God Gives Healing
As we study the story of Naaman in 2 Kings 5:1-14, we are reminded that God Gives Healing. From this lesson, we learn that God's healing power is near, simple and unique. February 15, 2009.
How would you like to be king for a day? I don’t mean king for a day as in the old TV show from fifty years ago called “Queen for a Day” in which a contestant, down on her luck, was dressed in a royal-looking robe and given prizes and special treatment. I mean king of Isarel for a day, king of Israel eight hundred fifty years before the birth of Jesus. You take a look around your kingdom and what would you see? It would be like staring at a three-week old bowl of moldy oatmeal and thinking, “I have to eat this!” You’d be totally bummed out. Your country has been severed by civil war, ravaged by desert raiders, and constantly threatened by the thundering hordes of hostile armies. On top of that, one day the postman rings and ring again – and the postman always rings twice – a letter arrives from an enemy king, “With this letter I am sending my [best general] Naaman to you so that you may cure him of leprosy”. How would you react?
If you were the king of Israel at that time, I know what you would do. You would say, “I know things look grim, but I also know that the Lord God of heaven and earth is on my side. In the past he has yanked our nation up by the bootstraps during the toughest times. I’m sure he can help me now and heal this Syrian soldier.” But that’s not how the story goes. The real king of Israel did not react with rock-solid confidence in God because he had rejected the guidance and goodness of God and had chosen to dive headfirst into a cesspool of pagan idolatry, made popular by his filthy father Ahab. No wonder the king of Israel read the letter from the king of Syria and exclaimed, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!” He was more anxious than a first-time parachute jumper with no parachute. If this heathen general did not receive the requested healing, the Syrians might invade Israel again.
That’s when Elisha stepped onto the scene and stepped up to the plate. When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel”. As we study the account of Naaman’s healing, recorded for us in the first lesson today, 2 Kings chapter five, we can’t help noticing the Lord God operating behind the scenes, reminding us that God Gives Healing.
His healing power is near
This Bible chapter introduces us to Namaan, commander of the army of the king of [Syria]. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded … He was a valiant soldier, a general, a hero, but he had leprosy. Left untreated, leprosy can cause permanent damage to the skin, nerves, limbs, and eyes. Contrary to popular belief, it does not actually cause body parts to fall off, but rashes and bumps appear, the affected areas become numb, and muscles become weak. How could a general mount his steed and lead his troops in battle when some days he could hardly get out of bed? How could he function as a prominent military man when he couldn’t look at himself in the mirror without gagging? I can imagine that Naaman exhausted the patience of every medicine man in Syria. No doubt he was willing to search the ends of the earth for healing. But no one had the answer. Yet right under his nose, in his own household, a young Israelite servant girl had the answer. Her quiet and unassuming comment rang out as a glorious testimony to the true God and his working through the prophet Elisha, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy”. Naaman wasted no time. He conveyed the good news to his boss, the king of Syria. Help had come from within his own house and healing was as near as neighboring Israel, the distance of Milwaukee to Chicago. That’s when the king of Syria sent his letter to the king of Israel, asking for cure.
But the Israelite king was worried and upset. Blinded by unbelief, he did not trust God’s healing power nor had he been listening to God’s representatives, the prophets. So when the request for healing came, he did not realize help was so near.
Did you ever get the feeling that talking to God is like talking to someone long distance? It’s nice to chat and pour out your heart, but your friend is too far away to offer any real help. Sometimes, we feel like joining the psalmist and hollering, “Why, O LORD, do you reject me and hide your face from me” (Psalm 88:14)? The stakes goes up exponentially when we find ourselves seriously ill or grievously burdened by shame and guilt because of something we’ve said or done, whether it happened to be long ago and hidden in the attic of our memory or as recent as last night. We get this urge to ask, “Where’s the relief? What am I going to do with this pain?” You know as well as I that millions of people seek relief from a bottle or from a medicine cabinet the moment trouble strikes. But look at this account. Here is evidence that God’s healing is near. King David sang, “If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast”(Psalm 139:8-10). Don’t let God’s timing fool you. His timing isn’t ours. He allows pain to continue or cuts it short according to his timing, which is always the best time for us. But just because his healing does not come when we want it – which is usually right away – that does not diminish the reality that God Gives Healing, and his healing power is near.
His healing power is simple
What do you think Naaman expected when he went to Elisha? He was well acquainted with the rituals of heathen medicine men – a little mumbo-jumbo here, a little magic potion there.
Eye of newt, and toe of frog, Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting, Lizard’s leg, and owlet’s wing –
For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble.
[Macbeth, Act IV, Scene 1. William Shakespeare]
Stir the mixture, smear it on the infection, and call to the gods that healing happens. But that never works. In complete contrast, Elisha didn’t even walk out the door to greet the Syrian general. He simply sent a simple message, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”
Naaman was furious. “You mean to tell me that I came all this way just to take a bath in the Jordan River? That’s too easy! If washing is all it takes, let me assure you that we’ve got cleaner, clearer water up north in Damascus! You can keep your muddy, murky Jordan River.” He stomped off in a rage, but his servants had more sense. They caught up with him and pleaded, “Why not give it a try? What can it hurt?” So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. Just that simply God worked a wonderful miracle and healed Naaman.
