The Kings Of Israel And Judah. Day 115, Naaman The Leper, Part Four

Elisha, through his servant Gehazi, instructed Naaman to dip himself in the Jordan River seven times to be cleansed of his leprosy. Naaman was offended that Elisha didn't come out to speak with him in person. He was angry that Elisha told him to dip himself in the muddy waters of the Jordan when there were purer waters in his own country of Aram. He almost headed back to Aram without doing anything but his servants wisely asked him something like, "If the prophet had told you to do something expensive and complicated, would you not have done it? What do you have to lose by doing the simple thing he told you to do?"

"So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy." (2 Kings 5:14) If Elisha had come out and spoken words over him, Naaman might have credited the prophet for his healing. If Elisha had told him to do something other than dip himself in muddy waters that have no curative properties, Naaman might have credited a pool or spring with healing powers. If Elisha had told him to sacrifice a hundred sheep, for example, Naaman might have taken credit for his own works obtaining healing for him. But the prophet didn't even step outside his doorway to look Naaman in the face, much less speaks words over him or order him to perform a dramatic or costly ritual. As a result, Naaman can give credit only where credit is due, which is exactly what he does.

"Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, 'Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel.'" (2 Kings 5:15a) Have you ever had a problem so difficult that when it was solved there was no way to give credit to anyone or anything except to the Lord? I have! I've had circumstances turn around only after all other efforts were exhausted. The problems weren't solved by human ingenuity or by spending large amounts of time and money on them. They were solved because God stepped in. 

Naaman was given a great deal of gold and silver along with ten of the finest new robes in the land by the king of Aram with which to pay the prophet for his services. Naaman now offers to give Elisha something but I don't think he's trying to pay him; he knows Elisha didn't do the work of healing him. I think he makes this offer in a spirit of gratitude. Elisha could have turned this idolatrous Aramean away without giving him something to do that caused him to have to place his faith in the God of Israel. But Elisha had mercy on him and Naaman wants to give him something as a gesture of thanks. "'So please accept a gift from your servant.' The prophet answered, 'As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.' And even though Naaman urged him, he refused." (2 Kings 5:15b-16) 

Why does Elisha refuse the gift? It's not because he or the schools of prophets in the land couldn't use it. I think it could be because he's concerned people will say he's a "prophet for hire" who is selling his services to anyone with enough money, including pagan people. Or maybe it's because he fears being given credit for something the Lord did. People might begin saying that the power comes from Elisha and not from the Lord. This is the last thing Elisha wants to happen because the northern kingdom has become so idolatrous already that there's a danger of people putting their trust in him as some kind of "witch doctor" instead of them putting their trust in the Lord. To use a modern example that's similar to this, have you ever known anyone who seemed to revere their church pastor than they revered the Lord? You can tell when someone has been doing this because if their pastor passes away or becomes too ill in health to continue leading the church, they find themselves unable to accept another pastor in his place and may stop going to church altogether. Or if for some reason their pastor of choice is not reelected by the members of the church, they will become so angry that they will move to another church (especially if the former pastor does too), even if the members of the church were prayerfully acting in accordance with the Lord's will in electing someone else as the pastor. 

Elisha will accept no gift from Naaman but Naaman asks for something from him. It's something that won't cost Elisha anything but it's something that will gladden his heart because Naaman's words prove he has converted to the God of Israel. "'If you will not,' said Naaman, 'please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord.'" (2 Kings 5:17) 

Naaman doesn't know much about the Lord yet. He was raised in a heathen nation where he was taught to worship false gods. He's so new in the faith that he still retains pagan superstitions; it was a pagan superstition that certain gods had authority over certain places. You may recall that the advisors of the king of Aram instructed him to fight against Israel in the plains instead of in the hills. The Israelites had defeated the Arameans in battle in the hill country so the king's advisors recommended a different strategy, saying, "Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they were too strong for us. But if we fight them on the plains, surely we will be stronger than they." (1 Kings 20:23) We know by this that Naaman's culture taught him that there were gods of the hills, gods of the plains, gods of the rivers, gods of the oceans, and so on. This is why he wants to take home some of the soil from the land of Israel where the God of Israel healed him. Symbolically he is bringing the God of Israel home with him. It may be his intention to build an altar to God on top of that soil. We cannot criticize him for not yet understanding that God is everywhere. God is just as much God in Aram as He is in Israel or in any other place on earth. As Naaman builds a personal relationship with the Lord he will come to a better understanding of the God to whom he has given his heart.

Before Naaman takes his leave of Elisha he asks him one more thing. "'But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I have to bow there also---when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.' 'Go in peace,' Elisha said." (2 Kings 5:18-19a) 

When Naaman speaks of his master he is likely speaking of Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram. We have already seen how much the king values Naaman. Some scholars believe Ben-Hadad requires physical assistance to go into the temple of Rimmon and to bow at the altar there and that he literally leans on Naaman. Others believe that this "leaning on my arm" Naaman speaks of is simply an expression to indicate his status as the king's right-hand-man and that Naaman's presence is always required at the right hand of the king when he goes to the temple of Rimmon. Whatever Naaman means, it is clear that refusal to accompany his master is not an option for him, perhaps because to refuse this order would mean his demotion or his death. Which begs the question: Should Naaman refuse the order anyway, being faithful to the Lord even if it means execution? In the Bible we find a number of people willing to go to their deaths for their faith in the Lord. But Naaman's faith is too new for the Lord to ask or expect such a thing of him. The Lord may never ask or expect such a thing of him. 

Elisha's answer to Naaman has been interpreted in two different ways by scholars. Some think he is saying it's alright to accompany his master as long as he is not worshiping false gods himself, while others think he's telling Naaman to let his conscience be his guide in this matter. Naaman must go home to Aram and live out his new faith among unbelievers. He is a well-known person, second only in fame to the king himself, and no one will be able to deny that a miracle has occurred. Naaman will be giving credit to the God of Israel for his healing, so it may be that Elisha gives him permission to continue accompanying his master to the temple of Rimmon because to continue being the king's right-hand-man means Naaman will be in a position to be a godly influence to the pagan king. If Naaman is allowed to retain his high rank in the nation of Aram, his testimony will be heard and considered and believed by many people in the land. But if Naaman refuses to accompany the king to the temple of Rimmon, he could lose his position as chief commander of the army or maybe even his life, thus removing him from further opportunities to share his testimony. 

In this same way you or I may have to work among unbelievers at our jobs. That doesn't mean it's okay to join in with them in their sinful lifestyles but it means we are to be a light in the darkness. We won't be able to avoid hearing the bad language they may use and we won't be able to avoid overhearing conversations regarding the sinful activities they participate in outside of work, but these people will notice that we don't use that kind of language and that we spend our time off work doing things that glorify the name of God, such as going to religious services and abstaining from sinful activities. Over time we may have a good influence on our co-workers. Removing us from that workplace would keep us from being a light to those people and that's why the Lord doesn't call everyone to work at the church. We couldn't fulfill the great commission of taking the gospel to all the world if none of us worked in a secular environment. We are called to let our light shine wherever we find ourselves. I believe that's what Naaman did when he returned to Aram.