NAAMAN THE LEPER

““a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor…” – 2 Kings 5:1.

Over the last few weeks on Friday, we have been looking at little-known characters in the Bible that we might, wrongly perhaps, skip over as not being particularly important. But some of these often-overlooked characters can be significant in other ways, showing us and teaching us something important through their lives, what happened to them, and how other people engaged with them. One was Naaman

Naaman was a general in the Syrian army. At his time, Syria was a military superpower. Naaman was “a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor…” (2 Kings 5:1 ESV). But the verse ends with “But he was a leper”

Now, the Syrians, on one of their raids, had carried off a little girl from Israel who worked in the service of Naaman’s wife. She told her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy” (2 Kings 5:2-3 ESV). She knows a man who can cure him—the prophet of the one true God of Israel, named Elisha. It was a glimmer of hope, so Naaman got on his horse and went.

So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana 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 5:9-12 ESV)

Naaman thought that he deserved healing his way. If God is powerful, why doesn’t He heal me when I ask? Naaman was angry because he wanted a quick fix. He wasn’t concerned with knowing God; he just wanted to be healed at the wave of a hand to get back to his concerns. Fortunately, his officers convinced him to do what Elisha said. He followed the prophet’s instructions and was healed.

We see how God uses people and events in Naaman’s life to move him to let go of his pride and self-reliance slowly and put his faith in God alone. Naaman learns that his accomplishments, status, and wealth aren’t important to God. God wants us to trust and obey.

Naaman’s story of repentance is a picture of salvation. By the end of the chapter, Naaman has turned from his gods, put his faith in the Lord, and transformed his character.

Discussion Questions:

1. Sometimes, we come to God expecting one thing, and he gives us another. What did Naaman expect Elisha to do for him? How did God’s plan differ?
2. What was more important in Naaman’s salvation: his faith or obedience? How does Naaman’s story point you to the Gospel