God can still work miracles and heal physical illness and injuries today. Most often he works in what we would call normal channels, through medical personnel and medicines. But how does it happen that you can scrape your knee and a few weeks later you can’t even see where the ow-ie was? God makes boo-boos better by his healing power, and it’s just that simple. But his healing power reaches beyond physical problems. He can also heal hurting hearts, and I don’t just mean the broken heart from a Valentine love gone sour or unrequited – although he heals that, too. I’m talking about the soul-pain we get when we come face to face with leprosy of our sins and the spiritual heart disease that comes from spiritual arteries clogged by the LDL (bad cholesterol) of me-first thinking. We need to remind ourselves that we live on the edge, just one sin away from the hardening of our spiritual arteries, just one step away from a stroke, not of bad luck but of God’s condemning rage because we have told him in so many ways, “We aren’t going to do and think what you say we should do and think. We don’t need you.” Just when we think all is well because we’re such swell people, God has a way of reminding us that we’re not so hot, that we are headed for the hot water of his boiling anger, and that we deserve it because we thought we could play fast and loose with the viruses of sin and, if we caught anything, we could heal ourselves. But there is no human cure for the leprosy of our sin. So, what are we going to do?
Look at what happened to Naaman. Look at what God did. God Gives Healing. He healed Namaan’s body, and he healed Naaman’s soul, and God’s healing is simple. I’ve heard the objection – and I’m thinking you have, too – “Do you mean to tell me that my soul is healthy just because Jesus lived and died? That’s it? That’s too easy!” But let’s keep in mind that God’s gift of healing is easy for us, but it wasn’t so easy for Jesus. In just ten days we’ll be gathered here on Ash Wednesday to start our annual Lenten journey, and we’ll have Jesus’ ordeal underlined once again. How easy do you think it was for him to hoist all sins of all people of all time onto his shoulders and pay for them with his life? I can’t bear the burden of the guilt of one of my sins, much less all of them. But God has performed a miracle – simple for us, not so simple for him – which is also the greatest miracle, when his Son Jesus died. By his wounds we are healed(Isaiah 53:6). God Gives Healing, and his healing is simple but powerful.
His healing power is unique
When Naaman first arrived at Elisha’s house, he was shocked by the prophet’s lack of action. Naaman was a respected general. Before he got sick, CNN covered his every move. He had been on Larry King Live, and his weapons website got more hits than that of any other general in the Syrian army. He expected Elisha to come out, bowing low to the ground, “O great and honorable Naaman! What a privilege to have you visit. A thousand pardons, your lordship, for my humble appearance. I am but a representative of the God of Israel. But you are so great!” Naaman neither heard nor saw such groveling. Elisha wasn’t even interested in the gifts Naaman had brought, which in today’s dollars would exceed two and a half million. Elisha just sent Naaman a message to wash seven times in the Jordan.
It was never Elisha’s intention to snub the general, nor was he afraid. Elisha wanted to teach Naaman an important truth. Healing does not come from a prophet, from a potion, or through performance of a ritual. Healing comes from the one and only true God and from him alone. His healing power is unique.
There is no other healer. There is no other God. Moses wrote, “Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on earth below. There is no other”(Deuteronomy 34:39). Go to a hospital sometime and talk to someone who has had major surgery. You can’t help being amazed at the technological advances and the skills of the doctors and nurses and medical technicians. But who gave the engineers the brains to figure out how to build the sophisticated medical equipment? Who gave surgeons the dexterity to perform delicate surgery? Who else but God alone? God’s power lies behind the skill and the effectiveness of medical personnel. Think of it. God could say to a sick person, “Stay sick,” and no doctor, no medicine would bring about healing. God alone gives healing.
And who else can heal the soul? God himself said, “I will bring health and healing; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security”(Jeremiah 33:6). God alone gives healing. His healing is unique.
We don’t know what reaction the king of Israel had to this miracle. But we do know Naaman’s reaction. “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel”. He responded with confident trust in God’s near-at-hand, simple, and unique healing power. Remember, Naaman had been a godless heathen. So, next time you are lying sick in bed or next time you are struck by the horrible feeling of a sin-sick soul, pray with Jeremiah, “Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise”(Jeremiah 17:14), and recall that God has dressed you in the royal robes of Jesus’ rightness and declared, “You are kings and queens every day!” Amen.
Preached at Grace Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, WI (http://www.gracedowntown.org/) on February 15, 2009
Related Sermons
A Disciple Named __________
Good stories don't have to take long to tell. Take Dorcas, for example. Dorcas was "always doing good and helping the poor," and we'd never know it except for what's written about her in Acts 9:36-42. Like Dorcas, each of us is "A Disciple Named ________. " Each of us makes a difference. May 13, 2012. Read on
Join the Chariots and Horsemen of Israel
If you're in a battle, you better know whom you're fighting for and have a lot of courage. As we read in 2 Kings 2:1-14, that's what Elijah knew and had and what Elisha wanted and needed. That's what we want and need, too, because we're in a war against the devil. So, "Join the Chariots and Horsemen of Israel!" February 19, 2012. Read on
Answer God's Call to Follow
The words of 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 implore us to "Answer God's Call to Follow." Answer it clearly as one who is powerfully saved and strengthened, and by personally sharing and standing. January 15, 2012. Read on