Miracles in Elisha’s Ministry

Transcript

GRS 2-103
3/16/2008
Miracles in Elisha’s Ministry
2 Kings 4-5
Gil Rugh

We are in Second Kings Chapter 4 in your Bibles, Second Kings Chapter 4; we are in the section of the word of God that really is saturated with the ministry of the Prophet Elisha who was the successor to the Prophet Elijah. And really from Chapter 2 to Chapter 13 of Second Kings Elisha plays a key role, but in the section we come into now Chapters 4 to 7 they are at the heart of this section on Elisha and we will see in Chapters 4 and 5 that we are going to look into in our study together now. There is a focus on one miracle after another after another performed by Elisha. These miracles primarily impact those within Israel.

But one major one will impact a Syrian military commander who is sent to Israel so that he might experience the healing power of the God of Israel. This series of miracles begins with the beginning of Chapter 4, the first seven verses are going to talk about a miraculous provision of oil, and then there are going to be several miracles that revolve around the Shunammite woman, a woman who lived in the town of Shunem. There will be several miracles related to her. Then you are going to see a miracle provided for the feeding of the sons of the prophets during the time of famine. There really will be two miracles related to provision of food at the end of Chapter 4. Then we get into Chapter 5, it will around Naaman the Syrian and he is healing from leprosy.

So miracles that are presented without a lot of elaboration, the one performed on Naaman will have the fullest development, but it is part of the series showing the power of God at work in Israel. Keep in mind Elisha’s ministry like Elijah’s ministry is carried on to the northern kingdom, the northern ten tribes that are all but totally corrupted and saturated with paganism. With the calf worship that was established by the first king of the northern ten tribes, carried out under a succession of godless kings all for 20, all 20 kings of the northern kingdom are godless men. So a difficult ministry and humanly speaking does not seem to have great impact because Elijah passes off the scene the northern kingdom is still consumed with its apostasy and false worship and it will be the same when Elisha passes off the scene. Some of the greatest prophets in Israel’s history and there is no change in the people even in the face of some very mighty miracles.

We are going to see it in all of these God is still at work on behalf of his people and some relatively insignificant or unknown people are going to experience the power of God even in the midst of these dark days in Israel’s history. You also if you remember, we will go over and I will remind you of some of them the similarity between Elijah and Elisha’s ministries and the miracles performed by Elisha are often very similar to the miracles performed by Elijah the prophet.

Well, Chapter 4 opens up, “Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord and the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” The first miracle has to do with the dire straits of a widow woman. We don’t know what her name is. We don’t know what her husband’s name was. He has died. Interestingly the Prophet Elisha is going to raise someone from the dead before this chapter is over. But in the sovereign plan of God it was not his plan to raise this woman’s husband from the dead. He is dead and buried. And she is left in dire financial straits.

He was part of the sons of the prophets, the school of the prophets that really were arranged under Elijah’s ministry, now under Elisha’s ministry, carries on a prophetic ministry in Israel. You know what he dies a pauper. She can’t even pay the bills now that he is dead. And it is a serious matter because the Mosaic Law made provision that if you had debt you couldn’t pay then you could become a slave to the debtor to work off your debt. And that could impact your family as well and your children. We won’t turn to the passages, but in Exodus 21, Leviticus 25, it talks about this provision. So the creditors have come to this woman and the alternatives are you either pay the debts that you have or your children will become our slaves and they will work it off.

Now in the year of jubilee this kind of slaves had to be set free, but up until that time they served as slaves to the person that was owed the money. They were set free at the year of jubilee that kept from developing that permanent slavery. There was a voluntary provision made where a man could enslave himself permanently to a master but no permanent involuntary slavery, but here this woman is in despair, her children are going to be taken and made slaves for the creditors. So she comes to Elisha.

Elisha says what shall I do for you; tell me what do you have in the house? She says I have a jar of oil, that’s it. He says go borrow all the vessels at large for yourself from all your neighbors, empty vessels and get more than a few, verse 3, and go in and shut the door behind you and then you take that one jar of oil you have, evidently was small because she didn’t have much, and you start pouring that oil into all these jars that you have collected and the oil wouldn’t run out. So that little jar of oil you are going to keep pouring and you are going to fill the largest vessels you could get and it is just going to keep pouring and pouring.

So verse 5, “She went from him. Shut the door behind her and her sons; they were bringing the vessels to her and she poured. When the vessels were full she said to her son bring me another vessel. He said there is not one vessel more and the oil stopped.” Remarkable miracle, I mean all the vessels they gather they can fill every last one; when they are out of vessels there is no more oil to pour. I mean in a way you think well Elisha could have just handled this and says you will just have that oil, it will never run, it will just keep going. But there is a boundary to the provision. This woman demonstrates her faith in the word of God through Elisha by her obedience. Her and her sons gather that the vessels that can be gathered, all that they can acquire. And really according to her faith it is to her because Elisha told her don’t get a few, get as many as you can and she evidently has done that.

Verse 7, “She came and told the man of God. He said go sell the oil and pay your debt and you and your sons can live on the rest,” oil being a valuable commodity in those days. So a tremendous miracle, there is no filling in of details. What about this woman’s family? What kind of character was her husband? What kind of ministry did he have as part of the sons of the prophets? All those things, no it is just demonstrating God’s sovereign interventions through the prophet Elisha to meet the needs of this widow woman and her sons.

It is very similar, if you want to just thumb back to First Kings Chapter 17, and the widow that Elijah stayed with and when he came to her house he told her remember to make me a cake, loaf of bread, and she said I only have a little bit of oil and a little bit of flour and I was going to make a cake for my son and I, then we would die and he said don’t worry about it. It will last, verse 14, “Thus says the God of Israel the bowl of flour shall not be exhausted nor shall the jar of oil be empty until the day that the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth.” So there the flour and the oil will last through the famine. So don’t be afraid but first make my cake and again a demonstration of faith in what the word of God was to her through the prophet; so very similar miracle here through Elisha.

Come back to Chapter 4 of Second Kings, now Elisha passed over to Shunem. There was a prominent woman there, a great woman, a woman of substance and a wealthy husband and she persuaded him to eat food. So as often as he passed by he turned in there to eat food. The prophets Elijah and Elisha would often journey to Mount Carmel over on the coast Mediterranean and Shunem is between and # and Abel-meholah which is the dwelling place of Elisha the prophet. So it was a natural stopping point if you look on the map you are coming down then you are over on the coast and Abel-meholah, Elisha’s home is over roughly half way along the Jordan between the sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea and in-between you have the town of Shunem.

So it was a natural route for Elisha so he would stop in this woman’s house and she would provide for him. Remember there were no motels and hotels as we think of them. So she makes provision for him and provides for him. She said to her husband, “Behold now I perceive that this is a holy man of God passing by us continually.” So she got an idea let’s have a second storey on the house. We will build a room. We will build up you know and make a room on the roof a little wall chamber and set up a bed and table and a chair and a lamp stand and when he comes to us he can stay there. So he will have a place to stay overnight. He will have his own private place. So it won’t be just a place to stop and eat but it will be a place he can relax, he can rest, he can when he wants. So they do that.

Again you don’t get any insight into this family. You know we like to talk all about families but you don’t go into anything. What’s the character of this family? What is their spiritual life like? What’s the husband like? None of that is there, just the bare essentials, the focus on God’s ministry in a special way to Elisha to meet special needs and shows God is at work and this is the God that has been rejected by the people of the northern kingdom but he is still graciously working through his prophet Elisha. Verse 11, “One day he came there and turned in the upper chamber and rested. Then he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite.” When he had called her, she stood before him, he said to him, “Now say to her,” so Elisha communicates to her through his servant Gehazi, “Say now to her behold you have been careful for us with these care, what can I do for you? Would you be spoken for to the king or to the captain of the army?” You see something of Elisha’s influence. Is there something you would like? I could go and request it of the king.

I mean no problem for Elisha to go into the court of the king and say I want you to do something. There is a woman I want you to provide this for her, give her added land, or do but you see something of the wealth of her family. Would you like me to speak to the king or to the captain of the army? She answered I live my own people. Another way of saying oh my needs are met. I have everything I need right here. And here you see something of her character. She hadn’t done this for Elisha looking for something in return for herself. She had just done this out of a concern to meet the needs of the man that she perceived to be a man of God, to provide for him whenever he came by and then even go to the added expense of seeing that a room was built, added on to their residence so he would have his own private place to stay. And Elisha is greatly appreciative that someone would care for him in this way.

So verse 14, “He said what then is to be done for her?” So he is carrying on this communication with Gehazi and then Gehazi is the go between to the woman who has come to meet with Elisha and his request. So, Gehazi said in verse 14 “Truly she has no son and her husband is old.” And as often was the practice a man would marry a woman much younger than him. He would be much older and so the woman is childless and her husband is advanced enough in age there is no expectation there will be a child out of this relationship. He said call her. When he had called her she stood in the doorway. He said at this season next year you will embrace a son. You are going to have a son next year at this time.

