II Kings 5:1-14
What kinds of things can you accomplish with power and prestige?
Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man in the view of his master, and eminent, because by him the LORD had given victory to Aram. The man was also a valiant warrior, but afflicted with leprosy. Now the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel; and she waited on Naaman’s wife. And she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy.” And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “The girl who is from the land of Israel spoke such and such.” Then the king of Aram said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothes.
And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said, “And now as this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, so that you may cure him of his leprosy.” But when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to keep alive, that this man is sending word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? But consider now, and see how he is seeking a quarrel against me.”
Now it happened, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent word to the king, saying, “Why did you tear your clothes? Just have him come to me, and he shall learn that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots, and stood at the doorway of Elisha’s house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you, and you will be clean.” But Naaman was furious and went away, and he said, “Behold, I thought, ‘He will certainly come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the site and cure the leprosy.’ Are Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, not 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. Then his servants approached and spoke to him, saying, “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 in the Jordan seven times, in accordance with the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
What kinds of things can you accomplish with low standing and humility?
BACKGROUND
At first, when examining the passage, I was drawn to two things: Naaman’s leprosy and its miraculous healing. But the more I dug into the text, the more I realized that these were just settings for the real theme of this passage. It is a contrast of the humble with pride, power, and prestige. Consider the major players in the text. There is Naaman, a powerful general in Aram’s army with the appreciation of his king. There is King Ben-hadad of Aram, a powerful and wealthy figure. There is King Jehoram of Israel. And there is money, a lot of it, offered by Ben-hadad to Jehoram, as we will see.
In contrast, there is a little servant girl, really, a slave of Naaman’s wife. A person on the lowest rung of society’s ladder. She’s a girl. Girls were not highly prized. She was foreign. She was a slave. She had everything against her. Yet, a few simple words from her changed the course of Naaman’s life.
Then there are Naaman’s servants with him on the trip to Israel to see Elisha. They are servants, not military commanders or people of power. Yet, their words, like the little girl’s, carried great weight.
Naaman was a man of pride, power, and prestige. Yet, none of these things could bring him a solution to his condition of leprosy. Leprosy was a term used to cover a variety of skin diseases. In the worst cases, leprosy could mean exile from the community. Naaman’s leprosy was not that bad, though it was a problem. It was a mark of his identity.
Leprosy, in the Bible, is a type for sin. Just as nothing could cure leprosy, so too, nothing human can cure our sin. Naaman’s life is a picture of our life without a miraculous solution for our sin. Our solution doesn’t come through pride, power, or prestige, but through the humility of one man, Jesus Christ.
Likewise, Naaman’s solution to his problem didn’t come through pride, power, or prestige. But through the humility of a little girl and a few servants.
EXAMINATION
(V.1) Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man in the view of his master, and eminent, because by him the LORD had given victory to Aram. The man was also a valiant warrior, but afflicted with leprosy.
Aram is associated with the territory of modern-day Syria. Aram had a complicated relationship with the northern kingdom of Israel, sometimes an ally and sometimes a foe. The relationship was an uneasy one.
Notice the text said the Lord had given victory to Aram. Israel had been committing idol worship, a violation of the covenant, which God punished by giving victory sometimes to Israel’s enemies.
Naaman’s leprosy was probably restricted to a small part of his body as he was able to carry out his duties as commander of Aram’s army. Verse 11 indicates the leprosy may have been restricted to a spot that one could wave a hand over. So, it was not debilitating. His digits and limbs were not in danger of falling off.
The important thing to note here is that the text says that Naaman was “a great man in the view of his master and eminent.” Here we begin to see the beginnings of Naaman’s pride, power, and prestige.
(V.2-3) Now the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel; and she waited on Naaman’s wife. And she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy.”
WHAT KIND OF SOCIAL STANDING DOES A SLAVE GIRL HAVE?
Notice the contrast to Naaman. “She is an Israelite, he is an Aramean; she is a ‘little maiden,’ he a ‘great man;’ she is a captive servant, he a commander; he has fame in the king’s estimation, … she has none, for she simply ‘waited upon’ … Naaman’s wife.” [1] God used a caring comment from the most humble of girls to initiate something great.
(V.4-5) Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “The girl who is from the land of Israel spoke such and such.” Then the king of Aram said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothes.
In ancient times, people believed in healing through magic arts. This was no less true in the Ancient Near East. Hearing of a prophet who could cure leprosy was taken seriously.
Upon seeking permission to go to Israel to seek healing, King Ben-hadad assists Naaman with a letter to King Jehoram of Israel. Letters like this between kings were a common form of communication between kingdoms. To show the seriousness of the request, Ben-hadad sends a gift of ten talents of silver and six thousand shekels of gold. In today’s money, this is $383,000 in silver and $7.2 million in gold. Here we see the prestige that comes with great wealth. The king of Aram has great wealth, and he gives it to Naaman to use for his healing.
(V.6-7) He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said, “And now as this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, so that you may cure him of his leprosy.” But when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to keep alive, that this man is sending word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? But consider now, and see how he is seeking a quarrel against me.”
DO YOU THINK THAT KING JEHORAM OF ISRAEL IS CORRECT HERE? WAS BEN-HADAD LOOKING FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO ATTACK ISRAEL? WAS HE USING NAAMAN FOR HIS OWN PURPOSES?
