Naaman’s pride nearly cost him everything – don’t let it happen to you! In 2 Kings 5:1–14, we witness a powerful story of how Naaman’s pride nearly prevented him from receiving God’s healing and salvation. We, too, can be blinded by our own expectations. The story of Naaman’s pride is a warning for all of us: don’t let ego or expectations block the work God wants to do in your life. Recognize the signs of pride and discover how obedience and humility lead to transformation.
https://youtu.be/sIs9T1l8crA
Table of contentsNaaman Almost Missed Out On Salvation Because It Seemed Foolish to HimNaaman Almost Missed Out on Salvation Because It’s Not How He Wanted to Be SavedNaaman Almost Missed Out On Salvation Because It Wasn’t Glamorous Enough for HimNaaman Almost Missed Out On Salvation Because He Wasn’t Required to Do EnoughNaaman Almost Missed Out On Salvation Because of His PrideNew Humility ShownWhat the People of Nazareth Could Learn from a Gentile
Consider this familiar story:
A storm descends on a small town, and the downpour soon turns into a flood. As the waters rise, the local preacher kneels in prayer on the church porch, surrounded by water. One of the townsfolk comes up the street in a canoe.“Better get in, Preacher. The waters are rising fast.""No," says the preacher. "I have faith the Lord will save me."Still, the waters rise. Now the preacher is up on the balcony, when another guy arrives in a motorboat."Come on, Preacher. We need to get you out of here."Once again, the preacher is unmoved. "I shall remain. The Lord will see me through."After a while the flood rushes over the church until only the steeple remains above water. The preacher is clinging to the cross when a helicopter descends out of the clouds, and a state trooper calls down to him through a megaphone."Grab the ladder, Preacher. This is your last chance."Once again, the preacher insists the Lord will save him.Predictably, he drowns, but goes to heaven. He asks God, "Why didn't you save me?"God says, “ I sent you two boats and a helicopter."
The story is about a man who misses out on the ways God provided for him to be saved. I want to replace it with the better one found in God’s Word. God provided a way for Naaman to be saved, but he almost missed out on it, like the fictional preacher who drowned. The reasons Naaman almost missed out on being cleansed of physical leprosy are the same reasons we miss out on being cleansed of spiritual leprosy, or sin.
2 Kings 5:1 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. He probably wore an impressive, well-decorated uniform, but beneath that uniform was a body being consumed by leprosy.
This is one of the most impressive descriptions of an individual in Scripture. He’s the commander of the Syrian army. He’s called a mighty man of valor, a title given to only four other people in Scripture, including men like Gideon and David. However, it’s unique here because Naaman is a Gentile. His master, referring to the king of Syria, holds him in high regard. God has used him to secure military victories for Syria.
But we also read something that nullifies everything else: he’s a leper. He probably wore an impressive, well-decorated uniform, but beneath that uniform was a body being consumed by leprosy. But God graciously put someone in Naaman’s life who was going to help him in ways he never imagined:
2 Kings 5:2 Now the Syrians on one of their raids (against Israel) had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman's wife. 3 She (the young Israelite girl) said to her mistress (Naaman’s wife), "Would that my lord (referring to Naaman) were with the prophet (Elisha) who is in Samaria! He (Elisha) would cure him of his leprosy."
During one of Syria’s victories over the Israelites,