“Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would cure him of his leprosy.” 2 Kings 5:3
Dear Ones:
At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, he confronted false concepts of true faith. One of the principle “facts of faith” that needed to be understood by the Jews was that God the creator, and Christ, the Savior of the world, came to minister and to save ALL men, not just those of the nation of Israel. The true, and real faith that God gives is not limited to a people or language group. This thought was a contradiction in the minds and hearts of many Jews in Jesus’ day. To bring to light the need of seeing this reality, and unveiling the proof that true faith was given to the Gentiles, He used the illustration of Naaman the Syrian. The Lord Jesus tells the Jews: “And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” (Luke 4:27) The thought of true faith being given to the Gentiles, especially to the Syrians, was such a contradiction in their minds, that they sought to lay hands on Jesus, and cast him headlong down a hill, perhaps intending his death. That which this narrative does not apparently reveal to the Jews, is that Naaman came to faith and healing because of a little maid, who had been taken out of the land of Israel, to be a servant to Naaman’s wife. It is because of the faith of this child that Naaman the Syrian would be healed, coming to faith in God. How could this be?
In 2 Kings, chapter 5, we find the account of Naaman, the little maid, and Elisha’s dealings with Naaman. Scripture tells us that Naaman was “captain of the host of Syria.” (v.1) He was considered a “great man with his master,” the king of Syria, and very honorable. He was also a mighty man of valor. But this man, so great in the sight of men, and well respected, was a leper. He was prisoner to a disease that had but one outcome in his day, a very disabling death. There was nothing that he, nor his wife, or the king could do, to save him from this. However, from his conquests in Israel, he had brought home a little maid from Israel, who apparently had come to love and respect him and his wife, as she desired that he be healed. So impressed was he and his wife with the maid, that they would take her words to heart and believe them, when she told them that there was a prophet in Samaria who could heal him. Naaman had no other choice, but to seek the king’s favor and blessing, and embark on a journey to meet the prophet, trusting to be healed. Naaman arrives at Elisha’s house with his horses, and chariot, and stands at the door. Elisha does not come forth, but sends a messenger to him telling him to go, and wash seven times in the Jordan River, with the promise that he will then be cured of his leprosy. The fact that Elisha did not come forth, and perform some sort of ritual for his healing, angered Naaman. But that which pushed Naaman almost to the point of abandoning the entire endeavor, was Elisha’s words for him to go and bathe in the Jordan River seven times. There was but one thing standing in the way of Naaman, and faith in God. It was his pride. He would first need to humble himself to accept that, though Israel was conquered, yet, the testimony of God was with them. He would need to respect the actions of the prophet. Secondly, Naaman’s attitude that the Syrians were greater, and better, than the people of Israel, needed to be addressed. If he was going to obey the Prophet, he must put his preference of rivers and peoples aside, to simply obey the word of the Lord. This he would do, at his servant’s urging. He was then healed.
Dear Father, Ever give us grace never to minimize faith, especially in a child. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad