2 Kings 5

Leprosy was the AIDS of the ancient world. In most cases it was incurable, and at the very least it would stigmatize a person, cut them off from society, and shorten their life. Somehow the commander of the army of Syria, a man named Naaman, had contracted leprosy. (Note: if you are reading from NIV or NLT versions, Syria is called Aram.) The little captive Israelite girl who served Naaman’s wife is one of the unnamed, unsung heroines of the Bible. Instead of being hateful and vindictive, she wanted her master to be cured. Her comment about “the prophet of Samaria” (Elisha) led to Naaman’s miraculous healing and his saving faith in the one true God of Israel. The little slave girl is proof that you don’t have to be big to make a big difference for the Lord. Don’t underestimate the power of your simple witness!

When Naaman heard Elisha’s prescription for his healing he didn’t understand; in fact, he was offended. He wanted instantaneous healing, and he was prepared to pay a fortune to get it (v.5, 11). Swimming in the muddy Jordan River seemed to be beneath the dignity of a powerful general — besides, he had better rivers back home! Naaman was not inclined to go through the seemingly silly exercise, but he missed the significance of what Elisha told him to do and where he told him to do it.

In order to receive his healing, Naaman had to do what you and I must do to receive salvation: humbly accept God’s plan and God’s mercy by faith. Yes, there were more appealing rivers than the Jordan in the region, but the Jordan was special. The Israelites had to pass through it to claim the Promised Land, Elisha had to pass through it to take up the mantle of Elijah (see 2:13-14), and Naaman would have to pass through it to be healed. Many years later John the Baptist would call on sinners to be baptized in the Jordan, symbolically washing their sins away and preparing their hearts for Messiah. If Naaman was going to have his leprosy washed away, he would have to do the same. (Note: thank God for the servants of Naaman in verse 13 who encouraged him to follow through with God’s plan! I want to be like that — an encourager to those who are struggling with the demands of the gospel.)

Naaman finally relented, and wading into the Jordan’s current, he “dipped himself seven times” (v.14; seven is the Bible’s number of completion — Naaman had completely humbled himself to believe God). When he walked up onto the riverbank, dripping wet, his skin was healed! In place of the sores and scales of leprosy there was the clean, clear skin of a baby. What an amazing miracle! But his skin was not the only thing that was changed. Naaman had a change of heart in the water, and he came up confessing that Jehovah, the God of Israel, was the one true God — his one true God. Standing before Elisha, he made the commitment that while he had to continue serving an idol-worshiping king in a pagan nation, his heart belonged to the Lord. He even took some of the soil of Israel to build his own altar of worship back in Syria.

Naaman had one more lesson to learn. The prophet had refused any payment from him, for the grace of God cannot be bought. This is one of the great truths of the gospel, that “by grace you have been saved through faith…it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). The account of Gehazi’s greed highlights this truth in a tragically memorable way. For the rest of his life Gehazi would bear in his body the consequences of convoluting God’s plan.

2 Corinthians 4

Paul faithfully ministered to the church at Corinth (and many other churches) in spite of all the hardship in his life. His ministry was not an easy one, but he refused to give up (v.1). He was unswervingly committed to preaching and teaching the gospel that had transformed his life. And he was committed to the purity of the gospel message: Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead to save lost sinners. He refused to pollute that message with slick-talking sales tactics or “tampering” with the truth of Scripture (v.2). He was determined to pierce the darkness of sin-blinded minds with the light of Jesus (v.4-6).

I love Paul’s description of believers in verse 7: “We have this treasure in jars of clay.” He compares our lives to the kind of clay (terra cotta) pots in which we plant flowers. These clay pots are cheap, common, and easily broken; they are made of dirt, so they aren’t meant to last very long. They are not ornamental — not made as objects to be admired — but designed to be containers. In Paul’s day clay jars were used as receptacles for household garbage or as “chamber pots”. Believers are like these clay vessels, but there is more to us than meets the eye! We are perishable containers with priceless contents. We contain the priceless treasure of the life of Jesus Christ!

If you have ever worked with clay pots, you know that they are fragile. It doesn’t take much pressure or much of a blow to chip or crack one. But because of what — or rather who — is in us as believers, we are unbreakable! Paul said that he was “afflicted in every way”, but not crushed. He had been knocked down, but not knocked out — not because of his own strength, but because of the strength of Christ in him. If you are going through a difficult time, remember that the force of life’s external pressures will never exceed the internal force of Christ in you!

When life beats you up and knocks you down, don’t lose heart (v.1, 16). In comparison to the glorious future God has prepared for you in heaven, anything you go through in this life is just a “slight momentary affliction” (v.17). When your old clay pot is finally broken beyond repair, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead will raise you, too (v.14). Until then, with eyes of faith, keep your focus on eternal things — like the gospel, the glory of God, the hope of heaven, the Bride of Christ, and the love of Jesus (v.18). Hang in there. Don’t give up. You may be a “cracked pot” but the life of Jesus can be “manifested in your mortal flesh” (v.11). Let His light shine through the cracks and holes life has knocked into you!