Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.
Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”
Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”
As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!”
When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”
But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.
Naaman’s servants went to 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 he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.
Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”
The prophet answered, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.
“If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord. But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I have to bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.”
“Go in peace,” Elisha said.
My thoughts -
I find myself wondering how I would react to Elisha if I were Naaman. First off, Naaman is a great warrior and seems like good man. He may be proud like other men of his stature but he's also desperate. He has an ailment and he seems willing to try anything if it will cure him.
So his wife's servant tells him about this prophet and he goes to see him. Naaman, I'm sure, has some expectations about what this experience will be like. Maybe this is not his first encounter with a prophet. Maybe in his desperation for healing he has visited others. Who could blame him? I don't know if he had or not but clearly whatever he had done up to that point didn't work. He wasn't healed.
So he's traveled some distance hoping for a miracle. And what does he get instead? An order to take a bath! No crazy ritual. No magic words. No harsh demands. Nothing rubbed all over him. No nothing. Just an order to bathe seven times in the Jordan.
So what would I do here? Probably the same thing Naaman did. I'd leave angry.
What a waste of time! I came all this way for a miracle and he tells me to bathe! I could have bathed at home! The water's better there, anyway!
Naaman must have been a pretty good guy. Either that or he must have at least been good to his servants. First off, his wife's servant cared enough to send him to her people and to Elisha. And second, he has servants here who care enough to tell Naaman something he needs to hear; the truth.
Naaman’s servants went to 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 does what Elisha prescribes. He takes a bath. And he is cleansed.He has been delivered of his affliction. He is grateful to God and the prophet for this. Having experienced first hand the saving power and love of God he promises to worship only the Lord.
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