Naaman – True and False Greatness

As Syria’s commanding general, Naaman seemed to have it all. He was described as ‘great and honourable … in the eyes of his master’, and by his valorous skill led his nation to victory, 2 Kgs. 5. 1.¹His greatness was restricted by one expression: ‘but a leper’. This terminal malady was both disfiguring and defiling; truly, it was his implacable enemy. As Fereday explains: ‘Other foes trembled before him; to this foe he was a helpless victim’.² What were his heroic accomplishments, if he could not even defeat something within his own body? His experience is representative of life in this fallen world. Sin taints all human lives and mars even mankind’s most outstanding achievements. Greatness is only realized by God’s gracious saving power which liberates from sin.

Surprising providence

The Almighty sometimes uses catastrophes to upset circumstances so that His word might spread. Stephen’s martyrdom and the subsequent persecution indirectly led to Saul’s conversion and the establishment of the church at Antioch.³Similarly, during one of Syria’s lightning raids, a young Hebrew girl was kidnapped and became a slave to Naaman’s wife. This was not an uncommon occurrence in antiquity - life was hard, sometimes violent, and often short. Instead of becoming embittered at her mistress, she winsomely served her. Her diligence eventually provided an opportunity to witness to her. The girl’s statement not only promised healing but also hinted at a past incident of healing recorded in the scriptures, ‘If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy’, 2 Kgs. 5. 3. The word rendered ‘heal’ in her wish was previously used in Numbers chapter 12 verses 14 and 15 to refer to Miriam’s healing and congregational restoration after her disciplinary case of leprosy.⁴

This celebrated warrior might have discounted this as a girl’s imagination, but her genuine care obviously spoke to him. His response also indicated his desperate search for a cure. When Naaman told the Syrian king, he offered to reach out to Israel’s king on his commander’s behalf. The general then collected an enormous gift and departed for Samaria with a caravan of servants.⁵ It all began with a mere slave girl, faithfully testifying to her boss. She was one of the many ‘weak things’ that the Lord employs to confound this world’s wise and mighty, 1 Cor. 1. 27-31. One writer challenges us, ‘Never underestimate the power of a simple witness, for God can take words from the lips of a child and carry them to the ears of a king.⁶

Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown

On receiving the King of Syria’s missive, his Israelite counterpart cynically dismissed it as a thinly-veiled attempt to renew hostilities between the two countries -reminiscent of a previous episode in their recent history, 1 Kgs. 20. 1-11. Ironically, a slave girl knew more than two monarchs; she sent Naaman to Samaria to meet the prophet. Sadly, it did not even occur to Israel’s ruler that he could access the living God through Elisha’s miraculous ministry. He tore his clothes, showing his inability to help the general in his plight. Davis points out that ‘the king is the epitome of the unbelieving, unseeking attitude of Israel. He, as no other, should set the tone for the people of God. Probably, however, he reflects their attitude. He lives life without recourse to God. He is king of a people who have been at least part of the covenant nation; he should therefore be seeking God in such dilemmas. He, like the nation, has the name of Israel but not the faith of Israel’.⁷ The seer sent word that the seeker should come to him for healing, saying, ‘Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel’, 2 Kgs. 5. 8.

Pride, religion, and true faith

When Naaman’s entourage arrived at his door, they received a surprising welcome. Instead of greeting him personally, Elisha sent a messenger, prescribing a sevenfold dip in the humble Jordan River. This was an affront to the great man’s pride and to his preconceived notions of the miraculous. MacLaren diagnosed his attitude thus, ‘Naaman wished to be treated like a great man that happened to be a leper; Elisha treated him like a leper that happened to be a great man … The whole question about his treatment turns on this, Whether the important thing is his disease or his dignity? He thought it was his dignity, the prophet thought it was his disease’.⁸ Whyte agrees with this assessment, ‘But, leprosy and all, Naaman was still a very proud man; for all the leprosy in the world will not make a proud man meek and lowly in heart … because the prophet’s counsel did not fit in with Naaman’s prejudices and his sense of his own importance, he was wroth at Elisha, and went home, leprosy and all, in a rage’.⁹ He furiously recounted his grievances, saying, ‘He will surely come out to me’ [my emphasis]. He also expected him to call on the Lord’s name and gesticulate in an impressive manner. A casual survey of modern television ‘faithhealers’ shows that when it comes to spiritual trickery, showmanship never goes out of style!

