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.
Now
bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from
Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her
mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would
cure him of his leprosy.”
Naaman
went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. “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 of gold and ten sets of clothing. 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.”
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!”
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.” So Naaman
went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 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.”
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. 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.
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’!” 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.
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.”
2 Kings 5:1-15
Naaman
had a miraculous experience. He learned that there is only one true God.
Like
Naaman, we can learn important lessons about God as a
result of our life experiences. Receiving a blessing may show us about His
mercy and goodness. Surviving or enduring a trial may help us see God’s
sufficiency and care. Growing in knowledge of Him will always leave us better
off spiritually than we were before.
Lessons about God are embedded in life experiences.
Our
Daily Bread – December 6, 2014