Naaman -- someone I plan on chatting with at the wedding supper / or / God does EVANGELISM

Naaman? At the wedding supper? But, you say, he was a general in the army of Aram ~ the enemy! Yeah! OK...this is ~ as the title told you ~ a story of evangelism and conversion. The story is in 2 Kings chapter 5...go ahead. Go read it  ~ I'll wait.
(silent musical interlude while you read)
Done?  Good!
OK...

Evangelism : I am going to digress for just a bit to consider that word. It actually comes from two Greek words -- 'eu'  which is a prefix meaning true or genuine, and 'angelos'  which means messenger. Add the 'ism' to those parts and you get 'the delivery of a true or genuine message'. Now, of course, the usage and context for this word is predominantly Christianity and refers to leading people to a saving relationship with Jesus by delivering to them THE true message of the gospel (which means, by the way, "good new")

Now most of you are likely saying, "yeah duh! We know that!" But I wanted to emphasize the word because this is GOD doing the evangelizing way before the New Testament. It isn't about walking down aisles in a church or any of the stereo-typical images. I make this point because this story, for me, illustrates real evangelism {OK, which because 'eu' means true or genuine is kind-of redundant, but you get what I mean) : God, without gimmicks or religious boxes of any kind, making Himself real to someone, helping them fall in love with Him, and bringing change through that relationship.

Ok -- the story!

Now Naaman was the commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded because through him, the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.
2 Kings 5:1

Ok, do we have your attention? I remember when I read this for the first time; I remember the impact. I remember thinking: WHAT? General for the army of ARAM ... one of the most consistent enemies of Israel ... and THE LORD gives victory to ARAM through him ? ? ? ! ! ! And, just to make sure the story has just a touch more spice of interest ~ Naaman has leprosy.
 Leprosy is a disease that in that day and age was like AIDS ... only kind of worse. Now I am NOT an expert, but my understanding is that when you have leprosy you develop sores and infections because of the leprosy bacteria. Also, your nerves die, so you feel nothing. You get a cut -- no pain; you put your hand in fire -- no pain. Sound good? NO! When you have no pain, you do not attend to a wound so infection is rampant. I suppose there is also some wasting element to it. My understanding is that with leprosy body parts rot and fall off due to untreated or untreatable infection. Also leprosy is contagious and incurable and so in the past people were segregated into leper colonies.

 We are told in Deuteronomy 7:19 that God has a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, so I think it is a safe, theological conclusion to say that He must always have something up His sleeves.

Then we are told that Naaman and his wife had a servant girl who was from Israel. She had, in fact, been kidnapped by a raiding party. Wouldn't you think she would HATE these people? Wouldn't you think she would rejoice at the thought of this general...her master, her captor...having leprosy? Wouldn't you think she might be thinking, 'Yeah!!!! God's gonna kill him ~ slowly!'  But no! This little Israeli servant girl seems to really care...like like or love them. And...she is from apostate Israel but she, it seems, has a relationship with God and knows about Elisha.

You just never know, huh?!? I love stories where God has taken His time setting things up. So some time in the past, God let this sweet little girl get kidnapped by marauding Aramean warriors. He let her become a slave in the enemy's land. That would be bad, huh? NO WAIT ~ that would be good. And Naaman getting leprosy would be a bad thing, right? NO! As you will see, it turns out to be a VERY good thing that Naaman got leprosy.


She says to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his leprosy." She is there, just where God needs her to be, to say just what God needs her to say. I am so glad she wasn't bitter. I am so glad she had the kind of heart that let her come to love this family and feel compassion for Naaman. (Makes you think, huh...or it make me think...when hard and confusing things happen, 'Does God have something up his sleeve in this?' and sometimes I have the wherewithal to trust Him enough in that moment to give hope a place in my heart...but I digress.)

So Naaman goes to the King of Aram who tells him to go to Israel. Wow, if there was hope of a cure -- even hope -- why not? So Naaman goes off with a nice gift and a letter for the King of Israel that says, "With this letter I am sending you my servant Naaman so you may cure him of his leprosy." The king of Israel -- understandably -- freaks out! He thinks it is a trick. If the king of Israel cannot heal Naaman...and he can't...then surely the king of Aram will attack. GREAT! But, Elisha hears about Naaman coming, and tells the king of Israel, 'Send Naaman to me'.

So Naaman shows up at Elisha's door, and Elisha who ~ characteristically ~ does very dramatic miracles without attendant drama,  doesn't even come to the door. He sends someone to tell Naaman to go wash 7 times in the Jordan. Naaman is insulted! He is getting a royal run-around. The king can do nothing. Elisha doesn't come talk to him himself...he sends some attendant; Elisha doesn't do any flashy religious 'mumbo-jumbo'. And Elisha says 'go bathe in the river'. Naaman is going to storm off home but he has a wonderful and wise attendant. This attendant tells him, basically, to get off his high horse and try what the prophet said. Naaman does and he is healed!

God is so clever. Because Elisha was absent from the healing event itself, Naaman does not think Elisha healed him. The result: Naaman is healed and converted. He comes to believe in and want to worship YHWH. When he returns to thank Elisha he says, "Now I know there is no God in all the world except Israel."  He wants to give Elisha a gift -- Elisha refuses. Then Naaman asks an amazing boon: "Please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the LORD. But may the LORD forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down, and he is leaning on my arm and I bow there also -- when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD forgive your servant for this." OK, his theology is wrong...the dirt makes no difference. BUT his heart is so clearly changed.  He has met God and fallen for Him!

Conversion: God's message of evangelism: There is a real GOD who loves you and who can heal you in any hopeless situation...whether you belong to the 'right group' or not, and whether you have the 'right theology' or not. He is the ONLY one worthy of your worship. Real conversion isn't joining a church, or doing the right 'religious' things. Real conversion happens in your heart. It is getting to know GOD and giving Him your life and living in a real relationship with Him forever. Don't you want to live forever in a friendship with a God who does evangelism the way He does with Naaman?  You can start a conversation with Him right now . . . and live happily EVER after!



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