1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:04,920 Let's come together now to Second Kings Chapter 5, and as 2 00:00:04,920 --> 00:00:08,000 we turn there, realize with me that the archive of Elisha's 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:14,280 miracles continues to unfold before us tonight, and they will 4 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:19,080 extend in the next few chapters of our study of Second Kings. 5 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:25,440 However, the account that is presented this evening is the 6 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:32,360 miracle that arguably Elijah is most known for the incredible 7 00:00:32,759 --> 00:00:36,600 healing of Naaman, the commander of the Syrian Army. 8 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:41,880 Now, what's so fascinating about this is that we have a reason to 9 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:45,280 believe that this is the most significant event associated 10 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:49,280 with Elijah, at least one major reason. 11 00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:56,760 It is the event that is singularly mentioned in the New 12 00:00:56,760 --> 00:00:59,720 Testament, meaning out of all the things that Elijah has done, 13 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:06,160 this particular miracle is the only thing that is brought up in 14 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:08,680 the New Testament. And that is quite striking when 15 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:13,000 you consider all the references to Elijah in comparison. 16 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:16,360 So with all that is brought up to us in the New Testament 17 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:19,600 concerning Elijah, you have one place and all of the New 18 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:22,800 Testament library where Elijah is cited. 19 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:26,360 Does anybody know where Elijah is cited in the New Testament? 20 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:34,840 If you do, you can say it. If you don't know, then you have 21 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:37,880 to turn to the Gospel of Luke. And I know I told you to go to 22 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:40,360 2nd Kings 5, but I want you to see this briefly because this is 23 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:42,320 where we're going to end our study. 24 00:01:42,320 --> 00:01:46,200 We're going to come back to the statement because Jesus Christ 25 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:50,080 Himself references Elijah in this particular moment of his 26 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:55,320 life and ministry. Look at Luke 427 and 28, Luke 27 00:01:55,320 --> 00:02:00,160 427 and 28, and there were many lepers in Israel in the time of 28 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:05,920 the prophet Elijah, and none of them was cleansed, but only name 29 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:08,759 in the Syrian. When they heard these things, 30 00:02:08,759 --> 00:02:12,560 all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 31 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:16,480 There it is, the one place where Elijah is mentioned in the New 32 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:18,880 Testament. And as I said, we will come back 33 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:22,040 to this at the end of our study because you know very well that 34 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:25,520 there is so much to uncover in the actual account of Naaman's 35 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:28,600 testimony, which we endeavor to do tonight. 36 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:31,240 And so turn back with me to 2nd Kings 5. 37 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:35,400 We're going to read the first 6 verses and pause and meditate. 38 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:38,120 Let's read it. Let's pray and let's trust that 39 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:40,840 the Holy Spirit will guide us as He always does. 40 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:43,840 Second Kings, chapter 5, beginning in verse one. 41 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:48,840 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great 42 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:53,360 man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord 43 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:57,360 had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, 44 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:00,600 but he was a leper. Now the Syrians on one of the 45 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:03,960 raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, 46 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:06,840 and she worked in the service of Naaman's wife. 47 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:11,080 She said to her mistress, Would that my Lord were with the 48 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:15,720 prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his leprosy. 49 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:20,640 So Naman went in and told his Lord thus, and so spoke the girl 50 00:03:20,640 --> 00:03:24,120 from the land of Israel. And the king of Syria said, Go 51 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:27,080 now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel. 52 00:03:27,640 --> 00:03:32,440 So he went, taking with him 10 talents of silver, 6000 shekels 53 00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:36,800 of gold, and 10 changes of clothing. 54 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:40,960 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read. 55 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:43,400 When this letter reaches, you, know that I have sent to your 56 00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:47,080 name in my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy. 57 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:54,160 Lord, our sincere prayer tonight as a family is that Your word 58 00:03:54,160 --> 00:03:59,000 would encourage our faith. We pray that it would change us, 59 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:03,400 so please let there be nothing that would interfere with the 60 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:08,320 transaction of truth that You desire to deposit in our hearts. 61 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:13,000 Lord, may the delivery of this word be honorable, may be 62 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:17,640 empowered by the Holy Spirit, may it cause Christ to become 63 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:22,520 more real to each of us, and may it encourage us in every way 64 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:26,400 possible to live in the manner that you desire. 65 00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:31,600 We honor you with every ounce of our being and we pray that even 66 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:33,960 at this time you would be honored more. 67 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:37,680 In Jesus name we pray, Amen and Amen. 68 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:42,680 The first impression that you and I get from our introduction 69 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:46,560 to Naman should be that he is quite an impressive individual. 70 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:50,600 He's highly achieved. He is respected. 71 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:54,880 You go again at verse 1 and you realize that he was not just a 72 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:58,480 commander of the army of the Syrian regime. 73 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:03,800 He was a great commander, very successful. 74 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:09,560 Not just successful, but very respected by many, including the 75 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:14,360 king himself. However, again in our 76 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:19,040 introduction to this man, the Holy Spirit is very quick to 77 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:23,040 help us remember the source of this man's stellar resume. 78 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:26,880 Look back again at verse one says Naaman, the commander of 79 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:29,320 the army of the king of Syria was a great man with his master 80 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:36,240 in high favor because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. 81 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:40,480 Now that kind of commentary may seem obvious to us. 82 00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:43,800 Yes, the Lord is the reason behind our success, our 83 00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:47,360 achievements, absolutely. But what's striking is when you 84 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:51,840 understand and you recall that Naman is not an Israelite, he's 85 00:05:51,840 --> 00:05:55,960 a Gentile and even that title there, right? 86 00:05:55,960 --> 00:05:59,120 You look here and you see he was a great man. 87 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:03,400 You see that he was and high favor, but in the last part of 88 00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:06,800 verse 1, he was a mighty man of valor. 89 00:06:08,280 --> 00:06:10,240 Now if you're familiar with the Old Testament, then you would 90 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:16,080 remember that such a title is ascribed to Israel, some of 91 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:19,440 Israel's greatest judges, kings and warriors. 92 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:23,880 And yet it is granted here for the first time to an individual 93 00:06:24,280 --> 00:06:29,480 outsider, a Gentile. And so that impresses us and it 94 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:33,760 should teach us a few things. That simple phrase that by him 95 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:38,160 the Lord had given victory to Syria on a broader lever reminds 96 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:42,160 us that the Lord is active. He's at work beyond the 97 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:46,280 community of faith. In the same way that we're we're 98 00:06:46,280 --> 00:06:49,840 seeing here that God was an operation outside of the 99 00:06:49,840 --> 00:06:53,640 boundaries of Israel, so is He in our context as the church. 100 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:55,880 The Lord is sovereign over everything. 101 00:06:56,720 --> 00:07:01,000 He's maneuvering, He's planning, he's deciding, he's executing, 102 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:04,680 he is promoting, he is relegating. 