Contemplative Bible Reading

2 Kings 5:11-14 (New International Version 2010)

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.

We continue the (hi)story of Naaman – the General who had a skin disease and was healed by washing in the dirty Jordan River.

At this point in the (hi)story, Elisha has just told Naaman what to do to be cured. Actually, Elisha didn’t even tell Naaman. Instead, he sent a servant to tell Naaman. That was a bit of a slap in the face as Naaman was an important man and Elisha should have graced Naaman with his presence. Perhaps Elisha could have put on his best clothing and knelt before Naaman or something to pay homage to such a great military leader.

I think that Naaman went away angry because this entire episode was not going the way he expected. Naaman had a plan for how the Lord, the God of Elisha was to do everything. Naaman had a plan for how the Lord, the God of Elisha was to work. God  wasn’t following Naaman’s plan. Imagine the insolence of God.

Another couple of points. First, God, through Elisha, was humbling Naaman. God did not have Elisha pay proper respect to Naaman or a man of Naaman’s position. Being a General of an army doesn’t impress God. There is little any of us can do to impress God. God sent Naaman to dunk himself in a dirty river, and that wasn’t respectful.

The second point is that God’s method left no doubt as to who did the healing. If, as Naaman had planned, Elisha had waved his hand over Naaman while chanting some mysterious words, people could have attributed the glory to Elisha or the way he waved his hand or the mysterious words he chanted or the spot where they stood or any assortment of things. The healing of an incurable skin disease by splashing around in a dirty little river left no doubt about who healed Naaman. The Lord, the God of Elisha did it.

The (hi)story of Naaman ends well. He is healed and turns toward the Lord, the God of Elisha as the one true God. Naaman was wrong about how God should work. All his expectations were shattered. Now, how about me today? How about all of us today? I’m pretty smart; I’m well educated, and I even take the time to write a blog about what I read in the Bible. Surely, I know how God should work in my life and in the lives of those around me. No, I might think I know, but I don’t. Like Naaman, I need some humility and I need to keep my mouth shut and all my senses alert to notice how God works in His own ways.