right where you are.
And if something bad happens to you, believe in the promise that we studied last month — that God can take the worst thing that happens to you — Romans 8:28:
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.
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Alright, the third application from this passage is a little broader:
Go for help when you need it.
Naaman had leprosy. There was no known cure. He could have very easily fallen into a funk and cried ‘Woe is me’ and turned to alcohol or painkillers or laid around binging on Netflix shows.
But in this story, when the servant girl just mentions that there might be help in the nation of Israel, Naaman decides to give it a shot, to pack his bags and walk in the direction of where there might be help.
And you might think — what’s so noteworthy about this? Isn’t this obvious?
Well, I’ve been your teaching pastor for 7 years, and it still surprises me how often around Blue Oaks I meet people in the church who need help — they really need help — but they won’t take responsibility and seek it out.
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I meet people with marriage problems — with pain in their marriage. And I’ll say to them, “We know fantastic marriage counselors; seek them out. These are good counselors, godly people with a lot of wisdom. Seek them out.”
We’ll suggest counselors where they can get help… and no action is taken.
Months later I’ll run into the same couple and they’ll tell me about their divorce.
And I’ll ask, “Did you try counseling?”
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I meet people with financial complexities. It’s very understandable. Some people get the rug pulled out form under them.
So I meet with people and I say we have a small group led by some great people to help get your financial life in order.
We have financial mentors who will help you sort things out. We give them names and numbers they can call.
And six weeks later, when I talk to them, no action has been taken, and now they’re filling for bankruptcy.
Did they make that call? No, they didn’t.
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I meet people who are in a spiritual rut. I ask how it’s going with them and God. And they say it’s not going great; they feel stuck.
I’ll tell them stuck is not a problem if you’re not stuck long. I tell them about a Bible study they can get into or a small group they can join.
I’ll list a bunch of things they can do to get unstuck.
And I’ll talk to them six or eight weeks later and they’re still stuck.
I’ll say, “Really, did you try any of those things I suggested?”
“No.”
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When you need help, it’s your responsibility to seek it out.
To try something.
To risk something.
To read something.
To register for something.
You’ve got to do something.
Inaction is rarely the answer.
You have to seek help when you’re stuck.
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Here’s the final point I want to make:
Do the simple thing God asks of you.
Naaman comes close to forfeiting his miraculous healing because he felt disrespected when Elisha wouldn’t come out of his house.
He was angry because he was asked to wash himself in the muddy waters of the Jordan.
And he gets all bent out of shape, gets in his chariot, and he’s riding back to Syria. He’s like: “Who needs this?”
He was so close to missing this miraculous healing.
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What was at the root of all that rage?
It was old-fashioned pride.
Old-fashioned “I want it my way on my terms” kind of pride.
Old fashioned “I’m never going to yield my sense of authority or control to anyone.”
“I’m never going to do anything I don’t want to do.”
And if it weren’t for that little travel team around Naaman, he would have driven back to Syria in that chariot, his chest all puffed out, feeling very powerful — only to die of leprosy a short time later.
If he’d had an autopsy report at that point, the most accurate cause of his death would not have been leprosy; it would have been pride. Old-fashioned arrogance — the need for control.
Thank God for servants who knew him well and took the risk.
They reminded him he was a great soldier, he was a valiant fighter, he was a get-it-done guy.
But they also said, “Hey, Naaman, the only thing standing between you and a healing is you doing a simple thing. Now there’s a little difficult dynamic underneath it, but the thing itself is simple: Wade into the waters of the Jordan River and wash yourself seven times. A 5-year-old can do this, Naaman.”
But underneath that was a more difficult thing.
They knew Naaman was going to have to humble himself before the prophet and before the God of Israel. He was going to have to surrender his control and do something someone else told him to do.
And another thing he was going to have to do — by now the leprosy probably had spread all over his body, and if he went down by that river and took off his military uniform or the armor that he wore, he was going to expose his leprosy to everyone who watched.
Maybe he had the leprosy pretty well hidden with long sleeves or whatever it took. But he was going to have to take all that stuff off and people would see how sick he really was.
There were a lot of reasons why Naaman didn’t want to do this rather simple thing.
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Today we have a tub of water in the front of our church.
Now there are larger, prettier bodies of water in the Bay Area, but we’re asking all of you who believe in Jesus Christ — those of you who have put your faith in Jesus Christ, but have never as an adult since you’ve made that decision, been baptized — we’re asking you to do a simple thing.
