Daily D – 2 Kings 5:13-14
2 Kings 5:13, 14 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.
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Why is it some people make hearing and obeying God harder than it has to be?
Chuck Swindoll wrote a book about the Sermon on the Mount years ago entitled, Simple Faith. It is well worth your time if you have not yet read it. Simple Faith could be the title of this episode starring Elisha and Naaman.
Verse 1 briefs us on Naaman:
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.
Look at the words used to describe Naaman;
- He was the commander of the army.
- He was a great man.
- He was highly regarded.
- He was a valiant soldier.
- He had leprosy.
He was told about the prophet Elisha by a captive girl from Israel. He was sent to see Elisha for the purpose of healing his skin disease. Elisha gave simple instructions: “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed,” (verse 10).
Simple Faith was not enough for Naaman. He expected incantations. He was prepared to pay handsomely, extravagantly, for a miracle. He was ticked off when all he had to do was take seven baths.
“I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.”
(verse 11).
A relative of ours is known to take more than one bath a day and she likes it! Naaman, however, felt like seven baths was overkill. When he was talked into doing what he was told, the results were immediate and amazing: “his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.”
There is nothing you can buy at Bath and Body Works to compare with the results of Naaman’s seven showers.
Simple obedience to simple instructions led to spectacular results.
What matters of simple obedience lay neglected in your life?
What miracles and other improvements are you missing because you do not do what God says?
Why do we make things harder than they have to be?
We have all heard how we should do the next hard right thing. This is good and true. We should also do the next simple right thing.
Here is a borderline example for you. George Costanza on the Seinfeld television show lived a complete mess of a life. He went from one problem to another episode by episode.
Then late in the series, George decided to become Opposite George. He started making the opposite decision of what he would normally do. It was then when everything started turning out well for him.
Here’s a thought: If your life is a mess because you keep trying to manipulate circumstances or control the whole wide world, things are simply going to become even messier. If you start listening to what God says and begin doing those hard things and simple things, your life is almost guaranteed to improve.
Even if your life gets messier, trust God to more effectively clean up your messes than you can. Sometimes God tests us at the point of our new resolutions to help us see how resolute we really are. This is not for his benefit, but for ours. Sometimes it takes us learning that we cannot help ourselves to lean on God who can and will as we trust in him.
What simple faith do you need to demonstrate today?
What is the next right thing before you no matter how large or small?
Take a bath, or seven, and come clean with God. His rewards lay on the other side of our obedience.
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I will hear and obey God in all things large and small.
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Our Father, please give me ears to hear what you are saying to me. Give me a willing and obedient heart to do what you tell me. Give me the strength to take the right lead actions every time. Amen.
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