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| 1 And Naaman, head of the host of the king of Aram, was a great man before his lord, and accepted of face, for by him had Jehovah given salvation to Aram, and the man was mighty in valour leprous. |
The LORD had given – Naaman's victory is credited to Jehovah, who did interfere with the affairs of outside nations to some extent. R3438:2
Deliverance unto Syria – To Syria and Israel, in combination against Shalmaneser II. R3438:2
He was a leper – Leprosy corresponds to sin: it is incurable, loathsome, contagious, destructive, painless. R4769:1, R3439:3, R2347:2
A figure of sin, incurable, except by divine miracle. R5780:4 2 Kings 5:3
She said unto her mistress – So all those who know of a divine power and arrangement for the healing of sinners may tell the good tidings, even to their enemies. R4769:1
Leprosy – See comments on 2 Kings 5:1.
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| 2 And the Aramaeans have gone out [by] troops, and they take captive out of the land of Israel a little damsel, and she is before the wife of Naaman, |
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| 3 and she saith unto her mistress, 'O that my lord [were] before the prophet who [is] in Samaria; then he doth recover him from his leprosy.' |
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| 4 And [one] goeth in and declareth to his lord, saying, 'Thus and thus she hath spoken, the damsel who [is] from the land of Israel.' |
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| 5 And the king of Aram saith, 'Go thou, enter, and I send a letter unto the king of Israel;' and he goeth and taketh in his hand ten talents of silver, and six thousand [pieces] of gold, and ten changes of garments. |
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| 6 And he bringeth in the letter unto the king of Israel, saying, 'And now, at the coming in of this letter unto thee, lo, I have sent unto thee Naaman my servant, and thou hast recovered him from his leprosy.' |
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| 7 And it cometh to pass, at the king of Israel's reading the letter, that he rendeth his garments, and saith, 'Am I God, to put to death and to keep alive, that this [one] is sending unto me to recover a man from his leprosy for surely know, I pray you, and see, for he is presenting himself to me.' |
Rent his clothes – In indication of his great distress. R5780:5, R3438:6, R2347:1
Am I God – The king of Israel was an idolater. He probably had no dealings with, and scarcely any knowledge of, Elisha. R3438:6
Leprosy – See comments on 2 Kings 5:1.
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| 8 And it cometh to pass, at Elisha the man of God's hearing that the king of Israel hath rent his garments, that he sendeth unto the king, saying, 'Why hast thou rent thy garments let him come, I pray thee, unto me, and he doth know that there is a prophet in Israel.' |
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| 9 And Naaman cometh, with his horses and with his chariot, and standeth at the opening of the house for Elisha; |
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| 10 and Elisha sendeth unto him a messenger, saying, 'Go, and thou hast washed seven times in Jordan, and thy flesh doth turn back to thee and be thou clean. |
And Elisha – See comments on 2 Kings 2:14.
Sent a messenger – We feel sure that it would not be the Lord's will that we as his followers should duplicate or copy Elisha's manner, but should render honor to those to whom honor is due. R3439:1
Elisha's course declared, "I am greater than you, because while you are the servant of the king of Syria, I am a servant of the King of kings." R3439:2
Wash in Jordan – See comments on 2 Kings 2:6.
The antitypical Jordan, "the fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel's veins." R2347:6, R4769:1
Seven times – A complete cleansing, washing. R4769:1, R3439:4, R2347:6
Our belief, obedience and baptism unto death must be perfect or complete, otherwise there is no remission of sins. R3439:4
Signifying that half-hearted consecration and obedience are not what the Lord is pleased to honor and bless. R3439:5
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| 11 And Naaman is wroth, and goeth on, and saith, 'Lo, I said, Unto me he doth certainly come out, and hath stood and called in the name of Jehovah his God, and waved his hand over the place, and recovered the leper. |
But Naaman was wroth – He expected great consideration for his rank. R4768:6, R2347:1, R3439:1, R5780:5
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| 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel do I not wash in them and I have been clean ' and he turneth and goeth on in fury. |
Are not Abana – No doubt the modern river Barrada; it has the clearest waters possible. R3439:2
May I not wash in them – There are various theories, philosophies and many suggestions as to how sin can be gotten rid of. R3439:4
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| 13 And his servants come nigh, and speak unto him, and say, 'My father, a great thing had the prophet spoken unto thee dost thou not do [it] and surely, when he hath said unto thee, Wash, and be clean.' |
His servants came near – In a moderate and wise manner, and offered him some good advice. R2347:2, R4768:6
When someone comes to the place of being ready to obey the Lord's voice, to be rid of his load of sin, it not infrequently is the result of good counsel on the part of his Christian friends. R2347:6
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| 14 And he goeth down and dippeth in Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh doth turn back as the flesh of a little youth, and is clean. |
Then went he down – Although fearful that no good would come from the washing and that he would be the laughing stock of all. R4768:6
Others may help to impress the lesson; yet no recovery from sin can be made except as the individual himself follows the divine prescription. R4769:1
Seven times – See comments on 2 Kings 5:10.
