Why the Story of Naaman is so Disruptive and Challenging

Speaker: 
Andrew Fountain
Date: 
Sun, 2022-02-27

Video cover image by PFI

  • As we dive deeper into this account, we see more and more of the challenges, conceptual reversals and artistry in the narrative composition, with an exciting conclusion.
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Sermon Slides - Why the Story of Naaman is so Disruptive and Challenging

Goal

That we would challenge us not to take on our culture’s values,
and fundamentally change the way we view ourselves.

Naaman (2 Kings 5)
a Story in Four Parts

  1. 1–8 Power and Wealth
  2. 9–15 Self-importance and being valued for what we can do
  3. 15–19 What does God want from us?
  4. 19–27 The temptation that is so strong

In each story:

  • The Story
  • The Artistry
  • The Message for Then
  • The Message for Us

Pattern in each story

Initial state
  Actions based on false ideas
  Reversal
Final state

1. 1–8 Power and Wealth

2 Kings 5 – The Healing of Naaman

  1. Now Naaman, the commander of the king of Syria’s army, was esteemed and respected by his master, for through him the LORD had given Syria military victories. But this great warrior had a skin disease.
  1. Raiding parties went out from Syria and took captive from the land of Israel a young girl, who became a servant to Naaman’s wife.
  2. She told her mistress, “If only my master were in the presence of the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his skin disease.”
  1. Naaman went and told his master what the girl from the land of Israel had said.
  2. The king of Syria said, “Go! I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten suits of clothes.
  1. He brought the letter to king of Israel. It read: “This is a letter of introduction for my servant Naaman, whom I have sent to be cured of his skin disease.”
  2. When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill or restore life? Why does he ask me to cure a man of his skin disease? Certainly you must see that he is looking for an excuse to fight me!”
  1. When Elisha the prophet heard that the king had torn his clothes, he sent this message to the king, “Why did you tear your clothes? Send him to me so he may know there is a prophet in Israel.”

Translation by Andrew Fountain

Pattern in first story
1–8 Power and Wealth

The Prophet in Israel can heal
  Use Power and Wealth
  Failure of Power and Wealth
The Prophet in Israel can heal
  • Note skin disease != leprosy in modern terminology (Hansen’s disease)
  • False Idea: power & wealth will get you what you want
  • Power and military success contrasted with physical sickness—no match
  • Contrast with Truth: young girl captive who actually has the power to move kings because God is with her

Surprising that:

  • God would give Syria victories (more later)
  • The captive girl
    • would be concerned for the good of her captors
    • would know more than the king of Israel
    • would be obeyed by Naaman and by the king
    • contrasted with young man Gehazi
  • King of Israel did not think of Elisha!
  • The girl has said prophet, but they assumed power
    • formula wealth gives power
  • This is our society
    • We are convinced that you need power/wealth to live a good life
    • Note: injustice leading to disempowerment is always wrong.
      • Financially inequalities too.
    • God is clearly against these two issues
      (e.g. the widow who cannot get justice because she can’t afford a bribe for the judge.)
  • How do you think of yourself?
    • How much power do your words have.
  • We can probably all think of people in history who have no power but through courage have changed nations
    • That is not what I am talking about.
  • Not even a lot of courage, just love, and ready to be used by God

2. 9–15 Self-importance and being valued for what we can do

2 Kings 5 – The Healing of Naaman

  1. So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood in the doorway of Elisha’s house.
  1. Elisha sent out a messenger who told him, “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan; your skin will be restored and you will be healed.”
  2. Naaman went away angry.
    He said, “Look, I thought for sure he would come out, stand there, invoke the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the area, and cure the skin disease.
  3. The rivers of Damascus, the Abana and Pharpar, are better than any of the waters of Israel! Could I not wash in them and be healed?”
    So he turned around and went away angry.
  1. His servants approached and said to him, “O master, if the prophet had told you to do some difficult task, you would have been willing to do it. It seems you should be even more willing since he simply said, “Wash and you will be healed.”
  2. So he went down and dipped in the Jordan seven times, as the prophet had instructed. His skin became as smooth as a young boy’s and he was healed.
  1. He and his entire entourage returned to the prophet. Naaman came and stood before him.

Translation by Andrew Fountain

  • Notice he is angry at two things
    1. I’m special and Elisha is not treating me as special
    2. I don’t need charity from God, I can give good value in return

Pattern in second story
9–15 Self-importance and being valued for what we can do

Naaman at Elisha’s home
Proud & Angry (he never even greeted me)
Diminished & Angry (I have so much to offer)
Humbly accepts the critique of his own servants
and accepts free gift of healing
Naaman at Elisha’s home
  • Lack of acknowledgement of Naaman’s importance
  • His servants had the courage to point out his stupidity, and he took their advice
    • The hero’s in this story
  • Not just his skin changed, but his heart as well.
  • This is such a clear picture of what it means to become a Christian
    • …

3. 15–19 What does God want from us?

