Lives of Scripture

Naaman was commander of the army of Aram (Syria), described as 'a great man with his master, and highly respected, because by him the LORD had given victory to Aram' -- yet 'he was a leper' (2 Kings 5:1). A young Israelite girl, taken captive in an Aramean raid and serving Naaman's wife, told her mistress that the prophet in Samaria could cure him. Naaman traveled to Israel bearing lavish gifts and a letter from his king, but King Jehoram tore his clothes in despair, assuming an impossible demand (5:5-7). Elisha heard of it and sent word for Naaman to come to him. When Naaman arrived with his chariots and horses, Elisha did not even come out to meet him, but sent a messenger with simple instructions: wash seven times in the Jordan (5:9-10). Naaman was furious, expecting ceremony -- 'I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper' -- and stormed off, insulted that Israel's rivers should outrank Damascus's (5:11-12). His own servants persuaded him to reconsider: 'if the prophet had 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"?' (5:13). Naaman humbled himself, dipped seven times as instructed, and 'his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean' (5:14). He returned to Elisha and declared, 'Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel' (5:15), and asked to take Israelite soil home to worship the LORD on it even while serving his own king. When Elisha's servant Gehazi deceitfully pursued payment from Naaman that Elisha had refused, Gehazi was struck with Naaman's leprosy as judgment (5:20-27). Jesus later cited Naaman's healing as an example of God's grace extending beyond Israel to a Gentile outsider, provoking outrage from His hometown synagogue (Luke 4:27).