Sermon text: 2 Kings 5:1-19
This account sits during a troubled period in the northern kingdom of Israel—mid-9th century BC, decades after the united kingdom split following Solomon’s reign, with Israel to the north never once having a godly king and now facing regular raids from neighboring Syria (Aram). Against that backdrop, the passage introduces Naaman, commander of Syria’s army—a powerful, respected man who happens to have leprosy, though likely not the severe Hansen’s disease but something closer to a chronic skin condition like psoriasis, serious enough in that culture to carry real stigma. Notably, Scripture attributes his military success directly to the Lord, reflecting a recurring Old Testament pattern where God used foreign nations as instruments of judgment against a disobedient Israel.