Naaman

In my quiet time today, I read the Old Testament story of Naaman the Aramean. He had leprosy and went to Israel to be healed by Elisha. Second Kings 5:10-14 are the core verses around the healing.

10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed." 11 But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage. 13 Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" 14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.

Here's the points that came to my mind from these verses:

• God's will, instructions and His answers to prayer often come in forms that I'm not expecting. Naaman was not expecting the instructions he received. Am I sensitive enough to the Spirit's leading to recognize them, or do I miss them? When I do recognize them, do I react like Naaman did at first, get angry and dismiss them, or do I obey, as he ended up doing?
• Do I try to complicate what God has made simple? God's instructions through Elisha was simply that Naaman go to the river Jordan and wash seven times. Very simple and straight forward. But Naaman wanted something more dramatic and, as his servants pointed out, he probably would have been pleased if the instructions had been for him to perform some heroic task. I know I do that with my relationship with God sometimes; make it more complicated than God intended it to be by adding my own stuff to the relationship requirements.
• It is good to have people around you who are wise. Naaman had some wise servants who were able to change his mind about complying with the instructions. Without them, he would have gone home and lived the rest of his life as a leper.
• Following God's instructions always brings about the best results. Not only was Naaman healed, but the Bible says his skin was "like that of a young boy". Wow! God's work is always the best. Naaman's skin wasn't just free of leprosy, it was brand new - it did not have any signs of the aging that a veteran warrior should have had.