July 2, 2024 • 17 mins
In this Bible Story, God heals a foreign warrior plagued with leprosy, and who turns down by the King of Israel. Elisha sees this as a perfect opportunity to show all the nations that the Lord is a Lord of healing and power. Naaman is refreshed in the cool water of the Jordan River. As he bathes himself in the river, his sick and dying flesh is replaced with new life. This story is inspired by 2 Kings 5:1-14. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.
Today's Bible verse is 2 Kings 5:14 from the King James Version.
Episode 133: Naaman, now joyfully and powerfully aware of God, rushed to Elisha to proclaim his allegiance to the God of Israel and to give gifts to Elisha. But Elisha would take no gifts for this was a generous act of God. So Naaman departed with dirt from Israel so that he may worship The God of Israel, in his home country. But even in such a moment of joy, evil was at work. Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, gave in to his greed and pursued Naaman for gifts of his own. Little did he know that God saw this and made it known to his master. Gehazi and his descendants would be forced to carry the consequences of his actions forever.
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Music by: Andrew Morgan Smith
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray. Then went he down and dipped himself
seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of
the Man of God, and his flesh came again like
unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
Second Kings five fourteen. With a new day upon me
(00:22):
and a new opportunity for growth, I turn my attention
to you, Lord. I turn to you with a humble
heart and a request to cleanse me from any illness
and disease that will plague my mind, body, and soul.
I denounced the leprosy mindset of mediocrity that desires to
(00:45):
eat away at my dreams and desires give me the
faith of naem and servant to speak up and to
know where I can find life. I release all my
pride and ego that may try to under my freedom
and breakthrough. As I move with faith, Meet me at
(01:06):
my place of action, Meet me at the place of
my obedience. No matter how absurd your instruction may seem,
I'll dip my life into the living water of your
word until I am made whole. Thank you, Lord for
my newness and for my healing. I shall live and
(01:29):
experience your goodness from this moment on in Jesus name. Amen,
thanks for making prayer a priority in your life. To
hear the Bible come to life. Stay tuned for the
Bible in a Year brought to you by Bible in
(01:49):
a Year dot com.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
A rotting body made new. In our last story, God
promised a child to a childless woman to reward her
generous spirit. However, when the boy's life was abruptly taken,
all hope seemed to disappear. Elisha laid over the child's body,
and by the grace of God, his life was restored.
(02:20):
Now we learn of a foreign warrior, a commander of
the armies of Syria, is plagued with leprosy and his
only hope for healing lies in the Jordan River. Inspired
by the Book of Second Kings.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
Hello, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of the
Bible in a Year. In our previous episode, Elisha befriended
a Shinnemite woman who generously provided food and lodging for
the prophet as he traveled through the kingdom doing God's will.
The Lord blessed the woman with a son because of
her kindness, but one day the boy suddenly died, leaving
(02:57):
her heart broken. Of course, she turned to God through
Elisha and was given back this son that she had lost,
because God worked a miracle and brought life back into
her son's lifeless body. Today we'll hear how Elisha shows
God's power beyond Israel, bringing healing and faith to the
home of a Syrian commander. So let's listen now to
(03:19):
today's scripture.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Deep into the north and the kingdom of Syria, the
wind whistled under the blade of Namon. He was a
mighty man fighting under the name of the Syrian king.
His bravery and skill was unmatched in all the land,
and he led his men well. Namon was the crown
jewel of his king and the most beloved warrior in
(03:42):
his country. For years, Namon fought and led with complete bravery.
His men howled like a pack of wolves behind him
as they made raids on other nations. No man could
defeat Naman. Yet that did not make him invincible. Naman
came home from battle and stripped off his armor. His
body ached. Yet this pain was not from hours of fighting.
