God’s Blessings Can’t Be Bought

2 Kings 5:8-16

​1 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. 2 And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife. 3 Then she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.” 4 And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel.”
5 Then the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. 6 Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said, Now be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy.
7 And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me.”
8 So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.”
9 Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ 12 Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, “Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant.”
16 But he said, “As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused.

Naaman did not arrive empty-handed. He brought silver, gold, and clothing that represented an enormous offering.

Silver (10 Talents) 1 Biblical talent weighs roughly 75 lbs.) Thus, 10 talents is about 750 lbs. of silver. Value: At standard silver prices, 10 talents of silver is worth approximately $300,000 to $350,000 USD.

Gold (6,000 Shekels / 2 Talents)

Weight: That is about 150 lbs of gold. Value: At gold prices, 150 lbs of gold is worth approximately $5.0 million to $5.5 million USD.

Clothing (10 Sets)

In the ancient Near East, high-status ceremonial garments made with fine linen, silk, and rare dyes (like Tyrian purple) were extremely costly luxury items reserved for royalty and top military commanders. Today, these could be compared to high-fashion bespoke garments worth $10,000.00.

Total Value: Roughly $5.3 million to $6.0 million USD.

Application: God’s Gifts Cannot Be Bought

After Naaman received his miracle, he wanted to reward the prophet with a love offering, but Elisha refused to accept it. If you had to pay for your salvation and miracles, what do you think they would cost? The truth is, none of us could ever afford salvation. That is why Jesus made it free.

Giving Is Obedience, Not Payment

You do not have to pay for anything from God. His grace, mercy, salvation, and blessings are freely given. When you give tithes and offerings, you are not paying for God’s services; you are obeying His commandments and honoring Him with what He has already provided.

Naaman’s Lesson

Naaman wanted Elisha to receive a gift for his healing. The king of Syria had sent gold, silver, and clothing to be given, so Naaman may have felt he was simply carrying out the king’s command. But Elisha wanted him to understand that no gift was required for what God had done in his life.

Our Response to God’s Goodness

Naaman’s responsibility was not to pay for his miracle, but to go forward as a witness of God’s goodness and blessing. Like Naaman, each of us should be willing to show what God has done for us.

·         Receive God’s blessings with gratitude.

·         Give out of obedience and worship, not obligation.

·         Share your testimony so others can see God’s goodness.

One of the worst things we can do is hide the blessings God has placed in our lives.