My Favorite Bible Story

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Short Summary
The discourse recounts the biblical story of Naaman the leper, highlighting lessons of faith and symbolic meaning where Naaman’s healing represents mankind’s cleansing from sin. Emphasis is placed on the faith of the unnamed little maid who first suggested seeking Elisha, illustrating how faith can inspire others. The narrative also explores Naaman’s initial frustration, his obedience, Elisha’s refusal of payment, and the broader spiritual lessons about sincere faith, submission to God’s will, and personal commitment beyond heritage.

Long Summary
Detailed Summary of the Discourse on the Story of Naaman the Leper (2 Kings 5)

Introduction and Context
– The speaker chooses a lighter topic after intense convention sessions: retelling a favorite Bible story, that of Naaman the leper.
– Emphasizes the value of Bible stories for teaching faith and spiritual lessons.
– Invites listeners to imagine the story vividly without visual aids.

Basic Outline of the Story
– Naaman, a mighty Syrian general, suffers from leprosy, a contagious and deadly disease.
– The king of Syria sends Naaman to Israel to seek healing from the prophet Elisha.
– Elisha instructs Naaman to wash seven times in the Jordan River.
– Naaman obeys, and his leprosy is healed.
– Two primary lessons:
– Faith: Naaman’s faith in God is rewarded.
– Symbolism: Naaman represents mankind; his leprosy symbolizes sin and death; washing in the Jordan symbolizes spiritual cleansing and resurrection in God’s kingdom.

Detailed Scripture Study (2 Kings 5:1-4)
– Naaman is described as honorable and mighty but afflicted by leprosy (2 Kings 5:1).
– Leprosy’s symptoms: whitish sores, nerve damage causing loss of feeling and movement, contagious and fatal.
– Leprosy as a symbol of sin’s spiritual deadening and death.
– Historical note: Leprosy was identified as Hansen’s disease in 1874 by Dr. G.A. Hansen, with effective antibiotics now available.
– The story introduces a captive Israeli maid who serves Naaman’s wife and suggests Elisha as a healer.
– The maid’s faith and compassion stand out; she is considered the real heroine because her faith leads Naaman to seek healing.

Character Analysis: The Little Maid
– Despite her captivity and youth, the maid shows remarkable empathy and faith.
– She encourages Naaman’s wife by saying a prophet in Israel can heal Naaman.
– Naaman, a seasoned warrior, surprisingly trusts the maid’s word and embarks on the journey to Israel.
– The maid’s faith, despite never witnessing a leprosy cure by Elisha, highlights trusting God based on past miracles and faith in His power.
– The discourse encourages believers to emulate not only Naaman’s faith but also the maid’s inspiring faith that influences others.

Political and Social Context: Kings of Syria and Israel (2 Kings 5:5-8)
– The king of Syria sends Naaman with gifts and a letter requesting healing from the king of Israel.
– The king of Israel, likely Jehoram, misinterprets the request as a provocation and is distressed.
– Elisha reassures the king that Naaman should be sent to him, proving Elisha’s prophetic authority.
– Highlights the high-level diplomatic nature of the healing request and the misunderstanding between kings.

Naaman’s Encounter with Elisha (2 Kings 5:9-14)
– Naaman arrives at Elisha’s house but does not meet the prophet face-to-face.
– Elisha sends a messenger instructing Naaman to wash seven times in the Jordan River.
– Naaman reacts with anger and skepticism:
– He expected a dramatic healing ritual.
– He questions why he must wash in the Jordan, which he considers inferior to rivers in Damascus.
– Naaman’s anger reveals a human flaw: confusing personal preferences with God’s will.
– His servants reason with him, pointing out if he was asked to do a great task, he would have obeyed, so why not obey this simple command?
– Naaman humbly submits, washes seven times, and is healed; his flesh becomes like that of a child.

Lessons From Naaman’s Flaw
– Even great biblical heroes have flaws (e.g., Abraham, Moses, David).
– Naaman’s flaw: impatience, pride, and dissatisfaction with God’s method.
– Lesson for believers: we must submit to God’s will, not our own preferences, for spiritual growth.
– Faith remains strong, but obedience and humility are essential.

