Word Puzzle 026
Sermon Theme week of 12/20/04:
theme: "Stewards of our Faith--Pass It on in Our World!"
2 Kings 5:1-15
Naaman Healed of Leprosy
5 Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of
Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and
highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given
victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had
leprosy.
2 Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive
a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife.
3 She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see
the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his
leprosy.”
4 Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl
from Israel had said. 5 “By all means, go,” the king of
Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of
Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of
silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of
clothing. 6 The letter that he took to the king of
Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant
Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”
7 As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore
his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back
to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be
cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a
quarrel with me!”
8 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of
Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message:
“Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me
and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9
So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped
at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a
messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times
in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you
will be cleansed.”
11 But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that
he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the
name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot
and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar,
the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of
Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he
turned and went off in a rage.
13 Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father,
if the prophet had told you to do some great thing,
would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he
tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” 14 So he went down
and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man
of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and
became clean like that of a young boy.
15 Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the
man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know
that there is no God in all the world except in Israel.
Please accept now a gift from your servant.”

