2 Kings 5:1 – 27 “Now Naaman, the commander of the army of the king of Aram (Syria), was a great man in his master’s sight and highly regarded, for through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. And he was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.
At this time the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken a young girl from the land of Israel, and she was serving Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “If only my master would go to the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his leprosy.”
And Naaman went and told his master what the girl from the land of Israel had said.
“Go now,” said the king of Aram, “and I will send you with a letter to the king of Israel.”
So Naaman departed, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of clothing. (10 talents is approximately 754 pounds or 342 kilograms of silver. 6,000 shekels is approximately 150.8 pounds or 68.4 kilograms of gold.)
And the letter that he took to the king of Israel stated: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman, so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”
When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and asked, “Am I God, killing and giving life, that this man expects me to cure a leper? Surely you can see that he is seeking a quarrel with me!”
Now when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king: “Why have you torn your clothes? Please let the man come to me, and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.”
So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house.
Then Elisha sent him a messenger, who said, “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored, and you will be clean.”
But Naaman went away angry, saying, “I thought that he would surely come out, stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the spot to cure my leprosy. Are not the Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not have washed in them and been cleansed?” So he turned and went away in a rage.
Naaman’s servants, however, approached him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’?”
So Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored and became like that of a little child, and he was clean.
Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God, stood before him, and declared, “Now I know for sure that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.” But Elisha replied, “As surely as the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will not accept it.” And although Naaman urged him to accept it, he refused.
“If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much soil as a pair of mules can carry. For your servant will never again make a burnt offering or a sacrifice to any other god but the LORD. Yet may the LORD forgive your servant this one thing: When my master goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my arm, and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD forgive your servant in this matter.”
“Go in peace,” said Elisha.
“Now Naaman, the commander of the army of the king of Aram (Syria), was a great man in his master’s sight and highly regarded, for through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. And he was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.” We read these words and think “so what?” without considering their import. In many societies in that time, anyone with leprosy automatically became an outcast and had to exist on the fringes of society. But Naaman was such an outstanding warrior and so esteemed for his courage and his prowess in battle that the king of Aram (Syria) ignored his leprosy. Leprosy itself does not consume tissue; however, leprosy progressively dulls nerves so that the sufferer has no idea when he or she is incurring an injury or an infection. The results can be disastrous. The first miracle in this story is the esteem the king of Aram has for Naaman and his desire to preserve Naaman.
The next miracle is the faith of the little Israelite girl. When the Syrians captured this young lady, she became a servant to Naaman’s wife. But before this girl left Samaria, she learned about Elisha, and now she informs her mistress. Naaman’s wife obviously cares for him as well and she passes on this information. Truly, Naaman is a well – loved man.
The request from the king of Aram to the king of Samaria is typical for communication between sovereigns at the time. The king of Samaria is no believer and assumes that the Syrians are trying to pick a quarrel; however, Elisha gets wind of the request and orders the king to send Naaman to him.
Ever since Naaman’s healing actually took place, this story has served as a reminder for believers to follow God’s commands. Unless the Jordan is at flood stage, it is not a very large river. Naaman has crossed the Jordan en route to Samaria and has not been impressed. When Elisha orders Naaman to wash in the Jordan seven times, Naaman is severely disappointed and insulted. But Naaman’s loyal servants ask a pertinent question: “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’?” Naaman shrugs his shoulders, goes down to the Jordan and washes seven times and suddenly as the water is drying after the seventh time, everyone watches in amazement as Naaman’s skin is completely restored, like the skin of a little child. At that point, Naaman’s servants are probably shouting and clapping!
When Naaman returns to Elisha with tears of gratitude, Elisha refuses to take any of the incredible riches that Naaman has brought with him. Elisha wants Naaman to realize that it is the One True Living God who has done this and that the power rests in God and not in Elisha. Naaman realizes this and promises to worship the God of Israel; in fact, Naaman requests two mule loads of Israelite earth so that when he returns to Syria, he can set up his own altar on Israelite soil. Naaman’s only request is that Elisha will intercede with God for him so that God will pardon him when he has to accompany his master into the temple of Rimmon on ceremonial duties. By this request, Naaman demonstrates the quality of his character and his devotion to the God who has healed him. When Elisha tells Naaman to go in peace, he is blessing Naaman and acknowledging his new – found devotion to the Living God.
APPLICATION: HOW MANY MIRACLES DO WE MISS BECAUSE WE ARE ASHAMED TO FOLLOW GOD’S ORDERS? Naaman has an incurable sickness and yet he nearly misses his healing because he disdains the river Jordan as an insignificant trickle of water. It is only the urging of Naaman’s servants that causes him to reconsider and follow Elisha’s instructions. Naaman anticipates some great dramatic scene; after all, Elisha has called down fire from heaven on two companies of soldiers at one point. When God doesn’t behave as anticipated, Naaman is ready to give up this trip to Samaria and return to Syria unhealed.
God can use all kinds of circumstances to bless us if we will allow Him to do so. Recently, I was called to the hospital at midnight for a woman in labor. While I was waiting to see whether or not we would need to do a Caesarian Section, I began checking Facebook. A friend in America had just posted regarding problems with her husband who had undergone a complicated operation and who was now at home. My friend’s husband was vomiting; however, he had a feeding tube in place. I felt a holy nudge to call my friend and give her instructions that could help tide things over until their surgeon returned her phone calls. My patient delivered without an operation and my friend’s husband responded to fluids through the feeding tube.
I don’t tell this story to give myself any credit. I actually debated about calling my friend. But when I did call, I learned that her husband was in worse shape than she realized. The moral of this story is simple: if God nudges you to do something, don’t hesitate! Even if God tells you to go bathe seven times in a small muddy river, go bathe! Who knows how much healing you might get?
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, obedience is so hard! We want to argue and get explanations. Help us to obey first and ask for explanations later. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment