Today's Scripture
2 Kings 5:9–14(NIV)
2 Kings 5:9–14(NIV)
Insight
The Jordan River, where Naaman was told to “wash [himself] seven times” (2 Kings 5:10), was the primary source of water in the ancient Near East and is the most well-known river in the Bible. The melting snow of Mt. Hermon in the north is the main water source for the river that winds for 156 miles through the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea and has no outlet. Joshua 3 records the parting of the waters of the Jordan so the Israelites could enter the land of Promise. Twice the waters of the river were parted in 2 Kings 2 when they were struck with the cloak of Elijah (vv. 8, 14). In the New Testament, John the Baptist baptized believers in Jesus and even Christ Himself in the Jordan (Matthew 3:6, 13–17).
SOURCE: OUR DAILY BREAD
WHY DID NAAMAN HAD TO DIP 7 TIMES
It was probably a humbling act for a great commander, but Naaman dipped himself seven times in the muddy Jordan river. And God healed him. The Bible says that Naaman's “flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.” ... God's miracles aren't for sale and the gift he gave to Naaman was priceless.
SOURCE:
NAAMAN ON WIKIPEDIA
Naaman (Hebrew: נַעֲמָן, "pleasantness") the Aramean was a commander of the armies of Ben-Hadad II, the king of Aram-Damascus, in the time of Joram, king of Israel.
According to the Bible, Naaman was a commander of the army of Syria. He was a good commander and was held in favor because of the victory that God brought him. Yet Naaman was a leper. Naaman's wife had a servant girl from Israel who said that a prophet there would be able to heal him. Naaman tells his lord this and he is sent to Israel with a letter to the king. The king of Israel didn't know what to do, yet Elisha (Eliseus) sent a message to the King, advising that the King tell Naaman to come to see him. Elisha then told Naaman to go bathe in the Jordan seven times and he would be clean. Naaman was angry and would have left, but his servant asked him to try it and he was healed. A servant of Elisha, Gehazi, seeing Naaman being turned away from offering God offerings ran after him and falsely asked for clothing and silver for visitors. And the leprosy from Naaman fell on Gehazi and would remain in his descendants.
Tanakh[edit]
Naaman is mentioned in 2 Kings 5 of the Tanakh in Hebrew as "וְ֠נַעֲמָן שַׂר־ צְבָ֨א מֶֽלֶךְ־ אֲרָ֜ם" or "Naaman captain of the army of the King of Aram".
According to the narrative, he is called a mezora (מְּצֹרָע), a person affected by the skin disease tzaraath (צָּרַעַת, tzara'at).[1] When the Hebrew slave-girl who waits on his wife tells her of a Jewish prophet in Samaria who can cure her master, he obtains a letter from King Ben-Hadad II of Aram to King Joram of Israel in which the former asks Joram to arrange for the healing of his subject Naaman. Naaman proceeds with the letter to King Joram. The king of Israel suspects in this – to him – impossible request a pretext of Syria for later starting a war against him, and tears his clothes.
When the prophet Elisha hears about this, he sends for general Naaman. But rather than personally receiving Naaman when the latter arrives at Elisha's house, Elisha merely sends a messenger to the door who tells Naaman to cure his affliction by dipping himself seven times in the Jordan River. Naaman, a man of heathen faith who is unfamiliar with the Jewish mezora, who had expected the prophet himself to come out to him and perform some kind of impressive ritual magic, angrily refuses, and prepares to go home unhealed. Only after Naaman's slaves suggest to their master that he has nothing to lose by at least giving it a try since the task is a simple and easy one, he takes his bath in the Jordan river as a mikveh as told and finds himself healed. The mikveh is a bath used for ritual immersion in Judaism.
Naaman returns to Elisha with lavish gifts, which Elisha flatly refuses to accept. Naaman also renounces his former god Rimmon after being cured by Elisha and accepts the God of Israel.[2] He does, however, ask that the God of Israel pardon him when he enters the temple of Rimmon as part of his obligations to the king of Syria.[3]
New Testament[edit]
Naaman is also paraphrased in Luke 4:27 of the New Testament, in Greek as "Ναιμὰν ὁ Σύρος" or "Naaman the Syrian", a leper.