Naaman’s Gratitude and Conversion (2 Kings 5:15-19)
– Naaman returns to Elisha, acknowledges the one true God.
– Offers gifts of gold, silver, and raiment, which Elisha refuses.
– Naaman requests to take soil from Israel back home to establish a place to worship Jehovah.
– He promises to worship only Jehovah, despite his king’s pagan worship.
– Naaman explains a cultural dilemma: he must bow with the king in the temple of Rimmon out of respect, not worship.
– Elisha grants him peace in this matter, showing understanding of complex social situations.
– Lesson: pure heart and faith matter more than external appearances or uncomfortable situations.

Symbolism of Taking Soil
– The soil represents a holy place and a spiritual connection to God’s land.
– Reminds believers of sacred remembrances and spiritual altars in their hearts.

New Testament Reference: Luke 4:24-27
– Jesus cites Naaman’s healing to illustrate that prophets are often not accepted in their own country.
– Despite many lepers in Israel, only Naaman, a foreigner, was healed.
– The Jewish people’s entitlement attitude is rebuked; faith must be personal and active.
– Parallel to believers today: heritage alone is insufficient without personal, living faith.

Faith of the Little Maid Revisited
– Her faith was based on Elisha’s prior miracles, not direct experience with leprosy healing.
– Encourages believers to build faith on God’s past works and trust Him for future needs.

The Story’s Unfinished Ending and a Positive Vision
– The biblical story records Gehazi’s deceit and punishment, receiving Naaman’s leprosy.
– The speaker imagines a happy ending:
– Naaman returning home celebrated by family and king.
– The little maid possibly rewarded, freed, or married into Naaman’s family.
– The soil carried by Naaman remains buried in Damascus as a symbol of faith.
– Emphasizes hope for full restoration and the continuation of God’s blessings.

Practical Applications and Encouragement
– Faith requires obedience even when God’s methods differ from our expectations.
– Our spiritual growth may be uncomfortable, but trusting God’s will is essential.
– Faith should inspire others, as the little maid’s did for Naaman.
– We must make our faith personal and active, not relying solely on heritage or tradition.
– God’s blessings may come through unexpected people or means.
– Respect for others’ beliefs and social obligations is possible without compromising personal faith.

Key Bible Verses Cited
– 2 Kings 5:1-4 — Introduction to Naaman and the little maid’s suggestion.
– 2 Kings 5:5-8 — The kings’ interaction and Elisha’s intervention.
– 2 Kings 5:9-14 — Naaman’s instructions and healing.
– 2 Kings 5:15-19 — Naaman’s gratitude, conversion, and cultural dilemma.
– Luke 4:24, 27 — Jesus’ reference to Naaman as an example of prophetic rejection and faith.

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Summary Keywords: Naaman the leper, faith, healing, leprosy, Elisha, little maid, obedience, humility, symbolic cleansing, kingdom lessons, 2 Kings chapter 5, Luke 4, spiritual growth, cultural respect, biblical heroes’ flaws, personal faith, God’s will, divine blessings, symbolic soil, New Testament reference.

Transcript

Well, we’ve received many good blessings and lessons from our convention these past two days. Our hearts have been strengthened. Our brains are just about full with all of the details we’ve gotten from the Discourses. So I’ll present something lighter for this afternoon’s Discourse. I’ll tell you my favorite Bible story.

Everyone likes to hear a good story well told, and we Bible students especially appreciate the lessons taught in the scriptural accounts of the the characters in the Old and New Testaments. What’s your favorite Bible story? Mine is the story of Naaman the leper. I won’t have any pictures on the screen because I want you to use your imaginations and create pictures and images in your mind from the story as I recount it.

On a very basic level, the story of Naaman the leper would be told to a child like this. Naaman was a mighty general in the army of Syria and he had leprosy, a disease that rots away your flesh and ultimately kills you. It’s so contagious that no one dares to even touch anyone who has leprosy. The king of Syria sent his friend Naaman to Israel to see if the prophet Elisha could cure Naaman and save his life. Naaman came to Elisha and was told to wash himself seven times in the Jordan River.

Naaman did as Elisha told him and his leprosy was healed. There are two lessons in this story you would continue as you’re telling it to a child. The first is a lesson of faith. Naaman had faith in God and his faith was rewarded. The second lesson is a symbolic lesson about the kingdom.

In this symbolic lesson, Naaman pictures the world of mankind, and Naaman’s leprosy pictures the disease of sin and death that afflicts all of mankind, and when Naaman bathed in the River Jordan and his literal leprosy was healed, that pictures how in the kingdom all mankind will be resurrected and healed from their symbolic leprosy, their disease of sin and death.

That’s the simple story of Naaman the leper and the two basic lessons as you would tell it to a young child. But now let’s take a much closer look at the details of the account, which are rich with additional lessons. Turn Your Bibles to 2 Kings 5:1 2 Kings 5:1 Now, 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 of valor, but he was a leper, leprosy was a terrible disease. It manifested itself as whitish sores on the face and all over the body.

The nerve endings close to the skin were attacked and deadened, so that all movement and feeling were lost in the hands and the feet. The disease was contagious and always resulted in a premature death. Thus leprosy is a fitting symbol of sin, which also results in a deadening of the moral senses and leads to death. I said leprosy was a terrible disease. Leprosy is now called healing Hansen’s disease because the bacterium which causes leprosy was identified by a Norwegian doctor named G. Armour Hansen.

And today there are antibiotics which can completely control the disease, and the year in which Dr. Hansen discovered and identified the bacterium, which then led to antibodies and a cure for what causes Leprosy was 1874. Remember that little fact? I’m going to come back to it later. Now let’s read verses 2 to 4 of 2 Kings 5.

And 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, and she, the little maid, said unto her, mistress, would God my Lord, Naaman would were with a prophet that is in Samaria, for he would recover him of his leprosy, and one went in to Naaman and told his lord, saying thus, and thus, said the maid that is of the land of Israel.

Now these are, to my mind, some of the most interesting verses in this entire story, because they quickly introduce and then just as quickly remove the most fascinating character in the whole story. Not Naaman, not even Elisha, but a young woman whose name is not given. I almost entitled this discourse the Little Maid, because she is the real heroine, as much as, or even more so than, Naaman himself. I’ll explain why in a moment, but first picture in your mind a movie of the story of Naaman the leper. The movie portrays raids by small bands of Syrian soldiers upon the outlying farms and vill of Israel.

The marauding Syrians sneak up on their victims, steal their food, and take the people captive back to Damascus, the capital of Syria, to work as slaves. Among these captives, after one raid is a little maid, a teenage girl. She shows some intelligence and talent, and so she is given the better job of waiting on Naaman’s wife, fetching water, helping her dress, running errands, and so forth, and we can surmise she was probably treated kindly in the house of Naaman, because, as we read, Naaman was a good man, an honorable man.

Now, most teenage Girls, perhaps especially in our day, taken away from their homes and families to work as a servant girl in a strange land, even if they were treated kindly, would be rather sullen and bitter at their lot in life. Upon finding out that the master of the house had leprosy, most teenage girls working as servants would secretly be gleeful. Most teenage girls would think quietly to themselves, good, you have leprosy. I hope your arms and legs rot and fall off.

But this little maid, whose name we don’t even know, was not like most teenage girls. She was sensitive to Naaman’s plight and said to his wife, if only your husband were in my home country, where we worship the true God, there is a prophet who could cure your husband of this dread disease. What maturity, what empathy. But even that is not at all why I think this little maid is the real heroine of the story. The reason I think this little maid is the real heroine of the story is because it was the shining example of her faith in God that created faith in Naaman.

Now, Naaman was an experienced man, a mighty general, been on many military campaigns, a world traveler, and he was not one to believe fairy tales by some captive slave girl from a foreign land. Yet it was on the urgent word of this teenage girl that Naaman took the long journey to Israel in faith and in confidence, and was cured.

The lesson of the story, as I said before, is to have faith like Naaman’s. But what fiery faith the little maid must have shown to kindle the faith of Naaman. If your faith is like Naaman’s, good. But if your faith is like the little maids bringing forth in others to whom you tell the good news of the kingdom and God’s plan, and engenders in them a similar faith, better than good, and.

And the faith of the little maid is all the more remarkable when we realize that Elisha had never to that day date, cured anyone of leprosy. How could the little maid be so confident in something she had never seen happen? We’ll talk more about that later. But may the witness of your faith be not only like that of Naaman’s, but even more like that of the little maid. Let’s continue on with the Bible account.

