2 Kings 5
OGCCHAPTER SEVENTEEN
PRIVATE MIRACLES IN THE MINISTRY OF ELISHA
Elisha was truly God’s wonder worker among the Old Testament prophets. His ministry was undergirded by a large number and wide variety of miracles. In 2 Kings 4:1 to 2 Kings 6:7 eight of his miraculous works have been collected. All eight have to do with individuals or small groups of disciples. All save one were beneficent in character. Classification of these wondrous works is difficult, but perhaps the following breakdown will be useful: (1) miracles on behalf of two faithful women (2 Kings 4:1-37); (2) miracles on behalf of the sons of the prophets (2 Kings 4:38-44); (3) a miracle on behalf of an Aramean general (2 Kings 5:1-19); (4) a judicial miracle (2 Kings 5:20-27); and (5) a levitation miracle (2 Kings 6:1-7).
REVIEW OF CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
I. FACTS TO MASTER
A. Important names to identify in relation to chapter seven teen:
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Elisha
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Naaman
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Gehazi
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Rimmon
B. Important places to identify in relation to this chapter:
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Shunem
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Abanah and Pharpar
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Mt. Carmel
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Damascus
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Baal-shalishah
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Jordan
C. Words and phrases which should bring to remembrance key events in this chapter:
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creditor
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a letter
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jar of oil
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two mule loads of earth
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upper chamber
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an axhead
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staff
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a stick
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wild gourds
D. Who said?
Your maidservant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.
Truly she has no son and her husband is old.
My head, my head!
Why will you go to him today? It is neither new moon nor sabbath.
There is death in the pot!
Am I God, to kill and to make alive. ?
Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me
Alas, my master for it was borrowed!
E. Important Numbers 1.
The amount of gold, silver and changes of raiment Naaman took to Israel
Number of times Naaman was told to dip in Jordan
Number of talents and changes Gehazi received from Naaman
Number of times a dead boy sneezed as he revived
Number of barley loaves brought to Elisha at Gilgal
Number of prophets fed with the few loaves
II. QUESTIONS TO PONDER
What parallels are there between the miracles wrought by Elisha and those previously performed by Elijah?
Who were the sons of the prophets?
What did the meal have to do with the healing of the noxious pottage at Gilgal?
Why did Elisha send Gehazi on ahead to Shunem when he learned of the lad’s death?
Why did Elisha stretch out on top of the body of the dead Shunammite boy?
What spiritual lessons can be derived from the account of the multiplication of the widow’s oil? The multiplication of the loaves?
As Naaman sought cleansing from leprosy, he made several mistakes. The same mistakes are often made by those who want cleansing from sin. What are some of these mistakes?
Who is the unsung hero of the Naaman story? In what way does this person challenge our lives?
What kind of relations existed between Israel and Damascus during the time of Naaman?
Why did Elisha not go out to greet the Aramean dignitary who came to call on him?
What was there in the waters of Jordan that brought cleansing to Naaman? In this case, would one river have been just as good as another?
For what purpose did Naaman wish to take two mule burdens of earth back to Damascus?
To what degree was Naaman converted by his healing experience?
In what sense was the miracle of Naaman’s healing per formed for the benefit of the Israelites as well as the Arameans?
What motivated Gehazi to follow Naaman and request a reward? Why the lie? How did Elisha know what Gehazi had been up to? Of what does Gehazi warn us?
Why was the prophetic student so concerned about the axhead he had lost? What purpose did the stick serve in the recovery of the axhead? What spiritual lessons are there in this story?
2 Kings 5:1-7
III. A MIRACLE ON BEHALF OF AN ARAMEAN GENERAL 5:1-19
The account of the healing of the leprous Naaman moves through three stages which may be labeled (1) Naaman’s condition (2 Kings 5:1-7), (2) Naaman’s cleansing (2 Kings 5:8-14), and (3) Naaman’s conversion (2 Kings 5:15-19).
A. NAAMAN’S CONDITION 5:1-7
**TRANSLATION
(1) Now Naaman the captain of the host of the king of Aram had become a great man before his master, and was held in honor, because by him the LORD had given deliverance to Aram; and the man was a mighty man of valor, a leper. (2) And the Arameans had gone out in marauding bands, and had taken captive from the land of Israel a young maiden; and she attended the wife of Naaman. (3) And she said unto her mistress, O that my master were before the prophet who is in Samaria, then he would heal him of his leprosy. (4) And he went and told his master, saying, Such and such the maiden who is from the land of Israel said. (5) And the king of Aram said, Go, depart, that I may send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of garments. (6) And he brought the letter unto the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter has come unto you, Behold I have sent unto you Naaman my servant, that you might heal him of his leprosy. (7) And it came to pass when the king of Israel read the letter, that he rent his garments, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man is sending unto me to heal a man of his leprosy? Surely therefore note, I pray you, and see how he is picking a quarrel with me.