Christian theology depicts Naaman as an example for the will of God to save people who are considered by men as less than pious and unworthy of salvation. The Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament, uses the word baptizein for the dipping that heals the heathen Naaman from the skin disease called tzaraath. The new baptism takes place in the Jordan River where Jesus of Nazareth, also called the Christ by his followers, was baptized many centuries later. Christians have often interpreted the Naaman story as prefiguring the Christian church rite of baptism.
Readings: 2 Kings 5:1-14, Secrets of Heaven 5954:10 (see below) Photo credit: Kelsey Johnson
I’m so glad that this story has come up in the lectionary! It is a favorite of mine since childhood, having engaging characters, a clear narrative, and offering both comic relief and deep wisdom. As remote as the setting may be, it is easy to see ourselves in these very human characters.
We find ourselves in the time of Ancient Israel; Elisha has fairly recently succeeded Elijah as the preeminent prophet of the day, and he has become well known for his various miracles. King Jehoram is on the throne, and Israel has been recently defeated in battle by the nation of Aram, which is now known to us as Syria. Israel’s position in the region is precarious.
In the midst of this politically fraught situation, we are introduced to the figure of Naaman, the Aramaic commander. He is clearly charismatic, competent and valiant, but he suffers from a skin condition. Even though it is referred to as leprosy in the bible, the Hebrew word that is translated thus actually referred at that time to a number of different ailments, so Naaman probably does not have the disfiguring form of leprosy that today is known as Hansen’s Disease. Even so, the condition was likely causing him plenty of discomfort and embarrassment.
The cure that had eluded Naaman up until this point, would come however, from a lowly and humble source; a young slave girl captured from Israel. She suggests that Naaman seek out Elisha, and Naaman, desperate enough at this point to do just about anything, takes her advice. But of course, the commander of a conquering army can’t just saunter over to enemy territory. So, the proper diplomatic actions are taken, and Aram’s king sends a letter to Israel’s king. King Jehoram freaks out a little bit at this point, perhaps unsure if this is a power play of some kind. (And let me assure you that it is okay to chuckle at the Bible; we are meant to do so here. King Jehoram is clearly being ridiculous). Elisha though, ever direct and pragmatic, has Naaman sent over to his house, but when Naaman arrives, Elisha refuses to even come out, and sends his very simple instructions by messenger: “Go wash in the Jordan seven times.”
Naaman is, of course, extremely put out. He has just personally defeated Israel; he is “the man.” He has power and wealth and he was fully prepared to buy his cure, having brought a fortune with him. He is probably used to everyone seeing to his every whim. So when Elisha does not capitulate in the way others always do, when he does not even show up in person, Naaman’s pride is on the line. And yet again, it is a humble servant who brings him around. In a moment of real grace, Naaman puts aside his pride, washes in the Jordan and is healed.
People originally hearing this story would likely have heard it with one ear towards ritual purification. Leviticus, in particular, is very detailed regarding the type of things that would cause an Israelite to be deemed “unclean” and unable to enter the tabernacle to worship, and is equally detailed as to how an Israelite might regain ritual purity. Something like a skin condition could very likely render an ancient Israelite ritually impure. And lest we relegate such attitudes to the ancient past, even today we continue to have strong notions of secular impurity. Seeing someone like Naaman, someone disfigured or suffering an obvious malady, well, our first thought might not be about ritual impurity, but we do often instinctively recoil from touching them, or being around them. Sadly, we all carry around with us a sense of the ideal, and sometimes, we react negatively to people who do not embody that ideal in a wide variety of ways.
Society in general, and religious groups in particular, have throughout history used this notion of purity to exclude, demonize and destroy people. When purity is used as a justification for a value-judgement, when it is used as a way to determine superiority, it is an extremely dangerous notion. We need only look to World War II and the Nazi regime for an example of how devastating an ethic of racial purity, for example, can be. This is not as far behind us as we might hope. Recent events in our own country have shown us, and continue to show us, that white supremacy and white nationalism has kept a hold on many minds. And there are many other examples, large and small, from sexuality to the wellness/diet industry, where purity judgements have become detrimental. So, in this regard, we must tread very carefully, and acknowledge that any discussion of purity itself has become very fraught, and potentially damaging.