2nd Kings 5:5, 8, and the king of Syria said to Naaman, go too, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel, and he, Naaman, departed, and took with him 10 talents of silver and 6,000 pieces of gold and 10 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.

And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that in private, out of Naaman’s hearing, now he rent his clothes and said, am I God to kill and make alive that this man, the king of Syria, 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.

And 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 unto me, Elisha, and he shall know, that is, the king shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.

Now, in Old Testament times, matters like this were managed at the highest levels, at the level of the head of state. So the king of Syria, who, as we said before, loved and respected Naaman, sent a formal request in writing with him to the king of Israel, along with gifts of gold, silver, and raiment, and respectfully asked the king of Israel to arrange for the healing of Naaman of his leprosy. The king of Syria no doubt reasoned that such a man who could cure leprosy would be well known to the king of Israel, probably even a member of the king’s inner circle of counselors and advisors. Well, the king of Syria guessed wrong, and as we read, the king of Israel responded badly. First of all, the king of Israel, whose name is probably Jehoram, we deduce that from later chapters is unaware or cannot figure out that it is Elisha that the king of Syria is requesting the services of.

And so the king of Israel misinterprets the request by the king of Syria as a pretense to declare war when the king of Israel cannot accommodate the request of the king of Syria and arrange for the healing of Naaman, and so the king of Israel excuses himself from Naaman’s presence and hastily calls his advisors together for a private meeting where he rends his clothes as a sign of extreme anguish. What should he do? He asks his counselors. You see the dilemma I’m in now.

Elisha was told all of what happened when Naaman presented himself to King Jehoram and how Jehoram reacted, and rent his clothes. So Elisha sent a messenger to the king to calm him down and reassure him. Why did you rend your clothes, send Naaman to me, Elisha tells Jehoram through his messenger, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. Doubtless King Jehoram was greatly relieved to have this dilemma off his hands. So he revived, excuse me.

So he regains his kingly composure and returns to Naaman with instructions to go see Elisha, who will take care of Naaman’s request. The story continues in 2nd Kings 5, verses 9 to 14. 2nd Kings 5, 9 14.

So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot and stood at the door of the house of Elisha, and and 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. But Naaman was wroth and went away and said, behold, I thought he will surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place and recover the leper. Are 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, and 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. Then 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.

If the little maid is the most fascinating character of this story, I think these verses are the most moving, and I hope that when the movie version of this, my favorite Bible story, is finally made in the Kingdom, I get to help to write the screenplay. But of course they’ll have the real Elisha and Naaman then to help them, so they probably won’t need me for advice. So Naaman comes to Elisha’s house, probably a humble dwelling, far less than what Naaman was expecting for a powerful holy man who could cure leprosy. Naaman respectfully stands outside the door.

You don’t go right up to the door and knock on and say, elisha. He stood and waited to be recognized. Presently, Elisha’s assistant named Gehazi comes to the door with instructions for Naaman. Go to the Jordan river and wash or submerge yourself seven times and your leprosy will be healed. Now it’s Naaman who reacts curiously.

He’s angry. Why is Naaman angry? He’s angry for two reasons. First, he says, I expected Elisha to come out here and put on a show. I expected him to call upon his God and wave his arms up and down and say the magic words and shazam, I would be healed.

Back home in Syria, Naaman probably saw many such showy displays by the false prophets of his God Rimmon. Doubtless the priests of Rimmon had prayed to their false God with great pomp and circumstance on Naaman’s behalf many times to heal him, all to no avail. So Naaman probably thought, well, this is how all religious men do their holy work, and Elisha will be no different than what I’ve seen back home in Syria with a great show in order to impress the people. Now, the second reason Naaman is angry is said in verse 12, why should I wash in the Jordan creek?

To Naaman, the Jordan river was a creek compared to the mighty and larger rivers back where he came from. Much more fitting to be the setting for this great miracle of healing. So Naaman turns around and walks away in a rage. His faith was still strong. Naaman’s faith was never endowed, but he’s greatly displeased.

