Good morning. One of the Old Testament characters that has always intrigued me is Naaman. We read his story in 2 Kings 5.
His story begins: Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. The first sentence tells us that he is a mighty and great man (this is because the Lord had chosen to give Syria a victory while he was in charge.) But the 2nd sentence tells us even more. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. If you were Naaman, how important would it be to you that you had a grand reputation and were in excellent standing with your king, if you knew that the 2nd thing was also true? I would say that if you realize one day that you are a leper, nothing else is going to matter as much as it once did. Having leprosy was for Naaman the defining aspect of his life. Nothing else mattered much if having that dreaded disease was also true.
Fortunately for him, one of the slaves that his army had claimed came from Israel. This young lady was assigned to be the servant of Naaman’s wife. When she learned of Naaman’s disease she had an immediate answer: “I wish he would go to see the prophet of God in Israel (called Samaria by this time) for he would be able to cure him.”
Naaman’s wife tells him what the girl said, and while he doesn’t seem overly eager, apparently, he figured it was worth a shot. He went to the king and asked if he could seek out this prophet of God. The king gladly agrees and sent Naaman the leper on his way.
Unfortunately, Naaman and his king thought that this was primarily a political and economic question. It is their assumption that this problem, like all other political problems, could be solved with money and a display of power. This is how the scripture puts it in 2 Kings 5:5-8
So he went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.”
The king of Israel is not much different, or better, than Naaman and the king of Aram. He doesn’t see this as a problem with a spiritual solution, but as a political problem. He thinks that the success or failure of Naaman’s request lies within his own strengths and resources. He assumes that this is a political trap, an excuse to renew a war, and goes into what we would call “a complete meltdown,” screaming and ripping his clothes.
When Elisha hears of this, his answer is as one who trusts in God: But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.” While everyone else is worried about the cost and the politics involved, God’s servant sees this as an opportunity for God to reveal His power to persons who do not know Him.
Elisha gives Naaman clear instructions: “go, wash in the Jordan river 7 times, and you will be healed.” Simple enough, at least it would have been if the person involved understood that this was a spiritual matter. But Naaman doesn’t understand that at all. His response is to be indignant. His feeling is that it is a dumb idea, especially since they have several rivers where he is from that are greater than the river Jordan. So he turned and went away in a rage. 2 Kings 5:12
Fortunately for Naaman his servants had more sense. They go to Naaman and ask why he is being so difficult. It isn’t that hard to do what the prophet instructed, so why not give it a shot? Reluctantly, Naaman agrees, and we read: So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. 2 Kings 5:14
The story continues with twists and turns, but Naaman had become a believer. Elisha refuses to accept the vast fortune that Naaman offers him and Naaman asks if he could bring home some dirt from Israel. Why? Because he says that from then on his worship will only be to the God of Israel and he wants to offer sacrifices on what he thinks is God’s home turf. Naaman has a way to go in his faith but consider how far he has come.
Naaman was proud, arrogant, and stubborn. He needed to be healed, but he wanted that healing to be in keeping with his status. We might think, “What a fool!” but are we much different? God offers us grace, and strength, and forgiveness, and healing for brokenness that we don’t even recognize. How often do we hesitate or even refuse because God’s way isn’t our way?
Let’s learn a lesson from Naaman and find our spirit of humility. Then we may go to the Lord in prayer with our needs and with a joyful expectation of the Lord’s mercy and love.
Vern