She said no my Lord oh man of God do not lie to your maidservant. This is more than I could expect. She hasn’t asked for anything from him. Remember this is Elisha’s initiative and now she has turned down and requested a king could fulfill. She is satisfied with what she has. She is not looking for Elisha to intervene for her with the king or anyone else. But Elisha now offers her what she would have not even thought to ask for. She is going to conceive a son. Well as you might expect Scripture just jumps to next year at this time. The woman conceived, bore a son of that season the next year as Elisha had said.

So there this mighty miracle takes place, awesome miracle, that totally transformed this household and this woman’s life and you move on to the next step. It is not the end of the miracle. Verse 18, “When the child was grown, the day came that he went out to his father to the reapers.” And you see how we just get highlights, I mean we jump from you know through a year and there is a child now we jump years down the road what happens in this story. You are filling in the account, you are not told how did she respond when she had the child, what did it make a difference, what did her husband think? All these, no, we just stay on track with what the Lord is what he is doing in Israel through the ministry of Elisha in these days. We are not sidetracked into unnecessary details that we might find of interest but do not add to what the Scripture is revealing.

So the child is out visiting his father in the fields. He is old enough to go out, be with his father, the servants of course would be with him out there to bring him out. We are not told how old he is but he is grown up enough. He is able to go out and be with his father during the day watching the reapers. He said to his father my head, my head. He said to his servant carry him to his mother. He has got some kind of problems. Scripture doesn’t go into what the problem is but he starts getting a headache, a serious headache. So the father says to the servant why don’t you take him back home. Not that his father is hard hearted and just you know he has got a headache take him home to mom, and the mother will take care of him.

They take him home, brought him to his mother, he sat on her lap till noon and he dies. She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God. Now interesting here, the actions of this woman; she has in her mind that Elisha has the power to bring him back to life. She lays him on Elisha’s bed in the room they prepared for him. Then she sends a message to her husband and says send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys that I may run to the man of God and return. He said why would you go to him today, it is neither new moon nor Sabbath. It is not a particular feast day. It is not a Sabbath day. Why are you going to see the prophet for? And she says it will be well. Now there is no indication here she tells him that their son has died. She has taken here, this really is a private thing. She takes him up, lays him on the bed of the prophet, closes the door, sends for her husband and says I need a servant with a donkey to take me to the prophet. When her husband says what are you going for, she just says everything is okay. The prophet is friend of the family if you will and he accepts the fact that his wife has reasons to go see the prophet.

So verse 24, “She saddled the donkey, told her servant, go fast. The servant go fast and don't slow up for me unless I tell you.” In other words, she doesn’t want the servant just musing along being careful he doesn’t make it uncomfortable for the woman by traveling too fast. You just go quickly unless I interrupt and tell you slow up, you go fast. So she came to the man of God at Mount Carmel. So you see regular practice for Elisha to go to Carmel. When the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to Gehazi his servant behold there is a Shunammite. Run and meet her and say is it well with you, is it well with your husband, is it well with the child? She answered it is well. She only wants to talk to Elisha directly.

Elisha knows something is not right when he sees the Shunammite coming. So his question is something wrong with you, with your husband or with your child not so well. So Gehazi has nothing to report. When she came to the man of God to the hill she caught hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to push her away but the man of God said let her alone for her soul is troubled within her and the Lord has hidden it from me. He has not told me. A remarkable thing this will come out as we move through here. God often told the prophets what was going to be taking place. I don’t know whether a dream, vision, whatever, but the prophets knew ahead of time what was coming up, what was going to happen but Elisha said for some reason God hasn’t revealed to me what the problem is yet.

So I am going to have to find out from this woman. That’s when the woman grabs hold of the feet of Elisha, the servant moves in to move her back to more appropriate setting but Elisha recognizes something has gone amiss, something is wrong and the Lord hasn’t made it known to me yet. Then she said did I ask for a son from my Lord? Did I not say do not deceive me? She takes him back to when he told her she would have a son. Then she said I didn’t ask for that son. And then when you said I would have a son I asked you not to deceive me. In other words, you know what is wrong here; to give me a son and then have him taken in death, it is almost worse than never having the son. I mean you have filled my hopes and now you have taken him away.

So he said to Gehazi gird up your loins, take my staff in your hand, go your way don’t say hi to anyway, don’t greet anyone. You go straight to their home and you lay my staff on the young man’s face. The mother of the lad said I am staying with you interestingly. You think she might want to run with Gehazi and see what happens with her son because Elisha at least is thinking this may bring him back to life, but she is not willing to leave Elisha. She says as the Lord lives, Verse 30, as you yourself I will not leave you. She knows that whatever the Lord does it will happen through Elisha. So she is going to stay with Elisha. Gehazi goes and does what he is told. You know what nothing happens. No sound, no response. He returns and tells Elisha the situation. The lad has not awakened. I mean amazing here, this kind of conversation going on you got a dead child and you got two men here, the prophet and his servant, both thinking that he is going to be raised from the dead when you lay the staff on him. I mean what faith they have in the God of Israel.

