Making an Easy Task Difficult (2 Kings 5:13)

This sermon was preached on 2/12/2012

Jesus, during his years of preaching and teaching before his arrest and crucifixion, referred to several instances in the Old Testament as examples of the various emphases he was stressing. One of the instances is the story of Naaman. He spoke about him in a sermon he preached in Nazareth, recorded in Luke 4:27, when he returned home after his time in the south of the country during which he had been baptised and commenced his three years of public ministry. The message that Jesus preached that day did not receive a good response from his listeners. Indeed they were very angry at what they had heard.

Why did Jesus preach such a sermon to those among whom he had lived for three decades? Without doubt, he knew them very well, therefore he knew what they needed to hear. The inhabitants in Nazareth had heard about the miracles he had performed elsewhere and wanted him to do the same in his home town (this expectation, of course, shows that Jesus had not performed any miracles during his thirty years there, otherwise they would have seen his miracles before). So Jesus referred them to two miracles from the Old Testament, one performed by Elijah for the benefit of a Gentile widow and the other by Elisha for the benefit of Naaman. He told them about those miracles because the accounts contain items that are more important than miracles.

God’s strategy for getting Naaman’s attention

The story of Naaman has several interesting aspects to it. The first detail to note from the account is that ‘the Lord had given victory to Syria’ (v. 1). If the verse had said that ‘God had given victory to Syria’, it would not be so striking because the title ‘God’ is used often when referring to the general acts of the Lord towards his creatures. But the title ‘Lord’ is the divine name which had special reference to Israel and indicated that he was in a covenant relationship with them. Of course, the covenant relationship God had with Israel under the Mosaic Covenant included both his blessings for their obedience and his curses for their disobedience. Israel had been disobedient, so in allowing Syria to defeat them God was keeping his part of the covenant.

Yet at the same time, the name ‘Lord’ also points to his exercise of mercy, so we should anticipate him revealing his grace to sinners by working in their lives. And the author of 2 Kings links the actions of the Lord with this man Naaman, the military leader of the Syrian armies. God was working in that man’s life and circumstances, although he was unaware of it. Nor are we told why, out of all the thousands of individuals available, he was the object of God’s gracious dealings. Naaman had done nothing to deserve God’s grace. Indeed he was guilty of many offences against God’s law such as idolatry and kidnapping. Yet he was a recipient of divine grace, which is one of the points made by Jesus in his reference to the story.

We are intrigued by the witness of the young girl who spoke to Naaman’s wife about the power of the God of Israel. In that child or young teenager we see an example of God using the words of one whom most would have regarded as having no possible way of influence over the lives of others. Yet through her the Lord brought about his plans for a prominent person who would influence government policy. The little that we are told about her tells us that she was not affected adversely by her past difficult experiences, she was marked by affection for her owners who had taken her captive, and she was available for God to use where his providence had placed her. We have a lot to learn from her simple, straightforward witness.

Connected to the involvement of the little girl is the wonderful reality that God uses chains of people to bring about his plans. It is likely that her family belonged to the 7,000 who had not bowed to the worship of Baal in Elijah’s time and her parents had informed her of the great deeds of the God of Israel. We don’t know what happened to them, but what we do know is that they had so taught her that she knew what to do for God and say about God when she was left alone with those who did not worship him.

It is obvious that the next link in most chains in life is children. In this connection, the strength of the next link depends on how the previous link prepares them. The fact is that each parent does not know who the next link after each of their children is going to be. I am quite sure that her parents would not have guessed that in their case it would be Naaman, the foreign soldier who was wreaking such havoc in their country and who had caused the break-up of their happy family life.

Or we cannot but wonder about the reason for difficult circumstances in life. Naaman’s career was going well when he developed this life-threatening and socially debilitating illness. All his plans for the future were affected by what had happened to him. Life, which had been so full of promise, was now full of fear. And we know that scenario happens to people every day. Why did it happen to Naaman? Had he been careless and somehow allowed himself to be affected by a contagious disease? Or maybe he had contracted the illness when he was leading a campaign on behalf of his master. Obviously we are not told how it happened, but we are told why it happened. It did not occur because God was against him, although it might have seemed that was the case. We can imagine someone saying to him, ‘This has happened to you because you were cruel to the Israelites and their God is punishing you.’ Yet such a comment would have misunderstood the reason why God allowed it. The trouble was not sent because God was against him. Instead it was sent because it was going to be a means by which it would be seen that God was for him.

Adverse things can happen to us as well in a wide variety of possible ways. When they happen, we may assume that they are indications that God is out to get us. Yet it is more likely that God allows them in order for us to focus on higher priorities. Often we will find that when bad things happen, the Lord sends guidance, perhaps through a person or through a book, that we should think about our relationship with him. With Naaman, the Lord sent his guidance through the little girl.

