Andy Sochor April 25, 2010

Lessons from the Healing of Naaman

Text: 2 Kings 5

What can we learn from the people involved in this account?

The Servant Girl (v. 2-3)

She was concerned for the well-being of others
She wanted to be a good servant
She had faith in God
She spoke up

The King of Israel (v. 6-7)

He at least knew the limits of his power — “Am I God?“
But he did not seek help from God or His prophet

Elisha (v. 8-10)

Sent word to the king without waiting to be called upon
Wanted to show there was a prophet in Israel — not for his glory, but for God’s
Did not come out to meet Naaman — message is same, regardless of messenger

Naaman (v. 11-14)

Initially rejected the message
His servant talked some sense into him — instructions are simple, just do it
When he obeyed, he was healed

Gehazi (v. 20-27)

Elisha refused to receive Naaman’s gifts (v. 15-16), but Gehazi decided to take something from Naaman
He thought this was only fair — we should be concerned with what is right, more than with what is fair
He lied to carry out his plan
He knew what he was doing was wrong — tried to hide it
He was punished for his sin

Filed Under: Old Testament, people of the Bible Tagged With: Elisha, faith, Gehazi, lying, Naaman, obedience, sin

Jesus Christ came to set us free from the bondage of sin (Romans 6:3-6; John 8:34-36). Yet many Christians are content to remain enslaved to it. They have been convinced that we can never defeat sin; therefore, they have resigned themselves to the belief that they will always struggle with it.

Yet the Bible does not present the removal of sin from one’s life as an unattainable ideal but as a realistic goal. Paul said there is a way of escape for every temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13). Peter spoke of what one needs to do so that he will never stumble (2 Peter 1:10). John wrote so that we may not sin (1 John 2:1). Jesus told the woman allegedly caught in adultery, “Go. From now on sin no more” (John 8:11).

But how can we successfully remove sin from our lives? We first need to understand the reasons why we sin so we can learn how to find the way of escape. This material has been written to help each one of us overcome sin, rather than struggling with it perpetually.

The second edition also contains questions at the end of each chapter to aid in personal and group Bible studies. There is also an appendix at the end with additional articles related to sin and temptation. This book is available in paperback and digital formats.

Click here for more information and to download a sample of the book.