seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
2 Kings 5:1 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 of raiders 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[c] 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 all 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. So please accept 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. 18 But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I have to bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.”
19 “Go in peace,” Elisha said.
After Naaman had traveled some distance, 20 Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, “My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”
21 So Gehazi hurried after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from the chariot to meet him. “Is everything all right?” he asked.
22 “Everything is all right,” Gehazi answered. “My master sent me to say, ‘Two young men from the company of the prophets have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.’”
23 “By all means, take two talents,” said Naaman. He urged Gehazi to accept them, and then tied up the two talents of silver in two bags, with two sets of clothing. He gave them to two of his servants, and they carried them ahead of Gehazi. 24 When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the things from the servants and put them away in the house. He sent the men away and they left.
25 When he went in and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?”
“Your servant didn’t go anywhere,” Gehazi answered.
26 But Elisha said to him, “Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money or to accept clothes—or olive groves and vineyards, or flocks and herds, or male and female slaves? 27 Naaman’s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever.” Then Gehazi went from Elisha’s presence and his skin was leprous—it had become as white as snow.
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Here's the link to the commentary I read.
Why have you torn your clothes: Elisha gave a gentle rebuke to the king of Israel. “This is a crisis to you, because you have no relationship with the God who can heal lepers. But it is a needless crisis, because you could have a relationship with this God.”
Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel: Naaman would never know there was a prophet in Israel by hanging around the royal palace. The true prophet in Israel wasn’t welcome at the palace.
Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean: These were simple, uncomplicated instructions. Yet as Naaman’s reaction demonstrates, these were humbling instructions.
He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy: Naaman had it all figured out. In his great need, he anticipated a way God would work, and he was offended when God didn’t work the way he expected.
He turned and went away in a rage: Because his expectation of how God should work was crushed, Naaman wanted nothing to do with Elisha. If the answer was in washing in a river, Naaman knew there were better rivers in his own land.
According to the saying of the man of God: Naaman did exactly what Elisha told him to do. Therefore we can say that each dunk in the Jordan was a step of faith, trusting in the word of God through His prophet.
Please take a gift from your servant: We can say that Naaman only meant well by this gesture. He felt it was appropriate to support the ministry of this man of God whom the LORD had used so greatly to bring healing. However, Elisha steadfastly insisted that he would receive nothing from Naaman.
When I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD please pardon your servant in this thing: As an official in the government of Syria, Naaman was expected to participate in the worship of the Syrian gods. He asked Elisha for allowance to direct his heart to Yahweh even when he was in the temple of Rimmon.
Go in peace: By generally approving but not saying specifically “yes” or “no,” it seems that Elisha left the matter up to Naaman and God. Perhaps he trusted that the LORD would personally convict Naaman of this and give him the integrity and strength to avoid idolatry.
I will run after him and take something from him: As Gehazi heard Naaman and Elisha speak, he was shocked that his master refused to take anything from such a wealthy, influential, and grateful man. He figured that someone should benefit from such an opportunity, and he took the initiative to run after Naaman and take something from him.
Stored them away in the house: He deliberately hid them from Elisha. Gehazi knew that he did wrong.
Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and your descendants forever: This was a severe judgment, but as a man in ministry Gehazi was under a stricter judgment. When he allowed himself to covet what Naaman had, he thought only in terms of the money Naaman possessed. God allowed him to keep the riches, but also gave him the other thing Naaman had — severe leprosy.
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This is a really long chapter, and I skipped a chapter to get to it. In chapter 4 Elisha helped people every day. One time Elisha helped a widow by helping her get olive oil for sale in order to support herself. In another event, Elisha brought a woman's son back to life. He had to lay on the boy and warm him up just as Elijah did before him. Then he saved dinner when he made a stew for all the people and someone added something unknown to the stew. The stew was inedible until Elisha added a little flour. [I bet my husband wishes Elisha was around so he could put flour in some of the stuff I cook.] And finally in the last chapter Elisha fed a hundred hungry men on the just twenty loaves of barley bread. On top of that, there were even leftovers. So, I think it's safe to say Elijah was very helpful and it's also safe to say, Jesus did the same stuff.Now on to today's chapter. Naaman was used to having his own way. He was plagued by leprosy though. He was terminal.
Naaman's wife was an Israeli girl who had been taken to be his wife. His wife told him to go to Elisha to be healed.
At first Naaman insisted that Elisha come to him... but that wasn't going to happen. Then when Naaman finally decided to go see Elisha, Elisha sent a messenger to the door with a prescription instead examining Naaman himself. That upset Naaman as well.
Then Elisha prescribed that Naaman go dip in the Jordan seven times and his leprosy would be healed.
Naaman was insulted because the Jordan was not his cup of tea. He'd rather dip in a Greek creek or puddle.
Finally, his Israeli wife talked Naaman into taking Elisha's prescription and miraculously he was healed!
Elisha would not take payment.
Now... for the plot twist.... There was a 'servant' named Gehazi who got a look at all the riches Naaman brought to pay for his healing. Gehazi just could not let it go.
Gehazi followed Naaman down the road and then fabricated a big lie about how Elisha changed his mind and decided to take some of the prized possessions.
Naaman, leprosy free, was thrilled to give them to Gehazi for Elisha.
Gehazi took them home and hid them.
Elisha was made aware [by God?] what Gehazi did and confronted him.
In payment for lying, stealing, and generally ruining a really good miracle.... Gehazi got all the leprosy taken from Naaman, and some.
Gehazi reminds me of the wicked people ruining all the great tent revivals by stealing from the collection plate or selling snake oil at the prayer meetings. Bum gave Elisha a bad name. Bum ruined the great miracle.
Geeze this is a long post...
