#119: Naaman, a Man of Valor and a Man of God!
And he returned to the man of God, and and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, “Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant.”
II Kings 5:15
After many military victories general Naaman had glory, praise, victory, and honor, but the Syrian general was without the Lord and he was a leper. When the Lord God called Naaman to wash in the Jordan river, he who was dead in sin and dying from leprosy was cleansed of both leprosy and sin by the power and blood of Christ. He who was outside of the household of faith was brought into it. The pagan leper general became a confessor of the King of Kings! “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel.”
Naaman’s confession matched that of the widow of Zarephath years before in the days of Elijah. It matched that of the widow of Shunem more recently in chapter 4.
Naaman did not confess God secretly or in private, he returned with all his company to Elisha’s home where he publicly declared his faith in the Lord God of Israel alone. Naaman had been cleansed of leprosy, his sins were washed free, he could not help but publicly confess the name of Christ.
What a confession! Not even the kings of Israel or most of the people of Israel could make the confession that Naaman made for very few in Israel were saved. But Naaman was saved, he made the good confession, and had this promise, “Whoever confesses me before men, I will also confess before my Father who is in Heaven. (Matthew 10:32).
Because this great miracle was done to Naaman, he believed and confessed the living and true God as the only God and His God. You and I have not seen those things with our eyes we have only read of them in the Word and believed them in our hearts. Jesus said to Thomas, “because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). Do you believe on the God who cleansed Naaman today? Are you following God, seeking to do all that He has commanded as Naaman desired to do?
We met Naaman as the mighty pagan warrior who ravaged the land of Israel under the direction of the King of Syria. We will leave Him as a man of God confessing the Lord God of Israel as His God. Are you known as a man or woman of God today? Will you be remembered that way when you are gone? May we confess Christ before men and serve Him with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind. May we give all in thanksgiving for the great cleansing that we have received at His hand. May we rejoice in the Lord and prepare to be with the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Naaman forever.
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