2 Kings 5:14-19
Naaman “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. Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and he came and stood before him. And he said, ‘Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; so accept now a present from your servant.’ But he said, ‘As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none." And he urged him to take it, but he refused. Then Naaman said, ‘If not, please let there be given to your servant two mule loads of earth, for from now on your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the LORD. In this matter may the LORD pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, leaning on my arm, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon your servant in this matter.’ And Elisha said to him, ‘Go in peace.’”
Romans 2:4; 1 Timothy 2:3-4; 2 Peter 3:9
“God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.”
“God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved
and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
“God is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish,
but that all should reach repentance.”
You will please pardon me for extracting from their immediate context, a few rich thoughts from the New Testament. These three passages – Rom. 2:4, 1 Tim. 2:3-4, 2 Peter 3:9 – I think, speak from the heart of God. The reason for his kindness; the reason for his persevering patience; his longing that all should “reach repentance” is because God is a God of life. It is as John confesses: “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love.” (1 John 4:16)
With those amazing affirmations in mind, I am captivated by a closer reading of the encounter between the Syrian general, Naaman and the prophet Elisha in 2 Kings 5. Of Naaman, we are told, he was “a great man with his master and in high favor… a mighty man of valor” A dreaded enemy combatant of Israel, and yet irony of ironies, it is the God of Israel who bestows his greatness! Surely, if anyone was undeserving of God’s mercy, this commander would be qualified to be unqualified.
With all his greatness, the great man had one fatal flaw in his résumé – he was a leper— the kiss of death in the ancient world. However, prodigiously Providential, there happens on the scene a “little girl” from Israel. She, in captivity, residing in the wings of his own household, to show the way of release: “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” That would be Elisha.
Naaman, with nothing to lose, truly with skin in this game, pursues her counsel, he arrives in Israel with his large, impressive military contingent, loaded with treasure to offer for his miraculous healing. He “stood at the door” and commanded the prophet to come and do his bidding, likely expecting the prophet to come out and bow before his greatness, making a dramatic display of divine intervention.
This is not what happens. Elisha doesn’t even come to the door. He phones it in: “Go, take a bath in the Jordan, Great Man!” Dip seven times for complete healing. Naaman is not pleased. This was not what he expected, nor what he thought he deserved. However, he was persuaded by a timid soul in his company. “Gee, sir, it couldn’t hurt none.”
Of course, when he relents and goes down into the humble brown waters of the Jordan, he rises with “his flesh “restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.” He is a changed man. You might even say that his sins were washed away.
What transpires from this paradigm-changing, post-Jordan dip has provided grist for the theological controversy mill. Was Naaman “saved”? Ah, pedestrian controversy! I think far too much energy is spent trying to fit this story into our modern evangelical template. “Did he ask Jesus into his heart?” Well, no. But Naaman was a forerunner of the salvation that Jesus would make possible. He was a gentile. He was a stranger to grace. He was undeserving. He wasn’t really looking for God— but God found him!
Let’s look below a surface skim here: Note that it was a “little girl” of faith who brings the Good News to Naaman— “Look to the Man of God to be saved.” He does, and as he follows the Word of the prophet, he is healed, and that healing is described as the restoration of his flesh to that “of a little child.” The key word “little,” I believe, signaling a transformation to match the faith status of the “little girl” from Israel. He began high and haughty, and now, “little” before God.
Further, Naaman now comes “before” the prophet, in conferring honor, where he once remained in his chariot expecting to be served, he now knows his place. “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel.” Elisha’s subsequent refusal of reward makes it clear that salvation comes from God. Reward would properly be gratitude flowing from a heart on the mend from the death-grip of alienation.
The change is loud in Naaman, but there are a few discordant notes that hit the ear sideways. For one, Naaman grabs two mule loads of Israelite soil to take back to the Transjordan. He proclaims that he will no longer offer sacrifice to the gods, yet erroneously believes he needs soil from Israel to build a proper, functioning altar to the God of the universe! (God is not bound by the geographical borders of Israel.) Naaman then confesses he must still frequent the temples of other gods as an occupational obligation and sheepishly begs for a proleptic prophetic pardon.
Now, we might expect Elisha to admonish this stretching the bounds of evangelical propriety by this gentile dog. But no! That’s not what happens. Elisha says, “Go in peace.” !
I believe Naaman was “saved.” No, he hadn’t arrived. But then again, “salvation,” is rarely ever a matter of course. Instant transformations make for wonderful testimonies during sharing time, but true conversion is a lifetime of sanctification dance steps. Maturity is never instantaneous. Time, tears, repentance, experience; ups and downs (a lotta downs!); bumps and bruises— are all part of the mix. When you think about it, we are all “Naaman’s.” We are all gentile dogs alienated from God. Nevertheless, he still found us (in Christ)— and raised us from death; and washed us in the waters of baptism. We didn’t deserve it. But then again, read over those three passages from the New Testament again! Naaman is our ancestor and forerunner in the Faith.
One final thought. Finish reading this chapter (2 Kings 5:20-27). That’s the second half of the story of Naaman. It concerns the actions of Gehazi, the servant of Elisha. Gehazi is an Israelite. I believe he symbolically represents the heart condition of Israel. Remember, these days of Elijah and Elisha are among the darkest in Israel, and the contrast between God’s People and the graced, gentile, great general couldn’t be more pronounced. Gehazi, like Israel, acts rebelliously and faithlessly and is “rewarded” with the leprosy that once enveloped Naaman.
Israel has reached the bottom of the barrel, but God's plans transcend ethnic Israel. "For God so loves the world..." Naaman knows this.
