Irredeemable
Naaman the Leper
The Servant Girl
Naaman's Wife
The King of Syria
The King of Israel
Elisha
And now we meet the hero of this story. Or do we? Elisha was
in the same precarious position as Jehoram. He was not God either, and in
himself he had no power to kill or make alive. But beloved, there had to be
that temptation in his life, to think that he had achieved some sort of power.
After all, he was well on his way to performing twice as many miracles as
Elijah, and to this day, other than Jesus, he holds the record for number of
miracles performed in a single lifetime.
Jump forward to Acts 19:13–18 and meet the seven sons of
Sceva who thought the name of Jesus was a good-luck charm that gave them power
over demons. Severely trounced and deprived of their clothing they learned that
they had no power in themselves to do anything.
Elisha knew that the power was not in himself as the servant
of God, else he might end up with a savior complex, thinking himself to be far
more important or useful than he was. This temptation is alive and well in our
day. Have you ever thought that you were the catalyst for church growth or the
only one who could lead a ministry or lead someone to Christ? Jesus told us
that if we didn’t speak, the rocks would cry out. Consider the next time you’re
tempted to think you’re somebody; you could be out-preached by a rock. Beloved,
I try to live my life in such a way as to never be out-preached by a rock; I
pray that God allows me to open my mouth to proclaim his excellency boldly and
often. But God does not need it to be so, he does not need me, and he does not
need you. There is no rhetorical lilt, no specific formula, not a single
sinner’s prayer that can save sinners from their sin. Our hope is in Jesus,
mighty to save, and this is why we endeavor to know nothing except Christ and
him crucified, to pray that we will decrease so that he may increase. Elisha
knew this fact well and sets himself up wonderfully to remind us who the true
hero in this story is.
Faithful in the Small Things
When we meet Elisha in this story he’s running a prophet’s
school. Today we’d call it a seminary, a place where the seeds of faith can
grow. There is great value in making disciples and training them to obey
everything that the Lord has
commanded. Just as Elijah had discipled Elisha, so does Elisha always have a
servant or servants with him.
He is not sitting around waiting for miracle seekers to
knock on his door; he is busy doing the Lord’s
work, always ministering, always preaching. Long before Jesus said it, he was
trying to prove it, “Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing
(serving) when he comes” (Matthew 24:46).
Know the Needs of the Nation
As Elisha is working, he has his ear to the pulse of the
nation. He hears that King Jehoram has torn his clothes and is in despair at
what is perceived as an imminent war with Syria. Here is a bit of literary
license, I don’t believe Elisha had any idea what God was going to do, only
that God was going to do something. Elisha was walking by faith at this point,
knowing that if God had called a Syrian general to seek the blessings of the
one true God, that God would not refuse him.
In drug and alcohol ministry we love lots of verses, but
probably none so much as these two:
All that
the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast
out. ~ John 6:37
and
Consequently,
he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him,
since he always lives to make intercession for them. ~ Hebrews 7:25[1]
Elisha wouldn’t have known those verses verbatim, but he
knew the sentiment and he knew who God was. So, he called to have Naaman sent
to him, knowing that God would in no wise cast him out.
Faithfulness without Fanfare
Naaman shows up and Elisha shows us that his spiritual gift
is not hospitality. He doesn’t fling open the doors, there is no red carpet, he
doesn’t have a meal prepared, it seems exactly the wrong way to greet a
general, whether friend or foe. A few days later in Samaria he does throw a
feast for his enemies.
But right now, Naaman is standing outside the door of
Elisha’s house. Later we’ll see his anger, but I wonder if it didn’t start as
he stewed on the step of what was supposed to be his salvation. This was all by
design, Elisha knew full well that God is no respecter of persons, he doesn’t
regard the general as any more important than the servant’s son, he doesn’t
love the Israelite more than the Syrian, the healthy is in just as much need of
God’s grace and healing as the sick. Remember, we have all fallen short of the
glory of God, or as S. M. Lockridge would say, “Naaman – He was a leper, every
individual without Christ is a leper.”
So Naaman waits, what if no one had answered the door? What
if Elisha had decided, “God’s promises and blessings belong only to Israel.” Or
“I am come only to the lost sheep of Israel.” Or “Naaman’s sins have come up
before him and it is too late. I’m not going to waste my time.”
These are all real possibilities. The story could have ended
here.
Entrust Others with the Truth
But Naaman waits, until someone does answer the door. But
it’s not Elisha; it’s one of his servants. Elisha doesn’t abandon Naaman, but
he doesn’t want him thinking that the power is in the prophet.
There is a small shadow of the New Testament church in this
story, as Jesus told us, “As the Father has sent me, even
so I am sending you” (John 20:21). Elisha uses this opportunity as a teaching
moment for this young man, he makes him an apostle (a sent one) to deliver a
message to a lost and dying man. Reader, when was the last time you sent
someone to deliver the lifesaving message of Jesus? I hope it was recently, but
if it wasn’t, I hope that it will be soon.
Elisha is a pivotal part of this story, but no more than the others we have looked at. He seems central, but we’re going to see that there is someone far more central. We’ll leave Elisha for a moment, but we’ll explore the rest of his part in this story in subsequent chapters.
[1]
In drug and alcohol addiction ministry it
resonates to say “he saves to the guttermost.”
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