By: Howard Johnson
We read in 2 Kings 5:1–14 about a mighty captain of the host of the king of Syria. He had the power to win nations for his king. Yet, this man was stricken with leprosy, a dreaded disease that kills the body. In one of his raids, Naaman, the captain of the hosts, took a young maiden to be his wife’s servant. She was from the land of Israel. This maiden told Naaman’s wife about a prophet in Samaria who could heal her husband of his leprosy. With his king’s permission, Naaman went to see Elisha, the prophet of God.
When Naaman arrived at Elisha’s door, he called to him. Elisha, hearing the caller, sent a messenger to the captain. The servant told Naaman to go into the river Jordan. He further told him to wash seven times, and he would be cleansed of his leprosy. Naaman became furious. He was a great warrior. He wanted Elisha to personally come to him. Naaman thought, “How dare Elisha send a servant to instruct him.” He expected Elisha to wave his hand over the area, and it would be cleansed.
Furthermore, the river Jordan was a muddy river. Why couldn’t he go to the Abana or Pharpar, one of the cleaner rivers of Damascus? After encouragement from his servants, Naaman agreed and went to the Jordan. He washed seven times and came up with skin as a child.
We all can learn a valuable lesson from Naaman’s obedience. We must put our selfish, human pride aside and accept the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ just as Naaman accepted instruction from the prophet of God. We may not always agree with how God wants us to serve Him, but we must remember that His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8). If God wants to send us a messenger (i.e., Bible, preacher, friend, etc.) and not Himself, then we must be willing to listen to what the messenger has to say. If God wants us to be immersed in water to prove our faithful obedience (1 Peter 3:20–21) before He will cleanse us, that is what we must do (Acts 22:16).
Neither of these acts, the listening to believe (have faith) nor the immersion in water (baptism), actually saves us. However, it is our obedience (Hebrews 5:8–9; 2 Thessalonians 1:8–9) to our Creator’s will that allows God to fulfill His plan in us. That plan is salvation from sin (Mark 16:16), which is essential preparation preceding eternal life (Matthew 10:22; Revelation 2:10).
[Editor’s Note: The muddy Jordan River had no magical powers to physically heal, but in the case of Naaman, God healed the man when he completely obeyed. Likewise, the water of baptism possesses no magical power to heal spiritually, but God heals souls from their sins when they completely obey Him. ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor]
