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A Rotting Body Made New - The Book of 2 Kings · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. Then went he down and dipped himself
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  Speaker 1: seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of
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  Speaker 1: the man of God. And his flesh came again like
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  Speaker 1: unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
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  Speaker 1: 2 Kings 5.14 With a new day upon me, and
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  Speaker 1: a new opportunity for growth, I turn my attention to you, Lord.
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  Speaker 1: I turn to you with a humble heart, and a
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  Speaker 1: request to cleanse me from any illness and disease that
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  Speaker 1: will plague my mind, body, and soul. I denounce the
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  Speaker 1: leprosy mindset of mediocrity that desires to eat away at
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  Speaker 1: my dreams and desires. Give me the faith of Naaman's
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  Speaker 1: servant to speak up and to know where I can
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  Speaker 1: find life. I release all my pride and ego, that
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  Speaker 1: may try to hinder my freedom and breakthrough. As I
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  Speaker 1: move with faith, meet me at my place of action.
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  Speaker 1: Meet me at the place of my obedience. No matter
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  Speaker 1: how absurd your instruction may seem, I'll dip my life
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  Speaker 1: into the living water of your word until I am
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  Speaker 1: made whole. Thank you, Lord, for my newness and for
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  Speaker 1: my healing. I shall live and experience your goodness from
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  Speaker 1: this moment on. In Jesus' name, amen. Thanks for making
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  Speaker 1: prayer a priority in your life. To hear the Bible
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  Speaker 1: come to life, stay tuned for The Bible in a Year,
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  Speaker 1: brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: In our last story, God promised a child to a
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  Speaker 2: childless woman to reward her generous spirit. However, when the
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  Speaker 2: boy's life was abruptly taken, all hope seemed to disappear.
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  Speaker 2: Elisha laid over the child's body, and by the grace
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  Speaker 2: of God, his life was restored. Now we learn of
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  Speaker 2: a foreign warrior. A commander of the armies of Syria
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  Speaker 2: is plagued with leprosy, and his only hope for healing
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  Speaker 2: lies in the Jordan River, inspired by the book of
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  Speaker 2: 2 Kings.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of The
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year. In our previous episode, Elisha befriended
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  Speaker 3: a Shunammite woman who generously provided food and lodging for
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  Speaker 3: the prophets, as he traveled through the kingdom doing God's will.
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  Speaker 3: The Lord blessed the woman with a son because of
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  Speaker 3: her kindness, but one day, the boy suddenly died, leaving
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  Speaker 3: her heartbroken, of course. She turned to God through Elisha
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  Speaker 3: and was given back this son that she had lost,
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  Speaker 3: because God worked a miracle and brought life back into
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  Speaker 3: her son's lifeless body. Today, we'll hear how Elisha shows
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  Speaker 3: God's power beyond Israel, bringing healing and faith to the
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  Speaker 3: home of a Syrian commander So, let's listen now to
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  Speaker 3: today's scripture.
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  Speaker 2: Deep into the north, in the kingdom of Syria, the
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  Speaker 2: wind whistled under the blade of Naaman. He was a
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  Speaker 2: mighty man, fighting under the name of the Syrian king.
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  Speaker 2: His bravery and skill was unmatched in all the land,
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  Speaker 2: and he led his men well. Naaman was the crown
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  Speaker 2: jewel of his king and the most beloved warrior in
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  Speaker 2: his country. For years, Naaman fought and led with complete bravery.
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  Speaker 2: His men howled like a pack of wolves behind him
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  Speaker 2: as they made raids on other nations. No man could
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  Speaker 2: defeat Naaman, yet that did not make him invincible. Naaman
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  Speaker 2: came home from battle and stripped off his armor. His
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  Speaker 2: body ached, yet this pain was not from hours of fighting.
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  Speaker 2: Beginning with his fingertips and crawling up his arm like
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  Speaker 2: a spider's web was rotten skin and flesh. Ulcers laced
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  Speaker 2: his midsection, and his ears were slowly deteriorating underneath his helmet. Naaman,
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  Speaker 2: for all his might and power, could not escape the
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  Speaker 2: deadly grip of leprosy. Soon the disease seeped through his
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  Speaker 2: entire body. His skin slowly tore off his body, and
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  Speaker 2: he lost all feeling in his fingers and toes. Naaman
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  Speaker 2: could no longer grip a sword, let alone march into
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  Speaker 2: battle with his men. so from a distance he would
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  Speaker 2: command raids and establish battle strategies. One day, the horsemen
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  Speaker 2: of Syria came into Israel like a rain cloud. Their
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  Speaker 2: swords and arrows flew through the city like locusts. Naaman's
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  Speaker 2: men were excellent raiders, the best in all the East.