103 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:09,400 He's always on the move. And that's what we see here now. 104 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:12,560 This realization would have been especially shocking to the 105 00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:15,040 immediate audience of the Book of Second Kings, the Jewish 106 00:07:15,040 --> 00:07:20,040 people, because it would force them to accept that God is 107 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:26,120 active among those outside of covenant with him, that God 108 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:30,240 actually has interests and he is actually concerned with the 109 00:07:30,240 --> 00:07:35,760 Gentiles. So this is powerful and would 110 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:41,200 again cause the people of Israel to reconsider the goodness of 111 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:45,960 God, the extent of it. But when we look at on a 112 00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:49,520 personal level, it shows us that whatever any of us accomplish 113 00:07:49,680 --> 00:07:54,240 before men is the result of what God authorized and enabled from 114 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:56,720 heaven. Whether you're in relationship 115 00:07:56,720 --> 00:08:00,240 with Him or not. The Lord ultimately is the one 116 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:03,680 who grants every single person the energy, the intellect, and 117 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:06,640 the years of life to do anything. 118 00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:10,920 And it is the duty of man to acknowledge that as soon as 119 00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:13,960 possible with a heart of worship. 120 00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:20,760 Now, interestingly, in the same breath where Naaman's honor is 121 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:24,880 described, we are granted a devastating diagnosis. 122 00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:30,000 He was a leper. Leprosy in the Bible describes 123 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:34,640 many kind of ailments, but it is generally recognized as a severe 124 00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:39,400 skin disease that will lead eventually to a deterioration 125 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:44,159 and a disfigurement of the body. It was dreaded, it was 126 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:49,640 horrifying, it was hideous. And when you look at the 127 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:53,240 exposure of this disease in our Bibles, at least the first time 128 00:08:53,240 --> 00:08:57,600 it is mentioned, you get an idea of why people were absolutely 129 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:01,400 frightened by leprosy. Let me ask you this question, 130 00:09:01,400 --> 00:09:03,040 and it's actually a question for you to answer. 131 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:07,320 Does anybody know the first person in the Bible who was 132 00:09:07,320 --> 00:09:12,560 infected with leprosy? Very good. 133 00:09:12,560 --> 00:09:15,960 That was quick. Now some might say it was Moses 134 00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:18,240 early in his ministry when the Lord called them because God 135 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:20,920 told him to put his hand in his cloak as a sign of his calling. 136 00:09:21,040 --> 00:09:22,720 And what happened when he removed that hand? 137 00:09:23,320 --> 00:09:25,200 It was leprous. And the Lord said, OK, put it 138 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:27,120 back now and it was made clean again. 139 00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:30,560 But I'm talking about a person who really suffered leprosy, and 140 00:09:30,560 --> 00:09:35,560 it wasn't Moses. It was Moses's sister Miriam. 141 00:09:36,520 --> 00:09:39,360 And you know how that leprosy came about from gossip. 142 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:44,120 Isn't that interesting? If you don't believe me, turn to 143 00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:51,560 numbers with me in chapter 12. Look at verse 10 Numbers chapter 144 00:09:51,560 --> 00:09:55,400 12, verse 10. This is after Miriam and Aaron 145 00:09:55,400 --> 00:09:57,920 spoke. I'll of their brother challenged 146 00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:04,080 his authority, criticized his marriage and the Lord heard it. 147 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:06,720 The Lord heard it. He he hears our gossip, he hears 148 00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:10,240 what we say about others and look what happens. 149 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:12,680 He didn't just hear it, he did something about it. 150 00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:16,000 Numbers 12, verse 10 When the cloud removed from over the 151 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:19,320 tent, behold, Miriam was leprous like snow. 152 00:10:19,800 --> 00:10:22,760 And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. 153 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:25,800 And Aaron said to Moses, Oh my Lord, do not punish us because 154 00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:27,800 we have done foolishly and have sinned. 155 00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:33,240 Let her not be as one dead whose flesh is half eaten away when he 156 00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:38,360 comes out of his mother's womb. So the first mention of somebody 157 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:41,640 who was infected with leprosy also provides a vivid picture of 158 00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:45,320 its horrific symptoms and makes a person who is living look like 159 00:10:45,320 --> 00:10:52,880 they are rotting corpse. And so you you get a little idea 160 00:10:52,880 --> 00:10:55,800 of why it was something that people feared so much. 161 00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:58,920 But it wasn't the only reason. Because yes, it had horrible 162 00:10:58,920 --> 00:11:02,160 pain and it was a despicable sight. 163 00:11:02,520 --> 00:11:05,320 It also carried societal implications. 164 00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:09,640 In the context of Israel, if you suffered leprosy, you were cut 165 00:11:09,640 --> 00:11:12,520 off from your family, you were cut off from participating in 166 00:11:12,520 --> 00:11:15,200 the feast in the New Testament, you couldn't be a part of any 167 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:18,320 synagogue gathering and you could not even enjoy something 168 00:11:18,320 --> 00:11:22,520 as casual as walking through the marketplace on an afternoon. 169 00:11:24,440 --> 00:11:27,360 You were pushed away, you were set aside. 170 00:11:27,640 --> 00:11:31,160 You were not only cut off, you were also marked. 171 00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:34,840 You were avoided and in some cases you were even despised. 172 00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:39,440 And so you can only imagine what it would be like for somebody 173 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:43,480 who is outside of the parameters of Israel's law. 174 00:11:43,480 --> 00:11:48,240 What would it be like to be a Naaman, a gentile suffering 175 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:49,400 leprosy? How would you be treated? 176 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:55,760 How would you be seen? And to have leprosy for any 177 00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:59,840 person was a curse. Now, what's interesting is when 178 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:03,400 you read this chapter, you get the impression that, yeah, he, 179 00:12:03,400 --> 00:12:05,440 we obviously know he had leprosy, but he was interacting 180 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:07,320 with people as though he didn't, right? 181 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:09,520 He talks to the king. He's in his own home. 182 00:12:09,760 --> 00:12:12,280 He'll engage with other individuals in this chapter. 183 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:15,440 So how is it that you have a man who is suffering leprosy but is 184 00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:16,920 able to live as though he didn't? 185 00:12:17,080 --> 00:12:18,640 And I think there's a clue at verse 11. 186 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:20,840 We didn't read it, but look at it with me very quickly. 187 00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:24,800 This is when he eventually meets with Elijah. 188 00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:28,080 And notice what it says in verse 11 and 2nd Kings 5. 189 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:31,320 But Naman was angry and went away, saying, Behold, I thought 190 00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:34,920 that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the 191 00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:40,280 name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and 192 00:12:40,280 --> 00:12:44,400 cure the leper. So you see, for Naman to expect 193 00:12:44,400 --> 00:12:47,720 that Elijah was to come out of his home and do some kind of 194 00:12:47,760 --> 00:12:52,320 mystical thing to cure him of his leprosy, it says here that 195 00:12:52,320 --> 00:12:57,240 he expected his hand to be waved over the place could mean that 196 00:12:57,240 --> 00:13:00,360 there was a place in his body that had leprosy. 197 00:13:00,360 --> 00:13:03,680 So it was in the early phases of its contamination. 198 00:13:04,120 --> 00:13:09,400 Regardless, it was destined to ravage the man and to cause him 199 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:13,080 to be destitute. And so this is again in the 200 00:13:13,080 --> 00:13:16,080 early stages and he had little hope at this moment. 201 00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:20,760 It's going to change in a second here, but let's pause and 202 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:24,440 remember this name. It is a clear illustration that 203 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:31,160 your status, my salary, doesn't exempt you from the effects of 204 00:13:31,160 --> 00:13:36,160 the fall in this world. It doesn't matter how many 205 00:13:36,160 --> 00:13:37,960 riches you have. It doesn't matter if you are 206 00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:42,400 universally respected. That does never shield you from 207 00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:47,800 the consequences of Adam's transgression and name in 208 00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:50,280 situation is a sobering lesson about that. 209 00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:55,000 And what we should take from that is not that we're all going 210 00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:59,720 to be visited by advanced cancer, God forbid, or deal with 211 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:02,920 the consequences of natural disasters. 