It seems that almost all of the great heroes of the Old Testament have a character flaw. Abraham lied twice about Sarah being his wife. Moses smote a rock instead of speaking to it as he was commanded, and so was the night entrance into the promised land. David yield to lust for Bathsheba.

And there is always a lesson in the flaws as well as the virtues of these heroes of the Old and New Testament. So what might be the lesson for us in this flaw of Naaman’s? Well, perhaps the lesson for us is this.

Naaman complained that his expectations were not being satisfied by the instructions that he was given. The style of the worship services and the arrangement for his healing from leprosy were not meeting his needs, or so Naaman thought. In fact, everything was being arranged to meet Naaman’s needs. Naaman confused his needs with his wants. He needed to be healed from his leprosy, but he wanted his healing done in a manner according to his liking and what he was familiar with.

And isn’t it so? Sometimes with us, what we truly need is to be cleansed, justified, sanctified, developed into a Christlike character, transformed. Sometimes we want our character development to be done in a manner according to our liking, the way we want it to be. At our jobs, in our homes, with our neighbors, with our relatives, in our ecclesia, our faith is always still strong. Like Naaman’s.

Our faith is never in question. But sometimes we might be somewhat displeased with our experiences for our Christlike growth, for our situation, and we come this close to, as Naaman did, to turning away, if not in a rage, at least in self willed stubbornness, from the circumstances God has arranged for us and for our growth in our homes and with our neighbors and with our friends and in our ecclesias.

Fortunately for Naaman, he listened to those around him who loved him. They were his servants, but they addressed him as father in verse 13. My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldst thou not have done it? In other words, Father Naaman, if Elisha had told you to walk a hundred miles through a desert with no food and only a little water, and then climb to the top of a high mountain and sit there in prayer for seven days, and then build an altar 10ft tall all by yourself and make a sacrifice so that you would be healed, would you not have done every bit of it? Naaman knew the answer was yes, so how could he say no to this simple command to wash?

The logic was compelling. The lesson for us is that submissiveness to God’s will and not our own preference is essential to our sanctification. Not my will, but thy will be done, O Lord. How wise are God’s commands. How sure his precepts are as we sing in that favorite hymn.

Now comes the best part of the story. Naaman goes to the river Jordan, and in this movie version that I like to picture in my mind, and I hope you are too, you see a silent procession travel to the bank of the river. Naaman, calm now, his face still strong as it always has been, takes off his garments and slowly wades into the river by himself, the water up to his chest.

His servants, unsure of what will happen, watch with some anxiety and whisper to each other as Naaman lowers himself below the water once and then rises up. The servants strain to see any improvement in the scars of the leprosy on his face and on his arms, but there is none. A second time, Naaman lowers himself and rises up again. Still no improvement. The servants glance at each other nervously, anxiously wondering what’s going to happen again.

The third, fourth, fifth and sixth time with the same result. This isn’t working. The leprosy is not being healed.

Naaman pauses for a moment and then lowers himself to seventh and the last time. He seems to be beneath the water for a long time, but then the top of his head appears above the surface. Next, his face and his shoulders completely Clean of the dread disease, Naaman looks at his hands and his arms, which have become like the flesh of a child, completely crean of the leprosy, and he looks at them, beaming with joy.

The servants cannot contain themselves. They run, shouting and splashing into the river and throw themselves upon Naaman, embracing him and kissing him, almost knocking him over in their joy. After a few moments of celebration, Naaman pushes them all gently away and with a look of resolve on his face, says, we must return to Elisha.

In my little dramatization there, I said that the first six washings had no effect on Naaman or his leprosy, and that the seventh removed all of the leprosy. The scriptures don’t say it happened that way, but I think such is a reasonable conclusion from the kingdom picture I mentioned before, which is the symbolic lesson of the story of Naaman. Naaman’s leprosy pictures mankind’s disease of sin and death which will be cleansed in the kingdom, cleansed entirely within the 7,000 year day. After 6,000 years of no improvement from the curse of sin and death, and you remember what year Dr. Hansen found that bacteria which led to leprosy’s cure?

1874. When did the 6,000 years of sin and death end? 1874.

The account continues in 2 Kings 5, 15, 19, and he, Naaman, returned to the man of God, Elisha, 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 the scythe servant. But he, Elisha said, as the Lord liveth before whom I stand, I will receive none.

