Introduction: Our lesson this week is about children. Jesus tells us
in Matthew 19:14 that the kingdom of heaven belongs to those like the
little children brought to Him. The “teacher’s comments” section of
our lesson opines “children are generally filled with trust and
honesty.” Yet Proverbs 22:15 tells us “Folly is bound up in the heart
of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.”
What can we learn from the children of the Bible, if anything? Let’s
jump in and find out!
- Servant Girl
- Read 2 Kings 5:1-2. Let’s list what we learn about Naaman?
(The King thought he was great! He was the commander of
the army, he was a winner, and he was respected. He had,
however, this terrible health problem in his life.) - Let’s list what we know about this young girl? (She
was an Israelite, she had been taken from her parents
when she was very young. (Perhaps they had been
killed?) She was now a slave serving Naaman’s wife.) - How would you like to be the young girl?
- What would your feelings be towards
Naaman –
since he was the ultimate commander of the
troops that took you from your parents? - What is going on here with the Lord here? Verse 1
tells us that God gave victory to Naaman’s King – and
the only battle (raids) specifically mentioned is
against the citizens of Israel. Is God blessing
Naaman to defeat Israel and take its children
captive? (Unger’s Bible Dictionary tells us the
Aramaean kingdom “was the inveterate foe of the
Northern Kingdom [Israel] for more than a century and
a half.” God is in control even when His people are
defeated.) - Read 2 Kings 5:3-4. What kind of attitude does this young
girl have towards her captors? - Read Jeremiah 29:7. Is the young girl following this
advice? - What does this teach employees in their everyday
work, if anything? - Read Psalms 8:2. Was this young girl fulfilling this
special role for children? - In what way could she witness to Namaan and his
wife that an Israelite adult could not witness?
(She was not threatening. She was praising the
power of the prophet Elisha (and thus the power
of the true God). She was therefore able, as
Psalms 8:2 predicts, to be able to “silence the
foe and the avenger.”) - When Jesus says in Matthew 19:14
that the
kingdom of heaven belongs to those like the
little children, do you think He was speaking in
part of a childlike ability to witness without
being threatening? - Let’s go back again to 2 Kings 5:4. Does the young girl
convince Naaman? - Why? (He is no doubt desperate.)
- How high does the witness of this
young girl go? (To
the King!) - As you consider this chain of events.
Where did it
start? (With the godly parents who taught this child
about the Lord and His prophet. They may be dead now.
They certainly were out of the young girl’s daily
life, but their influence lived on through her.) - How important is it to teach our children about
God at an early age? (What an opportunity we
have as a parent to make a difference beyond the
span of our life! - The Visit
- Read 2 Kings 5:5-6. Let’s get the picture right. Here
comes the commander of the army of the enemy. The one who
has defeated you in battle and taken your people captive.
He comes with a letter asking you to cure him of leprosy.
How do you react if you are the King of Israel? - Read 2 Kings 5:7. How did the King of
Israel react? - Who has the better relationship with God, the King or
the young girl? - Does this suggest a reason why Israel is getting
beaten in battles by Aram? - What does this teach us about good
people
suffering? (This young girl was a good person,
but was apparently suffering because of the evil
of this King.) - Read 2 Kings 5:8-9. Have you ever been like the King of
Israel – that you are reminded to turn to God only after
you have exhausted what you can personally do to get out
of trouble? - The Cure
- Read 2 Kings 5:10-12. Why is Naaman angry? (1. He is an
important man, yet Elisha did not even come out to meet
him! 2. He was expecting a fancy or fantastic healing
ceremony. Instead, he just got told to go wash up in
dirtier water than he had back at home. This didn’t sound
very “scientific” to him!) - Why do you think Elisha treated Naaman this way?
Verse 9 tells us that Naaman and his entourage
“stopped at the door of Elisha’s house.” He was right
there! He was the one Naaman had come to see – yet
he did not come out! - Was Naaman offended by this?
- Would you be offended?
- What does this show about Naaman’s character? (Verse
11 shows that He had a proud heart. He expected
respect and he was willing to rely on his own
thinking rather than some message through a stranger
that was unwilling to even come to his front door.) - Who would be the best witness to someone like
Naaman? (A child would be able to disarm his
pride where an adult might not be able to break
through his arrogance.) - Read 2 Kings 5:13-14. What else do we learn about Naaman’s
personality? (He is proud and arrogant, but he is willing
to listen to counsel and he is not stupid.) - Does Elisha’s message to Naaman sound like the way to
salvation? (Yes! Put aside your pride and “scientific
logic,” put aside your great works, and depend on
simple obedience for healing.) - What if Naaman had dipped 6 times, would he have
been healed? (Another salvation lesson. If God
tells you to do something, obey. If God tells
you to rest on the Sabbath, you do it. You do
not spiritualize it, substitute it or circumvent
it.) - Read 2 Kings 5:15. Has Naaman’s attitude changed?
- Notice that he has now met Elisha. How did that
happen? (It is not completely clear, but we have some
good clues. Verse 9 makes it appear that Naamanstayed in his chariot and Elisha stayed in his house.
Now we read that Naaman “stood” before Elisha, thus
making it appear that he got out of his chariot and
went to Elisha!) - Verse 14 tells us that Naaman’s flesh
became that “of
a young boy.” Anything else become like a child?
(Putting away the baggage of age and pride, simply
following God’s direction, shows a “child-like”
dependence.) - Friend, do you have the “new Naaman” attitude in your
life? - Josiah
- Read 2 Kings 22:1-5. How well would you predict a king of
this age would do in leading a nation? - How old is he when he decides to repair the temple?
(26 years old.) - Read 2 Kings 22:8, 10-11. What has the temple renovation
unearthed? (God’s word – the book of the law.) - Why do you think Josiah reacted that way? Why did he
tear his robes? (Read 2 Kings 22:13. Not only was
idol worship widespread in Judah, but God’s
instructions were so disregarded that they had become
lost (or hidden)!) - Read 2 Kings 22:18-20. Why does God spare Josiah, but not
his people, when God did not spare the young servant girl
in the Naaman story from captivity? (I think the lesson is
that obeying God is an obligation that does not always end
up in earthly riches for us. However, my estimate is that
the servant girl in Naaman’s house was a favorite after he
was healed. We know that Josiah led a life that was
pleasing to God and his kingdom was protected until his
death. An attitude of obedience is what God wants for us.) - Chapter 23 of 2 Kings reveals how Josiah
“cleaned house”
of all the idols. Do you think his age had anything to do
with his willingness to follow God when his kingly
ancestors were not willing? - Friend, God is looking for the
child-like attitude of
trust, dependence and obedience towards His will. Will
you ask Him for those traits in your life? - Next Week: The Personal Factor