The problem, though, is not with the idea of purification itself, but with how we, church and culture, have used it. Where would we be without the technology to purify water, or metals, or our air? Sometimes there are toxic elements that need to be removed from the whole, for the health of the whole. If our daily routine includes smoking for example, for the sake of the health of our respiratory system, and consequently our whole bodies, we should perhaps consider removing that habit from our lineup, to cease introducing toxic chemicals to our bodies that have been shown to lead to cancer. Likewise, the notion that we can remove spiritually toxic practices from lives and our relationships can also be a useful idea. Perhaps we are preventing our own spiritual health through toxic self-talk, for example, or an unwillingness to listen to our loved ones, or a habitual defensiveness in the face of reasonable and logical critique.
In order to regenerate, in order to further our spiritual journeys, we have to be open to seeing that which does not serve our spiritual growth, and be willing to work on getting rid of it. Swedenborg tells us that this spiritual purification happens by means of truth. “For the earthly and worldly loves from which a person has to be purified are not recognized except by means of truth.”(1) We don’t know what is toxic to us and our relationships until we use the light of truth to illuminate what is happening, until we see in the light of truth what love really looks like. We might use the truth of our universal beloved-ness to cease our negative self-talk, the truth of our own natural limits or the value of holy curiosity to take the figurative hands from our ears, or the truth of the safety of God’s grace and forgiveness to feel brave enough to stop ignoring our mistakes.
This is the signification of the river Jordan as the introduction into what Swedenborg calls the cognitions of good and truth.(2) The Jordan served as the boundary into the land of Canaan; likewise cognitions of good and truth serve as a boundary into the spiritual life. If we want to enter into a spiritual, expanded life, if we want to enter into God’s kingdom, new ways of thinking and acting come first. New ways that privilege loving God and others, instead of self and the world.
But here is the rub. The notion of purification cannot, and should not, be used as a justification for superiority over another person. If it is used in that way, then its whole purpose is inverted. Purification, as a spiritual process, is for the purpose of healing, wholeness, and growth. It is like cleaning a wound so that healing can properly occur. We know that certain germs will make a wound worse, will prevent it from healing. So we take water, we take our anti-bacterial creams, we put on a band-aid, we clean, purify and protect that which we want to heal and make whole.
The problem occurs when we use purification as our guiding principle, rather than one way in which we can support our own healing and wholeness. Purification, as in using truth to help us understand what is getting in the way of healing, is a useful process, but it is just that, a means and a process. It should not be a value-judgment about the worthiness of a person.
Purification is about removing the things that prevent healing, wholeness, and growth. Purity itself is not the end. Healing and wholeness is the end. God does not love purity. God’s loves bringing us into thriving, into healthy, whole, balanced and growing lives. It is our own selfish and worldly loves that prevent us from embracing God’s kingdom, and so we are invited to purify ourselves from them. We are invited to wash in the Jordan as Naaman did, invited to wash our thoughts with God’s thoughts about love rather than our own. We are invited to separate from, to wash away, that which serves to harm, so that all that is left is nourishment.
And there are two important things that we cannot forget about Naaman. The first is that he was not just restored externally; he was changed from the inside out. He learned something pivotal about his own pride and he responded with faith, respect and commitment to carry his newfound discoveries into his complicated life outside of Israel. So it is not God’s hope for us that purification simply be external, be engaged in for its own sake, used as a weapon for the purposes exclusivity or superiority. Humility must guide any sense or attempt towards purification, not our pride. Which bring us to the second important thing. It was Naaman’s humble servant who convinced him to wash in the Jordan. Humility must lead purification, or otherwise we will be tempted to use purity as a way to feel superior to one another. And that is not what the notion of purity is for. It is for us, from God, so that we might be able to concentrate, gather and collect all that is good and let go of all that does not serve. So we might know the blessedness of being free from that which would cause us harm. So that we might know peace. So that we might know ourselves as God always see us, newborn and restored, and with so much potential.
Amen.
(1) Secrets of Heaven 7918
(2) Secrets of Heaven 4255:2
2 Kings 5:1-14
1 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. 2 Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 4Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. 5 “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. 6 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.” 7 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!” 8 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.” 9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 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.” 11 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. 12 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. 13 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’!” 14 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.