212 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:05,800 But here here's what it does mean for every single one of us. 213 00:14:05,800 --> 00:14:09,000 We all have one thing in common, and that is no matter what our 214 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:11,480 biographies look like, we all have spiritually leprosy. 215 00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:18,040 Sin and leprosy is a clear parallel to a spiritual 216 00:14:18,040 --> 00:14:22,680 condition that at our core, outside of Christ, we are 217 00:14:23,040 --> 00:14:28,000 rotten, we are outcast, we're hideous. 218 00:14:30,560 --> 00:14:33,040 And only the God who healed Naaman from this physical 219 00:14:33,040 --> 00:14:36,400 leprosy can heal us from something far worse than that 220 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:40,520 dreaded disease. And that is our corrupt nature, 221 00:14:41,040 --> 00:14:46,080 our dead hearts, our vile attempt at righteousness. 222 00:14:48,960 --> 00:14:52,640 That leprosy that we all suffer with is the root cause for all, 223 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:55,080 or many at least, of the devastations that we are 224 00:14:55,080 --> 00:14:59,240 experiencing in this world. So naming here is a wonderful 225 00:14:59,240 --> 00:15:02,800 example of that. You can't escape things just 226 00:15:02,800 --> 00:15:06,480 because you are someone. But notice what happens in verse 227 00:15:06,480 --> 00:15:08,920 2. Now the Syrians go on. 228 00:15:08,920 --> 00:15:11,280 One of the raids had carried off a little girl from the land of 229 00:15:11,280 --> 00:15:13,640 Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman's wife. 230 00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:17,120 This verse doesn't focus on a particular war, but it does 231 00:15:17,120 --> 00:15:20,120 describe a practice of these smaller raids that Syria made 232 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:22,240 against the people of Israel. And during one of these 233 00:15:22,240 --> 00:15:26,400 invasions, what did we learn? We learned that they abducted a 234 00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:32,960 precious little girl from the land of Israel and this is 235 00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:35,560 devastating for many reasons. She was tore away from her 236 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:36,880 family. It's very possible that her 237 00:15:36,880 --> 00:15:39,440 parents were even killed and that's why they took her. 238 00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:43,280 We didn't know all the details, but we can hardly imagine the 239 00:15:43,280 --> 00:15:46,920 horrors of it. A loved 1 taken by those who 240 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:52,040 hate you and hate your God. Imagining that her mother was 241 00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:53,440 alive. Can you imagine the sleepless 242 00:15:53,440 --> 00:15:55,760 nights? The nightmares? 243 00:15:57,400 --> 00:16:01,320 Imagine a father who was called to protect your baby and outside 244 00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:05,560 of your control, one of your precious babies was taken from 245 00:16:05,560 --> 00:16:09,360 your hand. So it's it's important to feel 246 00:16:09,360 --> 00:16:12,880 this sometimes, and I just read it as a distant story. 247 00:16:12,880 --> 00:16:18,280 Feel it, feel it and look at it and realize that this girl, 248 00:16:19,680 --> 00:16:24,880 though she had suffered in many ways, will play a crucial role. 249 00:16:24,880 --> 00:16:29,800 She will be an important link to the redemption of Naman to 250 00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:31,720 Naaman's encounter with the Lord. 251 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:34,560 And we're going to realize in verse three that this girl came 252 00:16:34,560 --> 00:16:40,240 from a household of faith. What can we take from verse 2? 253 00:16:40,280 --> 00:16:43,960 Very simple. Providence sometimes is very 254 00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:50,240 painful, that when the Lord leads you with His invisible 255 00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:55,720 hand, when He wants to bring you into a situation or before a 256 00:16:55,720 --> 00:16:59,560 certain person, sometimes suffering is the necessary means 257 00:16:59,560 --> 00:17:03,680 to accomplish it. We're going to touch on that 258 00:17:03,680 --> 00:17:06,440 this Sunday as we look at Jesus on the cross when He's ready to 259 00:17:06,440 --> 00:17:10,480 be buried. But I want you to remember this 260 00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:11,800 because that might sound frightening. 261 00:17:12,079 --> 00:17:16,359 You're telling me that when God guides my life that it's very 262 00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:19,480 likely that there will be chapters in my life that are 263 00:17:20,079 --> 00:17:25,960 dark and unpleasant? That may sound scary, but in 264 00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:30,000 reality it isn't. It should embolden you more than 265 00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:33,360 anything else because what it teaches you is that there is not 266 00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:36,600 one drop of pain in your life that is pointless. 267 00:17:37,160 --> 00:17:41,160 Not one. It's all guided by God's Pennant 268 00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:44,800 of Providence. He's writing that story of yours 269 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:48,600 and there's not one line. There's not one paragraph that 270 00:17:48,600 --> 00:17:51,600 he dismisses or that he let somebody else author. 271 00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:54,840 And that is certainly true for this young girl. 272 00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:59,240 You know, by simply affirming this can bring great comfort, 273 00:17:59,240 --> 00:18:02,760 but acknowledging the theology of Providence is not enough to 274 00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:04,760 experience the fullness of the glory of it. 275 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:08,640 Does that make sense for you to make a mental ascent as a 276 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:11,280 Christian and say, I believe that God leads my life whether I 277 00:18:11,680 --> 00:18:13,200 recognize it in the moment or not. 278 00:18:13,360 --> 00:18:14,960 It's not enough what you're saying. 279 00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:17,120 What do you mean? I'm saying when you look at this 280 00:18:17,120 --> 00:18:23,200 young girl, she demonstrates a faith in this God, a real trust 281 00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:27,160 in this God to such a degree that listen, it shaped her 282 00:18:27,160 --> 00:18:34,720 composure and it strengthened her witness as she was brought 283 00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:38,040 to a place that if it was up to her, she would not have chosen 284 00:18:38,040 --> 00:18:44,240 in a million years. So don't check off a box in your 285 00:18:44,240 --> 00:18:48,880 thinking of I no, no, let it let it change you. 286 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:52,080 Let it shape you, let it form you, let it filter how you 287 00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:55,640 interpret and engage and experience everything in life. 288 00:18:56,520 --> 00:18:59,400 So you have this girl, right? She's taken from her family, 289 00:18:59,400 --> 00:19:01,480 taken from her home, taken from her friends. 290 00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:07,120 Her future is stripped from her. Her safety is always, I guess, 291 00:19:07,120 --> 00:19:09,320 every single day. She doesn't know. 292 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:13,960 But here she is in the palace of a Pagan commander, and what 293 00:19:13,960 --> 00:19:16,880 happens? She hears the whispers of the 294 00:19:16,880 --> 00:19:20,120 servants in the hallway that Naaman, the very man who was in 295 00:19:20,120 --> 00:19:23,480 charge of her abduction, is suffering from leprosy. 296 00:19:24,280 --> 00:19:26,240 She's in charge of serving Naaman's wife. 297 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:28,080 And notice what happens here in verse 3. 298 00:19:28,480 --> 00:19:31,480 She said to her mistress, would that my Lord, or with the 299 00:19:31,480 --> 00:19:35,120 prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his leprosy. 300 00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:40,520 You can do a whole sermon on that verse alone. 301 00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:46,840 You know, when we often think about faithful Saints in the 302 00:19:46,840 --> 00:19:50,080 Scriptures, particularly in the Old Testament, who had a 303 00:19:50,080 --> 00:19:54,560 righteous influence in secular spaces, what names come to mind? 304 00:19:55,640 --> 00:19:58,560 Exiles who were taken out of their land into these prominent 305 00:19:58,560 --> 00:20:00,880 places. We have Bible studies on these 306 00:20:00,880 --> 00:20:02,280 individuals. Can you name a few of them? 307 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:09,120 Joseph, yes, anybody else. Daniel, yes, anybody else. 308 00:20:10,840 --> 00:20:15,120 Esther, absolutely. This young girl here who has no 309 00:20:15,120 --> 00:20:20,400 name is given little credit, but I would put her in that category 310 00:20:21,360 --> 00:20:26,680 of faithful exiles who made a remarkable impact in secular 311 00:20:26,680 --> 00:20:30,120 places. And maybe the reason why she 312 00:20:30,120 --> 00:20:32,560 isn't given much recognition is because we don't know her name 313 00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:37,320 and she never is promoted to a powerful position, like Esther, 314 00:20:37,320 --> 00:20:39,120 for example. But I think that's what makes 315 00:20:39,120 --> 00:20:43,560 her story so beautiful, because it goes to show that even though 316 00:20:43,560 --> 00:20:46,200 you never arrived somewhere, you you're never recognized for 317 00:20:46,200 --> 00:20:50,240 something, you can still be an instrument in God's hand to make 318 00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:52,480 an impact on someone else's soul. 319 00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:59,240 This little servant girl, she just flashes on the scene and 320 00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:02,280 then she disappears as quickly as she shows up. 321 00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:05,840 And there are a couple of things that I want to notice and and 322 00:21:05,840 --> 00:21:08,560 mention in your hearing before we move on. 323 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:12,080 The first thing I want to bring up is as as as important as it 324 00:21:12,080 --> 00:21:16,440 is to see her faith. She was a slave, but she was 325 00:21:16,440 --> 00:21:21,000 free from bitterness. She was a slave, but she was 326 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:25,280 free from bitterness. Again, you got to just think 327 00:21:25,280 --> 00:21:28,760 about her circumstances. Snatched out of innocence, 328 00:21:28,760 --> 00:21:31,840 snatched out of safety, snatched out of familiarity. 