Thoughts on Second Kings Chapter 5 – Part 1

The Old Testament gives us four men named Naaman, three of whom we know very little about.¹ The Bible presents to us many characters, some of whom we know and delight to meditate on, whilst of others very little is known and some whose identity is unknown.

The most well-known is the Naaman of 2 Kings chapter 5 and he is mentioned by name eleven times in this delightful story, authenticated by the Lord in Luke chapter 4 verse 27. His story brings us to consider Elisha, the prophet of God, Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, and a nameless little maid.

There are many ways we can look at the story. For example, we might consider the many servants in the chapter:

• Naaman, vv. 1 and 6 - a servant of the king. Naaman uses the word ‘servant’ of himself five times in verses 13 to 18.
• The little maid, v. 2 - she was a servant of Naaman’s unnamed wife.
• Elisha, vv. 8 and 10 - God’s servant and man of God.
• Naaman’s servants, v. 13 - those who gave wise counsel.
• Gehazi, v. 20 - Elisha’s servant.

In the chapter, we are also drawn to a ‘word portrait’ of Naaman in the forty-three words in verse 1. Thirtyeight of those words relate to his position - he was successful. The final words relate to his condition - it was dreadful. As captain of the host of the king of Syria, he had risen through the ranks to be commander due to his exploits for the nation. ‘By him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria’. It can be easily overlooked, but the living God had helped in the battles, and they are not attributed to the god of Syria, Rimmon. Naaman was a man mighty in valour, victorious and glorious.

Surely, he must have been the envy of all - a great man with his master.

It is obvious that the king gave him due respect, as demonstrated by the bounty to be taken to the king of Israel. He was honourable, a man of esteem and principle, and a man of high repute. What a ‘CV’ he had!

But he was a leper. If we take away the achievements and embellishments of this man, all that we are left with is a man in great need. He is man at his best without the living God.

Leprosy is mentioned much in scripture as being with devastating effect resulting in death. We are aware that if he lived in Israel, he would be excluded from society. The stigma of the disease was real in Bible times. The outlook for him was grim. Where was his cure to come from?

Verses 2 and 3 introduce us to a little maid and what is recorded of her stands in contrast to the great man of verse 1. There are scant details as to when she was taken to Syria, how old she was, or anything about her family or how long she had been employed in Naaman’s household. The verse really hangs on one word, ‘captive’ - a stranger in a foreign land. However, she was in the right place, at the right time, for Naaman.

Humanly speaking, she could have kept silent for, after all, she had been taken by force away from her own environment into foreign territory. It is a challenge to us as we are in a foreign land, and we need to make the Saviour known. As we speak to people in our country today, we may be the only ones to speak a word for the Lord and draw them to the only cure through the Saviour’s work at Calvary. Four simple and yet succinct statements are spoken by the maid, the only time that what she said is recorded. She spoke of: l What power was available - God.

The living God who brought deliverance to the nation of Syria was available to deliver one man from his leprosy.

• Who the man of God was - Elisha, the man in touch with God. There was no physician in Syria who could help!
• Where he was - Samaria. There was no prophet in Syria.
• What Elisha could do - recover Naaman. What a bold statement, for we know that Elisha had not cleansed any leper or lepers in Israel. The Lord confirms this, Luke 4. 27.

What confidence this maid had in the prophet. Do we display similar confidence in the gospel? She had a concern for others. How is our concern for those gripped by sin? This was good news by an ambassador from a far country. Equally, we believe the only hope for all today is the gospel of God concerning His Son. Nothing more is known or heard from her, apart from what she had passed on to others. This reminds us we must grasp every opportunity to speak for our Saviour.

Verse 4 indicates that they believed what she said. There is not a word in scripture to suggest that they tried any other supposed cure. They acted on what she revealed although at first misinterpreted. They took her at her word for it even touched the king.

C. H. Spurgeon turned into a Primitive Methodist Church in a snowstorm and heard a message on Isaiah chapter 45 verse 22, and he was convicted of his sin. The minister had not arrived, so another man spoke with faltering words, and it touched Spurgeon’s heart that day. This young girl is still remembered today for what she said. May people we speak to remember what we say, and act upon the simple message of the gospel.

Endnote

¹

Gen. 46. 21, a son of Benjamin; Num. 26. 40; 1 Chr. 8. 4, a son of Bela, son of Benjamin; 1 Chr. 8. 7, a son of Ehud.