Saturday, October-04-08 The Complacency of Naaman 2Ki 5:1 now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. Here we see Naaman was a great man, he was honourable, and he was a mighty man of valour, why? It was because God had used him to bring deliverance to Syria. There was one problem though, he had leprosy. On Monday morning the Lord spoke these words to me, complacency and Naaman After I read the story about Naaman, I said “Lord what does the word complacency and Naaman have to do with each other? I felt impressed upon my heart that He was saying, “this is the story of my church, the message of repentance must continue.” God is so faithful to deliver his heart if we really want to hear it. It is a time we are living in that he is asking his church to repent and turn from the things that are taking the place of Him from being Lord of all, and to turn from the distractions of the world, as I said in the last article the church is “sick” and we will see how the church is just like Naaman. Complacent. First Let’s look at the meaning of his name, Naaman- “be delightful”, pleasant, beautiful, has the idea of graciousness, well formed. Names are very important, they describe our character, and you read about name changes throughout the bible, having a name change is having a character change. Our characters may not live up to the meaning at first but then there comes a time where we are refined, and our very character takes on the meaning of our name. We see this in the case of Naaman, although as we will see he did not line up to the meaning of his name, one who has leprosy, would not be well formed, or beautiful, and as we will see his reaction to the prophet he was not very delightful nor pleasant, nor did he display any graciousness. Glory to God he is doing a work that will perfect us, but there is also our part to play in this character change. Naaman was a mighty man in valour which means he was a warrior, a champion, in wealth, strength, virtue, in force in war, he knew to be a champion and warrior in those things the natural things, but he did not know God he also knew pain and grief, to writhe in pain (especially of parturition, which is the act of giving birth) to twist or twirl. This meaning here is the same meaning from the word sick-2470, so Naaman was sick; Naaman was in pain with this leprosy. Let us look at what leprosy is:Leprosy is one of the oldest recorded diseases. It is a chronic infectious disease that attacks the nervous system, particularly the nerves of the hands, feet and face. Sufferers feel no pain in these areas and are thus likely to injure themselves without realising it. Leprosy is a painful condition which, although curable, can leave sufferers deformed and crippled if left untreated. It is caused by a bacterium similar to that which causes tuberculosis. There are three types of the disease. The generalised form - the lepromatous form - attacks peripheral nerves, the skin, the hands and feet, the mucous membranes (such as the lining of the nose), and the disease is curable, but the effectiveness of the treatment is dependant on an early diagnosis. We see in ,2Ki 5:8 And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? Let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. How would Naaman know that Elisha was a prophet? A true prophet will tell you to repent! A true prophet will show you the condition of your heart and bring a remedy to make your heart right with God, which is the heart of the Father to see his church delivered from all her idolatries!! Prophets are called to expose sin not CONDONE IT!!! There many out there calling “peace peace” when there is no peace!! There are no fancy candy coated messages from the heart of a true prophet, they are ever faced with the face and heart of their Maker, to do all that He says, in spite of mans ridicule and rejection! They are always in the corner weeping for the sin of the church while the rest of the church is laughing!! That is the how you will know (yada) 3045- by reflecting and observing (thinking) and to know by experience, to know intimately. It is used synonymous parallelism with ‘hear”. You will know when you will hear the heart of the prophet through the heart of God, and you will reflect and think on that what was said as it will and should convict the person; it can also cause the person who is hearing to re-act in a wrong way a rebellious way. Elisha knew His God and knew that as he spoke he was going to see the result of what he declared, he knew that what he was about to tell Naaman what to do it was not only going to expose Naamans heart but it was going to make him clean!! So we see that Elisha sent a messenger, he did not go himself, Naaman came right to his door and still Elisha did not answer but sent a messenger. I believe the reason behind him not going to the door himself is because he knew that Naaman was a man that trusted in natural abilities, natural strengths and that he would react the way he did, so, to show the reality of God even greater, he sent a message, a simple one, a humbling one, and the choice lied within Naamans heart as to what he was going to do. 2Ki 5:9 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. 2Ki 5:10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. Elisha knew to do all that the Lord had told him, He did not care what the reaction of Naaman was going to be he was just being obedient because he knew the outcome. Elisha had the very words that would make him clean and whole! In verse 11 it says, But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.Naaman thought that Elisha would come out as this mighty man of power and perform some great demonstration, that would only bring glory to Elisha the man, after all that is how Naaman would do it. Let us remember that our thoughts and his thoughts are not the same, nor his ways our way. It really does not change or matter what we think God should do He is God and he will require and do things the way he thinks.Naaman in his pride, just assumed he would do it the way he saw fit. 2Ki 5:12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. 