This is the Banner of Truth broadcast, a program sponsored by the Free Reformed Churches of North America. Pastor Cornelius Sprung speaking. When God made His covenant with Israel, it was with the purpose that Israel should be a nation set apart from the rest of the world. Israel was to be God's people, His chosen nation. But this did not mean that He had forgotten all about the rest of the world. No, to Abraham God had said, In thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. The fulfillment of this promise had to wait until New Testament times, when the gospel was preached not only to Jews, but also to Gentiles. But already in the Old Testament we see a foreshadowing of this great ingathering of the Gentiles. There is Rahab of Jericho, for instance, and Ruth, the Moabites, and there is also Naaman, the Syrian. You find his story in 2 Kings chapter 5. Naaman was commander-in-chief of the Syrian army. He had led the king's forces from victory to victory, so that he was highly regarded by his king and people. Naaman was the national hero. Yet there lay a shadow over the great general's life, for he was a leper. In ancient times this was an incurable disease, so Naaman was a doomed man. He knew it, Here was an enemy he could not conquer. This foe would slowly torture him until death would end it all. So things looked very hopeless for Naaman. But man's extremity is God's opportunity. Some months before, the Syrians had raided Israel and captured some prisoners whom they brought back as part of the spoils of war. Among them was a little Israelite girl who became the slave of Naaman's wife. We don't know her name or age, yet she is the real heroine of this story. Kidnapped away from her parents, taken to a strange country, separated from the religion of Israel, it is remarkable that she did not pine away in grief. Instead, we see her making a good confession for the Lord before her enemies. Noticing Naaman's affliction, she approaches her mistress one day and says, Would God, my Lord, were with the prophet that is in Samaria. For he would recover him of his leprosy. Now we know of no instances prior to this of Elisha healing lepers. This girl evidently bases her statement entirely on faith in the power of God which she knew worked through the prophet Elisha. When Naaman hears this he goes at once to the king. Ben-Hadad listens with great interest. He too is concerned about his best general's health. Why don't you go down to Samaria and try it, he suggests. I'll write a letter of recommendation for you to King Joram, and I'll give you some presents to take along as well." And then Naaman goes on his way, full of hope and expectation. In his pocket is the letter of his king. Behind him are the mules carrying the presents, ten talons of silver, six thousand pieces of gold, and twenty changes of raiment. Quite a present! Naaman does not believe in coming with empty He wants to pay for what he gets. Arriving at the royal palace in Samaria, in all his pomp and dignity, Naaman delivers the letter to the king of Israel. Joram breaks the seal and reads the letter. "'When this letter is come to thee,' Ben-Hadad writes, "'I have therewith sent Naaman, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.' The king is shocked. "'What?' he cries out. to kill and to make alive that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy?" Right away, Joram suspects something. He sees a political trick here. So, Ben-Hadad is looking for an argument. If I can't heal Naaman, he will have an excuse to start another war. And in his great dismay, the king of Israel now rends his clothes, a sign of extreme emotional tension. The matter soon reaches the ears of the prophet Elisha. Immediately he sends his servant with the message, Send Naaman to me, and he will find out that there is a real prophet in the land of Israel. So Naaman, with his chariot and his horses and servants, leaves the royal palace and heads for Elisha's house. When he gets there he is disappointed again, for instead of coming out to meet Naaman personally The prophet sends his servant with this strange message, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. When Naaman hears this, he becomes very angry. There were better rivers in Syria. Why should he take a bath in this dirty river Jordan? Never in my life, he says. And refusing to obey the prophet, he turns around and heads for home again. But when after a while he is calmed down somewhat, His servants urge him to give it a try, for after all, what did he have to lose? Naaman swallows his pride, and follows Elias' directions. Seven times he goes down into the river Jordan, and to his great amazement he discovers, after the seventh time, that it has worked. His flesh has become clean again, and fresh like that of a little child. Now the general returns to Elisha and tries to reward him for this wonderful cure, but the prophet refuses to accept anything. As the Lord liveth, he says, before whom I stand, I will receive none. Naaman, unable to pay for what he has received, starts out on his homeward journey. Now what do we learn from this story? Let me point out three things. First of all, we learn that with God there is no respect of persons. whether we are rich or poor, important or unimportant. As far as God is concerned, we are all alike. Paul says, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. So before God, we are all poor, miserable sinners whose only hope is to be saved by grace. Naaman came with a very impressive present, the value of which has been estimated