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| 1 And Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man before his master, and honourable, for by him Jehovah had given deliverance to Syria; and he was a mighty man of valour, but a leper. |
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 Syrians had gone out in bands, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife. |
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| 3 And she said to her mistress, Oh, would that my lord were before the prophet that is in Samaria! then he would cure him of his leprosy. |
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| 4 And he went and told his lord saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel. |
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| 5 And the king of Syria said, Well! go, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of raiment. |
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| 6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, And now, when this letter comes to thee, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest cure him of his leprosy. |
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| 7 And it came to pass when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his garments, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeks an occasion against 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 was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his garments, that he sent to the king, saying, Why hast thou rent thy garments? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. |
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| 9 And Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the doorway of the house of Elisha. |
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| 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be 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 was wroth, and went away and said, Behold, I thought, He will certainly come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of Jehovah his God, and wave his hand over the place, and cure 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 the Abanah and the Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them and be clean? And he turned and went away in a rage. |
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 drew near, and spoke to him and said, My father, if the prophet had bidden thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he says to 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 Then he went down, and plunged himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God. And his flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was 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 returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came and stood before him; and he said, Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; and now, I pray thee, take a present of 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 But he said, As Jehovah liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none! And he urged him to take it; but he refused. |
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 said, If not, then let there, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules' burden of this earth; for thy servant will no more offer 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 In this thing Jehovah pardon thy servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to bow down there, and he leans on my hand, and I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon--when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, Jehovah pardon thy servant, I pray thee, 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 said to him, Go in peace. And he departed from him a little way. |
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, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master has spared Naaman, this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought; but as Jehovah liveth, I will run after him and take somewhat of him. |
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 followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he sprang down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well? |
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| 22 And he said, All is well. My master has sent me saying, Behold, even now there are come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets; give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of raiment. |
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| 23 And Naaman said, Consent to take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of raiment, and laid them upon two of his young men; and they bore them before him. |
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| 24 And when he came to the hill, he took them from their hand, and stowed them in the house; and he let the men go, and they departed. |
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| 25 And he entered in and stood before his master. And Elisha said to him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither.
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| 26 And he said to him, Did not my heart go, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and bondmen, and bondwomen? |
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| 27 But the leprosy of Naaman shall fasten upon thee, and upon thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence 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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