Skip to main content

2 Kings 5 | Part 1| Background

 This is a multi part sermon note from 2 Kings 5. There are at least four people here in this Bible chapter and though a character study is needed, the main point is to examine oneself with the same premise and see how the Gospel of Jesus relates to the main issues in this portion. The Bible is meant to show us both an issue and provide an answer to it and the hope of the answer is found in the life of Jesus.

Background

Firstly, let us look at the background of the story. There are some key understandings that i have moved from the below passages to here to help the reader understand though they may only provide some information to the points I wish to captivate your attention to.


There had been a number of attacks by Syria ( also known as Aram - this means i would use Syria and Aram interchangeably in these notes) during the reign of Hadadezer ( King of Aram 865 - 642 BC) and Jehoram ( King of Israel 849–842 BC). Seeing 2 Kings 5:1-2, we read about Naaman being the commander of the armies of Aram. This is a position similar to the modern day Prime Minister or the Chief of Armies. This is a very powerful, important, strategic and prime role. This person is often the right hand man of the King. Often the wars involved prisoner of wars where people were taken as slaves and often made to work for the captor. There are historical records of Hadadezer in the  Kurkh Monoliths, and Jehoram in the Tel Dan Stele artefacts. 


Another factor to keep in mind is the trifacta of the ancient cultures - Land, Language (People, Tribe) and Lord (God). The ancient cultures were based around rivers. This meant that the river often took the position of God or the river was the source of all blessing. Infact, the civilization was based around the river. For example, the Indus valley civilisation near the Indus river in south asia, the Tigris and Euphrates for the Syrian - Mesopotamian civilisation, the Nile river for Egypt. This is why the gods Indra, Hadad, Hapi were some of the common deities respectively. This is a point that I would ask you to keep in mind as we continue this study. We see similar understanding even in the book of Ruth, where  Ruth tells Naomi that your Land is my Land, Your People my People and your God is my God.


Naaman has the Tzaraat which is translated as Leprosy. However, this may not be the leprosy that we know today as this disease came from South Asia to the middle east much later during the time of Alexander the Great. The diseases share similar symptoms but were called so as there was no need to create detailed names for skin diseases that could not be treated. All it meant was there was significant disfigurement of the skin. I am not going to dive into this topic but have stated this here so that you may consider looking this up on your time.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Nativity - by Gari Melchers

This could be my first ever critique of art that I have ever written and that is because it is only recently art has captured my interest as much as this work. This write up is made both in English and German as I want to practice my German.  'The Nativity' by Gari Melchers.  I am not an art expert and my critique is from a layman's point of view, but bear with me. I have tried reading some information about the art and the culture behind it and I have my two favourite blog posts about the same work and yes,  I have shamelessly copied some of their thoughts. Woebegone but Hopeful and other is by Lisa VO . Julius Garibaldi Melchers (August 11, 1860 – November 30, 1932) was an American artist. He was one of the leading American proponents of naturalism. He won a 1932 Gold medal from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.[1] - Wikipedia The Nativity is painted during the peak of realism movement - in a gritty and less idealised ma...
Post a Comment
Read more

Testimonies

This is an extract from a mail I had written to my friends and I wish that most of you my readers would get this message too. I want to tell you about a few testimonies that changed my perception of testimonies. Most of you may have heard me say this many times, but then since its that good, I wish your Christmas memories could include this one too.  The first story occurs in a little village of pullad. Now that is in Kerala, and for those who do not know where it is, the place is near kumbanad, and around 15 Kms from Chengannur/ Thiruvalla and some where in the mid point between ernakulam and trivandrum .  SEE IT ON MAP I HAD WRITTEN THE STORY IN A BETTER FORMAT OVER AN YEAR AGO. SEE TOTALLY SIMPLE FAITH.  It is a village more than a town , with rubber trees, bugs and the sweet sound of rain in the woody and leafy region, so it cooler and humid than most other parts of kerala. So, i was here, in a prayer meeting run by a pentecostal group called the hallelujah pra...
Post a Comment
Read more

Spirit of the Lord and his Standards

The chapter Isaiah 59 is a very meaningful chapter. The chapter begins with the prophet telling us that God has not run away from us or nor is he hiding that our tears cannot be seen or our cries cannot be heard. But when we went away from God, we were also neglected justice by others and God saw that his children were oppressed and were denied justice and as it is said in in Isaiah 59:15(b) . This is our God. Although we are sinners he says and that there were no one who could stand for you as mediators , God would bring you the salvation. The Lord is at my right hand, he is there to protect me, but let me tell you that God is also there to guard you from sinning. The verse Isaiah 59:19 , is the most important verse that we should remember when we are tempted. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him and put him to flight*. Isaiah 59:19 What does this verse mean to you? This is what I have understood and I follow. You ...
2 comments
Read more