as at least $80,000 in terms of purchasing power. but all his wealth and prestige was completely useless as far as getting a cure for leprosy was concerned. Naaman's problem was that he came to Elisha not as a poor leper, but as a rich general. He was accustomed to getting what he wanted, and would be ashamed to get something for nothing, but as long as this is his attitude he will not receive any help from Elisha and from Elisha's God. Blessed are the poor in spirit said Jesus. Naaman has to become poor first, before he will receive healing. And so it is with all of us. We are all sick with a leprosy much worse than Naaman's, and by nature we are all proud like him. This pride must go if we are to receive salvation. We must give up all our shams and pretenses and become poor sinners before God. If Naaman gets anything from Elisha, It will be as Naaman the leper, and not as Naaman the general. God has abundant help for the leper, but none whatsoever for the general. The second lesson we learn from this story is that there is only one way of salvation. Naaman did not like the idea of washing in the Jordan. He said, Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them and be clean? Now very likely these rivers were cleaner than the rather muddy Jordan, but that was not the point. Abana and Farpar were rivers of Damascus, while Jordan was a river of Israel. Therefore God specified the Jordan and not Abana and Farpar as the method by which Naaman was to seek cleansing from his disease. God has provided a way of salvation in Christ. By faith In the blood he has shed on Calvary's tree, sinners are saved. But Naaman lived before Calvary, you say? Right. But the principle is true for him also. In his case, the land of Israel stands in place of the future event that would take place centuries later outside the city of Jerusalem. God had chosen Israel, not Syria, as the place where redemption would be accomplished. So when Naaman was to wash in a river to show his faith, God chose the Jordan, not Havana or Far Park. These rivers may be far more beautiful than the Jordan, but they are not the channel of God's saving grace. In the story of Naaman, the Jordan stands for God's way of salvation through Jesus Christ. Taking a bath in the Jordan shows Naaman's faith in that way. If he had dipped in Havana or Far Park, This would have shown his faith in man's own efforts to get right with God. To do this would be the same thing as saying, as many do today, I believe in the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man and that all religions are ways to God. But, as one writer put it, God mediates his saving grace through a very narrow channel. He chose Abraham, rejecting the possibilities of the rest of the world's population. Thus the land of Israel and the people of Israel became the location and the context of God's work of redemption in human history. Here, not elsewhere, the hypodermic needle is inserted by which God brings about the healing of the disease of sin, not in Syria, but in Israel, not by human culture and values, but by the cross and shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Finally, we must look at a third lesson here, and that is that this only way of salvation is free. Elisha refused payment. He wanted to show Naaman the free, gracious character of God's grace. This went against Naaman's flesh and blood. And no wonder. Man's sinful pride has always reacted violently against the idea of an absolutely gracious salvation. Most people live by this maxim. God helps those who help themselves. But when we are truly convicted by the Holy Spirit of our sin, we become aware of our need of a God who helps those who cannot help themselves. Basically, there are only two possible attitudes towards God. Either we say, something in my hands I bring, or we say, nothing in my hands I bring. Simply to thy cross I cling. Now by nature we are all like Naaman. Then we come with our presence and we try to earn our salvation in one way or another. Only by God's grace we learn to come to the cross empty handed. Mankind has always rejected the theology of grace. Almost always it has been under attack in the church as well. Until this very day many are trying to obscure or tone it down. so as to make room for man's contribution, be it ever so small, so that the proud sinner can say to God, something in my hands I bring, good works, a clean record, tears, prayers, church membership, etc. etc. How is it with you, my friend? Is the theology of grace offensive to you? Are you still trying to please God by your own self-righteous deeds? It will never work. But as long as you think that way, you are in great danger. Like Naaman, you are doomed. Actually, you are sick with a worse disease than leprosy. Sin is an incurable disease, incurable as far as human remedies are concerned. But listen, the God of Elisha still lives. He is still mighty to save, but on the same terms as those which Naaman had to accept. Don't be so proud, but humble yourself before God. Samuel Rutherford once wrote, Stoop, sinner, stoop! It is a low, low door to which we enter the kingdom of God. But if you may do that, by the grace of God, a great surprise awaits you. Naaman saw that all his leprous spots were gone when he got up out of the river Jordan. Those who come to terms with God's demands and trust in the Lord Jesus will discover that His blood cleanses from all sin. there is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins, and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains. Amen.