But nothing happens. But it doesn’t end there. It is not like Elisha says well I guess it is not God’s will to raise him. I am sorry but the Lord will comfort you. No, Elisha came to the house. Behold the lad was dead and laid on his bed. So he entered and shut the door behind them both and prayed to the Lord. So it’s just Elisha and the little boy here now and he prays. Then he went up and lay on the child, put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, his hands on his hands and stretch himself on him. The flesh of the child became warm. Then he returned and walked in the house once back and forth and went up and stretched himself on him. Again, strange the different ways the Lord chooses to exercise his power. I mean obviously Elisha could have spoken the word if that’s the way God wanted to do, but he had him do this strange thing of laying on him.

So he puts his face on the child’s face, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, put his hands on his hands then the body starts to get warm. Then it’s like he walks around to regenerate the power and goes up and lays on him again and then the child sneezes seven times, he opened his eyes. He says call the Shunammite; first he calls his servant then tells his servant to call the Shunammite. She comes in and says here is your son. And she bows down at his feet and took her son and went out. Remarkable miracle, I mean here you have someone raised from the dead; the raising of a dead person, a child who had been dead. We are done with that account. It doesn’t say anything about how does this impacted the family, what did she tell her husband? You know I didn’t tell you why I went to the prophet. You know our son was dead but I didn’t want you to get upset. I just went and got the prophet so he could raise him from the dead.

She is a mighty woman of faith and here she is, you know Elisha is carrying on his ministry in the midst of godless Israel, here is this woman of such great faith. The apostasy in the northern kingdom is not complete. We are not saying there are no believers in Israel. They are just overwhelmed and so far outnumbered. Remember Elijah thought he was the only one left. They were so few, just a handful. But here is a godly woman who has experienced the power of God, a remarkable woman of faith.

Now we move on to another miracle that after that seems rather minimal. You know a miracle to fix the stew so that it is edible. We could have used it our house sometimes. No, that’s a joke, joke. When Elisha returned to Gilgal he was 38. There was a famine in the land. As the sons of the prophets were sitting before him he said to his servant put on a large pot and boil a stew for the sons of the prophets. So Elisha has returned to Gilgal and if you look the map we are all the way down now getting near the Dead Sea. So he journeyed down and he is at Gilgal. There is a famine in the land. The sons of the prophets are there. He is obviously carrying on a ministry with them. I mean he is the lead prophet in Israel. And so he is there with the sons of the prophets. It is time to eat and he says put on the large pot and boil the stew for the sons of the prophets. What they do is gather whatever they can.

One of the sons of the prophets who is out there finds some herbs, a wild vine. This looks like you know we can’t be choosy. These things on this vine look like that would be good to be added to the stew so he gathers them up. When he came back, they sliced them up, put it all in the stew. They didn’t know what it was. They started to eat and they cry out, verse 40. They realized it is poisonous. There is death in the pot, verse 40. They were unable to eat. Now they say O man of God there is death in the pot. But he said now bring meal. He threw it into the pot and said pour it out for the people that they may eat. Then there was no harm in the pot.

Just a simple miracle but what does it demonstrate? God is acting powerfully on behalf of his people. The king of Israel is oblivious. He is a pagan. The vast majority of the people in Israel are pagans worshipping calves at Bethel and Dan. And here you see a mighty work of God providing for the humble sons of the prophets. Poor people, we saw the widow of one of these sons of the prophets when her husband died she had nothing, couldn’t even pay their creditors. And yet here is God providing mightily for them. God does it in different ways. Here Elisha throws some meal, crushed grain into the pot. He says all right now everybody eat. No harm in that, what would that meal do, a meal thrown in the pot wouldn’t necessarily do anything to cancel the poison but the power of God now it is edible. It is totally transformed. A little thing but a major thing; you know if you are going to starve to death it becomes a major thing, so God’s simple provision in all aspects of life.

The next miracle is similar; verse 42, now a man came from Baal-shalisha and brought the man of God bread of the first fruits, 20 loafs of barley, fresh ears of grain in his sack. He said give them to the people that they may eat. And his attendant said what will I set before a hundred men. I mean this isn’t enough. I mean we are going to put this before a hundred hungry men, but he said give them to the people that they may eat for thus says the Lord. They shall and have some left over. So he set up before them, they ate and had some leftover according to the word of the Lord. Now in verse 42 we are told that this man had brought some of the bread of the first fruits. And this means that this was the bread made from the first fruits, the first of the harvest. This was to be reserved for the priests in Israel. But you know what had happened to the priests in the northern kingdom, they had apostatized.

