DESCRIPTIVE TEACHING

Today we will be learning about descriptive teaching. Descriptive teaching is a form of teaching that points out the details in scripture or the bible story being taught. The reason for this form of teaching is to paint a clear picture as to what is taking place in the lesson. In this lesson, we will break down a biblical story and point out the details that are often overlooked. This story centers around a man named Naamon who suffered from a severe skin disease. After we read the story we will begin describing the details of the story. Let’s begin.

2 Kings 5:1-14

1 Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.

2 And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife.

3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.

4 And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.

5 And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.

6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.

7 And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.

8 And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.

9 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. Sons.

10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.

11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.

12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.

13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?

14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean

The first thing that stands out in the story is the description of the main character, Naaman. The Bible describes him as captain of a host of the king of Syria so already the description of Naaman is one of authority. But the Bible also describes him as honorable. These details are essential to the description of Naaman. If they are left out when one is teaching this story, it forces the listener’s mind to draw what may be a wrong conclusion to the character of Naaman.

He was also a mighty man of valor, meaning he was courageous. But as we just read he was plagued with leprosy, a skin condition so bad it overshadowed all he had accomplished and become. Now you have just learned to point out the details of a person’s character. But the same process is good for explaining biblical scenarios.

For instance, the situation of the little maid. She was a captive and made to serve Naaman's wife. Even in captivity her heart of mercy survived. She had compassion on Naaman by recommending the man of God who could heal Naaman. So, we have learned two forms of descriptions in descriptive teaching and that is 1] character descriptions and [2] scenario descriptions.