Before Whom Do You Stand? Lessons from Naaman’s Healing
The story of Naaman in Second Kings chapter 5 offers profound insights into our relationship with God. This powerful account reveals how even the most successful and influential people can have a limited understanding of who God truly is and what He requires of us.
Who Was Naaman?
Naaman was an impressive figure by any worldly standard. He served as commander of the Syrian army under King Ben-Hadad, making him essentially the second most powerful man in Syria. His military prowess was legendary – he had repeatedly defeated Israel in battle, victories that God Himself had allowed as discipline for Israel’s idolatry.
Success with a Fatal Flaw
Despite all his achievements, Naaman’s resume contained one devastating word: “but.” He was a leper. This incurable skin disease meant a slow, agonizing death. All his power, prestige, and wealth couldn’t cure what was slowly destroying him from the outside in.
How Does God Use Small People for Big Purposes?
The turning point in Naaman’s story came through an unnamed Jewish slave girl. Captured during one of Syria’s raids into Israel, she served Naaman’s wife. Rather than harboring bitterness toward her captors, this young girl showed remarkable compassion.
She told her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his skin disease.” This unnamed teenager became a missionary in enemy territory, pointing a powerful pagan general toward the God of Israel.
The Power of Faithful Witness
Small people play big roles in God’s kingdom. This slave girl had every reason to hate Naaman, yet she chose to share hope instead of harboring hatred. Her simple statement set in motion events that would change not just Naaman’s physical condition, but his eternal destiny.
Why Did God’s Prescription Seem So Simple?
When Naaman finally reached the prophet Elisha, he expected a grand ceremony. Instead, Elisha didn’t even come to the door. He sent a servant with a simple message: “Go wash seven times in the Jordan River and you will be clean.”
Pride vs. Obedience
Naaman was furious. He had brought gifts worth over $7 million in today’s currency, expecting royal treatment. Instead, he received what seemed like an insult. The muddy Jordan River couldn’t compare to the clear, beautiful rivers of Damascus. Why couldn’t he wash in his own superior waters?
His pride nearly cost him his healing. Sometimes God offends the mind to win the heart. The prescription wasn’t about the quality of the water – it was about the quality of obedience.
What Does Complete Obedience Look Like?
Naaman’s servants wisely counseled him: “If the prophet had told you to do some great thing, wouldn’t you have done it? How much more when he simply says wash and be clean?”
When God Says Seven, Six Won’t Do
Naaman finally humbled himself and obeyed completely. He dunked himself seven times in the Jordan River. After six times, nothing happened. But on the seventh dip, his skin became like that of a small boy – completely healed.
This teaches us that partial obedience is disobedience. God’s instructions aren’t suggestions we can modify to suit our preferences. Complete healing required complete obedience.
How Does Healing Change Our Understanding of God?
After his healing, Naaman returned to Elisha with a transformed perspective. Five times he referred to himself as “your servant” when speaking to the prophet. His arrogance had been replaced with humility.
From Prophet to God
Most remarkably, Naaman declared: “Now I know there is no God in all the world except in Israel.” Elisha had told the king that Naaman would “know there is a prophet in Israel,” but Naaman discovered something greater – he encountered the God behind the prophet.
What Does It Mean to Stand Before God?
Throughout this story, everyone is described as “standing before” someone else. The slave girl stood before her mistress. Naaman stood before Elisha. Elisha stood before God. This repeated phrase reveals a crucial truth: we all stand before God, whether we realize it or not.
The Posture of Recognition
Learning before whom you stand changes everything. It transforms pride into humility, demands into gratitude, and rebellion into obedience. When we truly understand that we stand before the Creator of the universe, our perspective on everything else shifts dramatically.
Life Application
This Christmas season, examine your own life honestly. Like Naaman, you may have impressive achievements and successes, but there’s likely a “but” on your resume too – a problem, pain, or burden that all your accomplishments can’t fix.
The same God who healed Naaman wants to work in your life, but it requires the same humility and complete obedience that Naaman eventually demonstrated. Stop trying to substitute your own “rivers” for God’s prescribed path. When He says seven, six won’t do.
Consider these questions as you reflect on this story:
- What areas of pride are preventing you from fully obeying God’s instructions in your life?
- How might God be using “small people” around you to point you toward His truth?
- What “but” on your life’s resume do you need to bring before God for healing?
- Are you trying to modify God’s clear instructions to make them more comfortable or convenient for you?
Remember, before whom you stand determines how you live. This Christmas, recognize that you stand before the same God who healed Naaman – a God who uses small people for big purposes and offers complete healing to those who humbly obey.