And so here you have this which is promised to the priests being brought to the prophet. He is benefitting from it. A miracle of multiplying the loaves for them to eat, a forerunner of what Jesus will do in Matthew Chapter 14 with the feeding of the 4000 and then the feeding of the 5000, Matthew 14 and Matthew 15, multiplying what they eat. Not a problem, God can provide in times of famine, in times of shortfall, he provides. You know it just magnifies against the backdrop of the horrendous spiritual condition of the northern kingdom. Here you have the God of Israel present and willing to act. He hasn’t left, he hasn’t gone away. How said that you have the northern kingdom experiencing judgment from God in all this time and foregoing the blessings that he would bring to them if they would but turn and trust him.

If you were here for the study of Elijah, you will note that the resurrection that dead boy was similar to the miracle that Elijah had performed in First Kings Chapter 17 verse 17 and he performed it in a very similar way, the way that Elisha performed the miracle in his raising of that boy. So unique miracles but not miracles without precedent or that will not be repeated in Israel’s history. What is it demonstrating; the God of Israel is the God of power. He is their sufficiency; sad that most of the nation has rejected him.

Well, Chapter 5 brings us to a very familiar miracle, Naaman the Syrian. Now Naaman captain of the army of the king of Aram, remember Aram is Syria. The capital of Aram is Damascus. He was a great man with his master, highly respected. Now note this, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. Here you have a Syrian military commander, commander of the Syrian army. He had been given victories by the Lord the God of Israel. And some of his victories were over Israel. There is one problem. Naaman is a valiant warrior but he was a leper. He was afflicted with leprosy.

Now the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel and she waited on Naaman’s wife. Again you are told this, no details, think of the impact on this Jewish family. That a raiding party of Syrians had come into Israel and God had given victory to the Syrians and the devastating for this Jewish family was their young daughter had been taken captive and now she is a slave to the wife of the captain of the Syrian army. No details here of the impact on her parents and her family that their daughter has been carried away a captive into Syria. No record of how this impacted, this little girl and now young woman, we are not told how old but she is a young girl and she is serving as a slave of the wife of Naaman.

You know we would want to develop this, the family, how will they ever recover from this. This girl, how will she ever recover? That’s not even an issue here, nothing going on like that. Remember we are tracking just to see the work in all that is going on. Amazing, this girl resentful, hateful, miserable because she has been torn from her family and now made a slave in the house of a foreign military man outside the land of Israel, she said to her mistress I wish that my master were with the prophet who was in Samaria then he would cure him of his leprosy. Remarkable, now maybe Naaman and his wife treated her kindly. But you know still no place like home. She still was taken in a raid in the land of Israel and carried off to a foreign land to be a slave to those who had captured her, but she says to Naaman wife, you know, I wish my master was with the prophet who was in Samaria. He could heal him.

You know here is a young girl of faith. No problem, here is a leper but you know what the God of Israel could heal him through his prophet. I mean what a testimony to faith. Again you get a glimpse in the awful situation in Israel. There are these people of faith and often they are the people you won’t expect. A woman, a young girl, and she has that kind of testimony in the house of the Syrian. You think she might be saying you know the God of Israel is going to judge you for making me a slave. Not that at all. The God of Israel could heal my master, total respect, if he was with the prophet.

Well Naaman hears his wife says you know there is someone in Israel, a prophet in Israel, he could heal you. They could heal you down in Israel. So Naaman goes and told his master, the king of Syria. Thus and thus spoke the girl who is from the land of Israel. Then the king of Aram said go now I will send a letter to the king of Israel. He departed and took with him 10 talents of silver and 6000 shekels of gold and ten change of clothes. That is a king’s ransom. And he sends this treasure with Naaman and his entourage and here they come into Israel to the king of Israel.

Verse 6, “He brought the letter to the king of Israel saying, “Now as this letter comes you behold I have sent Naaman my servant to you that you may cure him of his leprosy.”” You know the impact this has on the godless king. Here is Naaman the captain of the Syrian army who has had victories over Israel. What are you doing here? I have a letter from the king of Syria. The letter is I have sent Naaman so you can cure him of his leprosy. The king of Israel is in turmoil. He doesn’t know what to do.

Verse 7, “When the king of Israel read the letter he tore his clothes and said “Am I god to kill and to make alive that this man is sending word to me to cure this man of his leprosy.”” Note the difference in the responses. The little Jewish girl that was taken captive and made a slave in Naaman’s household, her response was verse 3, I wish that my master were with the prophet who is Samaria; then he would cure him of his leprosy. Verse 7 when the king of Israel read the letter he tore his clothes and said am I a god to kill and make alive that this man is sending word to me to cure this man of leprosy. You see there is no faith in the God of Israel in the heart of the king of Israel.

