2 Kings 5:1-191Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honorable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valor, but he was a leper. 2And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife. 3And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy. 4And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel. 5And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. 6And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy. 7And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me. 8And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. 9So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. 10And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. 11But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. 12Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. 13And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? 14Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. 15And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant. 16But he said, As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused. 17And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules' burden of earth? for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the Lord. 18In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing. 19And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way. (2 Kings 5:1‑19). 2KI 5:1-191Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honorable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valor, but he was a leper. 2And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife. 3And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy. 4And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel. 5And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. 6And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy. 7And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me. 8And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. 9So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. 10And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. 11But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. 12Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. 13And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? 14Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. 15And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant. 16But he said, As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused. 17And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules' burden of earth? for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the Lord. 18In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing. 19And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way. (2 Kings 5:1‑19)
IN many places in the Old Testament Scriptures we find very striking illustrations of the gospel, the narrative of Naaman being one amongst the rest. Let us see in what way this record shows the principle of the gospel.
In the first place we read that “Naaman was a great man with his master, and honorable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria; he was also a mighty man in valor, but he was a leper.”
Leprosy is one of the nearest types of sin you can get, because it was as to all human efforts incurable; it was also contagious and contaminating. Seldom, very seldom, when once contracted, was it got rid of during the lifetime. Sin is as to all human efforts incurable.
You see Naaman was a great man, an honourable man, and a mighty man; but neither his greatness, honor, nor power got rid of his leprosy for him.
Neither will any one of these three things, nor yet all three put together, get rid of a single sin-stain.
It is well to be large-minded and large-hearted, to be strictly honorable, and possessed of power; but these things will not cleanse from sin. Some are trying morality as a cure for sin; but nowhere in God's word do we read that morality will save a single soul.
This is a vain attempt, then.
Sin is contagious, too. We cannot commit sin without both injuring ourselves and others.
“For none of us liveth to himself" is a principle which holds good in this also.
It is contaminating.. Wherever iniquity abounds the effect is bad. Sin is loathsome.
If it is so to us, how much more to God, who cannot look upon iniquity!
We see, from the first verse of this chapter, that Naaman is a type of a sinner in his sins, without the known means of being cured.
Now comes the intervention of God in His providence.
Wondrous are the ways of God! He has not only provided a means for a perfect Cure to be obtained, but makes that way known.
He has shown clearly in the New Testament Scriptures that the only effectual way of getting cured of the plague of sin is through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
God often takes up the weakest instruments for the accomplishment of His designs. Here it came through a little maid. A little maid is to be the channel of untold blessing to that great man Naaman.
Here is encouragement for the humblest of God's servants. He condescends to work by means, but by means of His own choosing.
This little captive maid, a slave in her master's house, perhaps the most despised under that roof, is used of God for the purpose of making known the means of remedy for her master's disease.
She waited on Naaman's wife. No doubt she had often heard her mistress heave a sigh, and mourn that her husband had so fearful a disease, and wished she knew of a cure. The little maid approaches her mistress, and says, “Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.”
She does not doubt her message. She has faith in God, hence faith in God's cure. God always honors faith. Unbelief dishonors Him.
The news gets to Naaman. It is wondrous news, too. So is the gospel wondrous news.
Naaman tells the king. Just like poor, foolish man. He looks to the head of the realm; if anything is to be done, it must surely be through such a channel. Naaman has been awakened to the fact that a cure was to be had, and at once goes to the wrong place. So the poor sinner who wakes up to the fact that he is a sinner often goes to the wrong place, too. He turns to creature assistance. Such will find it of no avail, as did Naaman.
What did the king say? “Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel.”
Large gifts were also prepared to take to the king of Israel. “And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now, when this letter is come unto thee, behold I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.”
This is just like man again, he wants to purchase salvation. But this will not do.
Salvation is the gift of God. This is what man is so slow to learn.
“Nothing either great or small,
Nothing, sinner, no;
Jesus did it, did it all,
Long, long ago.
‘It is finished!’ Yes, indeed,
Finished every jot;
Sinner, this is all you need;
Tell me, is it not?”
The king of Israel, upon reading the letter, rent his clothes, saying, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man Both send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy?”
This showed the desperateness of the case.
In order to effect such a cure he would have to perform a miracle. The king of Israel was honest in this; he knew he could not do it.
The man who pretends to absolve from guilt is not honest, be he priest or king. None can forgive sins, "but God only." He has provided the way through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Elisha the prophet now appears upon the scene. He hears that the king of Israel has rent his clothes, so he sends word to him, saying, “Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.”
Just as Namaan would be ready to turn back towards home this message arrives. How welcome! “So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.”
He had come now to the right place, but in the wrong way. He came with pride.
Elisha sends a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.”
“But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.”
The remedy the prophet gave was far too simple; and another thing, if he was to be cured by washing in a river, Jordan was much too insignificant.
This justly pictures proud, depraved human nature. Says man, “Salvation simply by trusting in Christ! I won't have it; it is not reasonable.”
Exactly so. You, dear reader, will not get near the truth at all by your reasoning. Reasoning is the opposite to faith.
“Behold, I thought." You see Naaman has a thought of his own. Man's thoughts and God's thoughts are very different from each other. God has said, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways.”
The consequence is, he, not being prepared to obey the word of the prophet, starts to go back, as far as ever from being cured.
Man's thought is almost invariably to purchase salvation in some shape or form. He is not prepared to receive the greatest blessing he could possibly have on God's terms, which are these: “Without money, and without price." It comes to this, Is eternal life to be obtained upon the principle of bartering, or upon the principle of grace? Thank God, it is grace, free grace. Is this wonderful? No.
