An Outreach Publication of the Church of Christ at Creekwood  

"Lessons From A Leper"

Naaman was a very successful man.  He was commander of the Syrian army, a great and honorable man in the eyes of his king, a victorious general, and a mighty man of valor.  But, he had a terrible disease:  leprosy.  Please read 2 Kings 5:1-14 concerning Naaman.

Naaman learned from a young Israelite slave girl that there was a prophet in Israel who could heal him of his leprosy.  As we read the account of how Naaman sought a cure for his leprosy, we may learn some valuable lessons about our own need for cleansing from an even greater malady than leprosy, that is sin.

Naaman thought his healing could be purchased.  When the King of Syria granted him permission to go to Israel, Naaman "took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing" (2 Kings 5:5).  Apparently he thought he could pay someone in Israel to heal him.

Like Naaman, we cannot purchase our cleansing from sin.  However, a price must be paid for our redemption, but not with "corruptible things, like silver or gold” (1 Peter 1:18).  Christ paid the price for our redemption on the cross.  The Apostle Peter states that Christians have been redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (1 Peter 1:19).

Naaman had an idea about how he thought his healing would take place.  He said to himself, “He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy'" (2 Kings 5:11).  When the servant of Elisha the prophet told him to go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and his flesh would be restored and he would be clean (v. 10), he became furious. His preconceived ideas concerning his healing were wrong.

When it comes to our own cleansing from sin, we must also seek God’s instructions instead of what we might think would work.  We must not approach God’s word seeking to justify our current beliefs; rather, we must seek to know God’s will through His word, and believe His word.

Naaman tried to substitute his own terms of obedience instead of the Lord’s.  He did not want to wash in the Jordan River.  He asked, "Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?"  So he turned and went away in a rage" (2 Kings 5:12 NKJV).

We must never try to substitute our own doctrines in the place of the teaching of God’s word.  Only through our obedience to His commands may we ever have the blessings attached to them.

Finally, Naaman humbled himself and obeyed the Lord’s instructions.  Naaman could see no logical connection between dipping in the Jordan River and being cured of his leprosy, but he obeyed.  Obedience brought its reward:  Naaman was healed.

A penitent believer in Christ may not see the logical connection between being baptized (immersed) in water and having his sins washed away (Acts 2:38; 22:16).  Certainly, as in the case of Naaman, it is not the water that saves.  It is God who saves us, when we obey Him.  Obedience has its reward:  the cleansing of our sins.

Will you obey?

God bless you.

David A. Sargent, Minister 

Church of Christ at Creekwood 
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama  36695

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