Title: God Healed Naaman
Scripture: 2 Kings 5
Target Age Group: 3rd-5th grade
Main Point: God healed Naaman’s disease.
Lesson Opening
- Ask: Have you ever had a parent or teacher give you instructions that you really didn’t want to follow? What were the instructions? What did you do?
- Say: Today we’ll hear a story about a man who was given some instructions that he thought were silly and didn’t want to follow.
- Pray for your time together this morning.
Tell the Story
Ask: I’m sure everyone here has been sick at one point or another. What do you do when you are sick?
Say: Usually people go to a doctor, take medicine, get lots of rest, and maybe eat a bowl of chicken soup or two when they don’t feel good. Most of the time, medicine, and a day or two of rest is all we need to get well. Right? But not always. There are some sicknesses that never go away. Sometimes people get diseases that they have forever. No matter how many bowls of chicken soup they eat, their sickness doesn’t go away.
Say: Our story today is about a man named Naaman (everyone say “Naaman”.) Naaman had a disease that wouldn’t go away. There was no cure! His disease was called leprosy (everyone say “leprosy”). A person infected with leprosy has bumps on their skin or what looks like a bad rash. Back in Naaman’s day it was a big deal to get leprosy. It meant that no one wanted to be around you because they were afraid they would get it too. There was no way to hide the fact that you had leprosy. As soon as a person saw you, they would know right away. Today we’re going to hear how God healed Naaman’s disease.
Tell the Story: We find Naaman’s story in the Bible, in 2 Kings 5. Naaman wasn’t an Israelite. He was from the nation of Aram, a country that had often gone to battle against Israel. Naaman was a top military commander for his country. But the Bible tells us that Naaman had leprosy, a disease with no cure that would eventually kill him. Surely Naaman wanted more than anything to be cured but what could he do?
Tell the Story: There was a servant girl from Israel living in Naaman’s house, serving his wife. Years earlier when Aram and Israel had fought each other the Aramean soldiers had carried off some of the Israelites as slaves. This girl was one of those slaves. The young girl must have had pity on her master because she told Naaman’s wife about a prophet living in Israel who could cure leprosy! What wonderful news!
Ask: How do you think Naaman felt when he learned that it was possible for him to be cured? How do you think he felt knowing that he would have to ask an Israelite prophet (his enemy) for help?
Tell the Story: Naaman traveled to Israel and met with King Joram (the son of evil King Ahab.) Naaman had a letter from the King of Aram telling Joram to cure Naaman. As Joram read the letter he tore his robes (a sign of stress or fear) because he knew that he couldn’t do anything to help Naaman! He knew that only God could do a thing like that! Joram thought the king of Aram was trying to pick another fight with Israel. But the prophet Elisha heard what had happened and sent a message to Joram telling him to send Naaman to his house.
Ask: Who knows what a prophet is? (A prophet is someone whom God speaks to, then shares God’s word with the people.)
Say: Last week we learned that the prophet Elijah anointed this man, Elisha, to be prophet after him.
Tell the Story: Naaman went to see Elisha, but didn’t get the welcome he’d anticipated. When Naaman and his companions, their horses and all their chariots arrived Elisha didn’t even go out of his house to greet them! Instead Elisha sent a messenger with his “prescription” for Naaman’s leprosy.
Read 2 Kings 5:10 “Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, ‘Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan (river), and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”
Ask: What did Elisha tell Naaman to do? (Wash himself 7 times in the Jordan River.)
Ask: Those seem like very odd instructions. How do you think Naaman might respond?
Tell the Story: Naaman was offended at Elisha’s message. After all, he was a high-ranking, very powerful military officer! Naaman had expected Elisha to come out and perform some sort of cleansing ceremony, to wave his hands over Naaman and call on the name of the Lord to heal him. But to go swimming in the dirty Jordan river?! What an insult! Naaman began to go away angry but his attendants stopped him. They said to him, “What harm could it do to at least try what Elisha has said? It’s not as if he has told you to do something difficult! Let’s just go down to the river and see what happens!”
Ask: What do you think will happen when Naaman goes into the river?
Tell the Story: Naaman did just what Elisha said; he dipped himself 7 times in the river. As he came out of the water the seventh time his skin was completely restored! It was a smooth and soft as it had been when he was a child! What a miracle! How could this be?
Ask: Do you think there was something magical about the water in the Jordan River?
Say: There was nothing special about the water. God healed Naaman’s disease! That day God showed His power to a man who wasn’t even an Israelite! But by going into the water Naaman showed faith that God can do things that seem impossible to us.
Tell the Story: When Naaman healed he was so excited! He returned to Elisha’s house with gratitude and said, “Now I know that the God of Israel is the one true God!”
Say: Naaman had a very visible disease that everyone could spot the moment they saw him. There was no way for Naaman to hide his sickness. Did you know that all of us have a sickness that you can’t see? That sickness is sin, and it’s like a disease in our hearts. Just like leprosy, sin leads to death. And just like Naaman who had no hope apart from God to cure his leprosy, we have no hope apart from God to cure us of our sin problem. We all need a Healer, and that Healer is Jesus!
Ask: Do we have wash in a river to be cleansed of our sins?
Say: No way! We just have to put our faith in Jesus to save us, and our sins are forgiven! We are completely healed when we turn to Jesus!
Say: Did you know that one way we visibly demonstrate our decision to follow Jesus is to be baptized?
Ask: What happens when someone gets baptized?
Say: Baptism is a symbol that represents the truth that Jesus has healed us of our sin problem. Just like how there was nothing special about the waters of the Jordan River, there’s nothing magical about the water when someone is baptized. A person isn’t saved because they are baptized, instead it’s something we do to show others of our commitment to following Jesus. Baptism is simply a celebration of the truth of Jesus being the ultimate cure for our sin sickness!
Review Questions
- What country was Naaman from? (Aram)
- Who told Naaman about the prophet in Israel who could cure leprosy? (The Israelite servant girl)
- Why did King Joram tear his robe? (He knew that he had no power to cure Naaman’s leprosy)
- Who had the power to cure Naaman? (God)
- What does this story teach us about God?
Great lesson for my Sunday school class. Thank you!
It a very powerful massage I love it and God bless you.