Date: February 02, 2022 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 38
“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’!” 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.” (2Kings 5:13-14NIV)
One of the things the bible story of Naaman teaches us is the need for us to humble ourselves, if we want to experience God’s perfection in our lives. Naaman, as the account goes, was a great Syrian army general. He was a man that was highly valued by his master, the king of Syria, for through him God had given Syria victory over their enemies all around them. You can, then, imagine the kind of life he must have been living in the land. (Cf. 2Kings 5:1)
However, though Naaman was great and mighty in the land and before his king, there was something imperfect about his life. And it was that he was leprous. Now we know how lepers are treated in most of our cultures, even today. They are treated like some plague that must be avoided at all cost. That is because leprosy not only ruins and disfigures the body of the one who has it but is also contagious. Therefore, regardless of how wonderful, intelligent, rich or educated a leper is, he will surely be abandoned by all people, including those who love and care about him, if he does not get cured on time.
You can then see why Naaman, as bible account shows, took seriously the business of getting cured of this imperfection in his life. He did not want to end up abandoned by all the wonderful people in his life in some lonely place. He did want to end up wasting away with all his skills and abilities in some forsaken outskirts of his city because of his unfitness to live among men. And so seriously did he take his desire to get cured that when his wife’s maid told him that there was a man of God in Samaria that could cure him, he lost no time in getting the permission of his master, the king of Syria, to go and meet him. (Cf. 2Kings 5:2-19)
Now, of course, it must not have been convenient for him at all to go to Israel at that time. That is because Israel was an enemy nation. More so, Israel was not as powerful as his country was at the time. So, going there to seek healing must have required a great humbling of this man’s soul. But because he wanted to be well at all cost, he humbled himself that one time and came to Israel to see the man of God that his wife’s maid had told him to meet.
Unfortunately, when he eventually came to that man’s of God’s place and was told what to do to get cured, the pride that he had set aside rose up in him again to hinder him from receiving the perfection of his health. Remember that he was a great man, one that was used to issuing orders and having people run around to carry them out. But when he came to Elisha, the man of God in Samaria, the tables were turned. It was then his turn to go and carry out the instruction of the man of God.
In fact, as the account goes, the man of God did not even come out to welcome him or honour him. He just sent a messenger to him to tell him what to do. This, of course, infuriated him and made him turn away in anger. He had thought that the man of God would come out, perform some rituals and touch the spot of his leprosy and ‘end of story’. But when that did not happen, he got seriously upset and was ready to go back home.
Thankfully, however, his servants that had come with him to see the man of God went to him to reason with him. They told him that there was no reason for him to be angry or arrogant. According to them, though the man of God did not come out to meet him, he, at least, sent someone to tell him what to do. Moreover, what he asked him to do was nothing serious, nothing beyond his ability to do. Yes, it may be beneath his status as a great Syrian army general to take his bath in any of the waters of Israel. But if that was all that getting cured of his leprosy would cost him, should anything stop him from doing it?
Well, to cut a long story short, Naaman listened to his servants, humbled himself and went to do what the man of God had told him to do. And as he did it, he was cured of his leprosy and his flesh that had been wasting away was restored like that of a young boy. So it was that Naaman received the perfection of his body by humbling himself before the man of God and his word.
Now when this man came back to thank the man of God, he did not stay inside as before, he came out to meet him and to rejoice with him. But why did he not come out the first time? Though we are not given any specific reason in the bible, I strongly believe it was to reveal that pride, all along, was one main reason Naaman had not been cured of his leprosy. Thank God, he finally dealt with it and was cured. But if he had not dealt with, he would certainly have gone back to his land with his leprosy. And he may have stayed leprous till the day of his death.
In like manner, there are many today that pride is preventing them from receiving God’s perfection in certain areas of their lives. Truly, He wants to heal them, lift them up or save them. But they too, like Naaman, would not just humble themselves before Him or in relating to the people He wants to use to perfect what is lacking, failing or dead in their lives. And until they humble themselves to act on His word or receive the people He has given for their perfection, regardless of how low the state of those people may be in life, the perfection they so seriously seek in their lives will not be theirs. Then, if care is not taken, they may end up leaving the world without ever experiencing it.
Now it is possible that you too have been seeking for a while perfection in a certain area of your life and are yet to find it. It is possible that there is an aspect of your life that needs to be perfected in order for everything you need to be where you ought to be to fit in. What is standing in the gap? What is keeping you from experiencing this perfection? Could it be pride? Could it be that you have been relating to God and men in arrogance and stubbornness? If it is, I pray that God Himself will bring about situations that will reveal it to you, so that you may repent, as Naaman later did, and humble yourself to receive His perfection wherever you need it in your life. Amen.
Copyright © 2022, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)