October 1924
655
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Elisha. It is a great story, telling how a little maid brought great joy to a great general’s home. (1) THE DISEASED SOLDIER, vs. 1-3, “ but he was a leper” v. 1. Naaman was afflicted with that leprosy of the most malignant type—white leprosy. He was great, honorable, mighty, valiant, but— a leper. This one affliction offset all his blessings, as with Haman, (Esther 5:13) “Yet all this availcth me nothing;, so long as I see Mordecai, the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.” So also with Naboth, about whom we recently studied; and the rich young man (Mark 10:22). Naaman lacked the one thing needful in order to appreciate and enjoy all the other splendid things. Leprosy is a type of sin. It is a blood disease, contagious and also hereditary— transmissible from father to son. Every man born into the world is born a leper in God’s sight (Isa.'43:27) . (Rom. 5:12) “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Men are born children of wrath {Eph. 2:3) “Among whom we also had pur conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of yrrath, even as others.” Leprosy was imposed as a judgment for sin (2 Chron. 26:23) Leprosy separates men from other men. ,Sin makes men afar off (Luke 17:12) “And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar oif.” Leprosy is a living death (1 Tim. 5:6) Leprosy makes men unclean (Lev. 13:45, 46) “And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, Unclean.” Men make light of sin, but; they never do of leprosy. God never makes light of sin. He views it as worthy of death. “ The soul that sinneth it shall die.” There is but one way for the sinner who is afar off to be made nigh (Eph. 2:13) “But, now, in Christ Jesus, ye who were sometime afar oif are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” The Divine Way. God had a witness in the house of Naa man. A little captive Hebrew maid had found her way into the home of the General. Her heart was touched and her lips bore testimony. She believed in the God of Israel. Sympathy for her master and fidelity to her Lord, were the manifest characteristics Of the maid (Eph. 6:5-7) “Not with eye service as men-pleasers; but as the servants o f Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. With good will doing service, as to the Lord and not to men.” (Matt. 5:44) (2) THE DESIRE FOR HEADING, vs. 4-6 “ recover him of his leprosy“ v. 6. The testimony of the little maid reached the king. He showed the kindness of his heart and sent a letter and a large sum of money to the king of Israel. Naaman was conscious of his need. He did not hope to become better for he knew the deadly character of his disease, but he acted upon the advice of his friends, accepted the letter and started on the journey. It was a grand procession that moved out one morning,-¡gj bands playing, troofis marching. Men are willing to do any thing for the healing of the body. (8) THE DISAPPOINTED SOLDIER, vs. 7-12, “ he went away in a rage” v. 12. The king of Israel is in a rage. He had no faith and no power. He was so absorbed in the affairs of the kingdom that he had no time and no interest in prophets and their works.
the cause.” Between her sobs the mother said something about the baby and at once Elisha knew that the baby was dead. He turned to Gehazi and said quickly, “ Make ready and take my staff and go and lay my staff on the face of the child. Let no one delay thee on the way.” Gehazi hastened to obey, but the mother clung to Elisha and said, “ I will not leave without thee.” So Elisha started home with the woman. When they came near the village of Shunem they met Gehazi, returning with the prophet’s staff, his face sad, as he said, “ The child is not awaked.” When Elisha came to the house, he opened the door of his own little room, and there upon his bed lay the tiny figure of the baby, white and cold in death. Elisha closed the door and, alone with the dead baby, he prayed to the Lord. He took the child and held it close to his own body, praying that God would touch the little cold body and send life again. As Elisha watched, he could see the color com ing again into the baby cheeks and he could feel the body growing warmer and warmer. Elisha walked back and forth across the floor praying. All at once the baby sneezed and opened his eyes. Then the prophet summoned his servant and said, “ Call the mother.” I think she must have been waiting just out side the door, don’t you? Just imagine her joy when she came into the room and saw her beautiful baby, rosy and smiling, alive and well as ever. She fell upon her knees and bowed her head, thanking God for bringing her baby back to life in answer to Elisha’s prayer. What do you sup pose baby’s daddy thought when mother told him all that had happened? Shall we tell other boys and girls the wonderful promise of how we shall live after death, if we believe in the Lord Jesus? For He said, “ Because I live, ye shall live also.” November 2, 1924. NOVEMBER 2, 1924 (Lesson 57) HEALING OF NAAMAN 2 Kings, Chapter 5 Golden Text:, “ The blood of Jesus Christ his Son clean- seth us from all sin” 1 John 1:7. OUTLINE
(1) The Diseased Soldier, vs. 1-8. (2) The Desire for Healing, vs. 4-6. (8) The Disappointed Soldier, vs. 7-12. (4) The Deliverance from Disease, vs. 13,. 14. (5) The Declined Present, vs. 15-19. (6) The Deceiver Punished, vs. 20-27.
Naaman, the Syrian general, had been used by Jehovah as an instrument for de- nvering Syria. Josephus identifies him as
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EXPOSITION T. C. Hoiton
the man mentioned in 1 Ki. 22:34: “And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the kins of Israel between the joints of the harness; wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am wounded.” Because of this Ben-hadad elevated him to the command of his army and leaned on his hand when he went to wor ship, (v. 18). The lesson is full of evangelical teaching. The plan of salvation is made plain in type. It is the counterpart of the parable of the good Samaritan, a story of grace to the Gentiles (Luke 4:27) “And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving: Naaman, the Syrian.” It prefigures the abundant grace of God. It is a character study— contrast the kings, the servants, Naaman and
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