Secrets of Heaven 5954:10
Cleansings from impurities are effected by means of the truths of faith since they teach what good is, what charity is, what the neighbor is, and what faith is. They also teach the existence of the Lord, heaven, and eternal life. Without truths to teach them people have no knowledge of these things or even of their existence. Who left to themselves knows other than this, that the good which goes with self- love and love of the world is the only kind of good in a person? For both constitute the delight of their life. Can anyone know except from the truths of faith about the existence of another kind of good that can be imparted to a person, namely the good of love to God or the good of charity towards the neighbor? Can anyone know that those kinds of good have heavenly life within them, or that those kinds of good flow in from the Lord by way of heaven in the measure that the person ceases to love themselves more than others and the world more than heaven? From all this it becomes clear that the purification which was represented by...washing is effected by means of the truths of faith.
I’m so glad that this story has come up in the lectionary! It is a favorite of mine since childhood, having engaging characters, a clear narrative, and offering both comic relief and deep wisdom. As remote as the setting may be, it is easy to see ourselves in these very human characters.
We find ourselves in the time of Ancient Israel; Elisha has fairly recently succeeded Elijah as the preeminent prophet of the day, and he has become well known for his various miracles. King Jehoram is on the throne, and Israel has been recently defeated in battle by the nation of Aram, which is now known to us as Syria. Israel’s position in the region is precarious.
In the midst of this politically fraught situation, we are introduced to the figure of Naaman, the Aramaic commander. He is clearly charismatic, competent and valiant, but he suffers from a skin condition. Even though it is referred to as leprosy in the bible, the Hebrew word that is translated thus actually referred at that time to a number of different ailments, so Naaman probably does not have the disfiguring form of leprosy that today is known as Hansen’s Disease. Even so, the condition was likely causing him plenty of discomfort and embarrassment.
The cure that had eluded Naaman up until this point, would come however, from a lowly and humble source; a young slave girl captured from Israel. She suggests that Naaman seek out Elisha, and Naaman, desperate enough at this point to do just about anything, takes her advice. But of course, the commander of a conquering army can’t just saunter over to enemy territory. So, the proper diplomatic actions are taken, and Aram’s king sends a letter to Israel’s king. King Jehoram freaks out a little bit at this point, perhaps unsure if this is a power play of some kind. (And let me assure you that it is okay to chuckle at the Bible; we are meant to do so here. King Jehoram is clearly being ridiculous). Elisha though, ever direct and pragmatic, has Naaman sent over to his house, but when Naaman arrives, Elisha refuses to even come out, and sends his very simple instructions by messenger: “Go wash in the Jordan seven times.”
Naaman is, of course, extremely put out. He has just personally defeated Israel; he is “the man.” He has power and wealth and he was fully prepared to buy his cure, having brought a fortune with him. He is probably used to everyone seeing to his every whim. So when Elisha does not capitulate in the way others always do, when he does not even show up in person, Naaman’s pride is on the line. And yet again, it is a humble servant who brings him around. In a moment of real grace, Naaman puts aside his pride, washes in the Jordan and is healed.
People originally hearing this story would likely have heard it with one ear towards ritual purification. Leviticus, in particular, is very detailed regarding the type of things that would cause an Israelite to be deemed “unclean” and unable to enter the tabernacle to worship, and is equally detailed as to how an Israelite might regain ritual purity. Something like a skin condition could very likely render an ancient Israelite ritually impure. And lest we relegate such attitudes to the ancient past, even today we continue to have strong notions of secular impurity. Seeing someone like Naaman, someone disfigured or suffering an obvious malady, well, our first thought might not be about ritual impurity, but we do often instinctively recoil from touching them, or being around them. Sadly, we all carry around with us a sense of the ideal, and sometimes, we react negatively to people who do not embody that ideal in a wide variety of ways.
Society in general, and religious groups in particular, have throughout history used this notion of purity to exclude, demonize and destroy people. When purity is used as a justification for a value-judgement, when it is used as a way to determine superiority, it is an extremely dangerous notion. We need only look to World War II and the Nazi regime for an example of how devastating an ethic of racial purity, for example, can be. This is not as far behind us as we might hope. Recent events in our own country have shown us, and continue to show us, that white supremacy and white nationalism has kept a hold on many minds. And there are many other examples, large and small, from sexuality to the wellness/diet industry, where purity judgements have become detrimental. So, in this regard, we must tread very carefully, and acknowledge that any discussion of purity itself has become very fraught, and potentially damaging.
