Healing and Humility
Last Sunday evening after I got home from the Advisory Council meeting I caught the end of 60 Minutes. Immediately after that The Amazing Race came on which I’ve never seen but I was curious because it started in Gloucester, Massachusetts and the competitors needed to find their way to Logan Airport and then after a flight to London, England to Stonehenge and then a castle. Since our family has done a similar trip I watched it. When one of the last contestants finally reached the finish she was asked, “What country are you in?” she replied, “London?”
October 3, 2010: 2 Kings 5:1-15, Healing and Humility
Douglas Scalise, Brewster Baptist Church
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Given that geography can be challenging, I want to use a map to show you the main points of interest before I read the next scripture in order to provide some context. You are going to hear about Naaman who was a commander of the army of Aram, or present day Syria. The capital city of his nation was Damascus which had two primary rivers the Abana and Pharpar. Aram or Syria is located northeast of Israel and Samaria, where the prophet Elisha was from and the most important river there is the Jordan. You also should know that the Hebrew word that is translated 2 Kings 5 as “leprosy,” refers to a variety of skin ailments, not just the most devastating kind we imagine when we hear that word. If someone had the worst kind of leprosy then he or she was isolated from the community and had no contact with others. The fact that Namaan can go in and talk with the king and be in the presence of other people in social situations indicates he has a skin problem that is less severe, but still quite troubling to him.
Listen to 2 Kings 5:1-15.
“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. 2 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. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 4 So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. 5 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. 6 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.” 7 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.”
8 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.” 9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. 10 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.” 11 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! 12Are 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. 13 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’?” 14 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.
15 Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company; he came and stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel; please accept a present from your servant.”
This is a fascinating story to me for a number of reasons. Verse one introduces us to Namaan by first noting his military status and his foreign nationality: he is the head of the Aramean army. Namaan is praised for being “a great man before his master the king of Aram,” and goes on to give the reason for his greatness, “for by him the LORD had given victory to Aram.” The word translated as “victory” when referring to military encounters is the Hebrew word teshuah, which also means “salvation” or “deliverance.” Though this assertion is quite clear in the text, it is surprising: the God of Israel has been supporting the military victory of Aram? Wow. To grasp how shocking this is you need to know that Aram has appeared a number of times in the Bible before this text as one of Israel’s major adversaries (2 Samuel 8, 10, 1 Kings 15, 20). The most recent previous reference to Aram before this passage is in the final chapter of 1 Kings, chapter 22, when Aram was responsible for the death of the Israelite king Ahab. For the Israelites who first heard this story, the idea that God would use another nation’s general to accomplish God’s will is a pretty stunning thing to think about. Perhaps God’s purposes are greater than one’s own nation no matter how special or dear it may be to its citizens.
Naaman continues to be extolled in the first verse as a “valiant warrior,” but his introduction concludes with what will become the major problem in the story: he suffers from a skin disease. That is, in addition to his status, his greatness, his victory, his skill as a warrior, he is not healthy. Naaman’s particular skin disease did not prevent him from interacting with others in a variety of social contexts. However, even if Naaman was not a social outcast, his greatness is marred by his disease.
Verse two introduces a second character to the story: a little Israelite girl. She has been captured by the Arameans in one of their military raids into Israel and she becomes a servant to Naaman’s wife. Her lowly status is emphasized by the way the text describes her in Hebrew.[1] She is a ‘little little girl.’ But this young little unnamed Israelite slave girl is concerned enough for Naaman’s health and has the knowledge, faith, and boldness to speak up to his wife about a “prophet in Samaria” (2 Kings 5:3) who has the ability to heal Naaman’s skin condition. She must have been going to Sunday School and paying attention because she is God’s instrument of grace.
Naaman reports to the king of Aram what the little girl said, and the king gives Naaman permission to go to Israel. The Aramean king sends along with Naaman some lavish gifts: ten talents of silver (roughly seven hundred fifty pounds), six thousand shekels of gold (about one hundred fifty pounds), and ten sets of clothing. The Aramean king also sends a letter to the Israelite king, which commands the king of Israel to heal Naaman from his skin disease.
Can you picture this? Talk about political intrigue and delicate diplomacy. Afflicted with a physical problem, Namaan is going to the king of the country he has attacked. Can you imagine Osama Bin Laden coming out of hiding and asking to go to Dana Farber in Boston to get treatment for cancer? I didn’t think so. That is why Namaan is bringing such a big bribe, uh, gift with him of silver, gold, and expensive clothes. “I know I’ve been kicking your.., defeating your soldiers and capturing slaves, but now I need your help.” That Namaan is willing to listen to the words of a young slave girl and admit to his enemy, “I need help, I need something that you can provide, can we work something out?” reveals both how desperate and humble he is at this point. It must have taken incredible humility to admit he needs healing that only his enemy can provide.
Most of us are not as powerful or privileged as Namaan, but we can relate to how hard it can be to admit that we need help, that we have a problem we can’t fix on our own. That is why it is one of the core 12 Steps in AA, NA, and so many other programs, we have to be able to admit we have a problem we have been powerless to overcome on our own and we need some help. Often times in life there is no healing without there first being an act of humility. A cry for help, an admission of sin or guilt, a statement of wrongdoing or accepting responsibility usually precedes the healing we long for and need. This is where Namaan is at when he gives the King of Israel the letter from his king.
