Date: Tuesday, 16th April, 2024
Text: 2 Kings 5:1-16
Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan
Exhortation:
Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army, was highly respected and esteemed by the king of Syria, because through Naaman the Lord had given victory to the Syrian forces. He was a great soldier, but he suffered from leprosy, a dreaded skin disease.
In one of their raids against Israel, the Syrians had carried off a little Israelite girl, who became a servant of Naaman’s wife. One day she said to her mistress, “I wish that my master could go to the prophet who lives in Samaria! He would cure him of his disease.”
Naaman paid an official visit to Israel in a bid to meet the prophet and get healed.
When the news reached Elisha, the prophet, he sent a servant out to tell him to go and wash himself seven times in the Jordan River, and he would be completely cured of his disease. But Naaman felt insulted and left in anger, saying, “I thought that he would at least come out to me, pray to the Lord his God, wave his hand over the diseased spot, and cure me!
He would have missed his miracle if not for his servants who went up to him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would have done it. Now why can’t you just wash yourself, as he said, and be cured?” So Naaman went down to the Jordan, dipped himself in it seven times, as Elisha had instructed, and he was completely cured. His flesh became firm and healthy like that of a child.
His initial reluctance was because the instruction of the prophet was not in line with what he expected. He expected a more dramatic way of deliverance. Many times God may not go the way you expect. But just like Mary, the mother of Jesus told the men at the wedding at the Cana of Galilee when the wine finished, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” John 2:1-10. They did and got the miracle of water turning to the best wine ever!
However, beware of false prophets, though. Not all ‘divine’ instructions are divine. Make sure the instructions do not contradict the word of God as spelt out in the Holy Scriptures. For example, any ‘divine’ instruction that says, ‘Divorce your spouse’ or ‘Beat your parents’ is not from God as such clearly contradicts his word.
Prayer Nugget: Father, I ask for the grace to always follow your instructions to the letter in Jesus name.