The problem, though, is not with the idea of purification itself, but with how we, church and culture, have used it. Where would we be without the technology to purify water, or metals, or our air? Sometimes there are toxic elements that need to be removed from the whole, for the health of the whole. If our daily routine includes smoking for example, for the sake of the health of our respiratory system, and consequently our whole bodies, we should perhaps consider removing that habit from our lineup, to cease introducing toxic chemicals to our bodies that have been shown to lead to cancer. Likewise, the notion that we can remove spiritually toxic practices from lives and our relationships can also be a useful idea. Perhaps we are preventing our own spiritual health through toxic self-talk, for example, or an unwillingness to listen to our loved ones, or a habitual defensiveness in the face of reasonable and logical critique.
In order to regenerate, in order to further our spiritual journeys, we have to be open to seeing that which does not serve our spiritual growth, and be willing to work on getting rid of it. Swedenborg tells us that this spiritual purification happens by means of truth. “For the earthly and worldly loves from which a person has to be purified are not recognized except by means of truth.”(1) We don’t know what is toxic to us and our relationships until we use the light of truth to illuminate what is happening, until we see in the light of truth what love really looks like. We might use the truth of our universal beloved-ness to cease our negative self-talk, the truth of our own natural limits or the value of holy curiosity to take the figurative hands from our ears, or the truth of the safety of God’s grace and forgiveness to feel brave enough to stop ignoring our mistakes.
This is the signification of the river Jordan as the introduction into what Swedenborg calls the cognitions of good and truth.(2) The Jordan served as the boundary into the land of Canaan; likewise cognitions of good and truth serve as a boundary into the spiritual life. If we want to enter into a spiritual, expanded life, if we want to enter into God’s kingdom, new ways of thinking and acting come first. New ways that privilege loving God and others, instead of self and the world.
But here is the rub. The notion of purification cannot, and should not, be used as a justification for superiority over another person. If it is used in that way, then its whole purpose is inverted. Purification, as a spiritual process, is for the purpose of healing, wholeness, and growth. It is like cleaning a wound so that healing can properly occur. We know that certain germs will make a wound worse, will prevent it from healing. So we take water, we take our anti-bacterial creams, we put on a band-aid, we clean, purify and protect that which we want to heal and make whole.
The problem occurs when we use purification as our guiding principle, rather than one way in which we can support our own healing and wholeness. Purification, as in using truth to help us understand what is getting in the way of healing, is a useful process, but it is just that, a means and a process. It should not be a value-judgment about the worthiness of a person.
Purification is about removing the things that prevent healing, wholeness, and growth. Purity itself is not the end. Healing and wholeness is the end. God does not love purity. God’s loves bringing us into thriving, into healthy, whole, balanced and growing lives. It is our own selfish and worldly loves that prevent us from embracing God’s kingdom, and so we are invited to purify ourselves from them. We are invited to wash in the Jordan as Naaman did, invited to wash our thoughts with God’s thoughts about love rather than our own. We are invited to separate from, to wash away, that which serves to harm, so that all that is left is nourishment.
And there are two important things that we cannot forget about Naaman. The first is that he was not just restored externally; he was changed from the inside out. He learned something pivotal about his own pride and he responded with faith, respect and commitment to carry his newfound discoveries into his complicated life outside of Israel. So it is not God’s hope for us that purification simply be external, be engaged in for its own sake, used as a weapon for the purposes exclusivity or superiority. Humility must guide any sense or attempt towards purification, not our pride. Which bring us to the second important thing. It was Naaman’s humble servant who convinced him to wash in the Jordan. Humility must lead purification, or otherwise we will be tempted to use purity as a way to feel superior to one another. And that is not what the notion of purity is for. It is for us, from God, so that we might be able to concentrate, gather and collect all that is good and let go of all that does not serve. So we might know the blessedness of being free from that which would cause us harm. So that we might know peace. So that we might know ourselves as God always see us, newborn and restored, and with so much potential.
Amen.
(1) Secrets of Heaven 7918
(2) Secrets of Heaven 4255:2
2 Kings 5:1-14
1 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. 2 Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 4Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. 5 “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. 6 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.” 7 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!” 8 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.” 9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 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.” 11 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. 12 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. 13 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’!” 14 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.
