Seek For The Old Paths

Who Was Naaman the Leper?

Yesterday we read the story of Naaman the Leper, he was a Syrian Captain of the Army.  He had the dreaded disease ~ Leprosy.  It taught such important lessons. It’s taken from 2 Kings 5.

If You Were Kidnapped, Would You Be Angry, Depressed & Revengeful?

First, there was the bravery and courage of the little captive Maid.  She had been kidnapped by the Syrians and taken from her Jewish parents, and now she was the Maid to Mrs. Naaman.  Little Maid was careful to not be angry, depressed or revengeful. Instead, she truly tried to be a blessing to her Captors.

As a Parent, Are You Instilling Faith In God in Your Children?

Then one day while she was waiting on Mrs. Naaman, she noticed that Mrs. Naaman was very sad.  She had just received the news that her husband had the dreaded Leprosy…it was a “death sentence”, as there was no cure. Little Maid told Mrs. Naaman that if her Master would go to see the Prophet in Israel, he would heal him of his Leprosy.  That shows how much faith her parents had instilled in her at a young age, that she believed that the Prophet could heal her Master.  Little Maid had been such a good witness as a Christian, that Mrs. Naaman had no reason to doubt her words and hope sprang up in her heart. She told Naaman what Little Maid had said and Naaman decided he had nothing to lose, he would go see the Prophet.

Would You Have Let Your Pride Get In the Way?

So, he and several of his trusted soldiers set out for Israel. He expected when he arrived at the home of Elisha that Elisha would come out and wave his hand over him and PRESTO, the Leprosy would be gone. But when he got there, Elisha didn’t even come out to meet him, he sent his trusted servant out to meet him with directions telling him what he needed to do to be healed. I think that hurt his pride a little bit…after all, he was a Great Captain in the Syrian Army. And then, Elijah directed him to go down to the muddy Jordan river, and wash, 7 times! What! Did the Prophet think he was dirty??? And were there not cleaner more beautiful rivers in Damascus?!?!  He was angry! Very angry! He turned around and headed home. Had it not been for his good friends who gave him good advice, he would have remained Naaman the Leper til he died of the leprosy.

Will Your Friends Give You Honest & Right Advice?

Thankfully, the trusted soldiers he had brought with him saved the day!  They tried to reason with him and told him that if the Prophet had asked him to do some BIG thing, he would have done it, but because this was such a small, humbling thing, he didn’t want to do it, and that he could literally be passing up his one and only chance to be healed. Thankfully, he listened to them.  Thankfully, his desire to be well was stronger than his pride of heart.  He turned his horse around again, and headed down to the River Jordan.  There is a powerful lesson there about the importance of surrounding yourself with good friends, people that will give you honest and right advice.

Try to imagine…they get to the River, Naaman wades out in the water…Dunks himself under the water, 1, 2,3,4,5 and 6 times….and every time, he comes back up just as much a Leper as before. What if he would have stopped at #6 and said, “It’s no use.”?  Thank God he didn’t!  He went under the dirty muddy water the 7^th time and came up 100% clean – all the Leprosy was GONE! Imagine how happy those soldier friends of his were to see him rise from the water that 7^th time with no spots of Leprosy on him! He was no longer, Naaman the Leper!

Leprosy Is Symbolic of Sin

Leprosy is symbolic of sin in the Bible.  Just as Naaman had to humble his pride and follow SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS to be cured of his Leprosy…we too, have to humble our pride, admit our sin, and follow the directions God has given to us to over the sin in our lives.  These Bible stories are not just STORIES…they are HOW TO LESSONS for you and me, TODAY .

If you found this article a blessing, we think you will find this Bible story on the Thief on the Cross a Blessing, too!