329 00:21:32,960 --> 00:21:35,240 And yet she finds herself in this place. 330 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:38,560 And what does she do? She exemplifies. 331 00:21:39,360 --> 00:21:42,120 She's not bitter against God, nor is she harboring anything 332 00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:46,960 against her very captor. How do we know that? 333 00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:51,080 Because when she learns of the condition of her Master, she 334 00:21:51,080 --> 00:21:57,080 wants him to be healed, and she communicates a trust in her God. 335 00:21:59,640 --> 00:22:03,760 How many of us would easily in her position would interpret 336 00:22:03,760 --> 00:22:08,760 Naaman's malady as God's retribution for what he did to 337 00:22:08,760 --> 00:22:10,840 you? That's what you get. 338 00:22:10,840 --> 00:22:12,840 You take me from my family. You take me from my home. 339 00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:14,560 You take me. You killed my parents. 340 00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:18,040 Hypothetically. Oh, you have leprosy, huh? 341 00:22:18,560 --> 00:22:23,600 Good. And she could have so easily 342 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:27,360 kept her mouth shut. And day after they watch this 343 00:22:27,360 --> 00:22:33,320 man rot in his room. She didn't do that. 344 00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:38,280 She wants him to be made well. Can I tell you something? 345 00:22:38,280 --> 00:22:41,440 Please never forget this. The Lord will never be able to 346 00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:45,920 use us maximally if we harbor hate in our hearts. 347 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:51,360 Please remember that that you should never expect the Lord to 348 00:22:51,360 --> 00:22:56,280 use us to touch others if we justify unforgiveness toward 349 00:22:56,280 --> 00:22:59,360 those who might have even hurt you. 350 00:23:00,360 --> 00:23:04,680 If you have disdain and you have you loathe those who believe 351 00:23:04,680 --> 00:23:07,880 differently or act differently or even have done something to 352 00:23:07,880 --> 00:23:11,400 you that was drastic and life altering. 353 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:16,920 You limit yourself as a candidate for God to do miracles 354 00:23:16,920 --> 00:23:20,200 in people's lives. And one of the ways in which you 355 00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:22,520 can know that you are free from unforgiveness, that you are 356 00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:25,720 liberated from bitterness, is that when there is an 357 00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:28,680 opportunity that arises for something good to be done to 358 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:33,040 your enemies, you take it. You take it. 359 00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:35,920 People always want to know, how do I know if I've forgiven? 360 00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:40,160 Here's one of the most powerful litmus test that when an 361 00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:44,000 opportunity comes to your front step for you to do something 362 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:49,440 righteous for those who have hurt you and you take it, that's 363 00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:52,120 a great sign that your heart is healed. 364 00:23:53,840 --> 00:23:57,240 And if you think that that's just with this case, No, no, 365 00:23:57,240 --> 00:23:59,480 it's with one of the most notable cases with Joseph. 366 00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:02,560 You remember Joseph. OK, let me read to you these 367 00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:04,960 verses from Psalm one, O 5, verse 17. 368 00:24:05,760 --> 00:24:09,280 This is about the Lord and what He did to deliver the nation of 369 00:24:09,280 --> 00:24:10,880 Israel. And at this point in redemptive 370 00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:14,160 history, look what the Lord says through the psalmist writing in 371 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:18,520 Psalm one, O 5, verse 17. He had sent a man ahead of them, 372 00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:21,800 Joseph, who was sold as a slave. Pause. 373 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:25,240 This confirms what I just said earlier, that Providence often 374 00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:29,800 times is painful. What is Psalm 105? 375 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:33,360 Verse 17 says that he sent a man ahead of them. 376 00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:37,120 God sent a man ahead of that small people group, Jacob and 377 00:24:37,120 --> 00:24:39,640 his family, who later become a mighty nation. 378 00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:44,000 God sent someone ahead of them. And how did he send them? 379 00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:48,960 Red carpet? No, Joseph who was sold as a 380 00:24:48,960 --> 00:24:52,520 slave. That's how God sent Joseph to 381 00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:54,200 deliver his people. I'm going to make you into a 382 00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:57,360 slave. Look at verse 18. 383 00:24:57,360 --> 00:25:02,000 His feet were hurt with fetters. His neck was put in a collar of 384 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:05,520 iron until what he had said came to pass. 385 00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:09,400 The word of the Lord tested him. The king sent and released him. 386 00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:11,240 The rule of the people set him free. 387 00:25:11,440 --> 00:25:14,520 He made him Lord of his house and ruler of all his 388 00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:17,160 possessions. And verse 22 is what I want to 389 00:25:17,160 --> 00:25:23,360 highlight, to bind his Princess at his pleasure and to teach his 390 00:25:23,360 --> 00:25:26,280 elders wisdom. Do you realize that when Joseph 391 00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:29,160 was promoted to be second in command, he was not just given 392 00:25:29,160 --> 00:25:32,560 charge of the survival plan for Egypt and the world? 393 00:25:32,560 --> 00:25:35,840 Really, he was given authority to do whatever he wanted to do 394 00:25:35,840 --> 00:25:39,400 with his power. Whoever he wanted to arrest, 395 00:25:39,400 --> 00:25:42,080 whoever he wanted to put into prison, he could do it. 396 00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:46,040 The snap of the finger. Now, after that point, was 397 00:25:46,040 --> 00:25:48,080 Joseph treated well by a lot of people? 398 00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:49,640 No. No he wasn't. 399 00:25:50,760 --> 00:25:54,640 I'm sure if he let his heart go in the direction of the flesh, 400 00:25:54,960 --> 00:26:00,200 he would have had a hit list of people to throw into prison. 401 00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:05,080 And when it came to his brothers who made a surprise visit, he 402 00:26:05,080 --> 00:26:07,120 recognized them. They didn't recognize him. 403 00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:11,400 What does he do? He takes care of them, you say, 404 00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:15,120 boy, he does arrest them. He does put them into prison for 405 00:26:15,120 --> 00:26:17,040 a few days. He does do that. 406 00:26:17,040 --> 00:26:18,880 But he didn't do it out of vindictiveness. 407 00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:20,480 He didn't do it out of a malicious place. 408 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:23,360 He did it to test them and to find a way to get Jacob to send 409 00:26:23,360 --> 00:26:25,440 Benjamin and ultimately bring Jacob into that place. 410 00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:28,960 And So what do you have? You have a man who even, yes, 411 00:26:29,080 --> 00:26:30,800 who did treat him in a certain way. 412 00:26:30,960 --> 00:26:33,000 But if you really think about it, he took care of them. 413 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:34,720 You always sent them back with food. 414 00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:40,000 He protected them in many ways. And when it came at the right 415 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:43,160 time, he unveiled himself and he embraced them. 416 00:26:43,360 --> 00:26:45,680 And it was so hard to believe that even when Jacob died, the 417 00:26:45,680 --> 00:26:48,080 brothers were terrified. He's going to change his mind. 418 00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:50,520 He just did this because he wanted to really please his 419 00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:53,320 father. And Joseph broke down when he 420 00:26:53,320 --> 00:26:55,280 realized how their brothers were thinking. 421 00:26:55,280 --> 00:26:57,560 He reassured them. I, I, I'm here to take care of 422 00:26:57,560 --> 00:26:59,160 you. One of the ways in which you 423 00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:01,520 know that you have been free from unforgiveness is that when 424 00:27:01,520 --> 00:27:04,760 the opportunity of good arises toward your enemy, you take it. 425 00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:07,840 And sometimes that good just looks like you praying for 426 00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:10,280 somebody who really did hurt you, but you found out something 427 00:27:10,280 --> 00:27:14,360 devastating happened to them. And God is very creative in 428 00:27:14,360 --> 00:27:17,560 giving us opportunities to do something to show that we've 429 00:27:17,560 --> 00:27:21,000 truly forgiven. We have a second thought to 430 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:25,160 consider the knowledge that this little girl had. 431 00:27:26,920 --> 00:27:28,960 We don't know her age, right. We just told that she was a 432 00:27:28,960 --> 00:27:31,040 little girl from the land of Israel. 433 00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:35,320 But what she conveyed showed something remarkable about her 434 00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:36,920 understanding and awareness of God. 435 00:27:38,480 --> 00:27:40,520 What did she say? She says here. 436 00:27:40,720 --> 00:27:43,120 Oh, and she says it with this earnestness. 437 00:27:43,120 --> 00:27:45,880 Would that my Lord with were with the prophet who is in 438 00:27:45,880 --> 00:27:52,880 Samaria now if she's a little girl and she knew this meaning 439 00:27:52,880 --> 00:27:54,920 she knew who Elijah the prophet was. 440 00:27:54,920 --> 00:27:58,400 She knew of his whereabouts, then that tells me she was 441 00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:03,000 instructed about these things. That tells me that she was not 442 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:05,400 like those band of boys in the city of Bethel. 