I Don't Need That Kind of Help
Tony R. Nester
2 Kings 5:1-14
One of the classes I took in seminary was taught by a psychiatrist. He was supposed to teach us how to help people who were struggling with emotional problems. I remember the first day of class and how he told us that there was only one thing he wanted us to learn from him. Here it was: Helping people is usually difficult, often dangerous, and frequently impossible.
My experience in the ministry has proved him right. People with problems often say, "I don't need help."
There is within us a resistance to being helped. We think we want help but when help is offered we reject it. When someone offers to help us we are likely to say, "I don't need that kind of help."
Such a person is the main character in today's Scripture. He's name was Naaman. His story is told in 2 Kings, Chapter 5, verses 1-14.
(2 Kings 5:1-14 NRSV) "Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. {2} Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. {3} She said to her mistress, "If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." {4} So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. {5} And the king of Aram said, "Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel." He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. {6} He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, "When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy." {7} When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, "Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of hi ...
Tony R. Nester
2 Kings 5:1-14
One of the classes I took in seminary was taught by a psychiatrist. He was supposed to teach us how to help people who were struggling with emotional problems. I remember the first day of class and how he told us that there was only one thing he wanted us to learn from him. Here it was: Helping people is usually difficult, often dangerous, and frequently impossible.
My experience in the ministry has proved him right. People with problems often say, "I don't need help."
There is within us a resistance to being helped. We think we want help but when help is offered we reject it. When someone offers to help us we are likely to say, "I don't need that kind of help."
Such a person is the main character in today's Scripture. He's name was Naaman. His story is told in 2 Kings, Chapter 5, verses 1-14.
(2 Kings 5:1-14 NRSV) "Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. {2} Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. {3} She said to her mistress, "If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." {4} So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. {5} And the king of Aram said, "Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel." He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. {6} He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, "When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy." {7} When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, "Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of hi ...
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