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  Speaker 2: They raided a border city in Israel, then left with
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  Speaker 2: many spoils and slaves. One captive from this raid was
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  Speaker 2: a young Israelite girl. She was carried off from her family,
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  Speaker 2: and forced into service in Naaman's household. The newly captured
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  Speaker 2: girl worked under Naaman's wife. She kept quiet, as all
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  Speaker 2: slaves did. However, even though her mouth remained shut, her
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  Speaker 2: eyes and ears were open. She watched as Naaman limped
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  Speaker 2: through the house. She listened in the night as he
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  Speaker 2: cried out in anguish. Naaman's plight was no secret to
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  Speaker 2: the slave girl. She knew he had leprosy. She knew
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  Speaker 2: he was dying. One morning, after lying awake to the
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  Speaker 2: sound of Naaman's screams, the girl was tending to her mistress.
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  Speaker 2: She looked at her mistress carefully. There was deep pain
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  Speaker 2: behind her false mask of nobility. The girl knew that
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  Speaker 2: the woman worried over her husband's illness. The girl worked
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  Speaker 2: up the courage to speak. If only Naaman was with
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  Speaker 2: the prophet of Israel, he would surely cure him. The
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  Speaker 2: wife of Naaman perked up immediately. Her eyes widened. and
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  Speaker 2: even though there was no visible smile, there was a
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  Speaker 2: glimmer of hope for the first time in years. Naaman's
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  Speaker 2: wife spoke to her husband about the prophet of Israel.
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  Speaker 2: Naaman felt a small sliver of hope. A small chance
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  Speaker 2: was the only thing someone in his situation needed. Naaman
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  Speaker 2: had been counting the days until his demise for years. Now,
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  Speaker 2: for the first time in what seemed like a lifetime,
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  Speaker 2: he could place his faith in something. Naaman sent word
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  Speaker 2: to his king for permission to to depart for Israel.
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  Speaker 2: The king loved Naaman and sent word to the king
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  Speaker 2: of Israel immediately. He sent over gifts of gold, silver,
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  Speaker 2: and fine clothing as a sign of goodwill. The letter wrote,
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  Speaker 2: When you receive this letter, it will be with my
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  Speaker 2: servant Naaman. I have sent him so that you may
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  Speaker 2: cure him of leprosy. The king of Israel at that
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  Speaker 2: time was Jerom. Naaman stood before Jerom. He watched as
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  Speaker 2: the king of Israel scanned over the letter. Yerom looked
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  Speaker 2: up from the letter towards the gifts of gold and silver,
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  Speaker 2: then back at the letter. Audible scoffs could be heard
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  Speaker 2: from the king. They made Naaman uneasy. The king of
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  Speaker 2: Israel was silent for a long time. Then, in a
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  Speaker 2: fit of rage, he ripped up the letter and tore
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  Speaker 2: his robe. The king stood to his feet and yelled,
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  Speaker 2: Who am I to you? God? His anger was palpable.
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  Speaker 2: Naaman's heart began to sink as he heard the words
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  Speaker 2: fling from Yerom's mouth. Am I God to just kill
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  Speaker 2: and make live with my words? The king of Syria
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  Speaker 2: must be laying a trap for me, for certainly he
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  Speaker 2: does not believe I can just cure a man of leprosy.
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  Speaker 2: The king continued his fit in front of Naaman, then
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  Speaker 2: sent him away. Naaman left, humiliated. His hope had been
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  Speaker 2: quenched like water to a campfire. Now all that remained
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  Speaker 2: was a long and painful journey back home. What Naaman
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  Speaker 2: did not know was that the king was not the
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  Speaker 2: man of God the girl spoke of. Elisha was. The
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  Speaker 2: prophet Elisha had heard the king tore his clothes in
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  Speaker 2: front of nobles from Syria. He heard of Naaman and
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  Speaker 2: the king of Syria's letter. Elisha pondered what God may
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  Speaker 2: be doing and then sent word to the king. He said,
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  Speaker 2: Why do you tear your clothes over nothing? Send the
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  Speaker 2: man to me so that he may know there is
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  Speaker 2: a prophet in Israel. So word was sent to Naaman.
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  Speaker 2: and he reluctantly came to the house of Elisha. Naaman
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  Speaker 2: knocked on the door. To his surprise, Elisha did not answer. Instead,
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  Speaker 2: it was one of Elisha's servants.' Go to the Jordan
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  Speaker 2: River and wash yourself seven times,' the servant said.' Your
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  Speaker 2: flesh shall be healed, and your body shall be made new.'