2Ki 5:13 But his servants caught up with him and said, "Father, if the prophet had asked you to do something hard and heroic, wouldn't you have done it? So why not this simple 'wash and be clean'?" Here were the simple words to Naaman “go wash 7 times in the Jordan and you will be clean”! What nerve Naaman had to suggest another way to be clean. How arrogant Naaman thought he was, just because he was a man of might and wealth and virtue and power, what gave him the gull to suggest another way to be clean. The way he wanted was to be washed in the Abana and Pharpar rivers, which were-one of the most fertile and lovelist.Well of course the way of man is to want to live a life of comfort and wealth and health and just everything else right, while their hearts are untouched by the reality that God sees all the contents and the motives of the heart!! There is only one way to be clean and that is the way of the Father! Repentance cleanness’s us from all filth of the flesh! Let us look at some meanings: Wash- metaphorically “wash” is used to describe the defilement of sin which adheres to men. So really what the Lord was asking Naaman was to go wash 7 times so that the defilement of sin (leprosy) will wash you clean, Glory to God!! Isa 4:3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem: Isa 4:4 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. The church will be called holy when the Lord washes away her filth, her dung, the filth of all her ways and ideas her opinions.Filth-dirt pollution excrement dung, meaning to): - filthy. Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. Isa 64:7 and there is none that calleth upon thy name that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities. Isa 64:8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. This scripture has been used for years as a “salvation” message (at least that is the way I have always heard it in churches) but why not apply it to those who confess to know the Lord and think they are doing ok. Our sins of self have taken us captive to the lust of the flesh to the lust of the eye, to the lust of pride! What was the real meaning behind him washing in the Jordan, I mean after all does it make a difference what river he washed in? God seems to think so because God has a reason behind everything. Here is the meaning of the Jordan: Jordan-symbol of descending, dying to self, going down-flowing downward. Now let us look at the river itself, it differs from other great rivers it carries no traffic (few will ever travel the road of pain and self denial) the swampy conditions, terrific heat, and many wild animals. The Jordan was never called by any other name in the bible, it was once referred to as “the river of the wilderness (Amos 6:11). Dying to self is a place of wilderness; you are all alone although there are others you really are alone, with all that you deal with. Israel was told that they had to cross the Jordan in order to possess the promise land, the land flowing with milk and honey. (Num.35:10; Deut.3:20, 11:31; 31:13) The Jordan is where John the Baptist carried on his ministry, how ironic that he would baptise in a river that was symbolic of dying to self a life of denial, He knew very much about that life. Jesus himself was baptised in that river Mat. 3:13 if it was good for the Lord is it not good for us? I found a part of a hymn, that was written by an old English Baptist clergyman, by the name of Samuel Sennett, it goes like this, “On Jordan’s stormy banks I stand And cast wistful eye To Canaan’s fair and happy land Where my possessions lie There is no milk and honey lest you cross the Jordan!! You must die to self the way the Lord requires you to do, his way and his way alone is the best way!! So Naaman was asked to wash seven times in this stagnate river, why seven times? Seven is the number of perfection, completeness (to be) complete. There is a place of completeness when you die to the things of self when you confess your sin (leprosy)It is the place of brokenness, the place where the eyes are open to the things of the heart that have kept you back from being really clean, really pure, from being holy. Remember leprosy is symbolic of sin and transgression, Leprosy is one of the oldest recorded diseases. It is a chronic infectious disease that attacks the nervous system, particularly the nerves of the hands, feet and face. Sufferers feel no pain in these areas and are thus likely to injure themselves without realising it. When we are in sin we have become numb to the affects of it, we no longer can smell or feel, we must hear the heart of the Father through his true prophets and heed to the call in this hour so that our eyes will be washed with salve and we can be healed of our condition. I have said it before, I am not a Political person, I really do not understand much about the economy, but I think hard times are coming and if our hearts are not right with God, our hearts will fail us for fear. It is a time that the body of Christ repents and gets her heart right, gets rid of anger, bitterness, malice, hatred and all other defilements of the flesh!!! Just as leprosy leaves a person deformed and crippled, so can sin in our lives. So what does complacency and Naaman have to do with the church? Well you probably have figured it out by now. Let us look at the word and its meaning Webster’s dictionary says- COMPLACENCY: satisfaction, self-approval.2 Equanimity.Equanimity means evenness of mind or