Study 2 Kings 8: 1- 17
NIV 1 Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. 2 Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. 3 She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." 4 Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. 5 "By all means, go," the king of Aram replied. "I will send a letter to the king of Israel." So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. 6 The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy." 7 As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, "Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!" 8 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: "Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel." 9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed." 11 But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage. 13 Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" 14 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. 15 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. Please accept now a gift from your servant.” 16 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. 17 “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.”
There are some incredible women/men of God teaching in seminaries across the world. One of those is a man by the name of Dr. Roger Hahn. He teaches at the Nazarene Seminary in Kansas City. I found an article written by him on this very passage. I have copied it below, it is far better than anything I could have ever done. Enjoy.
Verse 1 introduces the human protagonist of the story. Naaman was apparently a common name in ancient Syria since the name was used in the Ugaritic tablets. The name means "fair" or "gracious," and the very meaning of the name would dispose the ancient reader to think positively about Naaman. He is described as the commander of the army. The Hebrew expression implies that he was the commander-in-chief and reported directly to the king of Syria. That king was probably Ben-Hadad, though he is not mentioned directly in the chapter. Info from Dr. Roger Hahn, NTS
The author of 2 Kings notes that Naaman enjoyed high regard or special favor in the sight of the king because Yahweh had used him to bring victory to the Syrians. Most scholars assume that the incidents of chapter 5 took place at a time when Israel and Syria were at peace. Otherwise the victories would have been at the expense of Israel, and Naaman's visit to Israel in search of healing would have been much less likely. Regardless of who Syria's enemies were, the author regards Yahweh as the source of victory. Info from Dr. Roger Hahn, NTS
The Hebrew word translated leprosy in the Old Testament appears to have described a variety of skin diseases. Leviticus 13 gives the most comprehensive discussion of the kinds of leprosy and the symptoms of the various types. Exact understanding of the modern medical terms for those diseases is not possible from just the symptoms listed in Leviticus 13. However, it is almost certain that the disease now known as leprosy or Hansen's disease was not one of the diseases described in the Old Testament. The Old Testament understood that these leprosies were contagious and stringent quarantine regulations were enforced for certain types of leprosy. Second Kings 7:3-4 provides a case in point. Leprosy was sometimes considered a judgment from God against sin, as Numbers 12:10-15 shows. Info from Dr. Roger Hahn, NTS
The culture of the Ancient East expected that a person would take a gift with them when they visited another. The visit of the Queen of Sheba with Solomon and her gift mentioned in 1 Kings 10:10 is an example of how extravagant such giving could be. The resources carried by Naaman to serve as a gift were also extravagant. Ten talents of silver would be equal to about seven hundred pounds of silver. Six thousand shekels of gold would represent about 145 pounds of gold. With gift and letter in hand Naaman went to the king of Israel. The king is not named, though it is probably Jehoram. Naaman would have assumed that the king was the most powerful man in the land of Israel and that healing would have come through him. The king did not appreciate the compliment. He understood that God is the giver of life and health. That the king of Syria would send his commander in chief to him with such a request struck the Israelite king as an effort to bait or trap him. Several important dynamics are work at this point of the story. Obviously the king should have immediately called upon the prophet of God. The fact that he did not shows how out of touch he was with the theology of his people. It also shows how completely he lacked a relationship with God. There is also irony in that Naaman came to him assuming he was the most powerful man in Israel. The reader of 2 Kings already knows that Elisha is more powerful than the king. That has been demonstrated in previous chapters. The king also knew but would not admit that reality. However, the request of Naaman required access to God that the king did not have. Only Elisha had that access, and the king was not willing to admit his weakness in the face of Elisha's strength. All the king could express was frustration. The king's response is very instructive of what happens to people who refuse to enter into relationship with God themselves, and yet who resent the power with God enjoyed by those who are obedient. Info from Dr. Roger Hahn, NTS
Elisha did not make the king feel any better when he found out about the king's dilemma. Verse 8 specifically describes Elisha as a man of God. He instructed the king to send Naaman to him so that Naaman may know that there is a prophet in Israel. The clear purpose for Naaman's coming to Israel is not healing but understanding the reality of God. Yet when Naaman arrived at Elisha's house and stood ready to greet him, Elisha snubbed the great commander. He refused to come out of the house himself but sent a servant. Info from Dr. Roger Hahn, NTS
The flow of the story thus far has predisposed the reader to want Naaman to be healed. Elisha gave him the "classic" test - do something that appears to be silly. Naaman's response was anger, and he turned his back on the promised healing. It appears that he will fail the test, and there is a sense of disappointment, a desire to reach into the story and grab Naaman to tell him to obey the word from God. There is anxiety from the reader for Naaman, but does that anxiety arise because we know that we have often missed what God would have done for us? It was Naaman's servants who persuaded him to at least try the solution offered to him by the prophet of God. They reminded him of an important truth. His goal in coming to Israel was to be healed, not to have his ego stroked. There is an interesting interplay between the so-called "important" people in this story and the so-called "insignificant" people. The highly respected Naaman has leprosy and is in desperate need. The lowly slave girl points him toward the solution. The high and mighty king of Israel is powerless and paralyzed by Naaman's need. The lowly prophet must step in to rescue the situation. The mighty military man is about to let arrogance slip healing from his hands. His servants speak a word of common sense and obedience. Info from Dr. Roger Hahn, NTS
For many readers the healing of Naaman in verse 14 is the climax to the story. But the real climax of the story is Naaman's confession in verse 15, "Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. Please accept a gift from your servant." Naaman's arrogance of verses 11-12 was gone and he offered Elisha the rich gift he has brought. When Elisha refused the gift, Naaman asked for two mule-loads of dirt from Israel to take with him back home. Two explanations have been given for this request. The first and most likely is that Naaman understood that Yahweh was especially connected to Canaan, to the Promised Land. Since he would have to leave Yahweh's Land to return to his job in Syria, could he take some of Yahweh's land with him as a sign of the relationship he had established with God? A second suggestion is that since altars were made of earth and unhewn stone, Naaman wished to take building materials for an altar back to his home. Info from Dr. Roger Hahn, NTS