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  Speaker 2: Then the servant shut the door, leaving Naaman to stew
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  Speaker 2: in his anger. Naman was flustered and offended at the interaction.'
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  Speaker 2: He did not even come out to see me!' he yelled.'
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  Speaker 2: I thought a man of such power would have stood
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  Speaker 2: up and called upon the Lord for me. Isn't he
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  Speaker 2: supposed to wave his hand and make something happen?' Naman's
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  Speaker 2: blood was boiling. The warrior in him was showing as
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  Speaker 2: he swung his fists in the air. He could not
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  Speaker 2: help but storm away in a rage.' And why the
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  Speaker 2: Jordan River?' he asked.' Aren' t all the rivers in Syria
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  Speaker 2: cleaner and more immaculate than any river in Israel?' So
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  Speaker 2: Naaman left, heartbroken that he had been humiliated twice in
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  Speaker 2: one day, once by a king and a second time
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  Speaker 2: by a prophet. As he was walking away, one of
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  Speaker 2: his servants came in close and whispered, Father, the prophet
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  Speaker 2: has spoken a word over you to wash and be clean.
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  Speaker 2: Why not do it? The servant spoke with a great
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  Speaker 2: amount of care. He loved his master dearly and hated
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  Speaker 2: to see him suffer. He did not realize it, but
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  Speaker 2: God was using him to soften Naaman's heart. For God
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  Speaker 2: did not only want Naaman to be healed, he desired
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  Speaker 2: for his pride to be washed away as well. as well.
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  Speaker 2: Naaman approached the Jordan River. He had heard ancient stories
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  Speaker 2: of the Israelite people crossing this river. He had heard
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  Speaker 2: whispers of God parting the sea for them to cross
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  Speaker 2: over safely. Even though he did not pay much attention
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  Speaker 2: to those stories, there was something mysterious as he dipped
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  Speaker 2: his feet into the river. Naaman waded into the water slowly.
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  Speaker 2: The water was cold. The sun was setting, giving way
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  Speaker 2: to a gentle evening breeze. Naaman carefully removed his clothes
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  Speaker 2: and began to wash his brittle skin. Naaman was always
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  Speaker 2: fearful going into the water. His skin was so thin
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  Speaker 2: and fragile that he was afraid he might just dissolve
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  Speaker 2: into the water and drift away with the current. He
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  Speaker 2: softly touched his skin with the water and scrubbed himself. Gently,
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  Speaker 2: he took handfuls of water and washed his body The
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  Speaker 2: sun was kissing the horizon now, and the evening breeze
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  Speaker 2: drifted over the water. An intoxicating peace came over Naaman.
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  Speaker 2: He closed his eyes. The coolness of the water with
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  Speaker 2: the fresh air filled his heart with gladness. He opened
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  Speaker 2: his eyes slowly, watching the last light illuminate his skin.
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  Speaker 2: It was once gray and rotting, but now it was
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  Speaker 2: vibrant and smooth. His limbs were filled with renewed strength,
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  Speaker 2: and his face no longer needed to be held together
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  Speaker 2: by cloths. Naaman was a new man. In the place
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  Speaker 2: where he once brought his people out of slavery, God
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  Speaker 2: brought Naaman out of sickness. His dirtiness was washed away
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  Speaker 2: with the tides of the Jordan River. All that plagued
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  Speaker 2: him drifted away as though it never existed. Naaman was
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  Speaker 2: given a new body. And one day, God would do
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  Speaker 2: this for all of mankind. One day, God would wash
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  Speaker 2: away all that plagued humanity. Sin was Sickness, death, and
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  Speaker 2: destruction would be washed away by the cleansing power of
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  Speaker 2: a loving God.
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  Speaker 3: Today we are introduced to a man named Naaman. He
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  Speaker 3: is a commander in the Syrian army, a powerful and
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  Speaker 3: successful leader in battle. And yet, despite his military prowess,
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  Speaker 3: his wealth, and his standing in society, Naaman had a problem,
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  Speaker 3: a problem that he couldn't solve. He was a leper.
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  Speaker 3: Naaman was no friend to Israel and had led raids
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  Speaker 3: into the northern kingdom, often carrying Israelites back to Syria
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  Speaker 3: as slaves. One of those slaves was a young girl
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  Speaker 3: whom Naaman had placed in the household to serve his wife.
