Meditation
on 2 Kings 5:1-14
July 7,
2013
***
Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and
in high favor with his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a
mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. Now the Arameans on one of their
raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served
Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, ‘If only my lord were with the
prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.’ So
Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of
Israel had said. And the king of Aram said, ‘Go then, and I will send
along a letter to the king of Israel.’
He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of
gold, and ten sets of garments. He brought the letter to the king of
Israel, which read, ‘When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you
my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy.’ When the king of
Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, ‘Am I God, to give death
or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just
look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.’ But when Elisha the
man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a
message to the king, ‘Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that
he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.’
So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the
entrance of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, ‘Go,
wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall
be clean.’ 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.
***
Evening approached as I pulled up in front of the hospital in Granite
Falls about a year ago. I had received a
call that one of my parishioners was there for tests. She was in pain, and doctors weren’t sure why.
When I walked into her room, she smiled brightly, despite her suffering and
anxiety.
“I knew you would come,” she said.
We talked for a little while about how she was feeling, what was
happening, and how long she expected to stay.
Then I asked if I could pray. Without hesitation, she said yes and
reached for my hand in faith.
Hospital visits and prayers for healing are an important part of my work,
as one called to proclaim the hope of Jesus Christ and help people in need. The gospel message is forgiveness for all who
repent and trust in Jesus. It is being reconciled with God and the gift of
everlasting life in His Kingdom. And it is also healing of heart, mind, body and soul.
When we are sick or injured, particularly if the illness or injury keeps
us from being with the people we love and doing the things we want to do, it’s
not just our body that suffers. We may become
frightened, anxious, lonely, sad, angry or depressed.
But even when we are not sick or injured, we still
need our Lord’s healing. Every person has broken places inside of them. We
can’t escape suffering, pain and brokenness when we live in a sinful, fallen
creation. Every one of us is broken, though it may be hard to admit our own
brokenness. Pride can get in the way.
Though we are saved the moment we believe and call upon the name of the
Lord, our sanctification in Him is a life-long, gradual process, the stripping away
of the old, sinful nature, layer by layer, day by day. We are still broken now, but we are in the
process of being healed and being made more like Christ, little by little, until
we see Him face to face.
***
Our reading in 2 Kings introduces Naaman, commander of the army of the
king of Aram—what is now Aleppo in central Syria. He is a great man, who has
found favor with God, though he is not an Israelite. And in spite of the Lord
being with Naaman and giving victory to Aram, Naaman has “leprosy,” which in
the Bible can mean any type of skin affliction.
It’s not likely what we call “leprosy” (Hansen’s Disease) that causes pain, blotchy, widespread infection
of the joints and leads to gross disfigurement and loss of limbs. His affliction is troubling and
uncomfortable, perhaps even unsightly, but not severe enough that he is forced
to live away from everyone else.
Interestingly, it’s an Israelite girl, whom the Syrians captured on one
of their raids and made to be a servant to Naaman’s wife, who suggests that
Naaman go and see the prophet Elisha.
Naaman tells his lord—the Syrian king—about
the prophet who heals. The king encourages him to go and see him and gives him
a letter for the Israelite king. Naaman
goes, taking with him gold and silver and ten sets of beautiful clothes as
payment or a gift for his cure.
Well, there’s a problem with the letter; it leaves out any mention of
the prophet. It says, “When this letter
reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that YOU may cure
him of his leprosy.”
The Israelite king gets mad, thinking the Syrian king is trying to make
him look bad. “Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me
to cure a man of leprosy?! Just look and see how he is trying to pick a fight
with me!”
Elisha hears what has happened and sends a
message to the Israelite king. “Let him
come to me that he may learn there is a prophet in Israel.” Then Naaman, the war
hero, with all his horses and chariots, rides up to Elisha’s door. But the prophet doesn’t go to meet Naaman and
all his entourage. He sends a messenger who says, “Go, wash in the Jordan 7
times and your flesh shall be restored and
you shall be clean.”
Naaman is angry that Elisha didn’t bother to come out to him and do some
wonderful magic trick. And what he tells him to do is so easy it’s ridiculous. Naaman feels humiliated. AND he’s mad that
Elisha tells him to bathe in an Israelite river! You hear his pride when he
says, “Are not the rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel?”
He turns to leave in a rage, but
his servants approach him—again the servants are the voice of wisdom. They try
to reason with him. “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?”
Naaman is persuaded. He immerses himself 7 times in the Jordan, as
Elisha, the man of God, has told him to do.
And his skin is restored and made “like the flesh of a young boy.”
Even better, as a result of his physical healing, Naaman becomes a
believer in the God of Israel. His healing is heart, mind, body, and soul. He is forgiven for his sins. He is made clean and whole!
***
Friends, it is not until we let go of our pride, like Naaman, and have
faith to admit our own brokenness to God that we will be healed, heart, mind, body, and soul. Spirit
transformed into Christ’s likeness, more and more, day by day. Our gracious,
merciful God continually stretches His arms toward us, inviting us into new
life with Him through His Son.
He urges us to go, wash in the cleansing waters of His Spirit. Wash away
our guilt and sin. Wash away the pain and suffering, the anger and grief we
have carried so long.
Go, wash in the Jordan. Be forgiven, healed
and made whole.
Let us pray.
Heavenly Father, forgive us for when we
have hidden from you when we are angry, sad, or hurting—instead of turning to
you for help and healing. We give you thanks for your unfailing love
and for always being here with us, wanting to hold us in your arms, despite our
unfaithfulness to you. Thank you for the gift of your Son, whose suffering and
death made a way for us to be in loving relationship with You and with one
another in Him. Thank you for your Word to us today reminding us how our pride
can get in the way of our own healing. Remove our pride and help us to see that
there is no shame in brokenness and needing your love and healing every day. May your Spirit continually work in and
through us, transforming us into people that you can use to accomplish your Will.
Lead us now to gather at “the river,” where your Spirit’s living waters will
cleanse and make us whole. In Christ we pray.
Amen.
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