443 00:28:05,400 --> 00:28:07,640 You remember that when Elijah early in his ministry crossed 444 00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:11,360 and and walked through Bethel or by Bethel and this band of boys 445 00:28:11,360 --> 00:28:13,320 came and harassed them and told him go up you bald head. 446 00:28:13,320 --> 00:28:15,080 She wasn't she wasn't like those boys. 447 00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:17,840 She was part of the remnant of Israel who believed in the true 448 00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:22,560 and living God. And her parents instilled in her 449 00:28:23,200 --> 00:28:26,760 this kind of faith. They taught her well. 450 00:28:28,160 --> 00:28:31,160 And when I, when I look at this, I, I thought to myself, what an 451 00:28:31,160 --> 00:28:34,880 encouragement for parents to know that this girl, the way she 452 00:28:34,880 --> 00:28:38,600 was raised in her home, would touch the leader of a nation. 453 00:28:40,600 --> 00:28:43,760 Don't doubt for a moment that the seed that you plant in that 454 00:28:43,760 --> 00:28:48,640 child's heart has the ability not just to remain, but to shine 455 00:28:50,400 --> 00:28:52,840 and not just shine in dark and difficult places. 456 00:28:52,840 --> 00:28:59,040 Listen, what you put at an elementary phase can nurture and 457 00:28:59,040 --> 00:29:02,440 grow to be something that you never even expected as a 458 00:29:02,440 --> 00:29:05,280 guardian, as a mother, as a father, as an older sibling. 459 00:29:05,840 --> 00:29:10,440 You know how I know that this young girl's faith is beyond 460 00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:16,840 what even she was taught? We studied many of Elijah's 461 00:29:16,840 --> 00:29:19,800 miracles, did we not? Was there ever a time where 462 00:29:19,800 --> 00:29:23,080 Elisha was recorded of healing a leper before this? 463 00:29:25,320 --> 00:29:27,280 How did she know that Elisha would heal this man of his 464 00:29:27,280 --> 00:29:32,040 leprosy then? She's never witnessed God using 465 00:29:32,040 --> 00:29:33,760 a man to heal somebody of this disease. 466 00:29:35,240 --> 00:29:38,760 But she believed it. Don't you think that's amazing? 467 00:29:39,560 --> 00:29:41,080 It's because she knew the character of God. 468 00:29:41,760 --> 00:29:44,880 She knew what God could do. She heard what the things Elisha 469 00:29:44,880 --> 00:29:48,240 did in the name of this God and that translated when she saw an 470 00:29:48,240 --> 00:29:50,560 obstacle. When she saw a problem, she 471 00:29:50,560 --> 00:29:54,320 truly trusted that God can do something about it. 472 00:29:55,200 --> 00:30:00,040 Do not underestimate your investment in that younger 473 00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:02,840 person's life and that child of yours. 474 00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:07,000 This little girl shows us a remarkable thing to never 475 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:09,440 hesitate to disciple them while they're young, to trust that 476 00:30:09,440 --> 00:30:12,160 they can take it even from a young age and touch those who 477 00:30:12,160 --> 00:30:16,000 are much more advanced in life. So she said this right without 478 00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:17,920 my Lord, we're with the prophet who is in Samaria. 479 00:30:18,040 --> 00:30:19,600 He would cure him of his leprosy. 480 00:30:20,440 --> 00:30:21,800 Now what do we find? Verse 4? 481 00:30:21,800 --> 00:30:24,400 So Naman went in and told his Lord thus, and so spoke the girl 482 00:30:24,400 --> 00:30:27,000 from the land of Israel, and the king of Syria said, go. 483 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:29,600 Now I will send a letter to the king of Israel. 484 00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:33,600 So he went, taking with him 10 talents of silver, 6000 shekels 485 00:30:33,600 --> 00:30:36,080 of gold, and 10 changes of clothing. 486 00:30:36,080 --> 00:30:38,960 Here's the thing, the knowledge that this little girl had, 487 00:30:39,480 --> 00:30:44,640 unfortunately, would not be processed appropriately, nor 488 00:30:44,640 --> 00:30:47,960 would it be found possessed by those who should have owned it 489 00:30:47,960 --> 00:30:51,080 already. And here's example #1 when Naman 490 00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:53,840 heard this, went to the king, got permission, the king was 491 00:30:53,840 --> 00:30:55,360 more than willing. I mean, this is one of his top 492 00:30:55,360 --> 00:30:57,360 guys. He doesn't want to see him 493 00:30:57,360 --> 00:30:59,240 become a leper. If you're saying that there's 494 00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:02,280 somebody in Israel that can make you, well, let's get this going. 495 00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:04,400 And what did he do? He sends Naman and gives him the 496 00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:08,360 green light, but he also provides something, a massive 497 00:31:08,360 --> 00:31:09,920 gift. What kind of gift? 498 00:31:10,120 --> 00:31:14,520 10 talents of silver 6000 check. I mean this, this is coming on a 499 00:31:14,520 --> 00:31:18,160 train and 10 changes of clothing. 500 00:31:20,440 --> 00:31:22,480 What do you think? This is a gesture of respect? 501 00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:25,400 Less likely. More than anything, I believe 502 00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:27,680 that this is name and understand that he's going into enemy 503 00:31:27,680 --> 00:31:32,160 territory and he has to try to find a way to persuade whoever 504 00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:37,760 it is for him to be healed. You're talking about a foreign 505 00:31:37,760 --> 00:31:39,320 foe. Somebody was caused harm and 506 00:31:39,320 --> 00:31:42,200 harassment, and now they're coming to your front step asking 507 00:31:42,200 --> 00:31:43,560 for some help. He's got to. 508 00:31:43,960 --> 00:31:46,440 He's got to get them with something. 509 00:31:47,040 --> 00:31:49,520 So it comes with all these resources, all these rewards, 510 00:31:49,520 --> 00:31:51,440 all these treasures. But here's the thing. 511 00:31:51,440 --> 00:31:53,840 Did the little girl was very knowledgeable mention anything 512 00:31:53,840 --> 00:31:56,320 about payment to the prophet? No. 513 00:31:58,120 --> 00:31:59,400 So where do they get this idea from? 514 00:31:59,400 --> 00:32:06,480 I think it's Pagan, and here's what you and I can take from 515 00:32:06,480 --> 00:32:09,040 this. Do not be surprised if 516 00:32:09,040 --> 00:32:14,880 unbelievers cannot immediately grasp the simplicity and the 517 00:32:14,880 --> 00:32:18,840 accessibility of our faith. Don't be shocked by that. 518 00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:23,600 Don't be surprised by that name. It is a wonderful picture here, 519 00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:27,280 and there are millions of people who believe, as I am speaking to 520 00:32:27,280 --> 00:32:31,880 you tonight, that they have to come up with some elaborate, 521 00:32:32,240 --> 00:32:37,520 complex protocol to have an audience with God, or that they 522 00:32:37,520 --> 00:32:41,920 have to pay something for some kind of favor from God. 523 00:32:42,080 --> 00:32:46,240 Many people think this way, and I can't help but think of the 524 00:32:46,240 --> 00:32:49,600 words of the Apostle Paul when he stood before those Athenians, 525 00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:54,000 those philosophers, those supposed scholars and debaters. 526 00:32:54,200 --> 00:32:57,480 And he said this marvelous thing in Acts 1727. 527 00:32:57,640 --> 00:33:02,200 And speaking about God, he says, yet he is actually not far from 528 00:33:02,200 --> 00:33:07,360 each one of us. He said that in the context of 529 00:33:07,360 --> 00:33:09,480 God placing us in different parts of the world and 530 00:33:09,480 --> 00:33:11,200 determining the boundaries of our dwelling place. 531 00:33:11,200 --> 00:33:14,680 And he says, look, no matter where you're at, God has made 532 00:33:14,680 --> 00:33:20,840 himself so accessible. And he preached that to these 533 00:33:21,880 --> 00:33:23,920 learn men. And it's something that you and 534 00:33:23,920 --> 00:33:25,600 I supposed to embrace for ourselves. 535 00:33:27,600 --> 00:33:31,240 Naaman could understand it. So he comes with all of this, 536 00:33:31,960 --> 00:33:36,320 and he hopes that it will weaken any resistance on Israel's part. 537 00:33:36,720 --> 00:33:38,320 But there's another mistake that he makes. 538 00:33:39,240 --> 00:33:42,880 When the king sends a letter, he sends it to the king of Israel. 539 00:33:43,120 --> 00:33:45,800 And what does he say in the letter Says here in verse 6, 540 00:33:45,800 --> 00:33:48,160 when this letter reaches, you know that I've sent to you 541 00:33:48,160 --> 00:33:51,840 Naman, my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy. 542 00:33:52,240 --> 00:33:56,720 Wrong guy, you're saying? No, he's speaking generally. 543 00:33:56,760 --> 00:33:58,560 That's not how the king of Israel interpreted it. 544 00:33:58,760 --> 00:34:01,280 Because when he reads the letter, well, let's just read it 545 00:34:01,280 --> 00:34:02,280 for ourselves. Look at verse 7. 546 00:34:02,280 --> 00:34:05,120 And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes 547 00:34:05,120 --> 00:34:09,520 and said, Am I God to kill and to make a lie that this man 548 00:34:09,520 --> 00:34:12,280 sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? 549 00:34:13,120 --> 00:34:16,239 Only consider and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me. 550 00:34:18,639 --> 00:34:22,159 Practical lesson. We are prone of misinterpreting 551 00:34:22,159 --> 00:34:24,520 the words of people sometimes, right? 552 00:34:25,639 --> 00:34:30,520 So may we all have the wisdom and the maturity not to take 553 00:34:30,520 --> 00:34:34,239 things to heart, especially if it's not so clear. 554 00:34:35,480 --> 00:34:36,760 Let's come back to the main lesson. 555 00:34:37,880 --> 00:34:41,080 So you have this man here who is obviously overwhelmed by this 556 00:34:41,080 --> 00:34:44,440 request and he rightly affirms the sovereignty of God. 557 00:34:44,440 --> 00:34:47,719 Look what he says am IA God to kill and to make alive. 558 00:34:47,719 --> 00:34:52,480 So he acknowledges that God has power over life, the final say 559 00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:55,679 over life. He acknowledges it, but he 560 00:34:55,679 --> 00:34:59,080 doesn't apply it to the situation because he panics. 561 00:35:00,960 --> 00:35:02,800 And we have every right to hold this man accountable. 562 00:35:02,800 --> 00:35:04,880 Do you know why? Because the context suggests 563 00:35:04,880 --> 00:35:09,080 that this is King Jeho Ram. Who's king? 564 00:35:09,080 --> 00:35:11,520 Gerald Ram. He was one of the three kings 565 00:35:11,600 --> 00:35:13,840 that wandered into the wilderness as they came as a 566 00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:15,360 coalition in the fight against the Moabites. 