God honors Naaman’s obedience
key words
biblical reference
2 Kings 5:1-15
lesson objective
That the children learn to trust in God’s great power.
memory verse
“Great is our Lord and mighty in power, his understanding has no limit” (Psalm 147:5, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
Through this lesson, your children will learn that they can trust in our great and powerful God.
At this stage of physical and emotional changes, it will give them stability to know that they are children of a God who does not change and who is willing to help them.
Emphasize that Naaman was a real person, not the product of someone’s imagination like the characters they see on television. Naaman learned to trust in God when he faced a difficult illness and, as a reward for his obedience, God restored his health.
Help them understand that although Naaman was a very important official in the Syrian army, he submitted to the power of the one true God.
biblical commentary
Read 2 Kings 5:1-15. Naaman was an important man in the Syrian army, a man whom everyone honored and respected. However, he suffered from leprosy, a disease that threatened his life.
Bible scholars believe that the type of leprosy that Naaman had was not the one we know today, but a more aggressive one that completely disfigured the person.
In this story, God showed his great power through people and common objects.
First, through the young Hebrew girl who served Naaman’s wife. Despite being a slave, she had the courage to talk about her faith in God because she knew that He was with his people Israel and that Elisha was a prophet.
Second, through the messenger. He brought specific instructions to Naaman from Elisha, who did not speak directly with the Syrian general.
Third, through the Jordan River. This river had an important meaning for the Hebrew people, but for Naaman it was only a muddy and ordinary river.
Fourth, through the prophet Elisha. Having been a disciple of the prophet Elijah, now God was using him to guide His people.
History tells us that after Naaman appeared before the king of Israel, he went to the prophet’s house. Elisha was not impressed by the Syrian captain’s elegant caravan, nor all his titles or recommendations. He simply sent his servant with simple instructions so that Naaman would obey them and be healed. Maybe Naaman had his own idea about how the miracle would occur (verse 11), but God showed him that he controlled the situation and that he had the power to heal Naaman, as long as he obeyed.
Naaman went away from Elisha’s house enraged, refusing the prophet’s instructions. Finally, after his servants convinced him, he obeyed Elisha’s instructions to bathe in the Jordan River, and was healed.
Something that we must emphasize is that the absence of the prophet in this miracle gives all the credit to God. Naaman recognized Jehovah as the only living God.
God honored his obedience, and not only restored his skin but also his heart.
It is important that your children know that God has control over everything that exists and honors his children when they obey him.
introduce the lesson
Sick!
Look in magazines or newspapers for illustrations of medicines, hospitals, medical equipment, doctors, nurses, sick people, etc.
Show them to your children and talk about the various diseases that affect children. Give opportunity for two volunteers to share a brief experience of being sick. Tell them that today’s lesson will be about a person suffering from a serious illness.
teach the lesson
Naaman’s trust
Naaman was a general in the army of the king of Syria. The king valued him very much because he was a good man and a brave soldier. But unfortunately, Naaman had leprosy and nobody knew how to cure that disease.
In the house of Naaman a girl worked. She had been taken captive from the land of Israel. One day, she told Naaman’s wife, “If my lord Naaman asked the prophet who lives in Samaria for help, he would heal him of his leprosy.”
Naaman’s wife told him what the girl had told him: “My servant says there is a prophet in Israel who can heal you.”
Naaman immediately went to see the king of Syria, and said, “Your Majesty, my wife’s servant says that in Israel there is a prophet who can cure me of leprosy.”
“Then, go,” said the king. “I will send a letter to recommend you to the king of Israel.”
In this way, Naaman was ready to go on his journey, carrying much gold, silver and clothing as gifts. The letter that he brought to the king of Israel said, “I am sending you this letter through my servant Naaman so that you may heal him of his leprosy.”
When the king of Israel read the letter, he became very worried and said, “I cannot cure leprosy. Why does the king of Syria want to fight with us?”
When the prophet Elisha heard what had happened in the palace, he sent a messenger to the king of Israel: “Tell Naaman to come to my house and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.”
Naaman got into his carriage and went to Elisha’s house, but there he got a big surprise. Although Naaman was a very important man in his country, Elisha did not go out to meet him. Rather, he sent a messenger to instruct him.
“Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your flesh will be restored and you will be clean, and completely healthy from that disease.”
When Naaman heard the message, he left angry and told his servants, “I thought the prophet would come out and talk to me. I thought that he would pray to God and touch my wounds, and that would cure me of leprosy. Also, he wants me to wash in the Jordan River when there are many better rivers in my country. Cannot I wash in one of them to be healthy?”
When preparing to return to Syria, one of his servants said to him, “Lord, if the prophet ordered you to do something difficult, would not you do it? However, he has asked you to do something very simple. Why do not you try it?”
So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and submerged himself seven times, just as the prophet had commanded. After the seventh time, Naaman saw that his body was completely healthy.
“I’m healed!” shouted Naaman with joy.
So he returned with his servants to Elisha’s house and said, “Now I know that in the whole world there is no God but in Israel. From now on, I will not worship another God, but only the God of Israel who has healed me.”
connect the lesson
For this activity, you will need pieces of cloth to blindfold the eyes of your children.
Ask the children to line up and blindfold their eyes. Tell them they should walk around the meeting area, trusting you to guide them so they do not get hurt. Remove objects that may cause accidents. If the context and weather permits, do this activity outside in a place with grass.
Guide them on a walk.
Then, get together to talk about the experience. Ask them: “How did you feel about having to depend on someone to guide you?” “How did it feel to trust the leader, even without knowing where I was leading you?”
God wants us to trust him, even though we often do not understand what is happening around us. He wants us to trust that he will take care of us and guide us on the right path.
Today’s Bible story told us about a person who trusted God.
practice the memory verse
The king says ...
Gather your children in front of you and tell them: “Let’s play ‘The King says.’ If I say, ‘The king says touch your nose,’ you must touch it. But if I just say, ‘Touch your nose,’ without saying ‘The king says,’ and you do, you must sit down.”
Repeat the game several times (jump, run, sing, etc.) until most children lose and sit down.
Explain that when they follow the rules of the game, they are being obedient. In the same way, God wants us to always obey his Word and his commands, just as Naaman did.
The story of Naaman
Student Activity Sheet #186-A and #186-B must be printed back to back. Distribute the activity sheets plus scissors. Ask the children to cut out the pieces of the puzzle and arrange them according to the order of the Bible story. Then tape them together with clear tape. When the puzzle is finished, a “T” will be formed.
Turn the puzzle over and they will find a special message.
Another option is to distribute a bag or envelope to each child so that they take the pieces of the puzzle to their house, and they put it together with their friends and family.
For options on how to help the children memorize this lesson's verse, see the "KidzFirst Memory Verse Activities" sheet.
wrap-up
Pray
Lead the children in a prayer, and intercede for those with special needs.
Encourage
Gather your children and tell them: “This month we have heard Bible stories about the power and majesty of God. He is so powerful that He can do anything. He created the world, confused the languages of the people who built the tower of Babel, and healed Naaman from leprosy. God also wants to show His power in your life and wants you to trust Him with all your heart.”
Invite
Encourage the children to attend the next meeting, where they will study about an invisible army. Tell them that their friends are also welcome.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™