But there is a simple trust in faith in the little servant girl, and their attitude is totally different. He could be cured by the prophet in Samaria. The king of Israel, I don’t know what to do, my god how am I going to cure the man? Well, word comes to Elisha. It happened when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes because word quickly spreads because that’s a signing of mourning and distress. The king of Israel is in mourning distress. He has torn his clothes, they bring word to Elisha. You know the king of Israel doesn’t send for Elisha. Word is brought to Elisha of what is taking place.

He sent word to the king saying what have you torn your clothes. Now let him come to me and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. This isn’t to exalt himself but there is a prophet in Israel, there is a man who represents God in Israel. That’s what he needs to know. So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots and stood at the doorway of the house of Elisha. And I love the way Elisha works. The same way he did when he was talking to the Shunammite woman. He has his servant go and carry his word. Well, Naaman is an important man. He comes with horses, riding his horse with chariots and is at the doorway of the house; you come out and meet a man of this importance, don’t you? Elisha doesn’t, he sent a messenger and say go and wash in the Jordan seven times, your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.

He doesn’t even come out and meet him, doesn’t show him respect and honor. Here is a man that has a fortune with him in silver and gold and clothes. He is a man of stature and importance. I mean he has come from the king of Syria and stopped having already had an audience with the king of Israel. He comes to the door of the house of Elisha and Elisha doesn’t even come out to say hi. He just sends a servant and say go tell him dip himself seven times in the river Jordan and his leprosy will be gone.

Verse 11, “Naaman was furious. He went away and said behold I thought he will surely come out to me, stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.” I mean Naaman is already for some kind of dramatic scene. Here he is the important military commander. He will stand before the prophet of Israel and the prophet of Israel with dramatic gesture will waive his hand and Naaman will have a scene here of dramatic impact. And he will be at center stage with the prophet. Not going to be that way, prophet is not even going to show up. You can just go off and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, that will do it.

So he is in a rage. Are not Abana and Pharpar the rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be cleaned? He turned and went away in a rage. This is a man of importance. He is a man who gets his way. He has one boss, that’s the king of Syria. He is used to being treated with respect and deference and honor due his position. His servants came near and want to reason with him. My father had the prophet told you to do some great thing would you not have done it? I mean if he told you to do something dramatic, something major, you would have done it. How much more then when he says to you wash and be clean? I mean think about it, he didn’t tell you to do something dramatic hard, that might and power. He just said go to river Jordan and wash and be cleaned.

Well, Naaman’s response basically by his action is he has nothing to lose. All right I will do it. So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan according to the word of the man of God. That’s the key thing. You obey God’s word. There is a key in all of this. And his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child. He was clean. Isn’t that remarkable? The way God chooses to do things. I have to say if I was doing it I would have done that the way Naaman thought. Have Elisha come out, throw his mantle over his shoulder and stand as the majestic prophet and the thunder of the word of the Lord and swing his hand across; you know you send him off and dip in the Jordan and it is done. Not nearly so dramatic but just it’s the powerful way God chooses to work.

When he returned to the man of God with all his company, he came and stood before him and said behold now I know there is no God in all the earth but in Israel. I mean I take it Naaman is converted. He believes now there is only God. The God of Israel is not one among many. I know there is only God. That's the God of Israel. Please take a present from your servant. You know an old writer, some of you have read Alexander Maclaren, Maclaren’s exposition of Scripture. He has an interesting thing to say here. He said Naaman wished to be treated like a great man that happened to be a leper. Elisha treated him like a leper who happened to be a great man. The whole question about his treatment turns on this: whether it is the important thing his disease or his dignity. He thought it was his dignity. The prophet thought it was his disease. And now he is clean. Wash and be clean.

So now he is back before the prophet and says the gift is yours, all this wealth. Now stop and think Elisha could think you know boy I have got a hundred men in the school of the prophet so living on the brink of poverty and starvation. This is God’s provision. Here we go, not at all. He said, verse 16, as the Lord lives before whom I stand I will take nothing. Keep that in mind, the way he gives that bow. As the Lord lives before whom I stand I will take nothing. Naaman urges him; he is adamant. He refuses, he will not take the gift. You cannot buy the services of the prophet.

Now people in Israel gave gifts. We saw the man who brought the first fruits, the loaves from the first fruits and Elisha accepted it. He accepts not from the Syrian. Remember back in Genesis 14, when Abraham rescued Lot the king of Sodom wanted to give him reward. No, less you say I have made Abraham rich. Abraham would take nothing for himself. So here, less there be any misunderstanding because the king of Syria sent such riches you purchased healing. Nothing, I will take nothing. Naaman said if not please let your servant at least be given two mule loads of dirt for your servant will no longer offer burnt offerings nor will he sacrifice to other gods but to the Lord. He is truly converted. I will worship only one God. I will only sacrifice to one God. I want to take back some of the land because it’s the God of Israel is the god we are talking about.