Secrets of Heaven 5954:10
Cleansings from impurities are effected by means of the truths of faith since they teach what good is, what charity is, what the neighbor is, and what faith is. They also teach the existence of the Lord, heaven, and eternal life. Without truths to teach them people have no knowledge of these things or even of their existence. Who left to themselves knows other than this, that the good which goes with self- love and love of the world is the only kind of good in a person? For both constitute the delight of their life. Can anyone know except from the truths of faith about the existence of another kind of good that can be imparted to a person, namely the good of love to God or the good of charity towards the neighbor? Can anyone know that those kinds of good have heavenly life within them, or that those kinds of good flow in from the Lord by way of heaven in the measure that the person ceases to love themselves more than others and the world more than heaven? From all this it becomes clear that the purification which was represented by...washing is effected by means of the truths of faith.
SOURCE:
http://www.churchoftheholycity.org/sermons/washing-in-the-jordan
4 Lessons from the story of Naaman and Elisha.
October 21, 2014.
“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. Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” So Naaman went in and told his lord, “Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel.” And the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.”
(II Kings 5:1-5)
(II Kings 5:1-5)
The story of Naaman and Elisha is one of my favorites mainly due to all the lessons that we can draw from it which are still applicable today. This story, though thousands of years old, follows some of the same reasoning and thinking that we have today, and it is noteworthy to point out the differences in this line of reasoning and the reasoning from the prophet Elisha, who had a double potion of spirit compared to his mentor, the powerful prophet Elijah. Honestly, if Elisha (or Elijah for that matter) were around today, I would seriously doubt many would recognize them as prophets of the Lord. They just don’t fit the mold of what we think of as prophets (nor do many of the prophets in the bible actually) very well. There was really no messing around with these prophets. They knew they were prophets, they knew they had a message to carry and they were both bold and blunt in their message. But we should get into that a bit later.
Background.
To begin with this story, a little background is needed to appreciate the context. The children of Israel live in the divided kingdom, the ten northern tribes formed the kingdom of Israel and two southern tribes formed the kingdom of Judah. The books of I and II Kings record the history of both kingdoms whereas the books of I and II Chronicles mainly focus on the history of Judah. Elijah was a powerful prophet who was sent to call the people of Israel back to God, and Elisha was his successor, who asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit when Elijah was taken up into heaven; his request was granted. What is interesting about this story’s characters is that Syria, where Naaman was from, did not have a good relationship with Israel. They were often fighting in war, as they would be in the next few chapters. The fact that Naaman has a servant girl from Israel would imply that she had been taken captive in war, and the king of Israel’s reaction to Naaman’s message shows the tension that was present between the two nations as the king supposes that the king of Syria is just looking for a fight. Nevertheless, Naaman does indeed find Elisha and a very interesting story follows. Let’s break the story down into some of the lessons that we can take from it.
1.When you are wanting to be healed by the Lord, don’t go to the wrong place.
The first thing we notice about this story is that Naaman was told by (a very courageous) servant girl that there was a prophet in Israel that could heal him of his leprosy. It is obvious that his disease had not stopped him from gaining glory and fame with his people, as he was highly esteemed among the Syrians. But when he heard that his leprosy could be healed, I’m sure he was more than willing to give it a shot. So what does he do? Go find Elisha? No. He sends a letter to the king of Israel. What’s more is that he doesn’t even mention Elisha in the letter so it would seem:
“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.”
(II Kings 5:5b-7)
(II Kings 5:5b-7)
Naaman sends a letter to the king saying that he expected the king to heal him! The king was distraught because he knew that he couldn’t heal him. This also shows the place where the king and the people were at spiritually because the king doesn’t think to call Elisha there to heal Naaman. He is just worried that he’s going to have to go to war with Syria now. Thus, neither Naaman nor the king of Israel went to the right place, even through the servant girl told Naaman that there was a prophet in Israel that could heal him, not a king. Now, there could be cultural relevance to the reason that Naaman went to the king instead of Elisha, but I would still find it hard to believe that he wouldn’t at least mention him in his letter.
There are actually many stories and passages in the bible where people went to the wrong places to find God. David took advice from Samuel without either of them inquiring of the Lord before making a decision and were rebuked for it. King Rehoboam went to his friends to get counsel instead of taking the counsel of the elders and caused the kingdom to divide. The Jews heaped together false prophets that told them nice things and rejected the true prophets from the Lord, ultimately leading to their captivity and downfall. So the question is, can we do the same thing today?
The obvious answer is yes, of course we can. And I’m afraid many do it without even knowing. No one in the stories mentioned above really knew they were taking the wrong counsel, or they wouldn’t have taken it (I suppose one exception might be Rehoboam, but I think he considered his choice to be wise). Can we go to false teachers today?
