But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! 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?” He turned and went away in a rage. But his servants approached and said to him, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, ‘Wash and be clean’? So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean. 2 Kings 5: 11-14, NRSV.
Merciful Father, We give You thanks this day for the way You have led us by Your Word in the past. We ask You to lead us once again, in the blessed name of our LORD Jesus Christ. Amen.
Today we are continuing with the thought we started sharing yesterday. We saw that Naaman believed that he deserved special treatment from the LORD because of who he was. Most of us are not very different from Naaman. Some of us believe that our behavior makes us deserving of having our prayers answered. Others believe that we should never be sick because we are good people. Others believe that we are better than others, so if they can receive blessings we ought to de doubly blessed. We all have our agendas, and we hold on to them very tightly.
Let us see what other lessons we can learn from Naaman’s story. First of all, what was in the Jordan river that made it possible for Naaman to be healed by dipping himself in it? Personally, I do not believe the waters of the Jordan had anything at all to do with Naaman’s healing. Remember, God does not see as human beings see. We see what is in front of us. God sees what is inside of us. Naaman thought that his problem was leprosy. God saw that it was pride. The prophet could have spoken healing in the name of the LORD. But Naaman had to go and have his pride covered with mud to come out a truly healed man.
If we agree that the water had nothing to do with the healing, then one dip should have been enough. Why seven dips? Perhaps one dip would have been enough for one of the servants who were accompanying him. They may not have had much to boast about. There was no reason for them to get on a high horse. Notice how well they knew Naaman. Listen to the question that they asked him: “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? He (Naaman) was the one accustomed of being in control. Give him the challenges so that he can shine. Treat him the way he has grown accustomed to be treated; so that he can show you who he is and what he is capable of doing. He was so high on pride that one dip would not have been enough for him. He needed seven!
I believe that every time he took a dip he was reminded that he was in subjection. He was dependent on someone else for something he wanted, and needed. When a sickness like leprosy, does not humble you; you can be sure that one dip will not, either! But God saw the real Naaman. Perhaps he was an overachiever, to recompense for his leprosy. But beneath it all is a good man, who needs to be saved more than he needs to be healed. Notice how he is willing to follow the advice of his servants. That is usually an indication of true humility; a person who can take advice – especially from someone who is in subjection to you. Parents: hint, hint.
Tomorrow we will continue with this conversation.