Devotional on 2 Kings 5:1-19
The prophets Elijah and Elisha are two of my favorite characters in the Old Testament. Elijah does some amazing things for God, all while battling depression and self-doubt. And Elisha... well... he's just a bit eccentric!
In 2 Kings 5, Naaman, a commander of the Aram army, comes down with a bad case of leprosy. Naaman's wife happens to own an Israelite girl who was taken captive during a raid. Instead of relishing in Naaman's misfortune—which would have been easy to do given her situation—she comes up with an idea. She says, "I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy" (v. 3).
Naaman tells his king about this, and the king thinks it is worth a shot. So he sends Naaman down to Israel. When Naaman arrives, he goes to the king of Israel and gives him lavish gifts of gold, silver, and clothing. Basically, he was trying to grease the wheels. Naaman was a big shot and used to getting whatever he wanted. He also gives the king of Israel a letter from his own king that says, "With this letter I present my servant Naaman. I want you to heal him of his leprosy" (v. 6).
When the king of Israel reads this, he freaks out a bit. He thinks the king of Aram is playing games with him, trying to pick a fight. How is he supposed to heal this guy of leprosy?
But then Elisha gets word of all this and tells the king to calm down. Take a few deep breaths. Everything will be okay. He tells the king to send Naaman to him.
So Naaman goes to Elisha's house with his whole entourage of horses and chariots. He expects Elisha to roll out the red carpet for him and make a huge deal. But Elisha doesn't even greet him at the door!
But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy.” ( v. 10)
What's up with this?! Doesn't Elisha know who this guy is?!
Naaman can't believe the disrespect Elisha has shown him. He expected Elisha to meet him at the door and wave a hand over him to heal him of the leprosy. Wouldn't that make more sense?
Besides, he says, the Jordan River is kinda gross. Why wouldn't Naaman tell him to wash in a better river?
Naaman was about to go home and forget the whole thing. But then, for the second time in this story, Naaman was saved by one of his servants.
But his officers tried to reason with him and said, "Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn't you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, 'Go and wash and be cured!'" So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child, and he was healed! (v. 13-14)
Naaman almost let his pride get in the way of allowing himself to be healed. He thought what Elisha asked him to do was "beneath him."
I wonder how often we miss out on what God is doing because it doesn't seem "exciting enough."
I'm eager to obey God in doing the "big things" but not the "small things."
I'm willing to lay down my life for my wife and son. Most husbands and fathers would, no questions asked. But are we willing to lay down our lives in a thousand small ways each day?
Am I willing to help clean the house and spend time playing with my son in ordinary, mundane ways?
It's so easy to fall into the mindset of wanting to serve God in "big ways." That's not a bad desire to have. But like Naaman, our expectation of what that looks like may differ from God's. Naaman thought there were some things that were beneath him. Do we think that sometimes? I know I do!
We may have a desire to go off and change the world. And God may want us to start by greeting people at the door of church on Sunday.
I can promise you one thing: Doing the "small thing" will always make us better prepared if and when God calls us to something that, in our eyes, looks bigger.
As we begin our day, here are some questions to ponder:
Why do you think Naaman was so offended by Elisha's instructions to him?
When was a time you said yes to God even though it seemed like a small thing? How did it change you?
How can you be on the lookout for "all the small things" today?
And yes, for those who know, it's totally a Blink-182 reference.
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If you enjoyed this devotional, please take a moment to check out my Nobody Left Out series of devotionals. They were written to help ordinary people (like me!) grow in their relationship with Jesus.
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