“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”
(II Timothy 4:3-4)
(II Timothy 4:3-4)
We need to be sure that we go to the people who are going to give us biblical advice, not just the advice we want to hear at the time. We need to go to the right place for spiritual growth.
2. God’s message is often very simple.
“So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.”
(II Kings 5: 9-10)
(II Kings 5: 9-10)
When Elisha heard that the king had rent his clothes at the message of Naaman, he sends word to the king to have Naaman come to his house that he might be healed. I like the way Elisha phrases his message because he basically says “What are you doing? Why are you upset? Did you forget that I am a prophet of the Lord?” It sounds to me like a “get it together, I’ve got this,” or rather, “God’s got this,” kind of statement. So Naaman indeed comes to the door of Elisha’s house all Elisha says is “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” That’s it. Yes, it would take some effort on Naaman’s part, but it was quite a simple task. There were no frills, no extraordinary things Naaman had to do (which we will get into in a minute) and no red tape. Just go wash in the Jordan seven times.
God’s message to us is often simple, sometimes so simple that we have a hard time believing it. When Peter stood up to preach the first gospel sermon, relating to the people who had just crucified the Messiah that Jesus was the chosen one, the people were cut to the heart and asked what they were to do. They just realized the atrocity that they had committed- they just realized that they had put to death the one person that the Jews had been waiting for since the fall of man. I’m sure they were expecting some long sentence of repayment to the Almighty for the sin they had committed. After all, the law was based on offering sacrifice for the sin that they committed yearly. But what did Peter say?
“Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”
(Acts 2:37-40)
(Acts 2:37-40)
Repent and be baptized. That was what Peter told them to do. That’s it. There were no “offer three unblemished lambs in a timely fashion, each one of you,” or “you will have to work hard to pay off your debt.” Repent and be baptized. Faith is obviously implied when they were cut to the heart. That was the message, God’s message. It’s so beautifully simple that we have taken and over analyzed it to the point where we argue back and forth about it. But the bible says what it says, and it’s really not that difficult of a message to understand. Sure, it might take some hard work to truly repent of the sin you are in, but the Lord is here to help us and we should each give one another support in this, but the message is simple.
I think that this is often the way God works. He makes things simple because He knows we need things to be simple (for we can even mess up the simple things if given the opportunity). As we will see in the next point, however, we don’t often like things to be simple. For some reason, simple things are just hard for us to accept.
3. God does not do things the way we think they should be done.
This is perhaps my favorite part of this story because it sounds exactly like something we would say today. Times and cultures might have changed, but some things really do stay the same.
“And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage.”
(II Kings 5:10-12)
(II Kings 5:10-12)
Elisha’s message was simple- go wash seven times in the Jordan and you will be clean. But this answer didn’t please Naaman. After all, he was great in the eyes of the Syrians. He was commander over a great army. I’d imagine he had reached the level of fame that would be analogous to movie stars in our day. He expected a show, and he was angry because he did not get a show.
Oh how we haven’t changed a bit! When we want to see the power of God, what do we go out to see? What do we pay attention to? A show. We expect, quite literally, healers to come wave their hands over the sick and heal them through a vivid show and display of the power of God. It’s entertainment. The thing is, prophets and workers of miracles did not look like this in the bible. They did not often put on shows or do anything for entertainment, and when some did, they were rebuked for it. Paul has to write a section in his letter to the Corinthians about how they were being disorderly with the their spiritual gifts and they were missing the point. That’s why he says that the greatest thing to have is love, not the working of miracles or speaking in tongues. Simon the sorcerer was used to making money off of his tricks, and when he became a Christian, he tried to buy the power to pass on miracles through the laying on of hands, probably so as to make a profit from it. Peter rebuked him outright.
The point of a miracle in the bible was never to be a show or highlight the worker of the miracle, save for the miracles that Christ did to confirm that He was the Son of God. But even Christ’s miracles were not often showy:
“So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.”
(John 4:46-50)
(John 4:46-50)
Jesus was asked to come to the official’s house to heal his son, but He simply said “Go; your son will live.” There was nothing showy (other than the fact that Jesus was able to heal at a distance). His other miracles follow suit. They are spectacular, yes. They confirm His word as truth, yes. But they were not showy.
