Naaman’s Healing
2004 : Week 28  |  Website Version  

We all have expectations of how God should work in our lives: be it in a circumstance, a relationship, in our city, country or in our church. We have our opinion of what is needed, but sometimes the Lord leads us to do things that we don’t understand. While we might be tempted to question what the Lord is doing in our lives, the better path is to rest in Him in faith, since we know He has a plan for us. That should help us to put our questions aside and move forward in the direction he is leading.

In today’s Bible verse, Naaman, the captain of the army of King Aram, reveals a disbelief and anger towards God when he visits Elisha. Naaman is a great warrior, but he suffers from the disease of leprosy, so he visits Elisha hoping to be healed. When Naaman arrives at Elisha’s house, he is not treated as he expected. Elisha makes Naaman wait in the doorway of his house, and sends a servant to give him a message, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.” (2 Kings 5:10, NASB)

Naaman is enraged. He had come to see Elisha, and instead he saw his servant. He had come expecting pomp and ceremony, and he gets nothing. He had come expecting a great work of God, and he was told to bathe in a river. His pride made him feel a burning anger. After all, this was no way for Elisha to treat a great warrior. Further, how could a swim in a river cure his leprosy? Naaman feels his visit to Elisha was wasted time,

	11 But Naaman was furious and went away and said, "Behold, I thought, 'He will 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.' 12 "Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage.
	2 Kings 5:11-12 (NASB)

Note in verse 11 Naaman refers to ‘Elisha’s God’. Naaman did not visit Elisha with a belief in God. Instead, he visited Elisha with more curiosity than faith; he wanted to see what would happen when ‘Elisha’s God’ was called upon. After all, he had nothing to lose. When he isn’t healed immediately, Naaman feels his lack of faith is justified, and he lashes out in anger and frustration. He had come all this way, was it for nothing?

Do we exhibit Naaman’s anger when God makes us wait for something: be it healing, a relationship or a circumstance to resolve? Do we share Naaman’s anger when God moves in a manner that is different than we wanted or were expecting? And if Naaman’s anger towards God stemmed from unbelief in God, what does that say about our anger in these circumstances? Does our anger also stem from a lack of faith?

Naaman had lost sight of what He needed most in life. He visited Elisha to be healed physically, and he needed that, but more importantly Naaman needed a relationship with God. Leprosy dies when our bodies die, but our souls live on forever; God wanted to heal Naaman’s soul as well as his body. Grudgingly, Naaman goes to bathe in the river, at the prodding of his servants,

	13 Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, "My father, had the prophet 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'?" 14 So he 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.
	2 Kings 5:13-14 (NASB)

Naaman was healed by Almighty God and he was made clean; God performed a miracle of healing. More importantly than having his flesh cleansed, Naaman came to believe in God:

	15 When he returned to the man of God with all his company, and came and stood before him, he said, "Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel; so please take a present from your servant now."
	2 Kings 5:15 (NASB)

Naaman was humbled. He had left Elisha’s house in a rage against God and Elisha, but returned with praise for God. Further, Naaman’s praise of God is public, and all his company heard him praise God. They all heard this mighty warrior proclaim that the God of Israel is the only God; what an impact his testimony must have had on those people.

This story shows us, again, how good our God is to us. He is full of mercy and grace. He knows what we need, even when we don’t. Sometimes, because our sight is limited, we don’t see the breadth of God’s plan for our lives, but we can rest assured; our God will guide our steps and refine us daily. As he bathed in the river and watched his leprosy wash away, Naaman saw his body healed. More importantly, Naaman’s eyes were open to the reality of our Almighty God, and Naaman believed in Him. Praise God for His goodness.

May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you today and always…