(04:06):
Beginning with his finger tips and crawling up his arm
like a spider's web, was rotten skin and flesh ulcers
laced his midsection, and his ears were slowly deteriorating underneath
his helmet. Naeman, for all his might and power, could
not escape the deadly grip of leprosy. Soon the disease
(04:27):
seeped through his entire body. His skin slowly tore off
his body, and he lost all feeling in his fingers
and toes. Naeman could no longer grip a sword, let
alone march into battle with his men, So from a
distance he would command raids and establish battle strategies. One day,
the horsemen of Syria came into Israel like a rain cloud.
(04:49):
Their swords and arrows flew through the city like locusts.
Naeman's men were excellent raiders, the best in all the East.
They raided a border city in israel I, then left
with many spoils and slaves. One captive from this raid
was a young Israelite girl. She was carried off from
her family and forced into service in Naman's household. The
(05:13):
newly captured girl worked under Naymon's wife. She kept quiet,
as all slaves did. However, even though her mouth remained shut,
her eyes and ears were open. She watched as Namon
limped through the house She listened in the night as
he cried out in anguish. Naman's plight was no secret
to the slave girl. She knew he had leprosy. She
(05:36):
knew he was dying. One morning, after lying awake to
the sound of Naman's screams, the girl was tending to
her mistress. She looked at her mistress carefully. There was
deep pain behind her false mask of nobility. The girl
knew that the woman worried over her husband's illness. The
girl worked up the courage to speak. If only Namon
(05:59):
was with the Prophet of Israel, he would surely cure him.
The wife of Naeman perked up immediately. Her eyes widened,
and even though there was no visible smile, there was
a glimmer of hope. For the first time in years,
Naeman's wife spoke to her husband about the Prophet of Israel.
Naemon felt a small sliver of hope, a small chance,
(06:21):
was the only thing some one in his situation needed.
Naemon had been counting the days until his demise for years. Now,
for the first time in what seemed like a lifetime,
he could place his faith in something. Naeman sent word
to his king for permission to depart for Israel. The
king loved Naemon and sent word to the King of Israel.
(06:42):
Immediately he sent over gifts of gold, silver, and fine
clothing as a sign of good will. The letter wrote,
when you receive this letter, it will be with my
servant Naeman. I have sent him so that you may
cure him of leprosy. The King of Israel at that
time was Jerome. Naemon stood before Jerome. He watched as
(07:03):
the King of Israel scanned over the letter. Jerome looked
up from the letter towards the gifts of gold and silver,
then back at the letter. Audible scoffs could be heard
from the king. They made Naemon uneasy. The King of
Israel was silent for a long time. Then, in a
fit of rage, he ripped up the letter and tore
his robe. The king stood to his feet and yelled,
(07:25):
who am I to you God? His anger was palpable.
Nayemon's heart began to sink as he heard the words
fling from Yurom's mouth, Am I God, to just kill
and make live with my words? The King of Syria
must be laying a trap for me, for certainly he
does not believe I can just cure a man of leprosy.
The king continued his fit in front of Naemon, then
(07:48):
sent him away. Namon left humiliated. His hope had been
quenched like water to a camp fire. Now all that
remained was a long and painful journey back home. What
Naemon did not know was that the king was not
the man of God. The girl spoke of Elisha was
the prophet. Elishah had heard the king tore his clothes
(08:10):
in front of nobles from Syria. He heard of Naemon
and the King of Syria's letter. Elisha pondered what God
may be doing, and then sent word to the king.
He said, why do you tear your clothes over nothing?
Send the man to me so that he may know
there is a prophet in Israel. So word was sent
to Naemon, and he reluctantly came to the house of Elisha.