We often expect things to be done according to the way we think they should be done. We say things like “God would have it done this way,” or “God wouldn’t care if we did this,” but we don’t often back that up with Scripture, and thus it turns into our opinions being projected as God’s opinions. I believe that this is a dangerous line of thinking. Naaman almost didn’t have his leprosy head because he didn’t like the way that Elisha said to be healed. Fortunately for him, he had some good servants with him who spoke logic to him.
“Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, “My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 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.”
(II Kings 5:13-14)
(II Kings 5:13-14)
Sometimes we need the same logic. His servants said (in paraphrase) “If you had been asked to do some great thing, you would have done it, so why not just do what he said?” I can see Naaman just looking at then and it dawning on him “Oh, oh yeah, I guess you’re right. Fair point. I’ll go do it.” He does, and he is cleaned, just as Elisha had said. Sometimes we need to realize, “Oh, this is actually quite simple. Let’s just do what it says.” I believe we could get along so much better if we understood this point.
I would like to take a moment to note that Naaman wasn’t cleansed of his leprosy until he had completed the full message. He was to wash himself in the river seven times. When he came up the sixth time, he was still a leper. It was not until the seventh time, or until he obeyed the full word of God, that he was made clean. This has a wide application to our spiritual lives today, as many would have you believe that you do not need to meet the full message of the gospel to be saved. Many would tell you that faith alone is enough, and that repentance and baptism are simply good things to do, but not necessary. It was necessary for Naaman to adhere to the full message to be cleansed. Again, we could get along so much better if we just believed what we are told to do. But I digress.
4. One “little” sin can have dire consequences that last generations.
The story doesn’t stop here, unfortunately. When Naaman sees that he as been healed, he returns to Elisha with joy and tries to give him some money and gifts out of gratitude. Elisha refuses payment and sends him on his way back to Syria. But Elisha’s servant, Gahazi, a man who had been with Elisha for a long time and had seen many wondrous works by the hand of Elisha, sees an opportunity. He doesn’t think Elisha is right for sending Naaman on his way without accepting any of the gifts and he gets greedy as he comes up with a plan to take some of the gifts for himself. He runs after Naaman and tells a little lie about needing some money and clothes for two of the sons of the prophets that had allegedly come to stay with Elisha, so that he might take just a portion of the gift Naaman had brought to Elisha. Naaman happily gives two talents of silver and two changes of clothing to Gahazi. When he returns to Elisha, we read the fate of Gahazi:
“He went in and stood before his master, and Elisha said to him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” And he said, “Your servant went nowhere.” But he said to him, “Did not my heart go when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Was it a time to accept money and garments, olive orchards and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male servants and female servants? Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence a leper, like snow.”
(II Kings 5:25-27)
(II Kings 5:25-27)
What a consequence for his sin! One that would last for generations. But really, was what Gahazi did actually that bad? He just told a little lie and took some money that Naaman wanted to give to Elisha anyway. It’s not like he was hurting anyone. That’s how we rationalize sin. We say “Oh, but it really isn’t that bad,” “I’m not doing this out of bad intentions,” or “this is something that will help me or someone else.” Gahazi justified his actions. And then when he was confronted about it, he lied again to cover his tracks. Now if this doesn’t sound like a conversation taken straight out of the 21st century, I don’t know what does. “Where have you been, Gahazi?” “Uhh, nowhere…” I’m sure you’ve heard this type of conversation before, or perhaps even been a part of it. I have. But Elisha knew where he had been. He was a prophet, after all. So Gahazi was faced with dire consequences for his sin. I think this should make us think twice before we consider something being a “little” sin.
If time would allow, I would go on about other lessons that we can draw from this story, but it seems that I will have to let you find them on your own. (Hint: I think one can be drawn from a statement that Jesus makes about this story in Luke 4). You’ll probably think of some that I have yet to consider. I love stories like this in the Old Testament that reveal things about the character of God and the way He works through people that are often lost in our culture and our 21st century, culturally driven western reading and interpretation of the bible. They can really make you stop and think. The stories of Elijah and Elisha are very interesting, and I hope that you can draw parallels and lessons from them that are applicable to your walk. May we all seek to grow in the knowledge and faith of our Lord, deepening our relationship with Him through prayer and study.
Suggested Daily Reading: II Kings 2, 5, Luke 4, Acts 2.
The Lord guide you into wisdom and understanding.
-Walter
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