temper, composure; calmness +animus mind which means hostile feelings or intent; animosity.2the animating thought or purpose; disposition; temper 3 purpose; intention.synonyms under satisfaction are-content, cloy. Glut, suffice, to satisfy is to furnish enough to meet physical and mental, and spiritual desireThe church is in a state of complacency, they feel they have just enough to satisfy them, and all there desires. Really the church does not really need God!! Do they? They are prospering, they have their events to go to their fixes, there fleshly tingles and there ears tickled (now don’t get me wrong here because I believe we the people of God should walk in the blessings of our God).Even though Naaman had the leprosy (sin) he was content because he had all he needed to meet his desire, after all he was wealthy, powerful he had all the right credentials that we as humans thing we need to live in this Christian life. It says in 2Ki 5:11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. 2Ki 5:12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. Why was he angry? What could possibly make him so mad? The word complacency means also to be angry, to have hostile feelings, he was content in these feelings he felt he had a right to them, but the prophet asked him to die to them, die to the sins that so easily beset him, that is why he got angry , the carnal man does not want to lose the comfort of this life, he does not want to give up the pleasures of this life, we will defend our sacred beliefs and hide behind our defense mechanisms just so the truth of God will not have to deal with the real issues our heart! Naaman thought the best way to be healed was in the best rivers the most fertile the most loveliest, but that is not the way of the Lord ,there is a descending a going down that the self creature has to go through in order for the Lord to shine purely through us! God is calling his church to river Jordan, to a place of self denial the place where the waters are stagnate and there is no life there, It is where the true flesh creature can be exposed for what it is!! It is the place that you take up your cross and follow Him! It is his way and his way alone because he knows what is best for his church. Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, (the word is the true message echoing from the throne, repent! Repent! Not words of comfort and self satisfaction, not words of “oh it is time to buy a bigger house” or INCREASE!! INCREASE!! Increase in what? Material gain. GOD HELP US!!! Why not increase in the things of a purer heart, cleaner hands, holier actions, brokenness, humility.)The heart of God is weeping for his church, come up higher, comes up higher.Eph 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. The message is simple; the call is not hard, It is just a matter of being obedient to word of the Lord, “wash and be clean” It may be a unpleasant journey it may take a while (7 times) but it will bring about perfection and complete you as a whole person, a repentant person is a whole and healed person!!2Ki 5:13 But his servants caught up with him and said, "Father, if the prophet had asked you to do something hard and heroic, wouldn't you have done it? So why not this simple 'wash and be clean'?" 2Ki 5:14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. 2Ki 5:15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant. Those words and he returned are the same meaning for the word repent (7725) Naaman repented as he came to know (yada) experience the cleansing power of God. Naaman had an experience with the God of Israel; His eyes were so open that he asked for some soil to take back with so he could worship the God of Elisha on his soil. He offered the prophet a blessing1293- a benediction, favour; it is used in the sense of a gift or present to gain goodwill, to bend the knee to praise, to pray to.2Kings 5:15Elisha did not want any glory and any money, the gifts of God should be given without charge and without the praise of men!! All Praise and glory should be given to the Lord and Maker of heaven and earth! 2Kings 5:16 Then we see in the story how Gehazi ran after Naaman and asked for gifts vs 20-24. The point I want to focus on is verse 25-27 Elisha said Gehazi where did you go? Gehazi lied and said nowhere. The heart of Elisha which is really the heart of God in him knew he was lying and that the motive of his heart was wrong. As God spoke through Elisha he said to him in verse 26 is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments and olive yards and vineyards and sheep and oxen and menservants’ and maidservants? Then Elisha says the leprosy of Naaman shall cleave to you and unto your seed forever! The word of the Lord in this hour is the same, is a time to get rich and buy bigger houses and have more material gain? Or is a time to get our houses (temples) in order? Haggai 1:2-7 Consider your ways ,It is a time of seeking the Lord and pouring out our hearts before him it is a time of getting our hearts ready and able to stand in the day of his return for who will be able to withstand it when he appears? He will come like a refiner’s fire. Mal 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. Mal 3:2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: Mal 3:3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. Who is the messenger? They are the Prophets with the true message of the heart of the Father, a message of love and correction a message of hope, a message of Repentance! There cry is turn this way, walk in holiness and set your eye on no evil thing!! Touch no evil thing, lest your spiritual senses become numb, lest the leprosy continues to eat away at your life, choose this day who you will serve. In His service, Michele |
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