Obeying God For What Only He Can Do by Pastor Paul Jacks (2 Kings 5:1-17)

Devotional

Day 1: Powerful but Powerless: When Influence Meets Incurable

Naaman’s leprosy defied his military rank, wealth, and social standing. His condition revealed a truth no amount of human authority could erase: some burdens resist earthly solutions. The story begins with a stark contrast—a decorated commander brought low by an incurable disease. His desperation hides beneath the surface of success, a reminder that even the mighty ache in hidden places. True healing starts when we admit our limits.
“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 Kings 5:1, NIV)

Reflection: Where has your influence or skill failed to solve a deep need? What might it look like to stop hiding that helplessness and bring it to God?

[03:49]

Day 2: Unexpected Messengers: Wisdom from the Margins

A captive Israelite girl, unnamed and powerless, held the key to Naaman’s healing. Her quiet courage disrupted the hierarchy of worth, proving God often speaks through those society overlooks. She didn’t resent her captivity but pointed her captor to hope. Redemption sometimes arrives in whispers from the edges, not pronouncements from the powerful.
“She said to her mistress, ‘If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.’”
(2 Kings 5:2-3, NIV)

Reflection: Who in your life have you dismissed as “unlikely” to speak God’s truth? How might pride blind you to His voice in unexpected people?

[06:41]

Day 3: Rage at the River: When God’s Plan Feels Insulting

Naaman stormed away when Elisha told him to wash in the muddy Jordan. The prescription felt beneath him—no drama, no ritual, just humiliating simplicity. His anger masked a deeper fear: surrendering control. God’s instructions often offend our pride, asking us to trade grand gestures for childlike trust.
“But Naaman went away angry and said, ‘I thought…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!’”
(2 Kings 5:11-12, NIV)

Reflection: When has God’s direction felt disappointing or unworthy of your effort? What “small obedience” are you resisting today?

[11:24]

Day 4: The Courage to Correct: Speaking Truth to Pride

Naaman’s servants risked his wrath to challenge his pride. “If the prophet asked something hard, wouldn’t you do it?” they pressed. Their gentle rebuke turned him from self-destruction. True community isn’t sycophants applauding our rage but friends who name our stubbornness.
“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”!’”
(2 Kings 5:13, NIV)

Reflection: Who has permission to confront your blind spots? How can you cultivate humility to receive hard wisdom?

[15:06]

Day 5: Seven Dips: The Miracle in Mundane Obedience

Healing came not on the first dip, but the seventh. Naaman had to repeat the absurd act, each plunge chipping his pride. Obedience isn’t a one-time heroism but daily surrender—showing up, bending low, trusting the process. The Jordan’s waters held no magic, only the promise that God honors persistent faith.
“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.”
(2 Kings 5:14, NIV)

Reflection: What repetitive, unglamorous act of faith is God asking you to keep doing? Where do you need patience to see fruit from small obediences?

[15:23]

Sermon Summary

Naaman’s story in 2 Kings 5 puts a powerful man next to a problem all his power cannot fix. Naaman has influence, victory, horses, chariots, money, and a high position in Aram, but the text lands hard on one phrase: “but he had leprosy.” Size, power, and influence do not always equal security. The things that make somebody look strong cannot always heal what is broken.

The little servant girl brings the good news from the most unexpected place. The girl knows that a prophet in Samaria can point Naaman toward healing, but Aram’s king assumes the answer must be found at the top of the power structure. The king of Israel receives a letter demanding a healing and tears his robes because he knows he is not God. The text exposes the mistake of looking to power, position, and resources for what only God can do.

Elisha calls Naaman away from the noise of his status and gives him a simple instruction: wash seven times in the Jordan. Naaman expects a red carpet, a dramatic appearance, a hand waved over his body, and some kind of big spiritual display. Pride gets in the way because the instruction feels too small, too plain, and too unlike what Naaman thinks healing should look like. Naaman goes away angry because God does not move according to Naaman’s preconceived picture.

Naaman’s servants become instruments of grace by asking whether he would have obeyed if the prophet had told him to do some great thing. The question breaks through Naaman’s pride. Naaman goes down into the Jordan, dips seven times, and comes up clean like a young boy. Obedience opens the way for what money, military strength, and political influence could never purchase.

Naaman then recognizes that there is no God in all the world except the God of Israel. Elisha refuses Naaman’s gifts because God’s healing cannot be confused with a transaction. The contrast between source and resource becomes clear: Elisha is the resource God uses, but God is the source who heals. Resources, knowledge, degrees, work experience, and personal ability cannot replace dependence on God.

The simple instructions still trip people up. God can work through the miraculous and supernatural, but God also works through getting up, keeping going, giving, sharing, being kind, and trusting him for today. Everyday obedience may not look dramatic, but God keeps his people through it. Obedience is better than sacrifice because God is not looking merely for big acts; God is looking for surrendered hearts that trust him in every part of life.