When the king of Israel reads that letter, he responds with anguish and despair: tearing his clothes, wondering aloud if the Arameans have taken him to be a god with the power to give and take life, and complaining that the king of Aram “is trying to pick a quarrel” with him. What a contrast between the response of the little girl who is being held a slave and is literally powerless, and the king of Israel who has all the power at a king’s disposal. The little girl is confident, bold, and hopeful. The king is fearful, panicked, and despairing. What a difference faith makes in us. It is something to think about – when a trial comes, is my first response more like that of the little, little girl or the king of Israel? One of the prayers we can never pray enough is, “Lord, increase my faith.” That is what the king and perhaps some of us need today with the problems we’re facing that seem way beyond our power and ability to solve – we need more faith to trust, believe, and hope.
There is some humor amidst the king of Israel’s anguish. First, the lack of mention in the letter from Aram about a prophet has led the king of Israel to assume that he is responsible to heal Naaman. And second, the gift to the king included a number of new garments, which could presumably replace the ones he tore! Fortunately Elisha intervenes in verse 8, telling the king to send Naaman to him so that “he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.”
Naaman goes to see Elisha, and gets a second major helping of humble pie. Instead of meeting with him face-to-face, Elisha sends a messenger to him with instructions to wash seven times in the Jordan River. Two things stand out in this series of events: first, Naaman comes to Elisha with the trappings of his greatness, “his horse and his chariot” (5:9) and his whole entourage. It must have been an impressive sight. Secondly, Naaman is “at the door of the house of Elisha” (5:9), but even so, Elisha does not come out. Naaman gets angry at this apparent snub and we can understand why – he is a General for crying out loud, he is used to command and giving orders and being instantly obeyed without question. What he says goes, men do what tells them or else. And now this Israelite prophet won’t even come out of his house to meet him. He is feeling very disrespected and disappointed. The text reveals his reasons: “I thought he would come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and remove the skin disease” (5:11). Naaman also makes an ethnocentric objection, stating that the rivers of Damascus in his country are clearly superior to any water in Israel, and verse 12 ends with his departing in anger.
At this point, it is Naaman’s own servants who intercede. Notice how in the story it is the little, little slave girl and the servants of Namaan who are the ones who possess the faith and the wisdom to do what is right. So often in the Bible and in life God uses those who are not seen as powerful or privileged to accomplish God’s will. The General and Kings are not as exemplary as examples of faith or behavior. They servants suggest that if the prophet Elisha had asked him to do a “great thing” (dabar gadol), a hard or difficult task he would have done so (as a general he was probably a tough guy). So they encourage him to follow the simple instruction to wash which is, again, a much more humble thing to do. Namaan probably would have preferred being told, “Go kill a lion and you will be healed,” instead he’s told to take a bath! Verse 14 is the climax of this text that resolves the problem introduced in the first verse: Naaman does “according to the word of the man of God,” and the results are what Elisha predicted. His flesh is restored (shub), and compared to that of a little child, and he is made clean. Thus, the great man (verse 1), through the intercession of the little, little girl (verse 3), is made like a little boy (verse 14).
Though the problem has been resolved, our text continues with Naaman’s return (shub) to Elisha in verse 15. This time, he stands before Elisha, whereas previously he expected Elisha to stand (verse 11). This time, he not only knows that there is a prophet in Israel (verse 8), but he confesses his knowledge that the only God is the one in Israel. And, in the final clause of chapter 15, he refers to himself as Elisha’s servant. This great, foreign military leader has come to faith in Israel’s God, and he has come to see himself as a servant after becoming like a little child.
Interestingly, this is not the end of the story because Namaan appears in Luke 4:27, when Jesus is preaching at his home synagogue and the Lord provokes anger among his listeners by reminding them that, although there were many in Israel with “leprosy,” in the days of Elisha the prophet only the foreigner Naaman, a Syrian soldier was healed. It is a fitting sequel in a gospel that emphasizes reversals (Luke 1:52-53, 6:21-25), in which a member of the despised race the Samaritans is lifted up as the example of doing mercy for all to follow and in which Jesus himself counsels his disciples that the kingdom of God belongs to those who receive it with the humility and faith of a little child.
Healing, in its many forms, whether for a physical, mental, or relational issue, or even in international relations often only comes after humility.
World Mission Offering Note:
I received an email from our former pastor Kevin Saxton this week who wrote, “We got the WMO letter today from BBC, and it was cool to see the Binkleys as one of your designated missionaries, because both of their daughters worked here this summer and some of the refugee communities they work with are located in Erie, and the ABC church that many of the refugees attend sent about 30 of them to Judson this past summer! Small world.”
The Binkley’s, Niles, and Madeline Flores-Lopez and all our missionaries truly need our support. We can’t all go and be in the mission field, but we can support the women and men who are out there. Our church Goal is $7,500.
A BBC donor who has a great passion for missions will match the first $10,000 we receive over our $7,500 goal and has given us a check for $1,000 to help us reach that goal. I hope you will join them and us in giving generously as you are able to support our missionaries as they serve in challenging circumstances around the globe.
[1] She is young, a na’arah, but this word is itself modified by the adjective, “little” (qatanah).