Encouragement

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We read from the book of 2 Kings 5 about a man who had a great CV- commander of the army of the king of Syria, a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. And his name was Naaman, meaning pleasantness, delight or agreeable. As I did my research for this article I read some works by others on the life of this man and as such I will acknowledge the historical dimension of the life of this man. When we look at history we discover an interesting attribute- Naaman was a distinguished general who had often led the Syrians to victory. According to the narrative, he was the commander of the armies of Benhadad II in the time of Joram, king of Israel. Naaman was a man of war as well as a man of blood. In short he was a decorated leper.

In spite of his prowess there was a weakness that followed him throughout his life. He was a leper. Reading through some articles I discovered some facts about leprosy. It is a bacterial disease that attacks the nerves in the hand, feet, and face and horribly disfigures its victims. The resulting nerve damage causes loss of sensation in the extremities, eyes, and eyelids. Because of lack of sensation the leper can be unaware of injuries to his fingers, toes, hands, or feet, resulting in the infection and loss of those members. Because of the loss of sensation in the eyes and eyelids the person does not blink and his eyes dry out, or gets dust in his eyes without knowing it causing infection, both resulting in loss of sight. Today there is treatment for the disease, but in Naaman's day there was no medical cure. Naaman was sentenced to a long lingering death. But that did not stop him from being favoured.

Naaman was commander-in-chief of the army of Syria, the greatest army probably at that time, and was nearest to the person of the king, Ben-hadad II. whom he accompanied officially and supported when he went to worship in the temple of Rimmon, at Damascus, the capital. A Jewish tradition at least as old as the time of Josephus, and which may very well be a genuine one identifies him with the archer whose arrow, whether at random or not, struck Ahab with his mortal wound, and thus "gave deliverance to Syria." The expression in 2 Kings 5:1 is remarkable "because that by him Jehovah had given deliverance to Syria." The most natural explanation perhaps is that Naaman in delivering his country had killed one who was the enemy of Jehovah not less than he was of Syria. Whatever the particular exploit referred to was, it had given Naaman a great position at the court of Ben-hadad.

Many writers have labeled him a proven man of courage. A top soldier, he had strategic ability; he was not given that post because of some other eminence he had in society. He had gained the Commandership because he proved himself a worthy soldier and, obviously, battle credits were his. This in fact was a rare achievement for a man of his disposition. Naaman was a man whom his king and master could trust. And the same can be true of you and me. In life it does not take you having all things to your advantage. At times it is the violent that shall steal the limelight or a least take the same by force.

The dreaded disease of leprosy afflicted him. Leprosy had laid its hand upon him, damaging his life. While in Gentile, pagan Syria there was not the same view of leprosy as there was among the Israelites on account of the ceremonial and hygienic legislation laid down in the book of Leviticus yet, the career of Naaman was going to be spoiled and that before long, by this affliction. How so? Well, he would soon become physically incapable of doing anything which of necessity he must do as the General in charge. Therefore, sheer physical disability, and that increasingly, would have him lay aside his work and go, as it were, into partial, if not total, retirement. The man was a man of a sore heart; his plight was a pained one and, obviously, any opportunity to get rid of leprosy he would happily seize in the desperation of his right desire.

When we look at other facts surrounding his life we see the kind of normal life he lived in spite of these disadvantages. We read from the narrative that he had a wife. She did not look at him from the position of weakness and she had not left him all these years. He may have struggled to find acceptance in the eyes of many, but yet his one true love had stuck by his side. Every now and again she was on the lookout for an opportunity for his healing. In life you may be the disadvantaged but there are people who will love you for who you really are. It doesn't matter what the rest of the world says about you, it's what the one who loves you says that matters most. Probably we can take a look at Jesus. He saw the leprosy afflicting our lives and chose to love us even before we loved Him.

The decorated leper had a good relationship with his king, because the king gave generously to have him cured of the disease. We read that Naaman's entourage left with 10 talents of silver and 6000 pieces of gold as well as 10 changes of raiment. That spoke of the value he was worth. Horses and chariots were dispatched for a leper and servants were given unto him to ensure that all went well as the journey progressed. My friend, you are highly favoured as well. Never look down on what you have. The disease you have may try and stumble you but ride over it and make it to the top like Naaman did.

Even when the leper went into Israel, there was a change that took place in his life. From a proud position that valued its past successes, Naaman was humbled only through repentance and became grateful as a result of the revelation he had received of God's Love to a worth less man. It will take you understanding that it is by grace that you are where you are. I live in a country where life is not easy, where we are treated as lepers by the rest of the world. But it is the grace of the Lord that has kept us. We are proud as a nation of the decoration that God has given unto us. It is possible to be great in spite of the weaknesses perceived by others. God does not look at us from the position of weakness but of strength. He will use even the leper in you to bring about results.

We read from the Gospel of Luke that there were many lepers in the time of Elisha but none of them was cleansed save Naaman the Syrian. When we take closer inspection of the Old Testament, we read about God's undying love for Israel, yet He reached out to a leper and caused him to be great as well as highly valuable in his master's eyes. You too may not be "worthy" but God has placed a great value on your life because of the shed Blood of Jesus. Naaman went to Israel unclean but returned clean. He was once not worthy to some because of his leprosy. But the day he returned his greatness stood out.

We do not know what happened to him from the day he got cleansed to his death. We may assume that when the Syrian army returned to attack Israel in 2 Kings 6 he was not leading them. We may assume that he returned home and quit the army and stopped worshipping false gods. We may have our own perceptions of what became of him. But one fact stands out- he was a decorated leper. Maybe you too are suffering from leprosy of some sort. It may be spiritual or physical, but do know one thing for sure- God, the King, loves you and will do all there is in His power to decorate you and cause you to rise in the land and place where others look down upon you.

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