And by this act this land I will bring back and set there. I will worship before the God of Israel. He is not saying he doesn’t believe that the God of Israel will be present in his land but its acknowledgment that it is Israel’s God that I serve. So identify that way; he also asks for permission. In this matter may the Lord pardon your servant when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there and he leans on my hand and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon. When I bow myself in the house of Rimmon the Lord pardon your servant of this matter. I will have to go into a house of false pagan worship for part of my responsibility as captain of the army is that the king when he goes to worship his pagan god leans on my arm. I will there as a slave of the king. I will not be there as a worshipper of Rimmon. And he is given permission. Elisha says go in peace.

So this is not a default. This is not a failure on Naaman’s part because Elisha doesn’t say no you can’t do that; he says go in peace. Another way of saying that's fine. He is not there as a worshipper. I will just be there fulfilling my duties as a slave to my master who will be worshipping there but I wouldn’t be there. I will only be worshipping the God of Israel. That would take place in the presence where he sets the soil that he takes. You wish that was the end of the story but it is not as you are aware. Gehazi, the servant, these are men that live from hand to mouth; they live on the basis of gifts given by believers in Israel. Sometimes scouring for food as we saw, not even knowing what it is they are putting into the pot of stew. Gehazi is there, he is man who has nothing, you have to plan for your future. What’s going to happen to me in the future, what about my retirement? What about the lean days?

So Gehazi the servant of Elisha the man of God who has been present to see such mighty miracles thought behold my master has spared this Naaman the Aramean. I mean this foreigner comes in and is cured of his leprosy and my master just lets him off scot-free. As the Lord lives I will run after him and take something from him. Now there is his vow, the end of verse 20. Compare that with verse 16, what Elisha said as the Lord lives before whom I stand I will take nothing. The end of verse 20, as the Lord lives I will run after him and take something from him. Two totally different attitudes. Both men vow as the Lord lives but totally different.

Gehazi pursued Naaman and he has a story. Naaman sees him coming, comes up and recognizes him as Elisha’s servant. Elisha says you know right after you left two young men of the sons of the prophets showed at my master’s house and he would like to have something to give them. Give me a talent of silver and two changes of clothes. Now Gehazi thinks he has covered himself. This isn’t for Elisha. Elisha wants it for the two sons of the prophets. So you know at least he is not discrediting Elisha because Elisha still, he is not saying Elisha wants it for himself, Elisha wants it to give to someone else may be, in Gehazi’s mind, thinks that that softens it. You know it sounds like well he has only asked for a talent of silver but a talent was about 75 pounds. That’s quite a bit of silver. So you get some idea of the riches that Naaman had brought with him when you are told that he brought ten talents of silver and 6000 shekels of gold and ten changes of clothes when he came here. You get some idea of the riches that Elisha refused and doesn’t try to turn it around and think well I could take this as the Lord’s provision. No, you don't take it from the hands of these people.

So he takes the talent and he takes the changes of clothes and Naaman really gives him two talents. He says oh take two talents. You can give a talent to each of these men along with the change of clothes to each of them. And he has two of his servants go with him. Because you know now we have got a heavy load, two talents that is 150 pounds plus the clothes. So two of Naaman’s servants go back with Gehazi to his place, and then Gehazi says all right I will take care of it from here. He takes it and buries it in his tent and goes back to visit with Elisha.

Verse 25, when he came in and stood before his master, Elisha said to him where have you been Gehazi? He said your servant went nowhere. I didn’t go anywhere special. I didn’t have any special thing to do. He said to him did not my heart go with you when the man turned from his chariot to meet you. Amazing, here the Lord had enabled Elisha to see in a vision what was actually taking place. Elisha says I was there. I saw it all. I saw Naaman turn and see you coming up and stop his chariot. Remarkable what the Lord does here. Another real miracle. Then he rebukes Gehazi. Is it time to receive money and to receive clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female servants? Perhaps he is revealing what was in Gehazi’s mind. I could go from being servant to master. I could purchase land. I could vineyards. I could have servants working the vineyards. Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever. He went out from his presence a leper white as snow. Remarkable, here is a man so connected to Elisha’s ministry, he ends up a leprosy and it will be passed on through his family line. They will be lepers.

All right just a few things to observe and we are done. Number one and perhaps most important, God is sovereign and all powerful. Chapters 4 and 5 demonstrate this is going on in Israel but God’s power is there. It is available, it works. He is sovereign, he is all powerful.