COMMENTS**
It seems that Benhadad, who in his younger days had personally led the armies of Aram into the field of battle, had made Naaman[531] the captain of his host. Naaman had successfully led his forces in some of the initial encounters with Assyria which now was threatening the independence of Aram. Naaman did not realize it, but he was being used for this purpose by the Lord, the God of all the earth. The man was held in honor;[532] he was a mighty man of valor, i.e., a good soldier; but he was a leper (2 Kings 5:1). Leprosy had many degrees. Some of the lighter kinds would not incapacitate a man for military service or make him unfit for official court duties. Naaman’s leprosy (tsara-‘at) may have been more in the nature of an embarrassing skin disease.
[531] Naaman is attested as a proper name in the administrative texts from Ras Shamra. The name means gracious, pleasant. Gray, OTL, p. 504.
[532] Lit., to lift up the face. The phrase refers to the gesture of the king stretching forth his scepter and touching the face of a suppliant who had bowed to the ground before him, and lifting that face up. Gray, OTL, p. 504.
Hostilities between Israel and Aram had continued after Ahab’s expedition against Ramoth-gilead (1 Kings 22) with the Arameans seemingly having the upper hand. Marauding bands of Arameans would make thrusts deep into Israelite territory from time to time for the purpose of capturing slaves and taking other valuables. On one such raid a little maiden was taken captive who eventually passed into the possession of Naaman’s wife (2 Kings 5:2). With the passing of time, the little maid developed a genuine affection for her kindly captors, and she became genuinely distressed over the grievous affliction of her master. One day in the course of her duties, the little maid expressed aloud the wish that was in her heart, that Naaman might be brought into contact with the powerful and kindly prophet[533] in Samaria. She was confident that Elisha could cure him of his leprosy (2 Kings 5:3). The sacred historian tells nothing of the animated conversation which must have followed this confident assertion of the curability of Naaman. At first the mistress must have been incredulous, attributing the maid’s confidence to her youth and simplicity. But gentle interrogation led to the revelation of dozens of marvelous stories about this man of God. The mistress concluded that she should share this information with her husband and urge him to pursue this possibility of cure, however remote it might seem.
[533] It should be noted that the maid refers to Elisha as a prophet rather than a man of God. Outside Israel the term prophet would have been more easily understood.
However skeptical Naaman himself might have been, he was finally convinced by his wife’s persistence to pursue the matter. He reported the suggestion of the Israelite maid to the king (2 Kings 5:4), and much to the surprise of Naaman, the king took the whole matter seriously. He too was willing to try anything to restore the health of his friend and captain. The king urged an immediate departure, and added that he would send a letter by the hand of Naaman to the king of Israel urging that he do what he could to cure Naaman of his leprosy. So Naaman departed, taking with him an enormous treasure with which he thought he could pay for his cleansing. Ten talents of silver would be roughly equivalent to $20,000. The unit of measure is omitted for the gold, but it is likely that the amount would be six thousand shekels-’ weight which would roughly be equivalent to $60,000. Finally, in addition to the silver and gold, Naaman took ten changes of garments to bestow upon his benefactor (2 Kings 5:5).
That Naaman would be able so easily to enter the court of the king of Israel with the letter from his king suggests that the state of hostilities between the two nations temporarily had been suspended. Possibly some kind of treaty arrangement existed between Aram and Israel at this time. The sacred historian gives only the gist or drift of that letter which, no doubt, was draped with all the diplomatic niceties of that day. The letter in effect demanded that the king of Israel cure Naaman of his leprosy (2 Kings 5:6). No mention was made of the prophet. Benhadad assumed that if such a powerful one existed in the realm of Israel, he would certainly be known to the king and would be at his beck and call. He can hardly be expected to have comprehended the relationship that existed between a king of Israel and a prophet of the Lord. Naturally the king of Israel was upset by the letter. He tore his clothes and cried, Am I God, to kill and make alive, i.e., am I omnipotent? He did not think of Elisha, probably because he gave no credence to the reports circulating about him. The only conclusion he could reach was that Benhadad was making these extravagant demands as a pretext for more hostility (2 Kings 5:7).
