Mensa Otabil - Naaman, A Man of Opposite (11/07/2025)
From 2 Kings chapter 5, the story of Naaman begins from verse number one. Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. Naaman was a man of opposites. He was defined both by his public successes and his private struggles.
As a very successful military general, he had a record of impressive victories on the battlefield. He was a national hero. But privately, Naaman had a struggle. He was dealing with a disease that, in his day, was dangerous to the people. He had leprosy. He was a leper. And because he functioned in a public position, this disease could bring him down. We are not sure whether, at the time the story is told, the disease had spread visibly for people to see, but it was something that was not good in the life of Naaman. And though Naaman was not a worshipper of God, the passage says that God had given him victories.
It’s very insightful to note that God sometimes uses people who don’t know Him for His purposes. And here is Naaman, a man who doesn’t know the Lord, but whom God is using. Being used by God and knowing God are not one and the same thing. It’s possible for God to use you, and you not know Him because God created all people and can use all people to achieve His purposes.
So we look at Naaman; he’s the picture of many of us, people who have great external victories but very challenging internal battles. Externally, we look like everything is okay. We’re getting on with our lives, and people see us and think, «Oh, wow. This is the best person.» They have life figured out, and yet inside you know that something is eating you and trying to destroy you. When you look at Naaman, God had given him victory.
So you wonder if God can give him victory on the battlefield, why is God not helping him in his private life? Many of us can relate to that where we can definitely talk about things that God has done for us and the victories He has given to us. We have testimonies to show there is something we can say that God has done for us. Yet we have a struggle, and it doesn’t seem as if we are able to deal with that struggle. That is what Naaman represents: people who have successes publicly but internal difficulties and struggles threatening to defeat them inwardly. If you are one of those people, I pray that God will minister to us this week through the story of Naaman. In the end, His healing power will make us whole and set us free.
So whatever you are struggling with, God can give you victory. For Naaman, his struggle was with leprosy, but for you, your struggle may not be with leprosy. For some people, it could be alcoholism. For others, it could be drugs. For some, it could be gambling. For some, it’s adultery. Externally, you look okay, but these things are eating you up. Is there an internal struggle that you want to trust God to deliver you from in your life, in your relationship with Him? May the story of Naaman help us gain wholeness from everything that is taking away the fullness of life that God wants us to have. As we journey with Him, the Lord will meet you and speak to you.
Let’s pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, thank You for all the fantastic things You have done through me. Help me to overcome all my setbacks in Jesus' name. Amen.» And amen.