We’re asking you to be baptized.
We’re asking you to go under the water, symbolizing the burial of your old life and your sin and your independence from God, and then come out of the water, symbolizing you have been washed clean — raised to new life.
Now how tough is that?
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It’s tough for some because pride-filled people have a hard time with this.
Pride-filled people just go, “Why do I need that? Why would I have to get all soaking wet in street clothes and have a bad hair thing happen in front of friends?”
And you can feel the pride that starts welling up. — “I have a relationship with Christ; why do I have to go public with it; get wet and do all that?”
Answer — Because Jesus has asked you to do a simple thing. Jesus has asked you, if you’ve put your faith and trust in him, to take this step.
And when pride starts coming into this thing and you go: “Hey, you know what? I was baptized as an infant. That covers me.”
Well, it might cover your parents; but it doesn’t cover you.
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The writers of Scripture teach that when you’re at an age of accountability and when you know enough to put your faith in Christ, that’s when you need to be baptized.
But we take a simple thing and because of pride, we resist this instruction God has asked us to obey.
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Some of you might be asking, “If it’s such a simple thing, why do I have to do it?”
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Let me give you another way of looking at this is.
What if when you became a Christian, or if the condition of becoming a Christian was that you had to go out and do a really complicated thing?
Like right now, if I had the authority to say to you, “You can receive salvation, be washed clean from your past, be guided throughout the rest of your life by the Holy Spirit and you could wind up in heaven forever.
“Here’s what you have to do to receive it — you have to feed a thousand starving children for a year. Raise some money, do it through Compassion International or do whatever you have to do, but feed a thousand starving children for a year.
“If you do, then you’re good — salvation, washed clean, guidance by the Holy Spirit. You’re good.
“Or you’ve got to build 20 Habitat for Humanity houses.
“Or you have to clothe a certain number of homeless people.
“Or whatever.
If you were asked to do a great thing so that you were still in control and so that you could still earn this thing, many of you would do it. You’d sign up in a heartbeat. You’d get that done.
And then you’d be able to say, “I did it. I did it myself. I saved myself.”
But that’s not the way it works.
The writer of Scripture says for you to be washed clean, you have to do a simple thing.
But underneath it is the tougher part because you have to get past your pride and your independence and you have to say, “I have sinned before a holy God and I can’t rectify that. I can’t reconcile myself with a holy God. I need help from a third party. I need what Jesus Christ did on the cross to be applied to my life and I humbly receive salvation and washing clean as a gift of grace.”
You have to humble yourself like Naaman did. You walk into the water; you all God to wash you clean.
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In a few moments we’re going to listen to
08:45 Amanda’s story
10:00 Gina’s story
11:15 stories from Sarah and Vickie
And after she gets baptized, the band will play a closing song.
During that song, we’re going to ask those of you who all week or all month long have known in your spirit that you need to be baptized, but maybe pride has gotten in the way, or something else has gotten in the way.
We’re going to ask you to consider stepping forward and doing a simple thing — but we all know there is something underneath it that involves a kind of surrender and submission that takes a lot of spiritual courage.
Some of you have trusted Christ, but you have never humbled yourself before him to take this simple step of Baptism.
We’re going to ask you if you would have the courage to do a simple thing — to get up from your seat, and come forward to get baptized.
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Those of you who have been baptized, I want to ask that you pray for courage for those who need to be baptized and who are thinking about it right now.
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Let’s pray.
God, you are at work in our hearts today the same way you worked in the heart of a military leader thousands of years ago who humbled himself before you and wound up doing a simple thing with huge results for his life.
God I ask you to move in a similar way in the hearts of those who are going to do a simple thing and get baptized today. I pray that the results will be huge in their lives. Bless them as they take this step in their spiritual journey.
Sermon Summary
Naaman, a valiant and highly regarded soldier, had difficulty humbling himself before God and obeying the instructions of the prophet Elisha. When Naaman finally obeyed, he was healed.
All too often we face the same reservation of humbling ourselves in whatever simple act God has asked us to do.
Scripture References
2 Kings 5:1-15
Ecclesiastes 9:10
1 Corinthians 10:31
Colossians 3:23-24
Matthew 5:44
Romans 12:21
Galatians 6:9
Romans 8:28
