God Heals Naaman

NAAMAN’S HEALING

We’re continuing in our series ‘Bible Stories for Grown-Ups.’ Today we’re looking at one of the most famous stories in the Book of Kings. It’s the story of the healing of the Syrian general, Naaman. It’s a great story for Sunday School, because one of the key characters is a young girl.

If we state the story simply, it goes like this. Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army, was brave, but he had leprosy. When he heard of the power of Elisha, he went to Samaria to be cured. Elisha told him, ‘If you want to be clean, wash seven times in the Jordan.’ Naaman did as Elisha told him, and he was healed.

That’s the simple form of the story. But there’s a lot more in it, and A LOT we can learn from it. I’ve got eight brief points. I don’t suppose everyone will find every point helpful, but I hope everyone will find SOME of them helpful! They follow the progression of the story, and are not in order of importance. In fact, the most important point is the last one.

1. BE COURTEOUS. COURTESY GENERATES RESPECT.

In this story, Naaman eventually comes to faith in God. His journey to faith starts with ten words (in the Hebrew) uttered by a little slave girl. In verse 2 we read that Syrian raiding bands have been attacking Israel and have carried off ‘a little girl’. I’m going to call her Natalie for convenience. Natalie is a ‘little’ girl or a ‘young’ girl. Both ‘little’ and ‘young’ are possible. But the Hebrew word for ‘girl’ is rather specific. The Hebrew word that’s translated ‘girl’ is ‘naarah.’ The male form of ‘naarah’ is ‘naar.’ A commentator [John MacDonald, University of Leeds in the 1960s] tells us:

“NAAR stands out … as descriptive of HIGH-BORN MALE YOUNG. The feminine NAARAH compares with other words for a female in much the same way as NAAR does with other words for a male. Rebekah is one, as is Dinah.”

The point is that when the text says that Natalie is a naarah, it means she’s from a noble or upper-class family. I don’t like to make class distinctions, but it seems that the Bible is making a distinction here. It isn’t saying that being from an upper-class or noble family is better than being from any other class, but it’s the background Natalie is from. Naaman is the commander of Syria’s army; his wife will therefore be a lady of standing. She would be ‘upper-class’ and she would have wanted a servant who had been brought up in a similar home. Natalie, being a ‘naarah’, fits right in. Coming from an upper-class family does not mean that you know how to speak courteously and wisely. However, it seems that Natalie does. In our passage, she says just one thing:

“Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”

Although this is brief, Natalie’s words show her courtesy and wisdom.

First, she says, ‘Would that my lord…’ She doesn’t directly suggest that Naaman go to see Elisha. It isn’t her place to do that.

Second, she refers to Naaman as her ‘lord.’ That’s polite and respectful.

Third, Elisha is in Israel. However, Natalie diplomatically says he’s in Samaria. Israel is the enemy. That’s wise, to avoid saying Israel.

Fourth, Natalie is very confident that Elisha ‘would cure him of his leprosy.’ She has conviction.

Initially, Naaman’s wife, and later, Naaman, pay attention to what she is saying. Why? She’s just a little slave girl.

Natalie may have been reliable and trustworthy, but we don’t know that. What we do see is that she was courteous, diplomatic, and had conviction. That must have played a role in Naaman and his wife taking her seriously. Interestingly, the Bible also recognizes her. She is the only little girl in the Old Testament who speaks in her own voice.

So, lesson one is: be courteous. Courtesy generates respect.

2. LOOK FOR THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT COME WITH THE PROBLEMS

Natalie came into contact with Naaman and his wife because she was seized in a raid. She was a slave in a foreign country – a definite problem. But she found an opportunity. There are others like her. Joseph was taken as a captive to Egypt. Daniel was taken as a captive to Babylon. Both seized opportunities. Persecution scattered the early church. People get moved today. Sometimes they want to move; sometimes they don’t. Over a million migrants came to Europe in 2015. It wasn’t what they wanted or what Europe wanted. But it created great opportunities for mission.

Lesson two is to look for the opportunities that come with the problems.

3. DON’T TRUST KINGS

Naaman goes to the king of Syria. He needs to see the prophet but the king of Syria writes a letter to the king of Israel. Not so smart. The king of Israel gets the letter and gets angry. He says, ‘How am I supposed to help?’ So, neither king does very well. That’s the point. The two kings don’t even get names. They aren’t significant. Worse, they get in the way. It is God who has power to cure. The message is the same for us. Don’t imagine that the government will fix all your problems. It simply can’t.