(08:33):
Namon knocked on the door. To his surprise, Elisha did
not answer. Instead, it was one of Elisha's servants. Go
to the Jordan river and wash yourself seven times. The
servant said, your flesh shall be healed and your body
shall be made new. Then the servant shut the door,
leaving Naemon to stew in his anger. Naman was flustered
(08:56):
and offended at the interaction. He did not even come
out to see me, yelled. I thought a man of
such power would have stood up and called upon the
Lord for me. Isn't he supposed to wave his hand
and make something happen. Namon's blood was boiling. The warrior
in him was showing as he swung his fists in
the air. He could not help but storm away in
a rage. And why the Jordan river, he asked, aren't
(09:19):
all the rivers in Syria cleaner and more immaculate than
any river in Israel? So Namon left heart broken that
he had been humiliated twice in one day, once by
a king and a second time by a prophet. As
he was walking away, one of his servants came in
close and whispered, Father, the prophet has spoken a word
(09:40):
over you to wash and be clean. Why not do it?
The servant spoke with a great amount of care. He
loved his master dearly and hated to see him suffer.
He did not realize it, but God was using him
to soften Nayman's heart. For God did not only want
Namon to be healed. He desired for his pride to
be washed away well. Naeman approached the Jordan River. He
(10:04):
had heard ancient stories of the Israelite people crossing this river.
He had heard whispers of God parting the sea for
them to cross over safely. Even though he did not
pay much attention to those stories, there was something mysterious
as he dipped his feet into the river. Naemon waded
into the water slowly. The water was cold, the sun
(10:24):
was setting, giving way to a gentle evening breeze. Naemon
carefully removed his clothes and began to wash his brittle skin.
Naemon was always fearful going into the water. His skin
was so thin and fragile that he was afraid he
might just dissolve into the water and drift away with
the current. He softly touched his skin with the water
(10:44):
and scrubbed himself gently. He took handfuls of water and
washed his body. The sun was kissing the horizon now,
and the evening breeze drifted over the water. An intoxicating
peace came over Naeman. He closed his eyes. The coolness
of the water with the fresh air filled his heart
with gladness. He opened his eyes slowly watching the last
(11:07):
light illuminate his skin. It was once gray and rotting,
but now it was vibrant and smooth. His limbs were
filled with renewed strength, and his face no longer needed
to be held together by cloths.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Namon was a new man in the.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Place where he once brought his people out of slavery.
God brought Naeman out of sickness. His dirtiness was washed
away with the tides of the Jordan River. All that
plagued him drifted away as though it never existed. Naman
was given a new body in one day. God would
do this for all of mankind. One day God would
(11:43):
wash away all that plagued humanity, sin, sickness, death, and
destruction would be washed away by the cleansing power of
a loving God.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
To day we are in introduced to a man named Naemon.
He is a commander in the Syrian army, a powerful
and successful leader in battle. And yet despite his military prowess,
his wealth, and his standing in society, Naeman had a problem,
a problem that he couldn't solve. He was a leper.
Naeman was no friend to Israel and had led raids
(12:21):
into the Northern Kingdom, often carrying Israelites back to Syria
as slaves. One of those slaves was a young girl
whom Naeman had placed in the household to serve his wife.
This young Israelite girl had every reason to hate this
man and want him to suffer for what he had
done to her, and yet she saw his pain and
(12:41):
had compassion upon him. She spoke to her mistress and said,
the Prophet of Israel could cure his disease. If you
want an example of someone who loved her enemy and
blessed those who persecuted her, looked no further than this
young lady. Naeman went to the Syrian king and to
go to Israel. The king, eager to see his faithful
(13:03):
general restored to health, sent him with a personal letter
in hopes that he would be healed. Naeman went to
the palace of the king, where he presented the letter
and his request to Jehoram. Jehoram, who was king at
that time, thought this was a trap being set by
the King of Syria, and tore his clothes in distress. Sadly,
(13:24):
he did not think of the prophet Elishah. But God's
plan would not be changed. When Elishah heard what had happened.
He told the king to send Naem in his way.
Naeman quickly went to Elishah, expecting the prophet to come
out to him and perform a miracle in front of
all who watched. Elisha did not even go outside to
receive him. He sent a messenger with instructions for the
(13:46):
commander to dip himself in the Jordan river seven times.