Look around at nature. The greatest blessings we have are given freely. The light and heat from yonder sun are free; the air we breathe is free, and, blessed be His name, eternal life is free too. How strange it is that people talk about their own thoughts on this point when God has spoken, and that plainly!
Listen to His voice through the prophet Isaiah.
“Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.”
What could be more simple than a look?
How did Moses lift up the serpent? He made a brazen serpent, and hoisted it on a pole that all might see; and a look was a certain cure, because a look implied faith.
Jesus is the Saviour, and not we ourselves.
No one else could save. We may have the joy of it in our souls the more simply we lay hold of it by faith.
Abana and Pharpar were rivers of Damascus; could Naaman not wash in them and be clean?
No reply to this question is given. And so God having clearly stated the means of salvation in His word, no other reply will be given; no, not even to earnest prayer. The only way to get eternal life is simply by taking God at His word. Reader, have you done so? If not, why not?
Naaman turned and went away in a rage.
It is always a bad sign when a person gets angry at hearing God's way of salvation.
Some do. They are annoyed to hear so simple a way as that of "faith in Christ.”
What a blessed thing it was for Naaman that he had good and wise servants, who advised him wisely! They tenderly, yet faithfully, touched the very point at issue when they said, " If the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it?”
This is just what would have suited this great man Naaman, to do some great thing; and this is what would suit man's natural pride generally.
The same thing is true to-day. Man will put his body to untold tortures, if only he can by so doing purchase heaven. But God's word is plain, for it says, " Not of works, lest any man should boast." Whether in the Scriptures it is put, "Look, and be saved,”
“Believe, and live," or” Wash, and be clean," the principle is exactly the same. Here it says, "Wash, and be clean." Disobedience brought sin into the world, and it is simple, obedient faith in a perfect sacrifice that absolves from guilt.
“Then he went down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan"; in other words, he obeyed the prophet's voice.
This reminds us of a parable of our Lord's we read of in Matt. 21:28-3028But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. 29He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. 30And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. (Matthew 21:28‑30):— MAT 21:28-3028But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. 29He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. 30And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. (Matthew 21:28‑30)
“A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to-day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not; but afterward he repented and went.
And he came to the 'second and said likewise.
And he answered and said, I go, sir; and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first.”
And so it was. Have you, my reader, been saying, I will not? Repent and go, then.
Naaman repented and went. He did God's will, and got the blessing; so may you. Give up false promises; for they are only Satan's delusions to decoy you away from the truth.
Your badness is no hindrance, but procrastination may prove fatal. “Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die?”
Notice also the perfectness of the cleansing, “And his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.”
What God does He does perfectly. Every act of His is a perfect act; and since this was God's cure the cleansing was complete, “like the flesh of a little child.”
A little child's flesh one naturally caresses, it is so smooth and soft; whereas nothing was more loathsome than the leper's skin. What a change! God views every child of His as without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, through the atoning blood of Christ.
“And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel.”
After his cleansing he made this confession: he owned the true God. This should be the case with every Christian; it is not sufficient to get cured only, but definite confession of Christ should be made. With what confidence he made it too; said he, “Now I know." The Christian should be equally sure. John could say, “We know that we have passed from death unto life.”
With Naaman it was not a matter of doubt, but a sterling fact. God had wrought this wondrous cure. A little while before he was covered with leprosy, but now it was clean gone. He now felt the difference; but mark, he did not get the cure wrought by feeling, but by faith.
It is like this in respect to salvation. People very often want to feel saved without first accepting the gospel by faith, and so they are continually in doubt about it. Of course they are; how could they be otherwise?
The knowledge of present salvation is by resting on God's word. This surely is as good a foundation as you could wish to have.
After Naaman got cured, he returned to take a present to Elisha. This was natural; but the prophet absolutely refused to take anything.
Thus you see the principle "without money, and without price" was steadfastly adhered to throughout, and so it must be. God must have all the glory. He will deal in grace, pure and sovereign grace; no room will He leave for boasting on man's part, no, not one jot.
However, while God cannot receive anything for salvation, He is well pleased to accept a poor feeble sinner's thanksgiving consequent upon it. We have this shown us in the case of the ten lepers we read of in Luke 17:12-1912And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 13And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. 15And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 17And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 18There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. 19And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. (Luke 17:12‑19): LUK 17:12-1912And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 13And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. 15And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 17And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 18There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. 19And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. (Luke 17:12‑19) "And as He entered into a certain village, there met Him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: and they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when He saw them, He said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?”
The nine had, forgotten to return and give thanks; but this should not be. If we have been saved, let us not forget to do this. God is seeking for spiritual worshippers (John 4). JOH 4
And the prophet said to Naaman, “Go in peace.”
Every form of idol worship must be given up, or unrest, rather than peace, will be the result of a violated conscience; but to those who follow on in the ways of the Lord a peaceful conscience will be their happy lot.
May each and every reader know the joy of this.
T. D.
The time is drawing near when Christ Himself will be revealed as the only Potentate, to whom everything must be brought into subjection; when all those who now despise His laws, and reject His blessed gospel, though perhaps prospering in the world, will be made to feel that He who once died on Calvary's cross is "Lord of all"; for " the loftiness of men shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day." Now Christ calls chief sinners, and cleanses the blackest, foulest sins with His precious blood; but then He will judge righteously, and put all enemies under His feet. May God the Holy Ghost solemnly impress these truths on many hearts.