Thankfully, his servants spoke reason to their master, and he repentantly decided to lower himself into the Jordan - in his view, a far cry from Damascus’ mighty rivers, vv. 12-14. Despite his initial incredulity, after the seventh dip, he was completely healed. The gospel that began with a young girl’s testimony, ended with Naaman’s skin being restored to a childlike condition. This miracle was a glorious picture of regeneration. The believing sinner is born again, John 3. 5-8, and becomes ‘a new creation’ in Christ Jesus’, 2 Cor. 5. 17. Moody details the process of his repentance and faith, ‘First he lost his temper; then he lost his pride; then his leprosy. That is generally the order in which proud, rebellious sinners are converted’.¹⁰

It was a chastened Naaman who returned to Elisha’s door. There was no further need for Elisha to keep his distance - the Syrian knew that it was God who healed him, not the Hebrew prophet. Moreover, Naaman was grateful, rather than inherently great. He was a humble and thankful believer, who now promised to exclusively worship the Lord, 2 Kgs. 5. 17. For his part, the prophet declined a gift from the healed man. Elisha would do nothing that would diminish God’s glory or imply that His grace came with financial strings attached.

Naaman asked for Israelite soil so that he could establish an altar to Jehovah and also asked for pardon in entering the idol Rimmon’s temple and seeming to prostrate himself while assisting the king. He would not be syncretizing but would merely be physically bowing as the monarch leaned on his arm. Elisha gave no word of rebuke to this ‘baby believer’, but offered a parting blessing, ‘Go in peace’, v. 19, thereby wishing true peace on the new convert. Possibly the prophet did not want to overburden his conscience so early in his pathway as a follower of his God. Rather, he wanted Naaman to grow in his convictions as led by the Lord.¹¹

Muddying the gospel waters

The sad epilogue to the story came when Gehazi deceitfully asked Naaman for some of the gift that Elisha refused. He was not the last person to cloak covetousness in spiritual garb, and stands in an infamous train of apostates who chose immediate material riches in favour of the heavenly reward that comes from faithfulness. Achan, Judas Iscariot, Ananias, and Sapphira all committed this category of sin. By contrast, Paul pursued the opposite course in his service for God, carefully guarding his ministry against any suggestion of mercenary motives, 1 Thess. 2. 3-12.

After his return, Gehazi’s duplicity was instantly exposed by his master in these sobering words, ‘Is it time to receive money and to receive clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants?’ 2 Kgs. 5. 26. It was clearly not the time to settle down and enjoy the good life, as if all was well in Israel. They were divided from the southern tribes and were estranged from the Lord by rampant idolatry and immorality. The times called for a pilgrim lifestyle, exhibiting holiness and consistent dependence on God. Paul later addressed the Corinthian believers in a similar vein, 1 Cor. 4. 8-13. For his misrepresentation of the gospel, Gehazi and his posterity were judicially afflicted with leprosy. The Gentile who was afar off was cleansed, and the Jew near to the Lord’s blessings was cursed. Even today one must never tamper with the good news, Gal. 1. 6-9.

Salvation’s terms

During his first recorded sermon in the Nazareth synagogue, the Lord Jesus enraged His audience by citing Naaman’s healing, Luke 4. 27. They did not understand that greatness lies in humbly submitting to God, who sent His Messiah ‘to preach the gospel to the poor’, v. 18. Moreover, they did not consider themselves poor, nor as far off as a Gentile enemy! ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit’ eluded them because of their religious and nationalistic pride, Matt. 5. 3. How different from Gentiles like the centurion, who demonstrated true faith in Christ, Matt. 8. 5-13. In the same way, if modern people are to be cleansed from sin, they must repent and trust the Saviour, who died and rose again for them.