Event V
ELISHA AND NA'AMAN
by Charles Quigley
In our next Biblical narrative about interactions between Jews and Gentiles with a favorable outcome, once again we observe a Hebrew prophet as he meets with a Gentile (most unusual, as we have commented) — in fact, with a whole host of them!
And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, "And now as this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent Na’aman my servant to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy." (2 Kings 5:6)
This seems to us an innocent enough request in these modern days, when medicine has found the means to cure this affliction. In this day and age, it’s called patient referral!
But wait! There are several curious aspects to this request. For one, the request has been sent to the king of Israel from the king of an enemy country, Aram (which is the region of modern-day Syria), most likely Ben Hadad II. (The particular king of Israel is not identified.) The army of Aram would conduct periodic skirmishes against Israel, capturing spoils and some Israelites who were made slaves.
And another thing, for up to this time — over the period from the time the Israelites crossed the Jordan into Canaan through the end of the Hebrew Scriptures (about 425 BC) — there was no documented case of the healing of a Jewish person afflicted with leprosy throughout Israel. The thing could not be done, not by man!
Most certainly, the Mosaic Law does contain substantial information about how leprosy could be detected, and further, how the remission (read 'cure’) of a leper could be confirmed by inspection by the priests.(1) That is, the Hebrew Scriptures look to the future, and devote much attention to determining any case in which a Jewish person with a confirmed case of leprosy (the Mosaic Law told them how to confirm that leprosy was present) was later proven to be cured (again, the Mosaic Law told them how to confirm that the leprosy was no longer present).
Since there was no knowledge of how such a cure could be accomplished by man, then they reasoned that when in future someone did cure a Jewish leper, the person who accomplished such a remarkable cure must surely be none other than the long-awaited Messiah.(2)
But we speak now of a leprous Gentile, not a Jewish person.
Though the king of Israel is very worried about this request — (1) that it comes from an enemy king, and (2) that he should accomplish the impossible — the prophet Elisha is not at all disturbed, and calls for Na’aman to be sent instead to him. There is the narrative about the general Na’aman’s arrival with fanfare, not merely alone nor with a small group but with horses and chariots, viz., in full force. We observe Na’aman’s anger when Elisha does not come himself to meet with Na’aman, but instead only sends his assistant Gehazi — and then with instructions so simple they seem an insult! On the advice of his servants, however, Na’aman agrees to the wiser course, follows the 'directions on the bottle’ so to speak, and is healed!
To this, Na’aman exclaims,
"Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel." (2 Kings 5:15a)
(Observe that Na’aman does not say, "that there is a god in Israel." Na’aman acknowledges there is only one God, and that He is in Israel! — quite a difference.)
And there is the narrative of the failure of Gehazi, Elisha’s assistant, who tries to profit from the healing,(3) and who earns instead for himself the leprosy removed from Na’aman. But Na’aman takes no note of this, and only carries back with him the knowledge of the God of Israel.
BUT APPARENTLY the message Na’aman received was not also received by the king of Aram, that he might understand that the God of Israel who heals is also one who protects and defends. Aram continues marauding Israel following this event.
Now the God of Israel might have chosen to say, "Enough, already!" and rain down fire and brimstone on Aram, or at least have opened up a chasm or two at strategic places. But no, something very interesting happens next. (Remember the object of our discussion, to examine interactions between Jews and Gentiles that have a beneficial outcome.)
When the king of Aram plots in secret how to attack Israel, the king of Israel seems to know just where Aram plans to strike next and moves accordingly. When the king of Aram finally figures out that this occurs not because of a spy in his camp, he realizes that it must be due to the prophet Elisha who has healed his general Na’aman, and the king plans how to take Elisha captive. (Isn’t it curious that the king realized that Elisha spoke with God, but didn’t get the rest of the message?) There follows the dramatic scene when the great army of Aram sent by the king comes by night and surrounds the camp of Elisha — what must have been only a humble shack — and the prophet opens the eyes of Gehazi his assistant to the far greater army of GOD that surrounds all of them.
But Elisha does not call down fire to destroy the army of Aram. Instead, Elisha makes the strange request that GOD merely blind them. Then Elisha leads the large army of the enemy — blinded, understand — to Samaria to the king of Israel, right into the midst of the Israel’s army, where their sight is restored and they see they are surrounded. And there Elisha advises the king of Israel not to kill them, but to feed them and to send them away in peace.
Understand, Israel has the chance to destroy the marauding army of Aram, utterly, completely, finally, to be assured that the marauding by Aram would end! But instead, the prophet Elisha, instructed by GOD, advises the king that they be fed and sent away in peace, in the hope of no more attacks. And indeed, the Scriptures tell us that the marauding bands of Aram did not come again into the land of Israel.
THE VISUAL IMAGE presented in these two narratives, which we consider are linked, should not be missed. The Gentile general Na’aman had his eyes opened to the one, the only GOD, who is the God of Israel. But when the king of Aram missed the point and sent his army, GOD by His prophet caused their eyes to be blinded, that they might be led right into the midst of their enemies, most assuredly subject to destruction. But rather than destroy, GOD caused them to be blessed with food and freedom to return in safety to their own land.
It was by this means that GOD caused the message received by Na’aman but lost by his king to be brought to all the army of Aram. And for a time, peace was restored to the land.
1 Leviticus 13-14.
2 For an interesting discussion, see Jesus' healing of the leprous man (Luke 5:12-14) and Jesus' cleansing of the ten lepers (Luke 17:12-19).
3 2 Kings 5:20-27.
