Gehazi had served Elisha.  He was there when the Shunammite woman was given a child, though previously barren.  Furthermore, he was present when the child’s life was restored by God through Elisha.  During a famine, he watched how Elisha fed the student prophets and his generosity in giving them all that he had.  When Elisha healed Naaman of leprosy, it was most likely Gehazi he sent to tell Naaman to wash in the Jordan seven times.  Gehazi had been so close to God’s prophet and had served him for all these years faithfully.  Then how was it that someone so close to God’s spokesman for the time, not know God?  Yet, Gehazi seeing the money and garments that Naaman had brought went after them, lied, and even believed that God had not seen his heart. And so, it is, he was cast out with leprosy.

Is that the case we find all too often today?  We live in a society that teaches cheap grace.  One in which all we must do is say I believe in Jesus Christ; but, never accept Him as redeemer, Sovereign Lord of our lives.  Instead we have the prosperity gospel putting God as an overindulgent Father enslaved to meeting the selfish demands of an ungrateful, rebellious child.  Too often in our society and our churches we teach a cheap grace that fails to reveal the truth of God’s love, righteousness, justice; much less His true Glory.  It is no wonder so many say that they are Christians and yet being so close do not know God at all!  How is it we fail to remember the cost of salvation?  Or that a truly loving God would never leave us to wallow in the filthy rags in which He found us?

So Close; yet, so far.

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Naaman was healed of leprosy.  He swore to never worship any other god; but the true God of Israel.  Yet, as the commander of the army for the king of Syria part of his duties included accompanying the king to the temple of Rimmon, a pagan god whom the Syrians worshipped.  Although a man of great power in his own country, held in high esteem by the king; he was not willing to proclaim the truth of God before his people.  A missed opportunity by which he could have saved his nation, were he willing to proclaim the name of god.  Rather in time the nation of Syria would fall in battle.  After all that God did for Naaman by healing him, Naaman was unwilling to share the good news or proclaim that there is only one True God and mankind must worship Him or perish.

In Luke 4, Jesus came to Nazareth to teach and preach.  At first the people were very excited.  They had heard of the miracles He had performed in the surrounding countryside.  He entered the synagogue to read the scripture and to preach.

 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. he closed the book, gave it again to the minister, and sat down.  the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:18-21).

A Missed Opportunity

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One Unlikely Believer

Naaman was the chief captain of the Syrian Army, a man of great valor and position. Yet, he was a leper.  The leprosy must have been in its early stages. However, it would only be a matter of time until the disease would take its toll and Naaman would lose his ability to lead.  On many occasions they were the enemy of Israel.  Their position played a key role and at times treaties were made with Syria either by Israel or Judah.  It was during a moment of relative peace between Syria and Israel that our story takes place; although, peace was only a relative term.  Syria still held captive slaves taken from previous conquests and that seemed to not bother the King of Israel.  So, in this event we are about to see the grace of God poured out upon one unlikely believer.

Naaman would never have heard of God.  Oh, perhaps there were rumors and stories of the God of Israel having protected Israel.  However, from what Naaman had seen, he had won many battles against Israel in the past.  Indeed, there was an Israelite maiden captive who attended to his wife.  A little slave girl who was about to be the one who opens the eyes of this powerful captain.  Although a slave child, she with a compassion, faith and care that only God could have instilled, she told Naaman’s wife about God’s ability to heal.  She told her of Elisha, God’s spokesman who could in God’s power heal Naaman.  Well, Naaman knew he was in desperate need of healing and wanted to be healed.  That is of course the first step.  Before we can be healed, we must realize we need healing.

A Kings Disbelief

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Elisha returned to Gilgal, and a famine was in the land, (2 Kings 4:38 GNV).  The famine affected the righteous and the unrighteous.  When God enacts His judgment upon a land, all are affected.  The “sons of the prophets” dwelt with Elisha, as he was their instructor.  Hunger filled the little school for prophets.  Perhaps even a hunger greater than just that of food, for the land was filled with idolatry and false ideologies.  The people of Israel had turned their backs on God in search of other ideas.  Those who still believed had allowed their faith to be corrupted by false ideologies that “sounded good to the human heart.”  Sounds so much like America today with a watered-down faith to appease the crowds.  There is a spiritual famine spreading across our land. 2 Kings 4:38-44 speaks to us of facing the spiritual famine as well as the financial famine.

Financially, I face moments of famine.  Despite my prayers for financial wisdom, I find myself often pressed against a rock.  So often I have found myself in moments of health crisis that took whatever was saved or other moments when I have financially stepped in to help either a stranger or family member in need.  Then, I look at the balance and wonder how the needs will be met.  Sometimes, I try to say that I need not tithe because I already have through all those I helped.  But alas, that is not how it works.  Look at what happens in this story from 2 Kings, compare it with Christ feeding the multitude with 5 loaves and two little fishes.  Whether facing a spiritual famine or a financial one, God can accomplish great and mighty things when we are willing to surrender our all.

Spiritual Famine-A poisonous pot of soup

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C. S. Lewis wrote in the Four Loves, “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.” But truly is love worth the heartbreak? Ask that of a widow standing beside her beloved’s grave.  Or ask that of a mother whose child died in her arms like the Shunammite woman.

The child that God gave her, the one Elisha told her would be hers suddenly was brought to her from the fields with a severe headache.  Was it a heat stroke? Or did a blood vessel burst in his head?  We do not know. What we are told is that he died in her arms.  She had not asked God for a child or perhaps she had already made peace with God regarding her barrenness.  We heard her plea not to play with her heart in 2 Kings 4:16 and again she reminds him of this verse 28.  But now she had known the love of child.  She had cherished him and felt the joys of motherhood only to now feel the pain, the heartbreak of loss.  She ran to Elisha to hear from God concerning her heartbreak.

One Response to Heartbreak

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