At first thought we might agree with Jehoram that Ben-hadad is seeking an opportunity against Israel. But the size of the gift that Ben-hadad sent through Naaman would argue otherwise. Ben-hadad highly valued Naaman, as testified by the large gift he sent for his healing. We might be tempted to say that King Ben-hadad was using Naaman as an excuse to pick a fight with Israel. But we learned from the first verse that that is not the case. Because King Ben-hadad had high regard for Naaman.
(V.8) Now it happened, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent word to the king, saying, “Why did you tear your clothes? Just have him come to me, and he shall learn that there is a prophet in Israel.”
In one sense, we might say that Elisha is using pride and prestige by declaring that he is the prophet in Israel. But that’s not really what is happening. Saying that “he shall learn that there is a prophet in Israel,” is the same as saying, “there is a God in Israel.”
(V.9-10) So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots, and stood at the doorway of Elisha’s house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you, and you will be clean.”
Notice Elisha’s response. Here was a king’s envoy with a large number of horses, soldiers, and chariots, and Elisha did not even come out to meet him. Rather, he sends a servant to relay the message on how to be healed. In one sense, this is insulting. On the other hand, it is humble. Elisha is not seeking payment or status. He simply declares what is to be done. He performs a miracle by proxy.
We should not forget that in these ancient times, the culture was primarily driven by a shame-honor dynamic. In one sense, Elisha is shaming Naaman. He is humbling him. He is letting it be known that his pride, power, and prestige will amount to nothing when it comes to the things of God. And notice how Naaman responds.
(V.11-12) Naaman was furious and went away, and he said, “Behold, I thought, ‘He will certainly come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the site and cure the leprosy.’ Are Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, not 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.
There is a touch of pride in Naaman’s response. He is proud because Elisha offended him by sending a servant to relay the message rather than coming out himself. And he demonstrates his pride in his own country over Israel. If he had maintained his pride, he never would have been healed.
(V.13-14) Then his servants approached and spoke to him, saying, “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 in the Jordan seven times, in accordance with the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
Just like his humble servant girl, Naaman’s servants urge him to obey the prophet’s instructions. What made the difference in Naaman’s life was not the high and mighty. It wasn’t the two kings or the millions of dollars in gifts, or even his status and power as the commander of Aram’s army. It was the words of a little girl and a few servants. Humble circumstances and simple obedience is what made the difference in Naaman’s life.
We’ll examine the second half of this story in our next lesson.
WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
- Naaman was a man of great power and influence.
- Word of a solution to Naaman’s leprosy came through humble circumstances—a little girl.
- A king’s letter and millions in gifts had no impact on Naaman’s healing.
- Simple, humble obedience to a humble instruction brought about Naaman’s healing.
INTERPRETATION
What is the author’s big idea?
God uses humble circumstances and people to accomplish great things.
Consider our greatest example of humility, Jesus. He was born into a poor family. Worked as a carpenter, a common laborer. When he ministered, he had no home. His disciples were people on the lower end of the scale of society. He had no horse or donkey; he walked wherever he went. He was dependent on the gifts of others to make his living and provide for his disciples. Yet, this most humble man led the most extraordinary life, teaching thousands, healing disease, and raising the dead.
What made the difference in Naaman’s life was simple humility and obedience. He was expecting magic, a show of talent or power. He was equipped with the gifts of kings. But none of that mattered. Salvation cannot be bought with money or influence. Just as Elisha’s miracle of healing was free, so is our salvation. Jesus offered what he offered at no cost. He even told his disciples, “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8).
Remember that leprosy is a type for sin in the Bible. Just as Naaman’s leprosy could not be cured by anything but a miracle, so too, our sin cannot be cured by anything but a miracle. That miracle was the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
APPLICATION
Great success cannot cure the deepest human problem.
Naaman was powerful, wealthy, respected, and successful, yet he still suffered from leprosy. The passage reminds us that status, money, and achievement cannot solve the deeper problems of sin, brokenness, mortality, or spiritual need. Every person ultimately needs God’s grace.
God often works through humble and unexpected people.
The turning point in the story comes through a young servant girl taken captive from Israel. God used someone overlooked and powerless to point Naaman toward healing. We should never underestimate how God can use ordinary believers, children, servants, or people with little public influence to accomplish His purposes.
Pride can keep people from receiving God’s blessing.
Naaman almost walked away angry because Elisha’s instructions seemed too simple and humiliating. He expected something dramatic and prestigious. Often, people resist God because His way requires humility, repentance, and surrender rather than self-importance.
Obedience to God matters even when we do not fully understand.
Washing seven times in the Jordan River did not appear logical or impressive, yet Naaman was healed only when he obeyed. God sometimes asks believers to trust Him before they fully understand His methods. Faith is demonstrated through obedience.
God’s grace is available to all people.
Naaman was not an Israelite; he was a foreign military commander from Aram. Yet God showed mercy to him. This points to the broader truth that God’s salvation is not limited by nationality, ethnicity, background, or social standing. God welcomes all who come to Him in faith and humility.
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[1] House, Paul R. 1995. 1, 2 Kings. Vol. 8. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