567 00:35:16,120 --> 00:35:18,240 They got lost. Their water resources are 568 00:35:18,240 --> 00:35:20,320 running low, so they come to Elijah. 569 00:35:20,480 --> 00:35:23,400 Elijah was the conduit by which God performed a miracle and 570 00:35:23,400 --> 00:35:26,920 saved them. The king of Israel back then is 571 00:35:26,920 --> 00:35:31,160 the same king of Israel here. If there was anybody who should 572 00:35:31,160 --> 00:35:36,040 have known better, it was him. Evidently what he experienced a 573 00:35:36,040 --> 00:35:39,000 couple chapters ago did not make a lasting impression on him. 574 00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:42,080 So when there was another dilemma, what he should have 575 00:35:42,080 --> 00:35:44,200 done was I know just the guy that can help us because he's 576 00:35:44,200 --> 00:35:46,720 helped us before, but instead he doesn't. 577 00:35:47,680 --> 00:35:51,320 He gets overwhelmed, he freaks out and he thinks that he's 578 00:35:51,320 --> 00:35:54,960 about to enter into a war. And what's so amazing here is 579 00:35:54,960 --> 00:35:58,800 that this this king who we are tempted to love, to hook for his 580 00:35:58,800 --> 00:36:03,720 unbelief, when you compare his awareness to the little girls in 581 00:36:03,720 --> 00:36:07,080 verse 2 and verse three, he has no excuse. 582 00:36:08,200 --> 00:36:11,320 And how many comparisons have we made of this through our study 583 00:36:11,320 --> 00:36:13,920 of the Old Testament? That when it comes to the lowly, 584 00:36:13,920 --> 00:36:17,680 the impoverished, the unfortunate, the destitute, they 585 00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:22,400 often carry a knowledge of what matters way more than those who 586 00:36:22,400 --> 00:36:27,600 have a lot in this life. So you have this little girl who 587 00:36:27,600 --> 00:36:31,280 knows God and what he can do, and yet you have this king who 588 00:36:31,280 --> 00:36:33,440 doesn't know God and what he can do. 589 00:36:36,600 --> 00:36:38,880 Before we move on, I want to point out that this text here in 590 00:36:38,880 --> 00:36:43,280 verse 7 is the basis for us understanding the culture of 591 00:36:43,280 --> 00:36:46,280 Jesus's day. That this understanding that 592 00:36:46,280 --> 00:36:49,000 only God can restore the leper. There's no other cure. 593 00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:50,520 There's no other hope for a leper. 594 00:36:50,760 --> 00:36:55,680 That belief was carried into Jesus time where all the Jews 595 00:36:55,680 --> 00:36:58,120 understood that if you suffer from this disease you were at 596 00:36:58,120 --> 00:37:02,040 the mercy of God. No doctor can help you, no 597 00:37:02,040 --> 00:37:04,640 remedy can aid you, nothing. It has to be something from 598 00:37:04,640 --> 00:37:10,040 heaven and if that is true, then understand the implications of 599 00:37:10,040 --> 00:37:14,280 Jesus ministry when he arrives on the scene that when he went 600 00:37:14,280 --> 00:37:18,160 around, not like Elisha, Elisha is going to be used to heal this 601 00:37:18,160 --> 00:37:21,640 leper, but he sends them away for God to heal him as an act of 602 00:37:21,640 --> 00:37:23,360 faith. What does Jesus do? 603 00:37:23,560 --> 00:37:26,000 He lays his hands on the untouchable. 604 00:37:26,960 --> 00:37:29,160 So you got to imagine how the Jews would interpret that. 605 00:37:29,160 --> 00:37:32,120 And that's why I made such a ruckus in that culture because 606 00:37:32,120 --> 00:37:35,360 this Jesus, only God can heal a leper. 607 00:37:35,520 --> 00:37:41,840 And yet this Jesus lays his hand on these contagious Walking Dead 608 00:37:41,840 --> 00:37:48,360 men and women. Am I God to kill him to make 609 00:37:48,360 --> 00:37:50,160 alive of this man sends word to me. 610 00:37:52,080 --> 00:37:55,840 He just rips his clothes. It's like a very disturbing 611 00:37:55,840 --> 00:37:58,800 thing to him. Leaders would do this when there 612 00:37:58,800 --> 00:38:00,720 was something blasphemous or horrendous. 613 00:38:02,120 --> 00:38:05,080 What happens verse 8, But when Elijah, the man of God heard 614 00:38:05,080 --> 00:38:08,520 that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king 615 00:38:08,520 --> 00:38:10,400 saying, why have you torn your clothes? 616 00:38:11,080 --> 00:38:14,160 Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet 617 00:38:14,160 --> 00:38:21,160 in Israel. Verse 8 says something about the 618 00:38:21,160 --> 00:38:24,440 character of God. How? 619 00:38:26,040 --> 00:38:30,120 Because you have a man named Naman who's doing his best from 620 00:38:30,120 --> 00:38:34,240 an honest heart to get in touch with this God, the true God. 621 00:38:35,200 --> 00:38:37,520 He fumbles in the beginning before he even makes way to 622 00:38:37,520 --> 00:38:40,960 Israel, right? He thinks that this God is maybe 623 00:38:40,960 --> 00:38:44,920 like all these other gods that needs great sacrifice, great 624 00:38:45,080 --> 00:38:46,960 donations, whatever the case may be. 625 00:38:48,240 --> 00:38:51,800 And then he goes to the king. He has very limited information, 626 00:38:51,920 --> 00:38:55,320 I guess. And then now you have this king 627 00:38:55,600 --> 00:38:58,760 who stumbles himself by not being able to direct name into 628 00:38:58,760 --> 00:39:02,240 the right source. And this could have easily 629 00:39:02,240 --> 00:39:04,360 failed. But what does God do? 630 00:39:05,040 --> 00:39:11,440 God meets Naaman on his journey. God sees Naaman's heart and he's 631 00:39:11,440 --> 00:39:16,560 willing to meet him halfway. How does he do that? 632 00:39:17,320 --> 00:39:22,040 Somehow word gets to Elijah and Elijah sets up an appointment 633 00:39:22,040 --> 00:39:24,320 with Naaman. And I'd like to think that 634 00:39:24,320 --> 00:39:27,000 that's how God is today with those who are searching for the 635 00:39:27,000 --> 00:39:30,520 truth and maybe don't know what to work with, where to begin. 636 00:39:30,760 --> 00:39:32,520 They just have limited understanding. 637 00:39:32,680 --> 00:39:34,960 And as they make those steps, and though they may trip, and 638 00:39:34,960 --> 00:39:39,000 though they may be misguided for a season, God meets that person. 639 00:39:40,680 --> 00:39:45,120 He guides that person until that person realizes the truth for 640 00:39:45,120 --> 00:39:47,200 what it is and then makes a decision if that's something 641 00:39:47,200 --> 00:39:48,440 that they want to give themselves to. 642 00:39:48,440 --> 00:39:52,760 And notice even Elisha's response to the king as a rebuke 643 00:39:52,760 --> 00:39:56,360 to the king, because the king should have known, right? 644 00:39:56,360 --> 00:39:58,600 Look what he says again. Why have you torn your clothes? 645 00:39:58,600 --> 00:40:00,520 It was a gentle rebuke. You didn't need to do that. 646 00:40:02,520 --> 00:40:05,480 And notice what else he says. Bring him to me so that he will 647 00:40:05,480 --> 00:40:07,000 know that there is a prophet in Israel. 648 00:40:08,920 --> 00:40:13,160 In other words, hey, if remember King Jerome was a Pagan, he was 649 00:40:13,160 --> 00:40:16,400 an idolater. He acknowledged Yahweh in some 650 00:40:16,400 --> 00:40:18,680 ways, but he he loved false gods. 651 00:40:19,160 --> 00:40:20,680 So here's what Elijah is essentially saying. 652 00:40:20,760 --> 00:40:25,320 Where are your other prophets? Why are you in such panic? 653 00:40:25,440 --> 00:40:29,720 Can't you have any of your supposed mediators come to your 654 00:40:29,720 --> 00:40:32,000 help? Evidently not. 655 00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:34,480 So bring them to me, because I represent the true God. 656 00:40:36,880 --> 00:40:38,520 So the appointment is set. Look at verse 9. 657 00:40:38,520 --> 00:40:41,560 So Naman came with his horses and Chariots and stood at the 658 00:40:41,560 --> 00:40:44,640 door of Elijah's house. That was no quiet visitation. 659 00:40:45,440 --> 00:40:48,520 That was a scene. That was a procession. 660 00:40:48,760 --> 00:40:51,080 There was noise. People looked out the window. 661 00:40:51,080 --> 00:40:53,320 People opened the front door, people wondering what's this all 662 00:40:53,320 --> 00:40:57,520 about? And so Naman comes to Elijah's 663 00:40:57,720 --> 00:41:01,880 humble home and you would expect that Elijah would open the door 664 00:41:01,880 --> 00:41:06,920 with a smile and with a little excitement. 665 00:41:08,360 --> 00:41:12,120 I'm going to meet one of the top generals of the Syrian Army. 666 00:41:12,840 --> 00:41:14,240 Instead, look what he does in verse 10. 667 00:41:14,280 --> 00:41:17,640 And Elijah sent a messenger to him saying go on washing the 668 00:41:17,640 --> 00:41:20,880 Jordan 7 times and your flesh shall be restored and you shall 669 00:41:20,880 --> 00:41:23,960 be clean. Talk about anticlimactic. 670 00:41:27,400 --> 00:41:34,200 So a servant is sent out. How do you think Neyman took 671 00:41:34,200 --> 00:41:38,200 this? You might think, Elijah, this is 672 00:41:38,200 --> 00:41:40,040 a little bit rude. This is a little unnecessary. 673 00:41:40,040 --> 00:41:42,280 This man already made such a great way to come to you. 674 00:41:42,280 --> 00:41:44,160 He didn't ask for you to come to him. 675 00:41:44,760 --> 00:41:49,240 He he came many miles and who knows the journey, what it 676 00:41:49,240 --> 00:41:51,720 entailed, But here he is. He came to your front step and 677 00:41:51,720 --> 00:41:54,800 you you didn't step out to acknowledge him. 678 00:41:56,840 --> 00:41:59,160 Is Elijah being inconsiderate? No, actually I believe he's 679 00:41:59,160 --> 00:42:04,480 being very kind because Elijah as a man of God perceives 680 00:42:04,480 --> 00:42:09,280 something. He perceives that Naaman needs 681 00:42:09,280 --> 00:42:14,680 correction with something else apart from his leprosy saying 682 00:42:14,680 --> 00:42:16,400 what is that? His pride? 683 00:42:21,280 --> 00:42:26,040 Naaman did humble himself to some extent, but not enough, and 684 00:42:26,040 --> 00:42:33,160 Elijah is going to help him be healed in that area by refusing 685 00:42:33,160 --> 00:42:36,640 to meet this man face to face. The man of God is teaching this 686 00:42:37,120 --> 00:42:40,520 mighty man of valor something about the character and the 687 00:42:40,520 --> 00:42:43,040 nature of God that he's not interested in how much you can 688 00:42:43,040 --> 00:42:48,040 give him, nor is he impressed by your entourage, nor is he moved 689 00:42:48,040 --> 00:42:50,560 by your accolades. Do you know what the Lord is 690 00:42:50,560 --> 00:42:56,000 after Naaman? Humble yourself, come in 691 00:42:56,000 --> 00:43:00,600 humility, come in loneliness, come in brokenness. 692 00:43:02,720 --> 00:43:07,240 Don't come expecting and and demanding and thinking. 693 00:43:07,240 --> 00:43:11,160 That has to be a certain way. And my mind went to that famous 694 00:43:11,160 --> 00:43:16,600 verse in Micah 6-8 where the prophet there says he has told 695 00:43:16,600 --> 00:43:21,120 you, oh man, what is good? What does he tell man? 696 00:43:21,760 --> 00:43:25,280 What does the Lord require of you to do justice, to love, 697 00:43:25,280 --> 00:43:26,560 kindness, And here's the last part. 698 00:43:26,560 --> 00:43:28,240 And to walk humbly with your God. 699 00:43:30,400 --> 00:43:33,160 And one of the ways in which you humble yourself before God and 700 00:43:33,160 --> 00:43:37,320 walk humbly with your God is that when His Word is made known 701 00:43:37,320 --> 00:43:41,640 to you, you align yourself to it, no matter how much it 702 00:43:41,640 --> 00:43:44,440 challenges your preconceived notions or your desires. 