And he was clean – As only divine power could heal the leper, only the same can heal the sinner. R4769:1
Foreshadows the restitution work. B266
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| 15 And he turneth back unto the man of God, he and all his camp, and cometh in, and standeth before him, and saith, 'Lo, I pray thee, I have known that there is not a God in all the earth except in Israel; and now, take, I pray thee, a blessing from thy servant.' |
And he returned – Retraced his journey nearly forty miles to thank the prophet and to bestow gifts. R4769:2
Gratitude is one of the most worthy sentiments of the human mind. R4769:2
Demonstrating that the Lord's blessing of healing was conferred upon a man of naturally noble traits. R3439:5, R2348:2
Take a blessing – A present. R2348:2
The truly great take pleasure in being just and generous. R3439:6
His gifts were consecrated beforehand and so, after receiving the blessing, to have withheld any part would have proven him unworthy; so with our consecration. R3440:1
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| 16 And he saith, 'Jehovah liveth, before whom I have stood if I take [it];' and he presseth on him to take, and he refuseth. |
I will receive none – Thus showing that Naaman's healing was a favor, and not in exchange for the expensive presents he brought. R3439:2, R2348:4
The gifts of God's grace are not to be bartered for earthly good things. R4769:4, R5780:6
While it is not wrong for servants of the Lord to receive compensation, yet the Lord is more glorified if they do not. R3440:2
How much to the Lord's glory if all of God's people would emulate Elisha in this respect. R4769:4, R3440:2, R2348:4
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| 17 And Naaman saith, 'If not let be given, I pray thee, to thy servant, a couple of mules' burden of earth, for thy servant doth make no more burnt-offering and sacrifice to other gods, but to Jehovah. |
Burden of earth – Enough of the consecrated soil of Palestine for the building of an altar to the Lord. R3440:2, R2348:5
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| 18 For this thing Jehovah be propitious to thy servant, in the coming in of my lord into the house of Rimmon to bow himself there, and he was supported by my hand, and I bowed myself [in] the house of Rimmon; for my bowing myself in the house of Rimmon Jehovah be propitious, I pray thee, to thy servant in this thing.' |
Pardon thy servant – Since Naaman was not an Israelite but a stranger to the covenant and promises of Israel, less would be required of him. R3440:3, R2348:6
My master – The king of Syria. R3440:2
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| 19 And he saith to him, 'Go in peace.' And he goeth from him a kibrath of land, |
Go In peace – Elisha's answer was, in substance, that if the General made full profession of faith in the true God it would not be improper for him to accompany his master to the house of the false god, for his adherence to Jehovah God would be recognized. R5781:1
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| 20 And Gehazi, servant of Elisha the man of God, saith, 'Lo, my lord hath spared Naaman this Aramaean, not to receive from his hand that which he brought; Jehovah liveth; surely if I have run after him, then I have taken from him something.' |
But Gehazi – Elisha's servant had a different spirit and determined to get something by a process of graft." R4769:4, R5781:3, R3440:5, R2349:2
Covetousness leads to various other sins. Nearly every crime is more or less traceable to it. R2349:2,4
There are some today in daily contact with the truth who do not partake of its spirit and in whom selfishness is the ruling passion. R3440:5
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| 21 And Gehazi pursueth after Naaman, and Naaman seeth one running after him, and alighteth from off the chariot to meet him, and saith, 'Is there peace ' |
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| 22 And he saith, 'Peace; my lord hath sent me, saying, Lo, now, this, come unto me have two young men from the hill-country of Ephraim, of the sons of the prophets; give, I pray thee, to them, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments.' |
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| 23 And Naaman saith, 'Be pleased, take two talents;' and he urgeth on him, and bindeth two talents of silver in two purses, and two changes of garments, and giveth unto two of his young men, and they bear before him; |
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| 24 and he cometh in unto the high place, and taketh out of their hand, and layeth up in the house, and sendeth away the men, and they go. |
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| 25 And he hath come in, and doth stand by his lord, and Elisha saith unto him, 'Whence Gehazi ' and he saith, 'Thy servant went not hither or thither.' |
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| 26 And he saith unto him, 'My heart went not when the man turned from off his chariot to meet thee; is it a time to take silver, and to take garments, and olives, and vines, and flock, and herd, and men-servants, and maid-servants |
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| 27 yea, the leprosy of Naaman doth cleave to thee, and to thy seed, to the age;' and he goeth out from before him leprous as snow. |
Leprosy . . . of Naaman – With knowledge came responsibility; hence, the severe punishment inflicted upon him for hypocrisy and deception. R5781:2
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