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Message: "Time for a
Dip!"
By Pastor Keith
Mozingo
Reading: II Kings 5:1-14 (Message)
Naaman was general of the
army under the king of Aram. He was important to his master, who held him in
the highest esteem because it was by him that God had given victory to Aram: a
truly great man, but afflicted with a grievous skin
disease.
It so happened that Aram, on one of its raiding expeditions against
Israel, captured a young girl who became a maid to Naaman's wife. One day she
said to her mistress, "Oh, if only my master could meet the prophet of Samaria,
he would be healed of his skin disease." Naaman went straight to his master and
reported what the girl from Israel had said. "Well then, go," said the king of
Aram. "And I'll send a letter of introduction to the king of Israel."
So he went off, taking with him about 750 pounds of silver, 150
pounds of gold, and ten sets of clothes. Naaman delivered the letter to the
king of Israel. The letter read, "When you get this letter, you'll know that
I've personally sent my servant Naaman to you; heal him of his skin disease."
When the king of Israel read the letter, he was terribly upset,
ripping his robe to pieces. He said, "Am I a god with the power to bring death
or life that I get orders to heal this man from his disease? What's going on
here? That king's trying to pick a fight, that's what!"
Elisha the man of God heard what had happened, that the king of
Israel was so distressed that he'd ripped his robe to shreds. He sent word to
the king, "Why are you so upset, ripping your robe like this? Send him to me so
he'll learn that there's a prophet in Israel."
So Naaman with his horses and
chariots arrived in style and stopped at Elisha's door. Elisha sent out a
servant to meet him with this message: "Go to the River Jordan and immerse
yourself seven times. Your skin will be healed and you'll be as good as new."
Naaman lost his temper. He turned on his heel saying, "I thought he'd
personally come out and meet me, call on the name of God, wave his hand over
the diseased spot, and get rid of the disease.
The Damascus rivers, Abana and
Pharpar, are cleaner by far than any of the rivers in Israel. Why not bathe in
them? I'd at least get clean." He stomped off, mad as a hornet. But his
servants caught up with him and said, "Father, if the prophet had asked you to
do something hard and heroic, wouldn't you have done it? So why not this simple
'wash and be clean'?"
So he did it. He went down and
immersed himself in the Jordan seven times, following the orders of the Holy
Man. His skin was healed; it was like the skin of a little baby. He was as good
as new.
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