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  Speaker 3: This young Israelite girl had every reason to hate this
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  Speaker 3: man and want him to suffer for what he had
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  Speaker 3: done to her. And yet, she saw his pain and
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  Speaker 3: had compassion upon him. She spoke to her mistress and
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  Speaker 3: said the prophet of Israel could cure his disease. If
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  Speaker 3: you want an example of someone who loved her enemy
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  Speaker 3: and blessed those who persecuted her, look no further than
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  Speaker 3: this young lady. Naaman went to the Syrian king and
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  Speaker 3: asked to go to Israel. The king, eager to see
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  Speaker 3: his faithful general restored to health, sent him with a
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  Speaker 3: personal letter in hopes that he would be healed. Naaman
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  Speaker 3: went to the palace of the king where he presented
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  Speaker 3: the letter and his request to Jehoram. Jehoram, who was
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  Speaker 3: king at that time, thought this was a trap being
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  Speaker 3: set by the king of Syria and tore his clothes
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  Speaker 3: in distress. Sadly, he did not think of the prophet Elisha,
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  Speaker 3: but God's plan would not be changed. When Elisha heard
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  Speaker 3: what had happened, he told the king to send Naaman
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  Speaker 3: his way. Naaman quickly went to Elisha, expecting the prophet
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  Speaker 3: to come out to him and perform a miracle in
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  Speaker 3: front of all who watched. Elisha did not even go
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  Speaker 3: outside to receive him. He sent a messenger with instructions
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  Speaker 3: for the commander to dip himself in the Jordan River
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  Speaker 3: seven times. Naaman was offended. He was offended for two reasons. First,
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  Speaker 3: Naaman was used to being given honor and prestige, and
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  Speaker 3: he expected nothing less from this Israelite prophet. But at
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  Speaker 3: the end of the day, Naaman was no more special
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  Speaker 3: than anyone else. He was a sick person in need
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  Speaker 3: of healing. Elisha's decision not to go out to meet
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  Speaker 3: him personally was a first step in humbling Naaman before God. Secondly,
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  Speaker 3: why would Naaman, a proud Syrian, want to bathe in
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  Speaker 3: a Jordan River, an Israeli river? He couldn't imagine why
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  Speaker 3: he should dip himself in such a dirty river when
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  Speaker 3: he had much cleaner choices back home. But as Naaman
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  Speaker 3: would soon discover, this was God's chosen land, and he
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  Speaker 3: was seeking healing from the God of Israel. And so,
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  Speaker 3: he would have to humble himself before God. How many
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  Speaker 3: times do we seek healing or blessing or favors from
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  Speaker 3: God and we put conditions on how we receive it?
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  Speaker 3: Like Naaman, we are unwilling to surrender ourselves to know
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  Speaker 3: and do God's will as an act of surrender. Naaman
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  Speaker 3: was about to go home, angry and disappointed. Then in
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  Speaker 3: 2 Kings 15, 13, we read these words. But his
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  Speaker 3: servants came near and said to him, My father, it
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  Speaker 3: is a great word the prophet has spoken to you.
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  Speaker 3: Will you not do it? Has he actually said to you,
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  Speaker 3: Wash and be clean? To his credit, Naaman listened to
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  Speaker 3: his servants. Perhaps he was still doubtful, but he did
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  Speaker 3: exactly as Elisha told him to do. And as he
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  Speaker 3: came out of the Jordan the seventh time, his skin
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  Speaker 3: became smooth and clean like that of a baby. There
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  Speaker 3: was no mistaking it. This was a miracle. He was healed,
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  Speaker 3: and it was God who did it. Through Naaman, God
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  Speaker 3: demonstrated his heart to heal not only his own people,
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  Speaker 3: but to bring healing and hope to the Gentiles as well.
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  Speaker 3: And one day, God would send one who would bring
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  Speaker 3: healing to the whole world and turn hearts to the
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  Speaker 3: God of all the earth. Dear God, thank you that
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  Speaker 3: even when we are unsure, and have doubts about your
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  Speaker 3: plan and our willingness to follow it. We know that
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  Speaker 3: when we trust you and surrender our wills to do
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  Speaker 3: your will, that you will heal our hearts and our hurts,
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  Speaker 3: and you will demonstrate your love for us over and
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  Speaker 3: over again. We know you did this at the cross
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  Speaker 3: when Jesus died and in the promise of the resurrection
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  Speaker 3: that he lives forever. So thank you, Lord Jesus Christ,
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  Speaker 3: that you are our healer and you are our hope,
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  Speaker 3: and that you wash us clean and give us new
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  Speaker 3: hearts and an abundant life. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank
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  Speaker 3: you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 3: I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com
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  Speaker 3: app and make prayer and Bible study a priority in
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  Speaker 3: your life. And if you enjoyed this podcast, tell someone
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  Speaker 3: else about it. We would love to connect with you
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  Speaker 3: at jackgraham.org for there are resources and opportunities for you
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  Speaker 3: to continue to grow in your faith through this ministry.
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  Speaker 3: God bless you.