##

Key Takeaways

1. Power cannot heal every broken place Naaman’s status made him respected, feared, and successful, but it could not remove his leprosy. The deepest needs of a life often expose the limits of influence, money, and personal strength. God allows those limits to show that security does not come from being big, connected, or capable. [03:49]
2. God often speaks through unlikely people The servant girl had no rank, wealth, or visible authority, yet she carried the word that led Naaman toward healing. God does not need impressive platforms to give true direction. Humility must stay ready to receive God’s help even when it comes through somebody overlooked. [06:41]
3. Simple obedience confronts stubborn pride Naaman wanted something dramatic because dramatic action seemed fitting for a man of his importance. The Jordan felt too ordinary, and Elisha’s instructions felt too small. God’s simple commands often reveal whether a heart wants God’s will or merely wants God to work according to personal expectations. [11:24]
4. Resources never replace the Source Naaman brought silver, gold, clothing, horses, and chariots, but none of them could buy cleansing. Elisha served as God’s resource, but God alone was Naaman’s source. Every ability, job, degree, and connection remains a gift that must never take God’s place. [19:08]
5. Daily faithfulness is real dependence God may sustain a person one day at a time rather than immediately changing every hard circumstance. Getting up, continuing on, and trusting God for today can be holy obedience. God’s work in the simple should not be missed while waiting for something spectacular.

## [20:18]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:25] - Obey God for What Only He Can Do
[02:10] - Power Does Not Equal Security
[03:18] - Naaman’s Greatness and Leprosy
[06:41] - A Servant Girl’s Good News
[08:22] - Looking to Power Instead of God
[10:25] - Elisha’s Simple Instruction
[11:24] - Naaman’s Anger and Pride
[15:06] - Seven Dips and Cleansing
[16:02] - Obedience Is Better Than Sacrifice
[18:04] - Naaman Knows the True God
[19:19] - The Source and the Resources
[20:18] - God Works in the Simple
[21:31] - Trusting God in Every Part of Life
[23:21] - Be Steadfast in Everyday Obedience

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

2 Kings 5:1-14
“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. Bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, 'If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.' Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. '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. 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.' 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!' 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.' So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 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.' 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. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?' So he turned and went off in a rage. 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'!' 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.” [03:39]

1 Samuel 15:22
“But Samuel replied: 'Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” [16:50]

1 Corinthians 1:27-29
“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.”

Observation questions

What details in 2 Kings 5 show Naaman’s high position, success, and resources, and what problem remained beyond his ability to solve? [03:49]
What message did the servant girl give Naaman’s wife, and how did the kings of Aram and Israel respond to Naaman’s need?
What did Elisha tell Naaman to do, and what expectations caused Naaman to respond with anger? [11:24]
What question did Naaman’s servants ask him, and what changed after Naaman followed the instruction? [15:06]

Interpretation questions

Why does the story place a respected military commander beside a captive servant girl? What does this contrast show about the kinds of people God may use to bring help and truth? [06:41]
Why might Naaman have expected a dramatic healing instead of a simple instruction? How can a desire for a certain kind of answer keep a person from receiving what God is offering? [12:46]
In 1 Samuel 15:22, why is obedience better than sacrifice? What is the difference between doing impressive things for God and having a heart that trusts and obeys God? [16:46]
Why did Elisha refuse Naaman’s gifts after he was healed? How does this protect the truth that God is the source of healing while people and possessions are only resources? [19:08]

Application questions

What is a “but he had leprosy” area in your life—a need, weakness, fear, or burden that your money, experience, connections, or hard work cannot fix? How might that limitation invite deeper dependence on God? [05:40]
Has God’s help ever come through someone you were tempted to overlook—a child, coworker, family member, newcomer, or someone with little visible influence? What would it look like to listen more humbly this week? [06:58]
Where might you be expecting God to work in a dramatic way when he may be calling you to a simple next step? What could that step be: making a call, asking forgiveness, being kind, giving, sharing, or continuing faithfully? [16:02]
When God does not answer in the way you expected, what response tends to rise up first—anger, disappointment, fear, control, or withdrawal? How can Naaman’s response and eventual obedience shape your response? [13:33]
What resources are easiest for you to rely on instead of relying on God—education, work experience, income, relationships, health, or personal ability? How can you thank God for those gifts without allowing them to replace him as your source? [21:43]
Where do you need God’s strength simply to “get up and keep going” today? What daily practice of trust and obedience could help you recognize God’s sustaining work in that situation? [20:18]

Sermon Clips

39s

#GodIsTheSource

“Naaman got the message. New creation. Naaman understood where his source was. Yes. It is. And Elisha was the resource that allowed the source, god, to provide healing to him. See, all the resources that Naaman had could not heal him of his legacy. And, lastly, we talked about this. We can't go confuse the resource for the source. Yeah. And all the things we have doesn't replace our need to be obedient to the source.”

50s

#SimpleObedience

“See, that's the thing. Sometimes God doesn't want us to do the big thing. It's the simple obedience. The simple day to day obedience of give up. Share... Be kind to somebody. Say a nice word to that person you don't like. And and and and we don't wanna do that. We don't want... We we'd rather just continue to be mad and wait for God to rake down fire from heaven again and and and vindicate us. But sometimes it's the simple instructions that can trick us up.”

40s

#DailyWalkWithGod

“Yeah. New creation, we we have a challenge because sometimes the simplicity of the message and the simplicity of the instructions can cause us to to not want... To think that that's how God's gonna work. We think God has to work in the miraculous, and he does. Sometimes we think God have... It will work in the supernatural, and he does. But then sometimes he just works in the simple. Yes. He does. A a a a daily walk in all means.”

Ask a question about this sermon

New Creation Bible Church This sermon · AI assistant

How can pride hinder obedience to God?

Why must resources never replace the source?

What does everyday obedience reveal about faith?