What Is Your Leprosy?

 "Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, accepted [and acceptable], because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper." --2Kings 5:1 Amplified Classic

I have a question...

Come closer...

What is your leprosy?

I can see the look on your face right now. "My leprosy?" you may be thinking. "What do you mean, 'what is my leprosy?'" For that matter there may be some among you that may have no clue what leprosy even is..

Leprosy in the simplest terms consists of lesions and boils that appear on your skin that itch, burn and, over time, may lead to disfigurement and death. In biblical days not only was leprosy incurable as well as contagious, it was also something that would set individuals apart so as not to infect others around them, shouting "Unclean! Unclean!" if an unsuspecting person was to venture too close. Those individuals stricken with this disease were outcasts, being forced to live outside the cities in what were called leper colonies. The term leprosy is found 68 times in Scripture; 55 in the Old Testament and 13 in the New. 

Now here we see a commander of the King's army, a man who Scripture refers to as a "mighty man of valor," bringing victory to his homeland of Syria being dealt the shameful blow of leprosy. In spite of that victory, he is a leper. In spite of his rank and title, he is a leper. In spite of his reputation and social standing, he is a leper. Though he is a "mighty man of valor," he is a leper. Everything about this man in the natural was right except for this one thing...he was a leper...

Exactly how and when Naaman became stricken with this disease is not mentioned in Scripture but I sit here, fingers poised to keyboard, wondering all of the hows and whens. 

Walk with me if you will to verses 2-3 of 2 Kings 5--"The Syrians had gone out in bands and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid, and she waited on Naaman’s wife.

 She said to her mistress, Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy."

Think of that!

A little handmaid straight out of Israel has a connection...no...THE connection to a healing for Naaman. So what is the King's response? Read on:

"And the king of Syria said, Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel. And he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, 6,000 shekels of gold, and ten changes of raiment.

And he brought the letter to the king of Israel. It said, When this letter comes to you, I will with it have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of leprosy." (vv. 5-6)

In other words, he was attempting to purchase a healing...

...he was trying to buy a miracle...

Rather than using the connection made available by the handmaiden, wealth and power were deemed the more reliable options,,,

Ah! But listen to the responses of not only the King of Israel but also Elisha the prophet (yes...THAT prophet!)...

 "When the king of Israel read the letter, he rent his clothes and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends to me to heal a man of his leprosy? Just consider and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.

 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, he sent to the king, asking, Why have you rent your clothes? Let Naaman come now to me and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.

 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stopped at Elisha’s door.

Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean." (vv.7-10)

Wow!!!

Ponder this along with the question I posed earlier; what is your leprosy? What is that one thing that, in spite of everything else in your life that may be right, is seemingly incurable, that deems you unclean? 

We've seen Naaman, a man of valor and strength go from conqueror to outcast. We've seen a young maid girl offer a glimpse of hope through Elisha the prophet and the king of Syria's response by attempting to purchase Naaman's deliverance. We've seen Israel's king tear his clothing in frustration and then Elisha's instructions: "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean." What was Naaman's response?

Was it one of gratitude?

Was it one of rejoicing? 

Was it one of hope?

Not even close...

Verses 11 and 12 tells us that Naaman was angry at these instructions saying, "Behold, I thought he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and heal the leper.

 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage."

Without a doubt these rivers of Damascus are cool, clear, and beyond picturesque while the waters of Jordan are silt-laden. Naaman, not realizing the power of Elisha's God, wsas unable to see how washing in the Jordan could possibly cleanse and restore him to health. In his mind he already had a plan. His need was great and because it was so great he had already decided that God would work a healing within a certain way; when He didn't, Naaman was wholly offended and outraged. 

Thankfully, Naaman had servants who had the courage to come to him and advise him to do as Elisha had instructed, reminding him,  "...if the prophet had bid you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much rather, then, when he says to you, Wash and be clean?" (v. 13)

Had Elisha's instructions called for something bolder and seemingly greater, such as a sacrifice, odds are Naaman would have done it without so much as an eye blink. Since his instructions waxed humility, Naaman refused....at first. Verse 14 then says he went and "dipped himself seven times in the Jordan...and His flesh was restored like that of a little child, and he was clean."

 Young children's skin tends to be flawless, smooth, supple, without a hint of blemish. Not only did God heal and restore Naaman, He took him back to the days of His youth; skin that once reeked of lesions and open sores now resonated like porcelain. God not only healed his body physically, he was no doubt restored relationally, as his previous condition prevented him from close intimate contact with family and friends. Why did He do this? 

Because Naaman finally dared to step out in radical obedience. What was his takeaway? "Then Naaman returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and stood before him. He said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel." (v. 15a)

Again I ask...what is your leprosy? Though you may have everything else in the world going for you, what is your one thing that keeps you separated from God the Father, that one thing that deems you unclean? Along with that, what is that thing you are being asked to do to bring about your deliverance that you are not willing to do?

Radical obedience...

We...I...you...we...need to step out in radical obedience...

Until we do, we will constantly find ourselves stuck between Abana and Pharpar and the river Jordan...