The Unlikely Missionary: The Impact of a Grace-Filled Life When Living with the Enemy
The Unlikely Missionary
The Impact of a Grace-Filled Life When
Living with the Enemy
Sabbath School Bible
Study
July 18, 2015
Larry R Evans,
Teacher
Introduction
“Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.
Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”
—Isa 60:1-3
Sometimes the glory of the Lord is seen best in us when
things don’t go the way we think they should, when adversity seems overwhelming
and when the principles for which we have given our lives seem lost in the
darkness surrounding us. We might be surrounded at the time by those who mock
us, distrust us, by political positioning, by votes cast in ways that alarm us,
by theological squabbles or by our own personal disasters. The example of Naaman’s servant girl has a
message for today’s generation but more importantly it is a message for you and
me.
The Narrative in Brief
If Hitler were alive today and you were his servant would
you seek to make his life more comfortable? If you were a Democrat and you
served under a Republican leader (or
vise versa) would your personal integrity and loyalty remain intact? Biblically
another question is raised in 2 Kings 5 and it is this: “Is it wrong for a believer to aid an enemy
of his or her people?” The story of the
healing of Naaman, the enemy of Israel, raises this question.
After David conquered Syria, Damascus broke free of Israel’s
control. The leader of the breakaway
group was Rezon and Scripture tells us that he remained an “adversary of
Israel” (1 Kings 11:25). Three
generations later the Syrians were still sending raiding parties into Israel (2
Kings 5:2).
It was during one of those raids that a little Israelite
girl was kidnapped, taken from her home, her family and her sense of
security. Her name is not recorded but
we do know she became the servant of the wife of a Syrian general by the name
of Naaman. No doubt he was considered an
enemy of Israel and it is likely that his orders led the raiding parties that
captured the young Israelite girl. She
must have asked many times “why me” but despite her questioning and circumstances,
her faith and values remained in tact. Her
faith and influence did have an influence in this foreign land and upon this
Syrian general. Naaman was a powerful and wealthy leader but there was one
limiting factor that hindered him. He
had leprosy. Little did he realize that the girl captured in one the Syrian
raids represented not only a cure for his leprosy but his way of viewing the
world around him was about to be radically changed.
The Israelite girl had no official status but she helped
change the course of history. Naaman and
his wife must have recognized her faithful service. Seeing the impact of the dreaded leprosy upon
the family she said, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in
Samaria! He would cure him of his
leprosy.” (2 Kings 5:3) Those words of belief put into action a series of
events. Naaman reaches out to the very
king from whose land the servant girl had been taken.
Naaman makes the journey to Samaria. Prior to his arrival by at least a few years,
the prophet whom he sought had asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit.
Elisha may have been renowned but it must have still been difficult for Naaman
to come humbly into Israel. That alone
must have been humbling but when he arrived, the prophet Elisha never came out
of his house but sent a message to the Syrian general: “Go wash in the Jordan”
and you will be healed. The Jordan is a
dirty river. There were better rivers in
Syria! Furthermore he was to wash seven
times! Naaman was infuriated and was
about to walk off but his own servants convinced him to stay and follow through
with the instructions given to him by the prophet of the young servant
girl. Once, twice, thrice . . . then
after the seventh time Naaman was healed.
From the enemy of Israel came a powerful testimony: “Now I know that there is no God in all the
world except in Israel.” (v.15).
Amazing! From his heart came the
desire to give but the prophet of Israel refused to accept lest the very grace
of God that healed Naaman would be diluted.
Elisha stood firm. He would take
no payment for what God had done.
Unfortunately his servant saw an opportunity and misrepresented not only
Elisha but the God of Israel by accepting gifts from Naaman. Such an action
threatened the very opportunity that God had worked out to reveal a lasting
hope in the foreign land of Syria. The leprosy of Naaman became the leprosy of
Gehazi, Elisha’s servant. The gift of grace that Gehazi was to have shared was
exchanged for the very burden for which Naaman had sought deliverance. Heavy is the responsibility upon those who
misuse the gifts for their own advantage that God has entrusted to them.
Reflective Questions from the Narrative
[Where in the narrative do the
following questions find an answer? Explain why you think so.)
1.
Our greatest hope can sometimes be buried in the
very circumstances that bring despair.
(2 Ki 5:2). True or False?
2.
God is not bound by using those with degrees or
human recognition to build His kingdom.
(2 Ki 5:2-4) True or False?
3.
Elisha revealed his own spiritual flaw by asking
Elijah for a double portion of his spirit.
(2 Ki 2:9). True or False?
4.
Belief must be accompanied with compliance if it
is to be effective. (2 Ki 5:11-14) True or False?
5.
Grace is a trait of God taught in the New
Testament and not in the Old and is illustrated by the sternness of OT prophets
(2 Ki 5:16). True or False?
6.
Greediness among God’s servants can cheapen the
grace He wishes to make manifest to the world. (2 Ki 5:19-27)
Reflective Summary
Four primary characters emerge in this story and each one
has a bearing upon the mission of God.
The Hebrew child
had been instilled with principles that were not altered when she was removed
from family and he homeland. Little did
she know that her witness would touch the heart of a king but it did. The power of a witness does not reside in
pomp and ceremony, degrees or public recognition. It is the presence of God residing in His
people that provides the power of witness that the world needs.
Naaman may have
been a powerful general but he became teachable when leprosy struck. What seemed like a tragedy became the very
avenue to a hope that would restore life.
The once stubborn leader was impacted by the belief of a kidnapped young
girl living in his home. Grace in God’s witnesses shines wherever it is and
regardless of the circumstances.
Stubbornness and pride nearly cost Naaman the life he so eagerly sought.
Belief and compliance blend together in response to the God who cares and who
brings hope regardless of one’s race, religion, nationality or station in life.
Elisha’s asking
for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit was the same as asking for an eldest
son’s inheritance (Deut. 21:17) which in essence was asking to carry on the
father’s name. Is it any wonder that
Elisha refused to accept anything from Naaman that appeared like a payment for
the ministry he provided. He was
representing the Father’s name and in that name was the grace-filled character
of God! “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you
who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and
without cost.” (Isa. 55:1)
Gehazi,
the servant of Elisha, sought to take payment for the mercies God had given and
then lied about it when asked by Elisha.
He had lived in the presence of Elisha, he had seen God do might works
but in the midst of these blessings he failed to develop the spirit of
self-denial. What should have been a
time of praise and celebration for what God had done turned into an opportunity
to grasp the wealth of the world. In his
effort to satisfy his own greed he put at risk the mission plans of God.
We close with the scriptural
passage with which we began our study:
“Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.
Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”
—Isa 60:1-3
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