2 Kings 5:8-14
B. NAAMAN’S CLEANSING 5:8-14
**TRANSLATION
(8) And it came to pass when Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his garments, that he sent onto the king, saying, Why have you torn your garments? Let him come, I pray you, unto me, that he may know there is a prophet in Israel. (9) And Naaman came with his horse and his chariot, and stood at the entrance of Elisha’s house. (10) And Elisha sent unto him a messenger, saying, Go and wash seven tunes in the Jordan, and your flesh will return to you, and be clean. (11) And Naaman was wroth, and went away and said, Behold I thought, Unto me he would surely come out, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and cure the leprosy. (12) Are not Abanah **and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them, that I may be clean? And he turned and went away in wrath. (13) And his servants drew near, and spoke unto him, and said, My father, if a great thing the prophet had spoken unto you, would you not have done it? And how much more if he said unto you, Wash and be clean? (14) And he went down, and dipped in the Jordan seven times according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh returned like the flesh of a little lad, and he was clean.
COMMENTS
The king had not attempted to keep his reaction to Benhadad’s letter secret. In fact he wanted his subjects to know what an unreasonable and ruthless adversary Benhadad really was. News of the king’s distress reached the ears of Elisha. The prophet’s word to the king contained first a gentle rebuke. Why had the king torn his clothes? Had he forgotten that God still had His representative in the land? Send him to me, Elisha suggested, that he may discover that there truly is a prophet in this land (2 Kings 5:8). The king may be the head of the state and embody all earthly power, but the prophet was the duly commissioned agent of God and the channel of spiritual power. He alone could help under the circumstances.
In short order Naaman and his entourage arrived at the humble abode of Elisha in the city of Samaria. A man of his station and rank was not about to enter such humble quarters, and so he simply waited impatiently at the door of the house (2 Kings 5:9). Regarding the pride of his visitor as worthy of rebuke, Elisha remained within the house and sent his servant out to communicate with this dignitary. The prophet was not trying to be impolite; he was trying to impress upon the mind of this general the absolute nothingness of earthly wealth and grandeur, and the dignity of the prophetic office.
If the actions of the prophet insulted the inflated ego of Naaman, his instruction did even more. Go wash in the Jordan seven times, the servant ordered in the name of his master. What a burden! The nearest point of the Jordan river from Samaria was some twenty miles distant. If Naaman had the faith to go to the Jordan, and there persisted in the formal act of dipping in the river seven times, the scaly leprous skin would disappear and clean flesh would appear (2 Kings 5:10).
Naaman was shocked, horrified, and angered by the treatment he had received from this as yet unseen prophet. He had expected to have been waited on and to have received every possible attention; but these expectations had been rudely rebuffed by the failure of the prophet even to greet him at the door.[534] The general had a very different mental image of what should have transpired there that day. He pictured the prophet emerging from his house, and with great fanfare, waving his hand over the leprous spot while he solemnly called upon the name of his God. He expected an instantaneous cure, witnessed perhaps by hundreds of the inhabitants of Samaria (2 Kings 5:11). Instead he was told that he must do somethingdip in the muddy Jordan! Incredible! The rivers of DamascusAbanah and Pharpar[535]were fresh, clear, beautiful, and romantic. If the leprous taint was to be washed away, would not the crystal clear waters of his native land have more cleaning power than the turbid, sluggish and often clay-colored waters of Jordan? Disgusted and perturbed, Naaman wheeled his chariot around and departed in a cloud of dust (2 Kings 5:12).
[534] The Hebrew emphasizes in the most forceful way that Naaman regarded it the duty of Elisha to come out to him. [535] Precise location of these rivers is uncertain. It has been suggested that they are the modern Barada river and one of its tributaries.
Fortunately for Naaman, his servants did not share in his wild indignation. When their master bad cooled somewhat, one of his servants, acting as a spokesman for the others, reasoned with Naaman. My father is a deferential and at the same time an affectionate way in which a servant addressed his master. The servant suggested that if Elisha had directed Naaman to do some difficult thing, the general would have attempted to do it. How much more should he be willing to do the simple, if somewhat silly, thing which the man of God had designated. The logic was unanswerable, and Naaman was persuaded (2 Kings 5:13). At the first opportunity, he turned his chariot eastward and began to make his way through the rapidly descending valleys toward the Jordan. When he exactly complied with the prophet’s instructions, the miracle occurred. Not only was the leprosy removed, his flesh became as soft and tender as that of a little boy (2 Kings 5:14).
