George Müller preached this sermon at Bethesda Chapel, Great George Street, Bristol, England, on May 2, 1897, on a Sunday evening.
Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. (2 Kings 5:1, NIV)
The man Naaman, whom we learn of in 2 Kings, was a very great and wealthy man. But he had something wrong: He was a leper. The Lord frequently works in this way: with all the glory, honor and admiration one can have in the world’s eyes, some specific trial or suffering seemingly mars that prestige. We see it in Naaman’s case. He was a commander of Syria’s great army, which was given to him by God. Through him God gave great victories to the king of Aram. It’s also noted that he was a “valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.”
Naturally, someone under such affiliation would want a remedy, but none was found. Even as I speak, even with the advancement of medicine over the centuries, a cure for leprosy has not yet been discovered. People have searched for one tirelessly, yet without success. Naaman probably thought, “I wish I could get rid of this disease!” and in time, he was healed. But consider this: his leprosy brought him to spiritual healing first. Without it, he would have never met the prophet in Samaria, Elisha.
In the same way, God often allows us to go through trials—deep, painful, heavy trials—so that through them He can bring about good things. If it hadn’t been for Naaman’s leprosy, his soul might never have found salvation. Yet God used it for good. And again and again, He does the same in our lives—turning our hardest trials into our richest blessings. I’ll share from my own experience that the Lord has used trials for my good. I have never experienced one single trial (and I have had hundreds of them) that hasn’t resulted in good in the end. I say this to bring comfort and encouragement to you: Let God do as He wills!
As we look back at Naaman’s story, we see that God used a young Israeli girl, made a servant, to start His great work in Naaman’s life. God is a wonder-working God! He has infinite ways to do things, but it always turns out for His glory!
Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy. (verses 2-3)
Who could have imagined that this poor girl, taken captive by the Syrians, would be used for the commander’s ultimate restoration, both physically and spiritually? The prophet himself had no power to heal, but he could be God’s instrument to bring about restoration by the power of the Almighty. That little comment could have been ignored or forgotten. But God made sure it reached the right ears:
Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.” (verses 4-6)
Being restored to health was of such importance to Namaan that any cost was worthwhile. Again, we learned that not only was he a great leader and a valiant man, but he was exceedingly rich. In order to “pay” for his healing, he brought ten talents of silver, which today is worth nearly half a million pounds. He also took six thousand pieces of gold. A piece of gold represents considerably more than a pound sterling; therefore, these six thousand pieces of gold are worth over a million today.
As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!” (verse 7)
The king of Syria didn’t understand how God worked. To him, healing was just a matter of power and authority. So he wrote a letter of recommendation for Naaman, assuming that once it reached the king of Israel, the problem would be solved. But when the king of Israel read the letter, he was shocked. He knew he had no power to heal leprosy. He was afraid the letter would turn against him and start a war.
When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel. So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. (verse 8-9)
Naaman, being a man of pride and self-importance, did not go into the house. He remained quiet in his chariot, expecting the prophet to come out to him and cure him on the spot. But that was not the case.
Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage. (verses 10-12)
How showing of our hearts this passage is! “I thought he would come out to me!” He assumed it would go a certain way. We often fall into the same trap as Naaman. When we read something in God’s Word that we don’t agree with or that doesn’t fit our ideas, we’re quick to question it: “How can this be? How is that possible? I don’t think this translation is accurate!” That’s exactly what Naaman did. He expected the prophet to come out, call on the Lord’s name, wave his hand over the diseased areas, and then—just like that—heal the leprosy. We need to ask God to guard us from responding like this. But next we see the wise response of the servants:
Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” (verse 13)
If, for instance, he had been told, “Run a thousand miles over and over,” he would not have considered it too much. Or if he had been told, “Beat yourself severely again and again,” he would not have considered it too great a thing. But because he was told to do something simple, he despised it. Here we find the wisdom of the servant above the wisdom of the master: “How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed.’” Such a small thing! Well, the servants’ words convinced him, so Naaman did as Elisha had instructed.
He went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. (verse 14)
Remarkably, the oldest translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, which is written in Greek, says, “He baptized himself seven times in the Jordan,” which explains what baptism is. “And his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.” See that he was instantly healed! Then he went back and stood before Elisha. Not “He remained in his chariot, in his pride and arrogance,” but as a humble servant, standing before the prophet, he said:
“Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.” (verse 15)
He had now come to the knowledge of the true and living God. Before, he had only known of idols all his life. But now, because of his miraculous healing of leprosy, he was a changed man. “Accept a gift from your servant.” All the silver, gold and clothing he had brought as a reward were now a gift. But how did Elisha reply?
“As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused. (verse 16)
The prophet wanted the glory for God. If he had taken the vast sum of money offered, it would have looked like he only performed miracles for the sake of earning money. But that was far from this holy man’s mind. It was all for the glory of God. And even though Naaman urged and begged, he refused to take even one small coin or change of clothes as payment. He took nothing whatsoever! The glory of God was dearer to his heart than all the immense sum of gold and silver that Naaman tried to give him.
“If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord. (verse 17)
See how dramatic the change was! Without being prompted by the prophet, this mighty man had received enough light from God to see at once that he could no longer remain an idol worshiper. He had to change the course of his life. He saw that his worship up to that time was contrary to the will of God, that his idolatry was hateful to God, and that he had been worshiping demons instead of the true and living God. His immediate desire was to become altogether different. And without any counsel, he sought to bring his offering to God, and there was no better altar to be found than in Israel.