703 00:43:45,360 --> 00:43:47,760 That that's what humbleness looks like. 704 00:43:47,960 --> 00:43:50,200 Here's what God's Word asks of me. 705 00:43:50,640 --> 00:43:56,600 And no matter how much it might challenge my flesh, my 706 00:43:56,600 --> 00:44:00,800 understandings, I am willing to comply with it because that's 707 00:44:00,800 --> 00:44:05,040 what God is after, and that's what Neyman is going to have to 708 00:44:05,040 --> 00:44:07,840 learn, which is something he refuses to do at first. 709 00:44:08,320 --> 00:44:11,960 God's word is made known to him, and he resists it with anger. 710 00:44:12,280 --> 00:44:17,720 It actually irks him. By the way, I have to pause here 711 00:44:17,720 --> 00:44:22,080 and say I admire Elijah so much because he is yet another at 712 00:44:22,080 --> 00:44:26,880 this moment model for ministers. So if anybody here aspires to be 713 00:44:26,880 --> 00:44:29,640 in ministry in any capacity, especially as a leader, know 714 00:44:29,640 --> 00:44:31,800 this. What I love about Elijah is that 715 00:44:31,800 --> 00:44:38,840 his message was not changed nor was he swayed by this pomp 716 00:44:38,840 --> 00:44:45,200 political figure. He wasn't influenced by a 717 00:44:45,200 --> 00:44:49,000 potential monetary reward. He gave Naaman what Naaman 718 00:44:49,000 --> 00:44:53,360 needed. So imagine being a minister, 719 00:44:53,360 --> 00:44:56,280 maybe even in this context, and a famous person walks in. 720 00:44:56,640 --> 00:44:59,680 You know what the temptation might be of some people who are 721 00:44:59,680 --> 00:45:03,320 called to preach the truth, to alter it, to try to win that 722 00:45:03,320 --> 00:45:05,640 person in a clever but fleshy way. 723 00:45:06,640 --> 00:45:09,240 Elijah was not such a man. It didn't matter who stood 724 00:45:09,240 --> 00:45:11,120 before him, didn't matter who visited him. 725 00:45:11,360 --> 00:45:13,240 He gave it the way God told him to give it. 726 00:45:14,000 --> 00:45:15,800 Why? Because Elijah loved God and he 727 00:45:15,800 --> 00:45:21,000 loved Naman too much to compromise in any way he wanted 728 00:45:21,000 --> 00:45:24,200 to and he needed to. It was his duty to give this man 729 00:45:24,200 --> 00:45:26,400 exactly what God wanted to give him. 730 00:45:26,520 --> 00:45:29,440 And it should be no different for you and I, no matter who 731 00:45:29,440 --> 00:45:31,800 crossed your paths. They are all equal. 732 00:45:32,000 --> 00:45:34,120 They are all in need of the same gospel. 733 00:45:36,160 --> 00:45:39,080 And so Elijah doesn't budget. I love that. 734 00:45:40,840 --> 00:45:45,320 And nor does he respond and react when Naaman becomes angry 735 00:45:45,320 --> 00:45:49,680 at this initial message, right? It's not like Elisha was at the 736 00:45:49,680 --> 00:45:51,880 window and he said, OK, I want you to go and tell him that he 737 00:45:51,880 --> 00:45:53,840 has to go to the Jordan and dip himself 7 times. 738 00:45:54,160 --> 00:45:56,640 And then when he tells him he sees Naaman's face get red and 739 00:45:56,640 --> 00:45:58,040 he's ready to pack and go back to Syria. 740 00:45:58,080 --> 00:46:00,200 You don't see Elisha kicking the door open saying, oh, I'm sorry, 741 00:46:00,200 --> 00:46:02,800 I didn't mean to do that. Misinterpretation, my messenger, 742 00:46:02,800 --> 00:46:05,080 sometimes he doesn't get it. So let me just he doesn't do any 743 00:46:05,080 --> 00:46:08,080 of that. Like this is what God said. 744 00:46:08,160 --> 00:46:10,360 I'm saying it in boldness, yes, but in love. 745 00:46:10,640 --> 00:46:15,760 Accept it, take it or leave it. And so what's Naaman going to 746 00:46:15,760 --> 00:46:21,120 do? Verse 11 But Naaman was angry. 747 00:46:21,200 --> 00:46:28,320 Why, why, why are you angry? You would think you would be 748 00:46:28,440 --> 00:46:31,640 thrilled because you now have been given a divine prescription 749 00:46:31,640 --> 00:46:35,720 for your leprosy. Do you know why he was angry? 750 00:46:36,760 --> 00:46:39,680 Because at this moment here, what troubled him even more than 751 00:46:39,680 --> 00:46:42,400 his burning leprosy was that his pride was hurt. 752 00:46:44,280 --> 00:46:46,760 Look what it says here. But Naima was angry and went 753 00:46:46,760 --> 00:46:51,200 away saying, behold, I thought that he would surely come out to 754 00:46:51,200 --> 00:46:55,240 me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God and 755 00:46:55,240 --> 00:46:57,440 wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. 756 00:46:57,440 --> 00:47:01,240 I thought I had a certain notion, concept of how this was 757 00:47:01,240 --> 00:47:03,880 going to go down, that this was going to be a process that was 758 00:47:03,880 --> 00:47:06,960 honorable to me, that would be even showy. 759 00:47:06,960 --> 00:47:08,720 It would be public. It would be. 760 00:47:10,000 --> 00:47:11,320 And it didn't happen the way I thought. 761 00:47:14,040 --> 00:47:20,360 And so he became angry. He believes he deserves some 762 00:47:20,360 --> 00:47:25,760 dramatic manifestation, and if not that, then at least to be 763 00:47:25,760 --> 00:47:28,160 sent to a more dignified body of water. 764 00:47:28,960 --> 00:47:33,080 That's what he says in verse 12. Are not Abana and far par the 765 00:47:33,080 --> 00:47:35,920 rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel? 766 00:47:36,840 --> 00:47:41,000 Here's Naman who compares the rivers and the waters of 767 00:47:41,000 --> 00:47:44,560 Damascus to that of Israel, and he goes, what we have back home 768 00:47:44,560 --> 00:47:47,160 was way better than this. But you know what came to mind? 769 00:47:47,160 --> 00:47:49,080 A verse from Ezekiel. And you don't have to turn 770 00:47:49,080 --> 00:47:50,280 there, but I want to just mention it to you. 771 00:47:50,280 --> 00:47:54,160 In Ezekiel 20, verse 6, when the Lord speaks about the land of 772 00:47:54,160 --> 00:47:58,600 Israel, He says that it is most glorious of all lands. 773 00:48:03,400 --> 00:48:08,520 Many people do not see what God sees as beautiful being 774 00:48:08,520 --> 00:48:13,120 beautiful. Many people do not interpret 775 00:48:13,400 --> 00:48:16,720 what is good, what God deems to be good. 776 00:48:17,560 --> 00:48:23,800 The natural man cannot accept the things of the Spirit, so God 777 00:48:23,800 --> 00:48:26,000 says this is a glorious thing. Naaman says I think there's 778 00:48:26,000 --> 00:48:29,960 something better and he would not accept these instructions. 779 00:48:29,960 --> 00:48:33,160 And Naaman's reactions to Elisha's instructions is no 780 00:48:33,160 --> 00:48:36,360 different than the attitude many have when they learn what God 781 00:48:36,360 --> 00:48:39,840 requires of them to be saved. Isn't that true? 782 00:48:41,680 --> 00:48:46,880 What does the prophet tell him? Go to the Jordan, dip yourself 7 783 00:48:46,880 --> 00:48:49,120 times and you'll be healed. What does the Bible say? 784 00:48:49,480 --> 00:48:52,240 Go to the cross, repent and believe in you shall be saved. 785 00:48:55,000 --> 00:49:02,040 And how do some people react? The cross, a crucified savior. 786 00:49:04,120 --> 00:49:10,160 Put my trust in that. There's got to be something that 787 00:49:10,160 --> 00:49:12,880 demands more of me. There's got to be something more 788 00:49:12,880 --> 00:49:15,640 logical, There's got to be something more attractive, 789 00:49:15,640 --> 00:49:21,840 there's got to be something more respectable than believing this 790 00:49:21,840 --> 00:49:24,880 message as the basis of my righteousness. 791 00:49:26,880 --> 00:49:32,560 And Galatians says that the gospel is offensive in that 792 00:49:32,560 --> 00:49:35,520 regard. Paul says in Galatians 5, If I 793 00:49:35,520 --> 00:49:38,280 preach circumcision, then why am I being persecuted? 794 00:49:38,520 --> 00:49:40,800 And the offense of the gospel is gone, The stumbling block, the 795 00:49:40,800 --> 00:49:42,880 gospel is gone. What does he mean by that? 796 00:49:44,680 --> 00:49:47,520 That when you preach the sufficiency of the cross, people 797 00:49:47,520 --> 00:49:51,360 will see it as foolish, especially those who who want to 798 00:49:51,360 --> 00:49:55,160 attain their own righteousness, especially those who are 799 00:49:55,160 --> 00:50:00,520 religious, They, they think it can't be that, that can't be 800 00:50:00,520 --> 00:50:05,320 what God is asking of me. That's the offense of it, among 801 00:50:05,320 --> 00:50:07,520 other things. And I'm reminded of the Paul's 802 00:50:07,520 --> 00:50:13,440 words when he was describing the unfortunate belief of his Jewish 803 00:50:13,440 --> 00:50:14,920 brethren when they denied Christ. 804 00:50:14,920 --> 00:50:17,160 Listen to these words in Romans 10/3. 805 00:50:17,160 --> 00:50:19,840 It's so powerful, he says, for being ignorant of the 806 00:50:19,840 --> 00:50:24,680 righteousness of God and seeking to establish their own. 807 00:50:25,920 --> 00:50:29,600 They did not submit to God's righteousness. 808 00:50:31,840 --> 00:50:36,080 That's what it boils down to. Why did the majority of Jews not 809 00:50:36,080 --> 00:50:40,680 receive God's righteousness that that provided righteousness? 810 00:50:40,680 --> 00:50:48,120 Because they could not accept the notion that God provided an 811 00:50:48,160 --> 00:50:50,920 alien righteousness, meaning outside of themselves being 812 00:50:50,920 --> 00:50:54,520 imputed unto them as the basis of their salvation. 813 00:50:54,520 --> 00:50:56,680 They couldn't. That's what Paul saying. 814 00:50:56,680 --> 00:50:58,240 They could not surrender to that. 815 00:50:58,240 --> 00:51:00,280 They could not give themselves over to that. 816 00:51:01,960 --> 00:51:05,760 They could not find it within themselves to rest in belief and 817 00:51:05,800 --> 00:51:08,160 belief alone. That's what he says in verse 4. 818 00:51:11,280 --> 00:51:12,960 And that's modeled here by Naman. 819 00:51:13,000 --> 00:51:17,560 God's word goes out and he goes dip myself in the Jordan 7 820 00:51:17,560 --> 00:51:22,120 times. Seriously, seriously. 821 00:51:23,880 --> 00:51:29,720 And So what happens? He's filled with wrath, but his 822 00:51:29,720 --> 00:51:33,600 servants in verse 13 came near and said to him, my father, it 823 00:51:33,600 --> 00:51:35,400 is a great word. The prophet has spoken to you. 824 00:51:35,400 --> 00:51:38,480 Will you not do it? Has he actually said to you wash 825 00:51:38,480 --> 00:51:42,080 and be clean? Another translation says if he 826 00:51:42,080 --> 00:51:44,320 spoke to you a great word, would you not have done it? 827 00:51:45,480 --> 00:51:48,280 If he told you to jump through all these hoops or to pay a 828 00:51:48,280 --> 00:51:51,400 great price, would you not be more compelled to that? 829 00:51:51,400 --> 00:51:53,360 But he, he just simply told you to do this. 830 00:51:53,600 --> 00:51:55,640 And what's so amazing is this story began with a little 831 00:51:55,640 --> 00:51:58,400 servant girl that that really put all of this into motion. 832 00:51:58,600 --> 00:52:01,080 And the story is now coming to a near end. 833 00:52:01,080 --> 00:52:04,720 And who who's coming to the rescue once more his servants. 