Of course, the dominant feature in Naaman’s life was not that he was a prominent person in society, nor was it the fact that he became a leper. Instead the dominant feature was that he was an outsider from God’s grace, both when he was a pillar of society and when he became a leper. What was essential for Naaman was that he would move from the outside into the inside, that he would become a recipient of the grace and mercy of God. That is where Naaman’s life touches the lives of those of us who are outside the kingdom of grace.

Going back to the situation when Jesus referred to Naaman, the listeners on that occasion imagined they were on the inside because of their physical connections to Abraham. They imagined that they had a right to all the blessings that Jesus was giving to people. His sermon was designed to show them the opposite, that his power is available to those who realise their need of his grace. His listeners did not think that was the case about themselves. So they responded with anger at what Jesus said to them, which is quite intriguing if only for the fact that Naaman also responded with anger when he first heard the requirement of Elisha, and this leads us to think about Naaman’s response.

Naaman’s response to God’s requirements

Naaman listened to what the little girl had said about the possibility of him being cured by Elisha and decided to ask the king of Syria for help in obtaining the prophet’s help (vv. 4-5). How can we describe Naaman’s initial actions? I would suggest that here we have a combination of desperation and worldly wisdom. His desperation for a cure is seen in his listening to what the girl had to say and his worldly wisdom is seen in his imagining that royal clout (of both the king of Syria and the king of Israel) would help persuade the prophet to do something for him (perhaps that was how the prophets of the gods of Syria were influenced to do anything for those who asked for help and guidance).

Elisha heard of the process adopted by Naaman and arranged for him to be sent to his house. When he heard the requirement of Elisha he exploded. He imagined he was treated with disrespect because Elisha had not responded in the way that Naaman had anticipated by coming out to pray for him. In addition, he responded with a form of comparison and suggested that the two rivers of Damascus were more suitable means of cleansing than the muddy Jordan (which they might have been if all he needed was a bath). Of course, Naaman had not travelled south to get a wash, but to get healed.

This fourfold response of Naaman often repeats itself when sinners become in contact with the gospel. Usually the Lord has been working in providence to bring them to a place of desperation about their spiritual needs and they want to find a cure for them. So they start to seek for the remedy. At the same time, they will follow ideas connected to worldly wisdom such as trying to turn over a new leaf in order to win favour with God and they may make great changes to their way of life.

Yet sensing that is not enough they eventually hear the gospel which offers mercy to sinners. And they can be very offended by what it says to them. Instead of listening to what it contains as to its offer of mercy, they focus on its description of them as sinners and may start comparing themselves with others or even comparing the gospel with other religions and asking what is so special about it. Many a person has experienced this type of response and lost out on the benefits of the gospel.

Naaman was asked to go and dip himself in the Jordan and was given the promise that if he did so he would be cleansed of his leprosy. Each of us has a far worse defect than he had in a physical sense and that is the defect of sin which has affected in an adverse way every part of our personality. Yet, just as he was given a clear instruction concerning the path of cleansing, so we are given clear instructions as to how to obtain cleansing from sin. We are told to speak to Jesus about our need of him and to commit ourselves to him, and at the same time expressing heartfelt repentance for our sins. The gospel assures us that if we trust in Jesus all our sins will be forgiven. Yet people often don’t pay any attention to what it actually says and get distracted into looking at alternative methods that claim to be a solution.

God’s blessing on Naaman

Fortunately for Naaman, one of his servants showed some common sense and pointed out that what Elisha had requested contained two features. First, it was great in what it promised and, second, it was not difficult to do. Naaman went and did exactly what he had been commanded to do and he was healed of his leprosy. Further, he discovered that the true God was not harsh in his demands as indicated by Elisha’s approval of the suggestion about what to do in the pagan temple in Damascus.

Similarly, the gospel is great because of what it promises. Many details can be mentioned such as forgiveness of sin, membership of God’s family, divine friendship and care throughout life, heaven when we die, and the resurrection to glory at the second coming of Jesus. We are given these great blessings when we believe in Jesus.

As we look at Naaman, we see a new man. He is now marked by gratitude to God, he is now committed to serving God, and he is willing to be instructed by a prophet of God. Are they not the marks of all who are reborn by the Spirit of God?

Even as Naaman was informed that God was not a hard master, so we discover that the life of grace is not severe. I have heard many people criticise Naaman for his suggestion but it must be significant that Elisha did not say it was a wrong idea. The permission allowed to Naaman is not meant to justify any wrong activity by us. Christians have a kind God and sometimes we can get ourselves into all kinds of legalistic complexities that his Word does not anticipate. We can end up like the Pharisees, burdened by demands made by ourselves or by others. And we forget that Jesus said his load was easy and his burden light in contrast to the demands made by the Pharisees.

As we close, I want to focus on the second aspect mentioned to Naaman by his servant. He reminded his master that obedience to the instruction of Elisha was not difficult. I would ask those of you who are not yet Christians, ‘What do you find difficult about the gospel that causes you to reject it?’ Because in rejecting it, you are making an easy choice difficult.