You don’t pay me for my miracles. Much like as others have mentioned before, the Catholic Church and nominal church systems did, and he, Naaman, urged him, Elisha to take it. But he refused, and Naaman said, shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant Naaman two mules, burden of earth.

For thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the Lord Jehovah. In this thing the Lord pardoned thy servant. That when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship, there he leaneth upon 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, and he, Elisha, said unto him, naaman, go in peace.

And so he departed a little way.

Naaman offers Elisha the silver and gold and raiment he had brought with him as payment for his healing, and again, such payment to priests and prophets was probably the custom in Naaman’s home in the land of Syria, and following her application earlier, payment to priests for prayers and other favors was and still is the custom in the nominal churches. Elisha, of course, refuses all of Naaman’s repeated urgent offers of payment, just as we minister the cleansing truth of God’s plan to all who receive it without any material reimbursement or thought of other kind of gain in the eyes of others for our bringing to them the truth.

And then Naaman makes a rather strange request. He asks Elisha if Naaman could take back to Syria as much dirt from Elisha’s front yard as two mules can carry.

Naaman wants to bring back to his homeland enough of the soil of Israel to spread in Naaman’s own yard for a holy place to worship the true God, and he vows to Elisha that henceforth Naaman will worship only Jehovah. So what might be a lesson for us in this rather strange request? Don’t we also carry in our hearts the memory of times and places where God has blessed us? And don’t we also have special places in our hearts, little altars of remembrance where we go to praise and to pray, to reflect and be refreshed?

Verse 18 is especially meaningful. Again in that movie that plays in my mind. I see Naaman with his entourage ready to depart, the mules loaded down with the soil of Israel. Namas has said goodbye. He’s got one foot out the door.

And then he pauses. He turns back to Elisha with a troubled look on his face. There’s something that’s been bothering him, and he’s not sure if he should even bring it up, but he does. Stammering, Naaman addresses the prophet Elisha. There’s one more thing.

Back home we. Well, I don’t know how to say this, but I know now there is but one God, Jehovah, and I will worship only him. But when my king goes into the temple of Rimmon to pray, he’s old, and he takes my arm for support because Risot, such close friends, and when the king bows down before Rimmon, I cannot remain standing upright. He’s the king.

My head cannot be above his if I don’t also bow down when the king bows. It would be disrespectful to the king, my friend, and so I would like to bow when my king bows. But in my heart I know I’m not bowing to worship women. I’m bowing as a courtesy to my old and dear friend.

Would that be okay? Naaman asks. Could I be pardoned for this?

And the mental picture I have of this scene in my movie. It’s a flashback to earlier times in Damascus, the capital of Syria, where we see a huge, magnificent temple to Rimmon, with a long marble staircase leading up to the sanctuary where the gold and jewel encrusted statue of Rimmon stands. The king, somewhat old but still majestic, climbs the stairs slowly with his dear friend Naaman at his side. Naaman, his arm covered with robes so as not to give the leprosy to his friend. The king supports the king as he ascends the stairs.

They bow in unison as they enter, they bow as they pray, and they bow in unison as they leave. But that was then, before Naaman was healed. What should Naaman do now? He knows that it’s wrong to bow down before the false God of Rimmon anymore, but he doesn’t want to offend his friend, the king of Syria. Elisha tells Naaman, it’s all right.

Continue to do as you have done for your friend the king’s sake. Be at peace in your heart about this.

So what might be the lesson for us in this exchange between Naaman and Elisha? Perhaps it is this, but you judge for yourselves. In my own experience, every few years I find myself sitting in the back of a nominal church building, attending the wedding of one of my cousin’s children or the funeral of one of my aunts or uncles, and I feel uncomfortable just being there when everyone else does the standing and kneeling and repeating the words and shaking hands and all that. It makes me nervous, and I sometimes wonder if I’m doing wrong just being in that building, and there are other obligations to family and friends that all of us sometimes wish we could avoid.

Perhaps the message for us in Elisha’s reply to Naaman is that if your heart is pure, then your presence on such occasions, even in an unholy place, will not corrupt you. If for the sake of others you find it reasonably necessary to be there so as not to offend them, then, as Elisha said to Naaman, go in peace.