834 00:52:08,560 --> 00:52:11,200 And so this man was ready to go back to Syria, but there is 835 00:52:11,200 --> 00:52:14,800 people in his life who love them enough to correct them when he 836 00:52:14,800 --> 00:52:16,640 needed correction. And they did it respectfully. 837 00:52:16,640 --> 00:52:22,240 Notice they said, my father, my father, please do something. 838 00:52:23,320 --> 00:52:28,320 Please pray fully, ask the Lord and be vigilant for people in 839 00:52:28,320 --> 00:52:33,240 your life who love you enough to redirect you when you're headed 840 00:52:33,240 --> 00:52:37,120 in the wrong direction, and seek to be the person who loves 841 00:52:37,120 --> 00:52:40,200 people enough who will do the same for others. 842 00:52:41,520 --> 00:52:47,520 These servants, again nameless, but played a huge pivotal role 843 00:52:47,520 --> 00:52:52,160 in this man's story and he takes it to heart. 844 00:52:53,640 --> 00:52:55,960 Notice what happens in verse 14 in our last verse of the study. 845 00:52:55,960 --> 00:52:58,800 So he went down and dipped himself 7 times in the Jordan 846 00:52:59,400 --> 00:53:03,120 according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was 847 00:53:03,120 --> 00:53:06,680 restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. 848 00:53:07,400 --> 00:53:11,480 I wonder what that looked like. I wonder if naming was just 849 00:53:11,480 --> 00:53:15,520 quiet the whole time. I wonder if part of his 850 00:53:15,520 --> 00:53:21,520 hesitation was that he had to remove his clothing and expose 851 00:53:21,520 --> 00:53:28,400 his skin condition and he gets into that water, he dissed 852 00:53:28,400 --> 00:53:35,320 himself once, does it again one more time until he does it. 853 00:53:35,320 --> 00:53:37,040 The amount of times Elijah told him to do it. 854 00:53:38,600 --> 00:53:41,800 Why 7? I mean, the simple answer is 855 00:53:41,800 --> 00:53:45,720 that 7 is a consistent number of the Bible that depicts divine 856 00:53:45,760 --> 00:53:48,360 perfection, but I think it's deeper than that. 857 00:53:50,680 --> 00:53:53,320 And again, it's only when you're familiar with a book called 858 00:53:53,320 --> 00:53:58,800 Leviticus where there is an entire chapter that describes 859 00:54:00,280 --> 00:54:06,880 the cleaning rituals and the process of renewing somebody who 860 00:54:06,880 --> 00:54:09,240 suffered from leprosy but was deemed clean. 861 00:54:10,320 --> 00:54:13,280 So let's turn there as our final text in Leviticus 14 and notice 862 00:54:13,280 --> 00:54:17,720 something that correlates with what we see here in Second Kings 863 00:54:17,720 --> 00:54:20,720 chapter 5. You're going to notice that 864 00:54:20,720 --> 00:54:24,120 there are many rituals that deal with the leper that are tied to 865 00:54:24,120 --> 00:54:28,360 the #7 Leviticus 14, beginning in verse 6. 866 00:54:28,360 --> 00:54:30,520 Let's just look at a few examples in this chapter. 867 00:54:35,480 --> 00:54:36,800 Leviticus 14. Six. 868 00:54:36,800 --> 00:54:39,680 He shall take the live bird with the cedar wood and the scarlet 869 00:54:39,680 --> 00:54:42,520 yarn and the hyssop, and dip them, and the live bird in the 870 00:54:42,520 --> 00:54:45,040 blood of the bird that was killed over fresh water. 871 00:54:45,800 --> 00:54:50,240 And he shall sprinkle it 7 times on him who is to be cleansed of 872 00:54:50,240 --> 00:54:52,960 the leprous disease. And he shall pronounce him 873 00:54:52,960 --> 00:54:56,320 clean, and shall let the living bird go go into the open field. 874 00:54:56,920 --> 00:54:59,800 Verse 8 of Leviticus 14. And he who is to be cleansed 875 00:54:59,800 --> 00:55:02,560 shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and 876 00:55:02,560 --> 00:55:05,160 bathe himself in water, and he shall be clean. 877 00:55:05,560 --> 00:55:07,400 And after that he may come into a camp. 878 00:55:07,840 --> 00:55:11,880 Into the camp, but live outside his tent seven days. 879 00:55:12,760 --> 00:55:17,080 Leviticus 1415 The priest shall take some of the log of oil and 880 00:55:17,080 --> 00:55:20,320 poured into the palm of his own left hand, and dip his right 881 00:55:20,320 --> 00:55:23,480 finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and sprinkle some oil 882 00:55:23,480 --> 00:55:26,960 with his finger 7 times before the Lord. 883 00:55:27,800 --> 00:55:31,400 So we see it over and over again. 7 * 7 * 7 What's the 884 00:55:31,400 --> 00:55:32,360 point? What's the connection? 885 00:55:32,440 --> 00:55:36,800 Elisha's instructions for naman were based and rooted in God's 886 00:55:36,800 --> 00:55:42,320 Word. And so he obeyed God's Word. 887 00:55:44,360 --> 00:55:47,840 And what's the result? And his flesh was restored. 888 00:55:47,840 --> 00:55:50,480 He could have just had his flesh was restored, but it says his 889 00:55:50,480 --> 00:55:55,880 flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child. 890 00:55:57,440 --> 00:55:59,480 Have you ever seen the skin of a of a baby? 891 00:56:02,160 --> 00:56:05,480 Elisha walked out of that water brand new. 892 00:56:06,560 --> 00:56:13,400 Similarly, when you're cleanse of spiritual leprosy, as you 893 00:56:13,400 --> 00:56:17,360 respond to God's Word and you humble yourself to receive 894 00:56:17,840 --> 00:56:22,520 something outside of yourself to renew you, what happens? 895 00:56:23,600 --> 00:56:27,560 You're a new creation. You're what John 3 says, born 896 00:56:27,560 --> 00:56:32,000 again. You're tangibly transformed. 897 00:56:33,920 --> 00:56:35,960 And so we even see a gospel picture here. 898 00:56:36,920 --> 00:56:39,440 And Speaking of gospel, let's come back to how we started. 899 00:56:40,560 --> 00:56:43,800 Jesus uses out of all the miracles, this one to 900 00:56:43,800 --> 00:56:47,280 communicate something so vital for the Jews of his own day. 901 00:56:48,280 --> 00:56:50,440 At the beginnings of his ministry, he taught in the 902 00:56:50,440 --> 00:56:52,120 synagogue in his hometown, Nazareth. 903 00:56:52,720 --> 00:56:56,120 The people heard him gladly, but very quickly became sour and 904 00:56:56,120 --> 00:56:58,800 began to criticize his origins and doubt the claims that he 905 00:56:58,800 --> 00:57:00,760 made himself about himself being Messiah. 906 00:57:01,760 --> 00:57:04,600 And so Jesus gives these different illustrations and 907 00:57:04,600 --> 00:57:07,120 references, and one of them being what you heard in Luke. 908 00:57:07,720 --> 00:57:11,520 What did he say early on? He told them, he told this 909 00:57:11,520 --> 00:57:15,960 people that there are many lepers in the days of Elijah in 910 00:57:15,960 --> 00:57:18,880 Israel, but there was only one who was healed. 911 00:57:18,880 --> 00:57:21,800 And the one who was healed was name in the Syrian. 912 00:57:23,360 --> 00:57:27,040 That was in Luke 427 and 28. But why did they respond? 913 00:57:27,040 --> 00:57:31,720 Why did they elicit such wrath? Here's how you understand it. 914 00:57:35,120 --> 00:57:38,480 There are many people who are suffering, but God chose the 915 00:57:39,240 --> 00:57:44,000 grant mercy to an outsider. And it wasn't just that. 916 00:57:44,920 --> 00:57:49,440 It was the fact that this outsider heard God's word and 917 00:57:49,440 --> 00:57:51,440 received it that led to his healing. 918 00:57:52,120 --> 00:57:54,920 And here now you have Jesus confronted by the unbelief of 919 00:57:54,920 --> 00:57:59,240 his own people, and they refused to humble themselves by 920 00:57:59,240 --> 00:58:01,160 receiving His word and applying it. 921 00:58:01,440 --> 00:58:02,720 And So what is the Lord alluding to? 922 00:58:02,720 --> 00:58:04,880 What is he trying to communicate by mentioning Naaman? 923 00:58:05,720 --> 00:58:08,240 If you will continue and persist in your unbelief towards what I 924 00:58:08,240 --> 00:58:13,560 have to say, Like God under the old covenant, Messiah will 925 00:58:13,560 --> 00:58:18,200 consider the Gentile and He will be willing to save and rescue 926 00:58:18,200 --> 00:58:21,480 and redeem them. He's the same God. 927 00:58:22,800 --> 00:58:25,360 And that caused them to explode. Why? 928 00:58:25,360 --> 00:58:27,360 Because they put so much confidence in their 929 00:58:27,360 --> 00:58:31,360 nationalistic identity, in their heritage of the sentence of 930 00:58:31,360 --> 00:58:34,960 Abraham. And here's the Lord Jesus saying 931 00:58:35,240 --> 00:58:41,960 you missed the story that even when Israel had a monarchy, God 932 00:58:41,960 --> 00:58:45,280 was still willing to reach out to the Gentile due to your 933 00:58:45,280 --> 00:58:47,800 unbelief. And I'm here to tell you that 934 00:58:47,800 --> 00:58:51,480 I'm willing to do the same. And we we read there in verse 20 935 00:58:51,480 --> 00:58:55,000 that what they became angry like who became angry when they heard 936 00:58:55,000 --> 00:59:01,680 God's word initially Naaman. But what's the difference? 937 00:59:02,280 --> 00:59:04,920 Naaman's unbelief was short lived. 938 00:59:05,280 --> 00:59:09,440 The Jews of Jesus day carry their anger until they killed 939 00:59:09,440 --> 00:59:16,940 him. The gospel message in Naaman's 940 00:59:16,940 --> 00:59:18,900 story is this. He doesn't consider your 941 00:59:18,900 --> 00:59:20,780 ethnicity. He doesn't consider what you 942 00:59:20,780 --> 00:59:23,380 possess. He doesn't consider who you are 943 00:59:23,380 --> 00:59:25,220 or who knows your or your achievements. 944 00:59:25,620 --> 00:59:28,580 The one thing he looks for is humility. 945 00:59:29,860 --> 00:59:33,640 The one thing that attracts and magnetize God to sinners is when 946 00:59:33,640 --> 00:59:36,800 they realize that they need His saving. 947 00:59:38,760 --> 00:59:42,000 I wonder if anybody at this Bible study tonight has not yet 948 00:59:42,000 --> 00:59:45,640 made that decision. I pray today that you'd be moved 949 00:59:45,640 --> 00:59:47,560 by this story and apply it to your own life. 950 00:59:47,880 --> 00:59:51,960 God is waiting to restore you and heal you, and you come empty 951 00:59:51,960 --> 00:59:54,960 handed. And He'll do it. 952 00:59:55,560 --> 00:59:57,280 He's faithful to do it. Let's pray. 953 01:00:09,080 --> 01:00:12,560 Thank you for the story, Lord. Thank you for your word. 954 01:00:14,680 --> 01:00:17,040 Thank you that in one story you can teach us something about the 955 01:00:17,040 --> 01:00:18,640 cross. You can teach us about your 956 01:00:18,640 --> 01:00:20,600 guidance. You can teach us about practical 957 01:00:20,600 --> 01:00:23,480 wisdom. Your word is infinite and is 958 01:00:23,480 --> 01:00:28,040 provision. We pray, Lord, that these things 959 01:00:28,040 --> 01:00:29,360 would make an impact on our lives. 960 01:00:29,360 --> 01:00:32,280 We would not be like King Joram where we are moved by something 961 01:00:32,280 --> 01:00:35,920 at one point and then that evaporates at another crucial 962 01:00:35,920 --> 01:00:39,400 time in our lives. May these things be deeply, 963 01:00:39,440 --> 01:00:44,960 deeply embedded so that they will show up when we need it the 964 01:00:44,960 --> 01:00:47,760 most. Lord, as we sing and worship to 965 01:00:47,760 --> 01:00:50,840 you, we pray that you'd be glorified in our response to 966 01:00:50,840 --> 01:00:53,800 your glorious truth. In Jesus name we pray. 967 01:00:54,120 --> 01:00:57,200 Amen. Praise team, can you help us end 968 01:00:57,200 --> 01:01:02,560 this night with a song on our lips and joy in our hearts?