2 Kings 5:15-19
C. NAAMAN’S CONVERSION 5:15-19
**TRANSLATION
(15) And he returned unto the man of God, he and all his company. And he came, and stood before him, and said, Behold, I pray you, I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. Now take, I pray you, a blessing of your servant. (16) And he said, As the LORD lives before whom I stand, I shall take none. And he implored him to take it, but he refused. (17) And Naaman said, Then shall not there be given, I pray you, two mule burdens of earth? For henceforth your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to another god except the LORD. (18) For this thing may the LORD pardon your servant, when my master goes to the house of Rimmon to wor ship, and he leans upon my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, may the LORD pardon your servant In this thing. (19) And he said unto him, Go in peace. And he went from him a little way.
COMMENTS**
The grateful Naaman was determined to express his appreciation to the man of God even though the return trip to Samaria would take him at least forty miles out of his way and delay his return to Damascus by at least one day. At the Jordan, Naaman’s heart was transformed as well as his flesh. He waded into the waters a worshiper of Rimmon and emerged a worshiper of Yahweh. He had to repay this prophet of God, and all thoughts of personal delay and inconvenience were banished. The once pompous and haughty Aramean was now contrite and humble. He descended from his chariot, went into the prophet’s abode, and stood before him. What a change conversion makes in the disposition of a man! The confession of faith made by this foreign general is an acknowledgment of the sole supremacy of Yahweh. Other heathens in Scripture confess that Yahweh is a god or God of Israel; but Naaman confessed that Yahweh was the one and only God in all the earth. He was anxious that Elisha would take a blessing, i.e., a present, in appreciation for what he had done. Pagan people customarily bestowed great gifts upon the oracles which they consulted, and Naaman quite naturally and reasonably made the offer (2 Kings 5:15).
Though the Old Testament prophets did not generally object to freewill offerings from those who consulted them, on this occasion Elisha thought it best to decline the proffered reward. Naaman needed to learn that Yahweh was his true healer, Elisha but His representative. It was thus to Yahweh and not Elisha that Naaman owed his gratitude and his offerings. True to the dictates of oriental hospitality, Naaman continued to urge the prophet to accept the gifts; but it soon became obvious to him that Elisha was not simply making a courteous pretense of disinterest. He was absolutely declining to accept any reward for his services (2 Kings 5:16).
Even though Elisha refused to take from Naaman any gift, the Aramean would request one gift of Elishatwo mule loads of earth. The text does not explain what Naaman intended to do with this soil, but the general opinion is that he intended to spread it on the surface of a plot in Aram so as to consecrate that ground and make it a suitable place upon which to worship the Lord. In the mind of this newly converted heathen, the ground of Israel would be more holy, more appropriate for the worship of the God of Israel.
That the requested soil was intended for use in creating a place of worship seems to be implied in the declaration which immediately followed the request, viz., that Naaman henceforth would cease to offer sacrifice to any god other than Yahweh (2 Kings 5:17). His sincerity in this declaration is indicated by the one exception which immediately came to his mind. He knew that as captain of the host he would be required to attend the temple of Rimmon[536] with his king and would be compelled to bow before the image of that god. He was not willing to offend his master by refusing these formalities, and yet he realized in his heart that this would be inconsistent with the solemn declaration he had just made to worship Yahweh alone. He therefore expressed the hope that the Lord would pardon him of this wrong (2 Kings 5:18). Elisha did not declare that God would or would not overlook this departure from strict monotheism. He was not called upon to give an answer since Naaman had not asked a question but had only expressed a wish. Elisha’s Go in peace should be taken simply as wishing the peace of God to be on the departing Aramean (2 Kings 5:19).
[536] Rimmon (pomegranate) is a parody of Ramman, the title of Hadad, the Aramean Baal. Hadad was god of the storm.
2 Kings 5:20-27
IV. A JUDICIAL MIRACLE 5:20-27
**TRANSLATION
(20) But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, thought, Behold my master has spared Naaman this Aramean by not taking from his hand that which he brought. As the LORD lives, I will run after him, and take from him something. (21) And Gehazi pursued Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well? (22) And he said, All is well. My master has sent me, saying, Behold now this: Two young men of the sons of the prophets have come unto me from Mt. Ephraim. Give, I pray you, to them a talent of silver, and two changes of garments. (23) And Naaman said, Consent to take two talents. And he implored him, and he bound two talents of silver in two bags, and two changes of garments, and put them upon two of his servants; and they bore them before him. (24) And he came unto the hill, and he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house. And he sent the men away, and they departed. (25) And he came and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Where are you coming from Gehazi? And he said, Your servant did not go anywhere. (26) And he said unto him, Did not my heart go with you when a man turned again from upon his chariot to meet you? Is it time to receive silver and to receive garments, and oliveyards and vineyards, and sheep and cattle, and servants and handmaids? (27) The leprosy of Naaman shall cleave to you and to your seed forever. And he went out from before him a leper as white as snow.
