I Know a Guy (Cont.)

2 Kings 5:8-14 (NRVUE)

But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God and would wave his hand over the spot and cure the skin disease! 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?” He turned and went away in a rage. But his servants approached and said to him, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.

Our story continues…

When we last left our characters, Naaman was confused and the King of Israel had torn his clothes and no one knew what would happen next. We must understand that folks in Old testament times only tore their clothes under extreme conditions of sorrow and grief. Job tore his clothes after receiving the horrible news of the death of most of his family and the loss of all his possessions. Caiaphas, the high priest, tore his robes after Jesus announced before the Sanhedrin that he was indeed the Messiah. So this was an extreme reaction by the king.

When Elisha finally hears of all this, he takes charge and tells the king not to worry and to send Naaman onto him. One would hope that with all the confusion eliminated that Naaman would  hav calmed down by the time he reach Elisha’s home.

But Naaman was a VIP and he knew it. Everywhere he went, he would have received “Red Carpet” treatment. But after all of this drama, when he arrives, there is no carpet at all and Elisha doesn’t even come out to greet him. Instead, Elisha sends his servant with instructions for Naaman to go to the Jordan River and wash himself seven times.

Naaman blows his top! He was expecting a big show like the priests back home put on when they made sacrifices in their temple. Where were the fireworks, dancing girls, magicians and fire eaters! He storms off in a fit of anger.

Thankfully, his servants put on the breaks and point out to him that if Elisha had asked him to slay a dragon, he would have done it in a heartbeat. So Naaman finally comes to his senses and does as Elisha instructed. It must have been a fantastic moment. Six times he washed himself without one sore being diminished. But when he rose up out of the muddy waters of the Jordan that seventh time, his skin was as clear and soft as a baby’s bottom! But the greater realization was that he had experienced the healing mercies of the Lord God of Israel.

Naaman’s reaction is to want to worship no other God by Yahweh. He returns to Elisha house and declares that “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel” (vs 5:15b) He wants Elisha to accept the great wealth he has brought with him, but Elisha refuses. He requests instead that he be allowed to take all the dirt of Israel (because it was “holy ground”) that two mules can carry so he may set up an altar to God on that soil when he returns home. We have the expression, “A little bit of Heaven” so Naaman wanted a little bit of Yahweh’s Israel.

We have no further word of Naaman, but I believe that he was true to his word and lived the rest of his life serving and glorifying the God of Israel.

The priceless gift that Naaman received was the certainty that God answers prayer. This I know. Many times God does it in ways unexpected…in ways unimaginable…and in ways that renew our hearts and spirits like when our faith was first experienced. I pray that all of us have and will again experience God in this way.

God bless and keep us all,

Jim McGrath