Naeman was offended. He was offended for two reasons. First,
Naeman was used to being given honor and prestige, and
he expected nothing less from this Israelite prophet. But at
the end of the day, Naeman was no more special
than anyone else. He was a sick person in need
(14:08):
of healing. Elisha's decision not to go out to meet
him personally was a first step in humbling Naeman before God. Secondly,
why would Naeman, a proud Syrian, want to bathe in
a Jordan river an Israeli river. He couldn't imagine why
he should dip himself in such a dirty river when
he had much cleaner choices back home. But as Naeman
(14:32):
would soon discover, this was God's chosen land and he
was seeking healing from the God of Israel. And so
he would have to humble himself before God. How many
times do we seek healing or blessing or favors from God,
and we put conditions on how we receive it. Like Naeman,
(14:52):
we are unwilling to surrender ourselves to know and do
God's will as an act of surrender. Naeman was about
to go home angry and disappointed. Then in Second Kings
fifteen thirteen we read these words, but his servants came
near and said to him, my father, it is a
great word. The prophet has spoken to you. Will you
(15:14):
not do it? Has he actually said to you? Wash
and be clean? To his credit, Naeman listened to his servants.
Perhaps he was still doubtful, but he did exactly as
Elisha told him to do. And as he came out
of the Jordan the seventh time, his skin became smooth
(15:34):
and clean, like that of a baby. There was no
mistaking it. This was a miracle. He was healed, and
it was God who did it. Through Naeman. God demonstrated
his heart to heal not only his own people, but
to bring healing and hope to the gentiles as well.
And one day God would send one who would bring
(15:54):
healing to the whole world and turn hearts to the
God of all the earth. Dear God, thank you that
even when we are unsure and have doubts about your
plan and our willingness to follow it, we know that
when we trust you and surrender our wills to do
your will, that you will heal our hearts and our hurts,
(16:14):
and you will demonstrate your love for us over and
over again. We know you did this at the cross
when Jesus died, and in the promise of the Resurrection
that he lives forever. So thank you, Lord Jesus Christ,
that you are our healer and you are our hope,
and that you wash us clean and give us new
hearts and an abundant life. In Jesus' name. Amen, Thank
(16:38):
you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
I'm pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download Theprey dot
com app and make prayer and Bible study a priority
in your life. And if you enjoyed this podcast, tell
someone else about it. We would love to connect with
you at Jack Graham dot Org for their resources has
(17:00):
an opportunities for you to continue to grow in your
faith through this ministry. God bless you,
Let us pray. Then went he down and dipped himself
seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of
the Man of God, and his flesh came again like
unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
Second Kings five fourteen. With a new day upon me
(00:22):
and a new opportunity for growth, I turn my attention
to you, Lord. I turn to you with a humble
heart and a request to cleanse me from any illness
and disease that will plague my mind, body, and soul.
I denounced the leprosy mindset of mediocrity that desires to
(00:45):
eat away at my dreams and desires give me the
faith of naem and servant to speak up and to
know where I can find life. I release all my
pride and ego that may try to under my freedom
and breakthrough. As I move with faith, Meet me at
(01:06):
my place of action, Meet me at the place of
my obedience. No matter how absurd your instruction may seem,
I'll dip my life into the living water of your
word until I am made whole. Thank you, Lord for
my newness and for my healing. I shall live and
(01:29):
experience your goodness from this moment on in Jesus name. Amen,
thanks for making prayer a priority in your life. To
hear the Bible come to life. Stay tuned for the
Bible in a Year brought to you by Bible in
(01:49):
a Year dot com.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
A rotting body made new. In our last story, God
promised a child to a childless woman to reward her
generous spirit. However, when the boy's life was abruptly taken,
all hope seemed to disappear. Elisha laid over the child's body,
and by the grace of God, his life was restored.