See in what a brief time God can bring real change and true conviction in the heart! Think about the unbelievers you may know: parents, children, a spouse—however far from God they may be right now, remember that in a moment, God’s power can bring a complete reversal to their hearts! There is no better example of this than in Paul’s conversion. In Acts 9:4, the voice of “Jesus, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (NIV) instantly brought about a complete change to the heart of this man who persecuted the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Then there’s the case of Manasseh—one of the most shockingly wicked kings in all of Scripture. Few, if any, were more corrupt or abominable than he was. But when God’s heavy judgment fell on him, it broke his pride and brought him to the knowledge of the one true and living God. This chief of sinners was entirely changed. Marvel at what God can do! This man was completely transformed. He who had once made Jerusalem almost swim in blood due to the countless innocents he had murdered. What an incredible encouragement! Never give up on prayer, no matter what. We can always bring our requests to God, trusting His power and love to hear and answer us.
But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I have to bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.” (verse 18)
Naaman’s comment shows us what revelation he had been given. He reasoned, “I am going back to Damascus, and when I’m there, because I’m the commander of the king’s army, I will have to accompany him when he goes to worship his god. He’ll expect me to do the same. If I don’t, what will happen?” So he brings his concern to the prophet. Naturally, one might expect the prophet’s response: “That would be very wicked of you, Naaman. You should give up your position as commander instead of bowing before this false god! You will dishonor the true and living God if you do what you suggest!” No, what did the prophet actually say?
“Go in peace,” Elisha said. (verse 19)
Even before Naaman returned home, God was already opening his eyes and revealing truth to him. In just a few hours after his conversion, he had gained such understanding that he knew he could never go back to his old idol worship. He even asked to take some soil from Israel so he could build a new altar to worship the God of Israel once he returned to Damascus. The prophet must have seen this as genuine growth, thinking, “I must leave him in the Lord’s hands. The Holy Spirit will keep teaching Naaman, just as He has already done since he was healed.” So because of this, he said, “Go in peace.”
Not that the prophet approved of idolatry—far from it. But he understood that Naaman still needed to grow spiritually to be fully enlightened. We see the same principle in the Gospels: Jesus had much to tell His disciples, but they weren’t yet ready, so He stayed silent, waiting to teach them until later. Similarly, the prophet chose silence, trusting that the Spirit of God would not only give him revelation, but also strength to repent in the days to come. And we have every reason to believe that Naaman, who once accompanied his king into the temple of Rimmon, no longer continued in that practice as before.
But now we come to Gehazi, Elisha’s servant. He must not have approved of Elisha’s decision to forego the reward, because after Naaman left, he did an unspeakable thing.
Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, “My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”
So Gehazi hurried after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from the chariot to meet him. “Is everything all right?” he asked.
“Everything is all right,” Gehazi answered. “My master sent me to say, ‘Two young men from the company of the prophets have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.’” (verses 20-22)
What a lie, a complete falsehood in order to get money for himself! But his deceit came at a terrible price.
“By all means, take two talents,” said Naaman. He urged Gehazi to accept them, and then tied up the two talents of silver in two bags, with two sets of clothing. He gave them to two of his servants, and they carried them ahead of Gehazi. When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the things from the servants and put them away in the house. He sent the men away and they left.
When he went in and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?”
“Your servant didn’t go anywhere,” Gehazi answered.
But Elisha said to him, “Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money or to accept clothes—or olive groves and vineyards, or flocks and herds, or male and female slaves? Naaman’s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever.” Then Gehazi went from Elisha’s presence and his skin was leprous—it had become as white as snow. (verse 23-27)
Perhaps we imagine the prophet saying, “I refused what was offered to me and would take nothing because I wanted God to get the glory! But you lied and stole what is rightfully God’s! This is no time to be thinking about profit—all the things you’re trying to acquire through the money you obtained by deceit. The leprosy that left Naaman will now be yours forever!” And Gehazi became a leper. This isn’t always the way God brings punishment to the guilty. But this story shows us just how seriously He takes sin, and that in the end, He will deal with wickedness. It should remind us that we’re all sinners, even if we haven’t committed sins as “extreme” as Gehazi’s. That’s why we need the atonement of Jesus Christ to cleanse us of our sins.
We need to stop and ask ourselves, “Have my sins been atoned for? Have I been redeemed from my sins through faith in Jesus? Have I received forgiveness through His blood for my countless transgressions?” What is your standing before God right now? Oh, what will happen to us if we have to suffer for a single sin that we’re guilty of committing? All our sins need to be covered by Jesus’ blood. If we stand before God on the ground of our own goodness, merits and worth, it will be our end. Every one of us, no matter how good or bad, needs a Savior. And if found trusting and depending on Him, then even the worst of sinners need not despair, for there is power in the blood of Christ to wash us clean from all their sins.
In Naaman’s case, a great trial led him to the greatest blessing, the salvation of his soul. And though you may have known Christ and His saving grace for some time and the excitement of this blessing may be dull in your heart, know this for certain: God intends to bring good out of every trial you may face. I have found it this way in my own life!
Remember that young girl? God uses even what we consider to be the smallest and weakest to accomplish His goodness. And because we have the Word of God in full, we never have reason, as Naaman did, to think otherwise. It’s not about what we think; it’s about what God thinks and declares as truth. We are to accept what He says is best. We don’t have to say, Oh, I thought He would do this or that!” Let’s not use the Word of God as a platform to think we know better than God. He knows. We have to learn. He is infinitely wise. We are incredibly ignorant. Therefore, we ought to submit to what He says.
Finally, let Gehazi’s story be a warning to us all. Though God does not respond to every sin as He did in Gehazi’s case, there will come a day when He will have to settle accounts with us regarding our sins. Woe, woe, woe on us if we are found standing on the ground of our own merit and worth, instead of hiding ourselves in Christ. The work must be His. Depend entirely upon His atoning work.
Salvation is found alone in Christ, from beginning to end. If we rely on Him, everything will be secure—for now and for all eternity!
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George Müller
