**The Healing of Naaman: A Story of Humility and Faith**
In the land of Aram, there was a man named Naaman, a commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a mighty warrior, highly esteemed by his master, for through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. But despite his power and prestige, Naaman suffered from a terrible affliction—he was a leper. His skin was marred by the disease, and though he wore the finest garments and commanded thousands, he could not escape the shame and pain of his condition.
One day, a young Israelite girl, captured during a raid and brought to serve Naaman’s wife, spoke up with a glimmer of hope. “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria!” she said. “He would cure him of his leprosy.” Her words were simple, yet they carried the weight of faith. Naaman, desperate for healing, took her words to heart and went to his king.
The king of Aram, eager to help his trusted commander, wrote a letter to the king of Israel. “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you,” it read, “so that you may cure him of his leprosy.” The letter was accompanied by lavish gifts—ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of clothing. The king of Aram assumed that such wealth would surely secure Naaman’s healing.
When the king of Israel received the letter, he tore his robes in distress. “Am I God?” he cried. “Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!” The king’s fear was palpable, for he saw the request as an impossible demand, a trap set by his enemy.
But word of the king’s despair reached the prophet Elisha, a man of God who had performed many miracles in the name of the Lord. Elisha sent a message to the king: “Why have you torn your robes? Send the man to me, and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.”
So Naaman, with his horses and chariots and entourage, arrived at Elisha’s house. He stood at the door, expecting the prophet to come out, perform some grand ritual, and heal him with a wave of his hand. But Elisha did not even come to the door. Instead, he sent a messenger with a simple instruction: “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored, and you will be cleansed.”
Naaman was furious. “I thought he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot, and cure me of my leprosy!” he exclaimed. “Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” His pride was wounded, and he turned away in a rage.
But his servants, wiser than their master, approached him gently. “My father,” they said, “if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” Their words pierced Naaman’s heart, and he realized the truth in their counsel. Swallowing his pride, he went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself in its waters seven times, as Elisha had instructed.
When he emerged from the water the seventh time, his skin was as smooth as a child’s. The leprosy was gone. Naaman was healed, not by his own power or wealth, but by the grace of God working through the obedience of a humble prophet and the faith of a young servant girl.
Overwhelmed with gratitude, Naaman returned to Elisha’s house. “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel,” he declared. He offered Elisha the gifts he had brought, but the prophet refused. “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing,” Elisha said. Naaman pressed him, but Elisha remained firm.
Before leaving, Naaman made a request. “Please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord.” He also asked for forgiveness in advance, knowing that his duties to the king of Aram might require him to bow in the temple of Rimmon. Elisha assured him, “Go in peace.”
As Naaman journeyed home, his heart was full of joy and gratitude. He had been healed not only of his leprosy but also of his pride. He had learned that true power lies not in wealth or status but in humility and faith. And so, Naaman, the mighty commander, became a humble servant of the one true God.
This story of Naaman’s healing reminds us that God’s ways are not our ways. He often works through the unexpected—a young girl’s faith, a prophet’s simple instruction, and the humble act of washing in a river. It is a testament to the power of humility, the importance of obedience, and the boundless grace of God, who heals not just our bodies but our hearts as well.
