When Naaman went with his chariot and horses to Elisha's house in Israel, Elisha did not come out to meet him.
Prophet Elisha sent a messenger who told Naaman to wash himself 7 times in the River Jordan so that he could be cleansed of leprosy. (2 Kings 5:9-10)
Naaman became infuriated because Elisha was not doing things the way he expected them to be done for he thought the prophet would come out to meet him, call on his God and wave his hand over the part of his body that had leprosy. (2 Kings 5:11-12)
2 Kings 5 Lesson 3: God does not have to do things the way we expect Him to do them because His ways are way beyond our ways.
Therefore if you have been seeking God to do something for you, the way Naaman was seeking God to heal him by going to Elisha, do not think that He has to do things your way because He clearly tells us that "My thoughts are not your thoughts and your ways are not My ways ... For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than yours and My thoughts above your thoughts". (Isaiah 55:8-9)
In addition, Naaman thought that the River Jordan where he was being told to bathe in was inferior to the rivers of his home country probably because he had triumphed over the Israelites, for example in the raid that captured the girl who had told his wife about Elisha.
As a result of all these "slights" that he was receiving, Naaman turned and left in a huff. (2 Kings 5:12)
2 Kings 5 Lesson 4: Pride comes before a fall.Therefore never let pride determine how you react especially if you are in a problematic situation and your pride cannot solve the problem for you.
Naaman was saved by the fact that his servants cared enough about him to reason with him respectfully for they said, "My father, if Elisha the prophet had asked you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then when he tells you to simply 'Wash and be clean'?" (2 Kings 5:13)
Naaman recognized their wisdom and heeded to their advice. He then went and washed himself in River Jordan 7 times and he was healed of leprosy. (2 Kings 5:14)
2 Kings 5 Lesson 5: Surround yourself with true friends.Surround yourself with people who genuinely care about your well being and are not afraid to gently correct you when you begin steering your boat of-course like Naaman's servants who realized he had a lot more to lose by not following Elisha's instructions.
2 Kings 5 Lesson 10: Recognize good advise and act on it.Naaman was wise enough to recognize good advise regardless of where it came from and act on it. We can see that from listening to his servants and doing what Elisha said even after he had decided to go.
We can also see another example of him acting on good advise when he listened to the words of the little servant girl in his house who told his wife that there was a prophet in Israel who could cure leprosy.
Therefore regardless of your station in life, Get wisdom (Proverbs 4:7) by praying for God's guidance and Holy Spirit and reading His word so that you are better able to recognize good advise when you hear it regardless of who is meting it.
ADDENDUM This message also applies to salvation since sin is a type of leprosy of the soul. God gives us a simple cure for this disease which is simply saying with your mouth that "Jesus is Lord" and believing with your heart that when He died for our sins God raised Him from the dead and you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)
Therefore if you have been resisting the simple method of getting saved to secure your ticket to heaven, learn from Naaman and accept the simple method that God gives us to be cleansed of our spiritual leprosy.
Click on the link to read 2 Kings 5 Bible Study: Naaman and the Little Girl
Click on the link to read 2 Kings 5 Bible Study: Naaman and Elisha
Click on the link to read 2 Kings 5 Bible Study: Naaman and God
Click on the link to read 2 Kings 5 Bible Study: Naaman and Gehazi
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