Food for the Day Devotional

FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2022

TEXT: 2 Kings 5:1-14

1. Naaman was the commander of the Syrian army. The LORD had helped him and his troops defeat their enemies, so the king of Syria respected Naaman very much. Naaman was a brave soldier, but he had leprosy.

2. One day while the Syrian troops were raiding Israel, they captured a girl, and she became a servant of Naaman’s wife.

3. some time later the girl said, “If your husband Naaman would go to the prophet in Samaria, he would be cured of his leprosy.”

4. When Naaman told the king what the girl had said,

5. the king replied, “Go ahead! I will give you a letter to take to the king of Israel.” Naaman left and took along 30,000 pieces of silver, 6,000 pieces of gold, and 10 new outfits.

6. He also carried the letter to the king of Israel. It said, “I am sending my servant Naaman to you. Would you cure him and his leprosy?”

7. When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in fear and shouted, “That Syrian king believes I can cure this man of leprosy! Does he think I’m God with power over life and death? He must be trying to pick a fight with me.”

8. As soon as Elisha the prophet heard what had happened, he sent the Israelite king this message: “Why are you so afraid? Send the man to me, so that he know there is a prophet in Israel.”

9. Naaman left with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house.

10. Elisha sent someone outside to say to him, “Go wash seven times in the Jordan River. Then you’ll be completely cured.”

11. But Naaman stormed off, grumbling, “Why couldn’t he come out and talk to me? I thought for sure he would stand in front of me and pray to the LORD his God, then wave his hand over my skin and cure me.

12. What about the Abana River of the Pharpar River? Those rivers in Damascus are just as good as any river in Israel. I could have washed in them and been cured.”

13. His servants went over to him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would have done it. So why don’t you do what he said? Go wash and be cured.”

14. Naaman walked down to the Jordan; he waded out into the water and stopped down in it seven times, just as Elisha had told him. At once, he was cured, and his skin became as smooth as a child’s.

(Contemporary English Version Holy Bible)

TOPIC: THE ‘FOOLISHNESS’ OF FAITH

Leprosy is dreaded disease that stigmatizes and keeps victims away from the society.

In today’s scripture, a commander in the army of Aram, Naaman, was a leper. His king loved and respected him because of his military exploits. But the stain of leprosy was a great concern to him.

King Aram sought how to help Naaman until the day a little Jewish slave girl told her mistress about a prophet in Israel who could help. Although a slave in her master’s house, the girl’s faith in the God of Israel was not in slavery. On hearing about the possibility of cleansing in Israel, he took a letter of introduction and request for assistance to the king of Israel.

The king of Israel feared King Aram because of constant conflict and thought King Aram was looking for a way to start another round of conflict. He tore his robes and was in a sober mood till Prophet Elisha came to the rescue by asking that Naaman be sent to him so that he might recognize that there was a prophet in Israel.

He initially undermined the simple instruction towards his cleansing because of arrogance but later humbled himself and was healed. By simple faith in the God of Israel, miracles are released but pride keeps one perpetual bondage.

QUESTION: Are you suffering from the leprosy of pride?

PRAYER: Are you suffering from the stigma of the sin that keeps us out of fellowship, like a leper, in Jesus name, Amen.