Secondly, God graciously provides for the needs of his people. That was Chapter 4, all the miracles that occurred there. Some of them rather small and minor, the people seem somewhat insignificant. We don’t even know the names of any of these who are benefitting from these miracles. The Shunammite woman, what’s her name? I don't know. What’s her husband’s name? I don't know. What was her son’s name? I don’t know. But God is working.

The sons of the prophets, name two or three of them. We don’t know but God takes of the widow of one of them through Elisha. These prophets sit down to eat, they don’t have anything. God through Elisha provides the stew that is edible. He provides enough food to eat. On it goes, miracles provided. This is the God that is rejected by the nation, this is the God rejected by the king, this is the God rejected by the people but there are believers sprinkled through the nation and God is working on their behalf. You know we don’t despair because the numbers are overwhelming. Oh what are we going to do, what are we going to do, I mean we are being overwhelmed. Well, what’s that got to do with anything? It doesn’t have to do with how many we are. It has to do with the God that we have and he is just as sovereign and powerful and gracious today.

Thirdly, God’s power seen in difficulty. Each of these miracles happens in the context of trial and difficulty. You know when you lose sight of that these are hard times, times of famine, times of difficulty, times of apostasy. And as often in times of that stress and difficulty, hardship, trials that we are privilege to see God work in such great ways. Peace that he brings to our heart and the time when you think I ought to be a wreck. But you know he just brought to me overwhelming peace. You know God provided for us, I didn’t know what we were going to do but he did. We just get caught up in the circumstance but you know it is our God who is working.

Fourthly, we may not understand God’s purposes. You know the parents of that little Jewish girl it’d just seem to them what a tragedy, her little girl, what happened? When the Syrians raided they took her off as part of the booty, what is happening to her in that pagan land? That little girl why am I taken from home in Israel, why would God allow this to happen to me? You know you either trust the Lord or you don’t. I mean if the Lord is not sufficient in bad times, and I say this respectfully, what good would he be as a God? I mean here is this little girl, she doesn’t understand God’s purposes, but now we know the impact of her life. Here we are thousands of years later reading about it. We don't know her name but we know her. The impact was tremendous. Couldn’t God have done it a different way than taking this poor little girl from her family to a foreign land? God does it the way he does it.

You know part of our distress comes when trying to think of how God could have worked. I mean he should have done it this way, he shouldn’t have done that. Now you appreciate of this little girl. Instead of wringing her hands and despairing as she serves as a slave in Naaman’s house, she says oh I wish my master could be with the prophet in Samaria he could be healed. We don’t miss our great opportunities in testimony and to see the power of God at work. What does this little girl think when Naaman shows up back home and he is clean? You get the idea. She would be excited. You like the story the story to go on and say then Naaman loaded her in his chariot and took her back to her parents in Israel but we don't get any of that. It is not what this is about.

You know what do you think of the story if she just lives out the rest of her life as a slave in Naaman’s house? You know thousands of years later it doesn’t really matter, does it? But we do see the power of God and his hand at work. A point here that you would probably thought up when you wash and be clean. Clean me and I will be whiter than snow. The way the cleansing for Naaman was simple and clear. Wash and you will clean. You know you can’t maintain your pride Naaman. We can’t do this so that you can be recognized as a great man. You go to the Jordan like a little nobody. Dip yourself and you will be clean or go home a leper. Those were the alternatives. At least he had the servants who had the good sense to give him some good advice.

Lastly something that all of us in our prosperous society can take care of, be careful of covetousness. Gehazi acquired his wealth by covetousness but he acquired misery with it. What a terrible thing. I am sure he would have given his wealth to be rid of his leprosy. You know we want to mix it. I can be the servant of Elisha and be rich. If God makes you rich fine. But we need to be careful, we lust for things. We desire that we like to think now we got the best of things. You know what I could for the Lord if I had this, the covetousness of Gehazi stands as a striking testimony to the misery it can bring.

Let’s pray together. Thank you Lord for these simple stories, simple in the way they are presented, brief. Lord, it is easy for us to read over them and miss the display of your power, the manifestation of your grace that you work in such mighty ways in the midst of a decadent and godless society. Lord, may we be encouraged as we go through different circumstances and situations in our lives. Lord, you are the sovereign God. You are all powerful. You are all sufficient. There are no disasters that overtake us, only thing you have thing you have planned for us in the greatest tragedies from human perspective or part of your gracious plan to accomplish your purposes for us and through us in the lives of others. Lord, we are privilege to serve a great God who is a loving God, the God who is our sufficiency at all times. May we live the days before us and the week before us in light of these truths. We pray in Christ’s name, amen.