2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c (NRSV)
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Chapter 5Naaman, 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. Verse 2Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. Verse 3She said to her mistress, "If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." Verse 7When 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." Verse 8But 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."
Verse 9So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha's house. Verse 10Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean." Verse 11But 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! Verse 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. Verse 13But 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'?" Verse 14So 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.
Verse 15Then 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."
Devotion
If this story was a play, we would see four major characters: Naaman, the Aramean army commander; the king of Aram; the king of Israel; and the prophet Elisha. The minor characters include a Jewish slave in Aram’s palace, Naaman’s juniors and some messengers in Elisha’s household. Amid the main character, leprous Naaman, we notice a complex web of events that show the characters’ faith.
Of these, it is the slave girl who proclaims the way of healing for Naaman. We see her abundant faith, which her king could not ignore. We notice the king of Israel’s trepidation, Naaman’s near loss of faith, his juniors’ perceptivity and persuasiveness and the miracle of Naaman’s eventual healing, despite his uncertainty.
We see how God responds to the faith of a community and the witness of even the lowly. How does this inform our lives, when we sometimes fail to notice God’s presence in ordinary circumstances?
Prayer
Lord, reveal yourself to us and stir our hearts when you appear to us through situations that we sometimes tend to ignore. Unblock our un-listening minds and extend your compassion and grace in the hour of need. Amen.