(02:20):
Now we learn of a foreign warrior, a commander of
the armies of Syria, is plagued with leprosy and his
only hope for healing lies in the Jordan River. Inspired
by the Book of Second Kings.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
Hello, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of the
Bible in a Year. In our previous episode, Elisha befriended
a Shinnemite woman who generously provided food and lodging for
the prophet as he traveled through the kingdom doing God's will.
The Lord blessed the woman with a son because of
her kindness, but one day the boy suddenly died, leaving
(02:57):
her heart broken. Of course, she turned to God through
Elisha and was given back this son that she had lost,
because God worked a miracle and brought life back into
her son's lifeless body. Today we'll hear how Elisha shows
God's power beyond Israel, bringing healing and faith to the
home of a Syrian commander. So let's listen now to
(03:19):
today's scripture.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Deep into the north and the kingdom of Syria, the
wind whistled under the blade of Namon. He was a
mighty man fighting under the name of the Syrian king.
His bravery and skill was unmatched in all the land,
and he led his men well. Namon was the crown
jewel of his king and the most beloved warrior in
(03:42):
his country. For years, Namon fought and led with complete bravery.
His men howled like a pack of wolves behind him
as they made raids on other nations. No man could
defeat Naman. Yet that did not make him invincible. Naman
came home from battle and stripped off his armor. His
body ached. Yet this pain was not from hours of fighting.
(04:06):
Beginning with his finger tips and crawling up his arm
like a spider's web, was rotten skin and flesh ulcers
laced his midsection, and his ears were slowly deteriorating underneath
his helmet. Naeman, for all his might and power, could
not escape the deadly grip of leprosy. Soon the disease
(04:27):
seeped through his entire body. His skin slowly tore off
his body, and he lost all feeling in his fingers
and toes. Naeman could no longer grip a sword, let
alone march into battle with his men, So from a
distance he would command raids and establish battle strategies. One day,
the horsemen of Syria came into Israel like a rain cloud.
(04:49):
Their swords and arrows flew through the city like locusts.
Naeman's men were excellent raiders, the best in all the East.
They raided a border city in israel I, then left
with many spoils and slaves. One captive from this raid
was a young Israelite girl. She was carried off from
her family and forced into service in Naman's household. The
(05:13):
newly captured girl worked under Naymon's wife. She kept quiet,
as all slaves did. However, even though her mouth remained shut,
her eyes and ears were open. She watched as Namon
limped through the house She listened in the night as
he cried out in anguish. Naman's plight was no secret
to the slave girl. She knew he had leprosy. She
(05:36):
knew he was dying. One morning, after lying awake to
the sound of Naman's screams, the girl was tending to
her mistress. She looked at her mistress carefully. There was
deep pain behind her false mask of nobility. The girl
knew that the woman worried over her husband's illness. The
girl worked up the courage to speak. If only Namon
(05:59):
was with the Prophet of Israel, he would surely cure him.
The wife of Naeman perked up immediately. Her eyes widened,
and even though there was no visible smile, there was
a glimmer of hope. For the first time in years,
Naeman's wife spoke to her husband about the Prophet of Israel.
Naemon felt a small sliver of hope, a small chance,
(06:21):
was the only thing some one in his situation needed.
Naemon had been counting the days until his demise for years. Now,
for the first time in what seemed like a lifetime,
he could place his faith in something. Naeman sent word
to his king for permission to depart for Israel. The
king loved Naemon and sent word to the King of Israel.
(06:42):
Immediately he sent over gifts of gold, silver, and fine
clothing as a sign of good will. The letter wrote,
when you receive this letter, it will be with my
servant Naeman. I have sent him so that you may
cure him of leprosy. The King of Israel at that
time was Jerome. Naemon stood before Jerome. He watched as
(07:03):
the King of Israel scanned over the letter. Jerome looked
up from the letter towards the gifts of gold and silver,
then back at the letter. Audible scoffs could be heard
from the king. They made Naemon uneasy. The King of
Israel was silent for a long time. Then, in a
fit of rage, he ripped up the letter and tore
his robe. The king stood to his feet and yelled,
(07:25):
who am I to you God? His anger was palpable.