Naaman (2 Kings 5)
a Story in Four Parts

  1. 1–8 Power and Wealth
  2. 9–15 Self-importance and being valued for what we can do
  3. 15–19 What does God want from us?
  4. 19–27 The temptation that is so strong

2 Kings 5 – The Healing of Naaman

He said, “For sure I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel!
Now, please accept a gift from your servant.”
  1. But Elisha replied, “As certainly as the LORD lives (whom I serve), I will take nothing from you.” Naaman insisted that he take it, but he refused.
  1. Naaman said, “If not, then please give your servant a load of dirt, enough for a pair of mules to carry, for your servant will never again offer a burnt offering or sacrifice to a god other than the LORD.
  2. In this one thing
May the LORD forgive your servant
When my master enters the temple of Rimmon
to bow down there
and he leans on my arm and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon
when I bow down
in the temple of Rimmon
may the LORD forgive your servant
in this one thing.”
  1. Elisha said to him, “Go in peace.”

Translation by Andrew Fountain

Pattern in third story
15–19 What does God want from us?

Naaman accepts God
Offers God part of what he has
Gives God exclusive lordship
God accepts Naaman
  • In the first part he wants to make a transaction with God
    • So it is very clear that he has paid off his debt to God and they are all square
  • Story of teaching on “The Christian and Money”
    and somebody said “if I give a tithe to God, surely the rest is mine and I can do what I like with it!”
  • What does God want from us?
    • He wants an exclusive place in our hearts
    • He does not want to share it with other things
  • His grasp of monotheism, (and no physical representation)
  • Response
    • How do we make choices for our life?
    • Does God have complete ownership, or just his own part of us?

4. 19–27 The temptation that is so strong

Naaman (2 Kings 5)
a Story in Four Parts

  1. 1–8 Power and Wealth
  2. 9–15 Self-importance and being valued for what we can do
  3. 15–19 What does God want from us?
  4. 19–27 The temptation that is so strong

2 Kings 5 – The Healing of Naaman

When he had gone a short distance,
  1. Gehazi, the prophet Elisha’s servant, thought, “Look, my master did not accept what this Syrian Naaman offered him. As certainly as the LORD lives, I will run after him and accept something from him.”
  2. So Gehazi ran after Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from his chariot to meet him and asked, “Is everything all right?”
  3. He answered, “Everything is fine. My master sent me with this message, ‘Look, two servants of the prophets just arrived from the Ephraimite hill country. Please give them a talent of silver and two suits of clothes.’ ”
  4. Naaman said, “Please accept two talents of silver. He insisted, and tied up two talents of silver in two bags, along with two suits of clothes. He gave them to two of his servants and they carried them for Gehazi.
  5. When he arrived at the hill, he took them from the servants and put them in the house. Then he sent the men on their way.
  1. When he came and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” He answered, “Your servant hasn’t been anywhere.”
  2. Elisha replied, “I was there in spirit when a man turned and got down from his chariot to meet you.
This is not the proper time to accept silver or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, sheep, cattle, and male and female servants.
  1. Therefore Naaman’s skin disease will afflict you and your descendants forever!”
When Gehazi went out from his presence, his skin was as white as snow.

Translation by Andrew Fountain

  • Notice again the story does a reversal

Pattern in fourth story
19–27 The temptation that is so strong

Gehazi’s gain —he sees a secret opportunity
Clever deception rewarded
Clever deception exposed
Gehazi’s loss —publicly marked
  • Money is so seductive!
    • He of anyone should have known
    • What is there to lose?
    • A tiny bit of massaging the truth
  • God loves to do reversals like power and wealth being reversed
    • But there is another one here:
  • Right at the start of the story we have a heathen Gentile with leprosy
    • He is so ignorant about the truth that he doesn’t even know he should go to the prophet, not the king
  • The very last statement of the story is an Israelite with leprosy!
    • Not materially wealthy, but the most incredibly privileged position of seeing God do miracles on a regular basis and hearing Elisha teach the truth.
    • But Naaman seeks God using the tiny light of truth he has, and is rewarded
    • Gehazi discards the truth.

Idea

  • The sickness was actually the idolatry of wealth and power. The leprosy was just a manifestation (as in Gehazi)

5. Bonus: Jesus

Naaman (2 Kings 5)
a Story in Four Parts

  1. 1–8 Power and Wealth
  2. 9–15 Self-importance and being valued for what we can do
  3. 15–19 What does God want from us?
  4. 19–27 The temptation that is so strong

Luke 4

  1. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, yet none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”
  2. When they heard this, all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage.
  3. They got up, forced him out of the town, and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff.
  4. But he passed through the crowd and went on his way.
  • Amazing idea that Naaman is probably one of countless numbers who God has been reaching since the beginning of time
    • In heaven we will see the extraordinary beauty of the tapestry he has been weaving!

Takeaways

  • Who has the biggest influence?
  • God responding to renouncing our own
    • strength, power & wealth
  • God loves reversing things
  • The seduction of money
    • Spiritual blindness

Main Takeaway:

  • God wants you to change your view of yourself
  • Not “I have no power, I am insignificant”
  • But “God can use me to do extraordinary things. People like me can have more influence on history than kings!”
  • Come, wash yourself, offer yourself! Completely!

Updated on 2022-03-02 by Andrew Fountain