COMMENTS**
Gehazi could not bear the thought of the Aramean going home with all his treasure. He convinced himself that this foreigner deserved to be spoiled because he was an enemy of Israel. He swore an oath that he would run after the general and take something of him (2 Kings 5:20). As the Lord lives are strange words in the mouth of one who has set his mind on a course of lying and stealing. Often solemn religious formulas, rendered meaningless by frequent repetition, drop from the lips of those who engage in the most indefensible conduct.
Naaman’s entourage, traveling at a leisurely pace so as not to exhaust those servants who might have been on foot, was easily overtaken by the fleet-footed Gehazi. Naaman spotted the runner, recognized him, and paid him a supreme honor by descending from his chariot, a sign of respect in the East of an inferior for a superior. By so honoring the servant of the prophet, he was showing honor for the prophet himself. Seeing Gehazi’s haste and anxious looks, Naaman suspected that something had gone wrong in the brief time since he had left Samaria, and he therefore anxiously inquired of Gehazi, Is all well? (2 Kings 5:21). The servant replied that all was well, i.e., there had been no accident or calamity. But nonetheless, a circumstance had arisen which had caused Elisha to change his mind with regard to the gifts which Naaman had offered. Two needy sons of the prophets from Mt. Ephraim had happened along, and Elisha would like Naaman to donate to them a talent of silver ($2,000) and two changes of garments. Gehazi’s story sounded plausible, and the amount for which he asked, while rather large for the pretended occasion, was but a trifle compared with the amount which Naaman had expected to expend. Though greedy, Gehazi did not wish to ask for so much as to arouse suspicion. Gehazi (whose name means avaricious) is the prototype of modern religious charlatans who exploit unsuspecting persons on the pretext of giving aid to needy religious causes.
Naaman believed the story of Gehazi and wanted to do even more than the servant had requested. He suggested that two talents ($4,000) be taken, probably because the strangers who had arrived were two. Following the conventions of the Near East, Gehazi pretended to decline the more generous offer. Naaman took the two talents and put them in bags and, along with the changes of garments, put them upon the shoulders of two of his servants. These servants carried the two heavy bags of silver and garments for Gehazi (2 Kings 5:23). At a hill just outside Samaria, Gehazi took the money from Naaman’s slaves, and dismissed them. He could not run the risk of having these foreigners seen entering Samaria again. Too many questions might be asked. Gehazi took the bags of money and hid them in the house of his master, probably in the courtyard thereof (2 Kings 5:24).
As soon as he had hidden the things Naaman had given him, Gehazi entered the room where Elisha was sitting as casually as he could, as if he had been busy in another part of the house. He was met, however, with a plain and stern question from his master which literally in the Hebrew is Whence, Gehazi? Gehazi probably had not regarded the deception and spoiling of a foreigner as a very grievous wrong; but now his path of chicanery is about to force him to lie to his master: Your servant went nowhere! (2 Kings 5:25). Then came the bombshell: Did not my heart go with you (i.e., was I not with you in prophetic spirit) when the man turned again from his chariot to meet you? This was enough to prove to the sheepish servant that Elisha knew what had just transpired. But then the prophet went a step further and reflected back to Gehazi his own inner thoughts about what he would do with the newly acquired wealth: purchase oliveyards and vineyards, and sheep and oxen. Was this the time for such worldly ambitions? When Baalism held such a grip on the nation and when so many who claimed to represent Yahweh were hypocritical and mercenarywas this the time to think of acquiring property and luxury for himself? Such actions could bring the prophetic office into contempt with unbelievers and undermine the credibility of Elisha’s ministry! (2 Kings 5:26). Therefore, since Gehazi had taken of Naaman’s goods, he would also take of his leprosy. And should this servant decide to marry and father children, they too would be lepers. In that instant the plague fell on Gehazi, his skin turned white as snow, and he departed from the presence of his master to spend his remaining days with the outcast lepers (2 Kings 5:27).