And so Naaman departs for home. The story continues with a lesson about Elisha’s servant Gehazi. But first I want to turn to one scripture in the New Testament regarding Naaman, and then we’ll come back to second Kings 5 in Luke, chapter four is the account of Jesus after having performed the miracles of healing in Capernaum coming to Nazareth, his home, so to speak, and the people of Nazareth say unto him, how about us? We’re your neighbors, your homeboys perform miracles and healings for us like you did for those strangers in Capernaum.

Jesus answers this request for favors in Luke 4:24, 27, 28, and he said, verily I say unto you, no prophet is accepted in his own country, and many lepers were in Israel at the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them, none of them was cleansed. Saint Naaman the Syrian.

And all day in the synagogue when they heard these things were filled with wrath, they knew what Jesus was saying to them. His point was, if there are none with faith to be found where there ought to be faith in you, the residents of Capernaum, Jews who know God, God will find those of faith elsewhere, and a blessing will pass you by. There were many Hebrew lepers in Israel then, but he healed none of them, because they kept not the law and the faith of their fathers. Only Naaman, a heathen who knew not Jehovah until his cleansing, was cured. Likewise, the Jews in Jesus day said, palsy, we are Abraham’s seed.

We are a nation of God’s chosen people, and for that reason alone we are entitled to receive his blessings before strangers. But Jesus reminded them, as Elisha did in his day, that a simple collective heritage as God’s people is not enough, and God’s blessings pass them by.

Each must make his faith his own individually and live his faith daily. So it is with us. We are blessed to have a Bible student heritage, for most of us, a heritage of the truth that is wonderful indeed. But it is not enough to say proudly, I have the truth of the harvest message. I am a consecrated son of God.

I worship with an ecclesia of Bible students. We must likewise individually make that faith our own by continual study and live it daily, for God’s blessings will pass us by.

I said before that the faith of the little maiden Elisha that he could cure Naaman’s leprosy was remarkable because Elisha had never before healed a leper. As we read in Luke 4, Naaman was the first and only leper Elisha healed. So how could the young girl be so sure Elisha could do that? I think the answer is that the little maid most likely had seen or heard of Elisha’s other miracles, and so it was on that basis of what she had seen that gave her the faith that Elisha could do what she had not seen.

And so it should be with us. Our faith in God’s care over us is strengthened by all his past favors and providences for ourselves and others, and we trust him for all of our present and future care, even where we have not seen or cannot see what might come upon us. Such was the faith of the little maid, and such should our faith be.

And so the Bible account of the story of Naaman the leper ends. But the movie version that is running through my mind needs a happier ending. I love happy endings. Even though the ending so far has been pretty good. I want something better.

So here it is. There was a part I didn’t read about Gehazi, the servant of Naaman, who through a deception, tries to take the money that Naaman offered, and as a punishment, Elisha takes the leprosy that was on Naaman and puts it on Gehazi, and he leaves, white as snow, a picture of the second death. So the happier ending that I like is this.

As Naaman approached the city, word quickly spread from the farmers in the outlawing districts of Damascus to the residents of the capital city that Naaman. Naaman was on his way home and he is cured of his leprosy. As he entered the gates, a throng pressed forward to greet him and then parted so he could be received by his friend the king, who was also awaiting Naaman’s arrival. But the warmest embrace of all came from his wife, whose little maid had first told her of the prophet in Israel. Naaman then goes home and spreads the dirt from Elisha’s front yard in his own yard to create a holy place for the worship of the true God Jehovah.

And as for the little maid herself, I like to think that Naaman rewarded her, perhaps by returning her to her homeland, or even, perhaps in a better ending, he gave her her freedom and riches and even arranged for one of his sons to marry her so that Naaman’s own grandchildren could be brought up in the worship of the true God. Well, we don’t really know how the story of Naaman the leper ends, but I suppose in the kingdom we’ll find out. One thing we do know for sure, however, is that today, in our time, in 2026, in the middle east country of Syria, somewhere buried beneath the busy paved streets of modern day Damascus, lies two mules, burden of earth, a few cubic feet of dirt, sacred ground imported from Israel by one of Syria’s greatest generals who was a believer in Jehovah God. A picture of the kingdom, work and an example of faith, and may God add his blessing.

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