Nayemon's heart began to sink as he heard the words
fling from Yurom's mouth, Am I God, to just kill
and make live with my words? The King of Syria
must be laying a trap for me, for certainly he
does not believe I can just cure a man of leprosy.
The king continued his fit in front of Naemon, then
(07:48):
sent him away. Namon left humiliated. His hope had been
quenched like water to a camp fire. Now all that
remained was a long and painful journey back home. What
Naemon did not know was that the king was not
the man of God. The girl spoke of Elisha was
the prophet. Elishah had heard the king tore his clothes
(08:10):
in front of nobles from Syria. He heard of Naemon
and the King of Syria's letter. Elisha pondered what God
may be doing, and then sent word to the king.
He said, why do you tear your clothes over nothing?
Send the man to me so that he may know
there is a prophet in Israel. So word was sent
to Naemon, and he reluctantly came to the house of Elisha.
(08:33):
Namon knocked on the door. To his surprise, Elisha did
not answer. Instead, it was one of Elisha's servants. Go
to the Jordan river and wash yourself seven times. The
servant said, your flesh shall be healed and your body
shall be made new. Then the servant shut the door,
leaving Naemon to stew in his anger. Naman was flustered
(08:56):
and offended at the interaction. He did not even come
out to see me, yelled. I thought a man of
such power would have stood up and called upon the
Lord for me. Isn't he supposed to wave his hand
and make something happen. Namon's blood was boiling. The warrior
in him was showing as he swung his fists in
the air. He could not help but storm away in
a rage. And why the Jordan river, he asked, aren't
(09:19):
all the rivers in Syria cleaner and more immaculate than
any river in Israel? So Namon left heart broken that
he had been humiliated twice in one day, once by
a king and a second time by a prophet. As
he was walking away, one of his servants came in
close and whispered, Father, the prophet has spoken a word
(09:40):
over you to wash and be clean. Why not do it?
The servant spoke with a great amount of care. He
loved his master dearly and hated to see him suffer.
He did not realize it, but God was using him
to soften Nayman's heart. For God did not only want
Namon to be healed. He desired for his pride to
be washed away well. Naeman approached the Jordan River. He
(10:04):
had heard ancient stories of the Israelite people crossing this river.
He had heard whispers of God parting the sea for
them to cross over safely. Even though he did not
pay much attention to those stories, there was something mysterious
as he dipped his feet into the river. Naemon waded
into the water slowly. The water was cold, the sun
(10:24):
was setting, giving way to a gentle evening breeze. Naemon
carefully removed his clothes and began to wash his brittle skin.
Naemon was always fearful going into the water. His skin
was so thin and fragile that he was afraid he
might just dissolve into the water and drift away with
the current. He softly touched his skin with the water
(10:44):
and scrubbed himself gently. He took handfuls of water and
washed his body. The sun was kissing the horizon now,
and the evening breeze drifted over the water. An intoxicating
peace came over Naeman. He closed his eyes. The coolness
of the water with the fresh air filled his heart
with gladness. He opened his eyes slowly watching the last
(11:07):
light illuminate his skin. It was once gray and rotting,
but now it was vibrant and smooth. His limbs were
filled with renewed strength, and his face no longer needed
to be held together by cloths.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Namon was a new man in the.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Place where he once brought his people out of slavery.
God brought Naeman out of sickness. His dirtiness was washed
away with the tides of the Jordan River. All that
plagued him drifted away as though it never existed. Naman
was given a new body in one day. God would
do this for all of mankind. One day God would
(11:43):
wash away all that plagued humanity, sin, sickness, death, and
destruction would be washed away by the cleansing power of
a loving God.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
To day we are in introduced to a man named Naemon.
He is a commander in the Syrian army, a powerful
and successful leader in battle. And yet despite his military prowess,
his wealth, and his standing in society, Naeman had a problem,
a problem that he couldn't solve. He was a leper.
