2 Kings 5 (NIV)

Naaman is an important man. He’s the number two man of Aram, one of the neighboring countries to Israel. He’s the head of the army, with thousands of soldiers under his command. His army is the most powerful one in the region. Naaman is used to people obeying his orders and falling all over themselves to make him happy.

But one morning, Naaman encounters something he can’t control. As he sits for breakfast, his wife asks, “What’s that on your arm?”

He looks. It’s a spot, like a rash, with white hair growing out of it. “It’s nothing,” he tells her. “Just a rash. Maybe a heat rash. Maybe I rubbed against an obnoxious weed.”

But that’s not what he thinks to himself. No, it’s something worse, something that will destroy me — leprosy. This is the beginning. It will eat away my flesh and bone.

In Israel, this is the time of Elisha, the younger prophet, the one who wanted a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, the one who picked up Elijah’s mantle and divided the Jordan River with it. Elisha is not a powerful man like Naaman. Elisha does not advise the king of Israel or sit at his right hand.

But the common people, the people who live in the towns and the villages, they know who Elisha is, and they know that Elisha does God’s work. So when a young girl from Israel is taken captive and given to Naaman’s wife as a servant, she shares what she knows. “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”

 Naaman’s wife eagerly tells her husband, who goes to the king, who writes a letter of reference to the king of Israel.

Wait a minute! Notice, the servant girl doesn’t say anything about the king. The stories of the prophets are full of times when the kings of Israel didn’t have much use for the prophets. They certainly didn’t control them! A letter to the king is not going to get to Elisha!

But the unnamed king of Aram doesn’t know that. He figures that any healer who can cure leprosy must be very important in any kingdom. Such a person would certainly be important in his land. Such a healer must be in the employ of the king of Israel. Therefore, the king of Israel receives the letter, along with ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments.

The king of Israel panics when he opens the letter. “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

According to the custom of his time, instead of pulling out his hair, he tears his clothes. “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!”

Unlike the little servant girl, the king of Israel doesn’t even think in terms of Elisha. In this matter, the man who is his greatest ally, the man who can actually do what Naaman needs done, doesn’t even enter the king’s mind. He doesn’t see Elisha as a great healer. He sees him as someone who keeps coming to him and ranting that he ought to give up some of his pleasures and take better care of the poor among his people. In his mind, Elisha is the kind of prophet who calls down a drought on the country and tells the people it’s the king’s fault. No, the king of Israel doesn’t think of Elisha as the solution to his problems.

Fortunately, word of mouth travels fast in that time, and Elisha hears about the king’s predicament. He sends a message to the palace. “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.”

In short order, Naaman, with his horses and chariots and the rest of his entourage, arrives at Elisha’s doorstep. Elisha only moves enough to send his servant outside. The servant greets Naaman and says, “My master says to tell you,  ‘Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.’ “

Did I mention that Naaman is a very important man in Aram? A four-star general, the commander-in-chief of the army? He’s not used to speaking to servants. He has traveled from Aram to Samaria and been essentially sent away by Israel’s king. Here he stands in front of an ordinary dwelling, the home of a supposed great prophet, who refuses to even come out and speak to him.

Probably a good thing, because what’s he going to do with all this treasure I have brought? He probably doesn’t even have a nice new robe. He wouldn’t know what to do with these royal garments I brought.

Naaman snorts, turns to those who have come with him, and points back to the road. He speaks to his trusted servant. “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?” 

The servant bows his head and thinks. Finally, he uses a word that implies both his relationship (not as a son) to Naaman and his respect for the man, “Father.” Gently he suggests, “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’!”

Because this servant has served him well and given him good advice in the past, Naaman agrees. “Where’s the Jordan River?”

Without any difficulty, they follow directions to the river. Naaman frowns as he strips off his outer garments (which today would have lots of medals) and dips his toes into the water. It’s the time of year when the river is muddy, and Naaman hesitates to go farther.

The servant waves him on, so he continues into the water. He stops when the water reaches his waist. The current tugs at his inner garment as he looks back at the bank where his servant stands. The old man motions downward. Naaman shakes his head. The old man repeats his gesture.

In his position as general of the army, Naaman has crossed many rivers, but usually on his horse. Even when he crosses on foot, he is careful not to fall. He hates getting wet. When he was a child, his younger brother fell into a creek and drowned.

The servant yells at him and motions down again. The distance between them is not far, but Naaman’s fear overrides any words that come to him. Still, he knows.

Holding his nose and still frowning, he lets himself fall into the muddy river, then stands up again. He looks at the leprous spot on his arm. No change. Releasing his nose, he takes a deep breath. The servant motions again.

Twice the general dunks himself. Then three times. Four times. Five times. Each time he checks his arm and sees no difference. Surely the spot should be fading. He looks back at his servant and shakes his head.

This time the words come to him from the river. The servant has stepped in with the water up to his knees. “Twice more!”

Again, Naaman pinches his nose and goes under. Again, nothing changes. Angry at being made a fool, he starts out of the water.

“No!” yells the servant, taking another step toward him. “Once more!” he commands.

“Who do you think you …” Naaman’s foot slips in the mud and down he goes, the seventh time. Furious, he pulls himself upright and marches out of the water.

“Look, Master,” the servant calls. “Look.”

Naaman is too angry to look. When he steps up on the bank, the servant grabs his arm. The general’s other hand rises to slap this man who dares touch him, but when he looks at the offending hand, he sees what the servant has seen. The spot is gone!

 Naaman stares at his arm, then raises his eyes to his servant. The old man smiles, but he says nothing.

Inside, the general shouts for joy, but no words came out of his mouth.

“Shall we return to the prophet?” asks the old man.

“Yes.” He turns and mounts his horse. Smiling, laughing to himself, he leads his entourage back to the prophet’s dwelling. Elisha comes out as Naaman dismounts.

The general kneels. “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”

Elisha shook his head. ““As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.” 

 “Please, I wish to show my gratitude.”

“Nothing.”

Naaman sighs.  “If you will not, 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.”

The prophet smiles and raises his hand in blessing. “Go in peace.”

For consideration:

General Questions

1) How does this story follow its Scripture?

2) How does this story expand its Scripture for you?

3) What is the message of this story?

4) How does the message apply to us today?

Specific Questions

5) What do we learn about Naaman’s wife when the girl tells her about the prophet in Samaria?

6) Why did Elisha send the servant to talk to Naaman instead of going out himself?

7) Why did Elisha pick the number seven?

8) What little thing is God calling you to do today?