Naeman was no friend to Israel and had led raids
(12:21):
into the Northern Kingdom, often carrying Israelites back to Syria
as slaves. One of those slaves was a young girl
whom Naeman had placed in the household to serve his wife.
This young Israelite girl had every reason to hate this
man and want him to suffer for what he had
done to her, and yet she saw his pain and
(12:41):
had compassion upon him. She spoke to her mistress and said,
the Prophet of Israel could cure his disease. If you
want an example of someone who loved her enemy and
blessed those who persecuted her, looked no further than this
young lady. Naeman went to the Syrian king and to
go to Israel. The king, eager to see his faithful
(13:03):
general restored to health, sent him with a personal letter
in hopes that he would be healed. Naeman went to
the palace of the king, where he presented the letter
and his request to Jehoram. Jehoram, who was king at
that time, thought this was a trap being set by
the King of Syria, and tore his clothes in distress. Sadly,
(13:24):
he did not think of the prophet Elishah. But God's
plan would not be changed. When Elishah heard what had happened.
He told the king to send Naem in his way.
Naeman quickly went to Elishah, expecting the prophet to come
out to him and perform a miracle in front of
all who watched. Elisha did not even go outside to
receive him. He sent a messenger with instructions for the
(13:46):
commander to dip himself in the Jordan river seven times.
Naeman was offended. He was offended for two reasons. First,
Naeman was used to being given honor and prestige, and
he expected nothing less from this Israelite prophet. But at
the end of the day, Naeman was no more special
than anyone else. He was a sick person in need
(14:08):
of healing. Elisha's decision not to go out to meet
him personally was a first step in humbling Naeman before God. Secondly,
why would Naeman, a proud Syrian, want to bathe in
a Jordan river an Israeli river. He couldn't imagine why
he should dip himself in such a dirty river when
he had much cleaner choices back home. But as Naeman
(14:32):
would soon discover, this was God's chosen land and he
was seeking healing from the God of Israel. And so
he would have to humble himself before God. How many
times do we seek healing or blessing or favors from God,
and we put conditions on how we receive it. Like Naeman,
(14:52):
we are unwilling to surrender ourselves to know and do
God's will as an act of surrender. Naeman was about
to go home angry and disappointed. Then in Second Kings
fifteen thirteen we read these words, but his servants came
near and said to him, my father, it is a
great word. The prophet has spoken to you. Will you
(15:14):
not do it? Has he actually said to you? Wash
and be clean? To his credit, Naeman listened to his servants.
Perhaps he was still doubtful, but he did exactly as
Elisha told him to do. And as he came out
of the Jordan the seventh time, his skin became smooth
(15:34):
and clean, like that of a baby. There was no
mistaking it. This was a miracle. He was healed, and
it was God who did it. Through Naeman. God demonstrated
his heart to heal not only his own people, but
to bring healing and hope to the gentiles as well.
And one day God would send one who would bring
(15:54):
healing to the whole world and turn hearts to the
God of all the earth. Dear God, thank you that
even when we are unsure and have doubts about your
plan and our willingness to follow it, we know that
when we trust you and surrender our wills to do
your will, that you will heal our hearts and our hurts,
(16:14):
and you will demonstrate your love for us over and
over again. We know you did this at the cross
when Jesus died, and in the promise of the Resurrection
that he lives forever. So thank you, Lord Jesus Christ,
that you are our healer and you are our hope,
and that you wash us clean and give us new
hearts and an abundant life. In Jesus' name. Amen, Thank
(16:38):
you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
I'm pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download Theprey dot
com app and make prayer and Bible study a priority
in your life. And if you enjoyed this podcast, tell
someone else about it. We would love to connect with
you at Jack Graham dot Org for their resources has
(17:00):
an opportunities for you to continue to grow in your
faith through this ministry. God bless you,
Host
Jack Graham
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