2 Kings 5:11
But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.
Naaman was a great and honored Syrian commander who was also a leper, and he expected the prophet to heal him personally with a dramatic calling on God and waving of the hand over the disease. When he was told only to wash in the Jordan he was enraged and insulted in his pride, despising the humble river in favor of the idol-adorned rivers of Damascus because obedience would have cost him his humility. Persuaded by his servants to do the small thing required, he repented of his passion, obeyed with willing faith, and was made whole by washing seven times. Though a heathen, he lived faithfully up to the light he had with a teachable spirit and was cleansed and enlightened in the true God, while many lepers in Israel were left unhealed through unbelief, pride and misuse of privilege. Jesus later pointed to his healing alone to show that God's mercy reaches beyond Israel, a truth that exposed national pride and provoked hostility, for standing with God depends not on how much light is received but on how it is used.
Naaman's Setting and Expectation
Naaman was captain of the host of the king of Syria, a great man with his master and honorable, a mighty man in valor by whom the Lord had given victory and deliverance unto Syria, but he was a leper. In his house was a little Israelite maid carried captive in border warfare who waited on Naaman's wife. As God's witness she sympathized with her master and wished he were with the prophet in Samaria, for he would recover him of his leprosy, knowing the power of Heaven was with Elisha and believing that by this power Naaman could be healed. God sent this little Israelitish maiden to Naaman the Syrian captain in his need of divine help and guidance.
Naaman expected Elisha to come out to him personally and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God and strike his hand over the place and recover the leper in a dramatic healing. He looked for the prophet to come out, invoke the Lord, and heal him through a dramatic personal gesture and outward display. When Elisha instead sent a simple instruction to wash and bid him go bathe in Jordan seven times, Naaman was wroth and went away. The command wounded his pride and left him mortified and disappointed, so he murmured to his servants, refused the humble course marked out for him, and in passion became passionate and turned away in a rage. His pride and disappointment led him to reject the instruction, and his indignant refusal nearly kept him from being healed and would have cost him the promised blessing.
He considered it beneath his dignity to wash in the humble river Jordan and counted Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel. Those rivers were beautified by surrounding trees and groves where idols were placed and many flocked to worship their idol gods, and they were associated with the worship of idols. Washing in them would have cost him no humility, while following the specified direction of the prophet to wash in the Jordan would humble his proud and lofty spirit.
Humility Brings Cleansing
His servants turned him back from his rage by plain reasoning that if he had been told to do some great thing he would have done it, so how much more should he obey when he was told merely to wash and be clean. They met his murmuring and mortification over the humble course marked out for him, when bidden to go and bathe in Jordan seven times he did not at once obey but turned away passionate and wroth.
The command to wash was a test of faith, with a blessing of healing and a happy life promised if he performed the duty laid upon him. When he repented and became willing to receive instruction, willing obedience brought the desired result, he washed and was made whole. Had his refusal continued it would have cost him that blessing, for cleansing came only through following the prophet's specific direction.
The verse shows that unbelieving, hard-hearted people who expect outward display forfeit the power of God displayed through faithful prophets. Those who have hearts that can feel and faith that will grasp the evidences God is pleased to give receive it. It rebukes corrupt life and wicked unbelief that scorns true reverence and rejects God's work because it comes in meekness and lowliness, in poverty and sorrow, while demanding instead riches and splendor and a grand and imposing army for a king.
To perfect Christian character a person must condescend to be faithful in the littles, doing small duties just as bidden with willingness and pleasure. Neglect of them makes a great deficiency in character, and God cannot be pleased without faithfulness in small things.
The place toward which feet are directed is chosen by God for a reason, because someone there may need the help that can be given. Work that is not of personal choice is therefore to be accepted as God's choice. God still sends men and women and youth today as His representatives to those in need of divine help and guidance, as He sent help to the Syrian captain in his need.
Favor Beyond Israel
Naaman was a heathen Syrian nobleman, a leper who had lived faithfully according to the light he possessed and had been true to his convictions of right. He recognized his need of help and opened his heart with a teachable spirit to receive instruction, which made him receptive to divine power. Because of that receptiveness he was cleansed of his loathsome leprosy and was also blessed, taught, and enlightened with knowledge of the true God and divine truth.
Many lepers in Israel were not cleansed because the people had rejected God. Through unbelief, pride, self-sufficiency, misuse of blessings, and lives contradicting their profession they slighted their privileges and closed themselves off from God's help. Standing before God depends not on how much light has been received but on how that light is used. Those who follow the light they have and do right as far as they can are regarded with greater favor and counted more righteous than God's professed and chosen people when they backslide, reject truth, and sacrifice principle for convenience and worldly honor. God's favor is not secured merely by belonging to His professed people, as also shown with the widow of Sarepta.
Jesus recalled that Naaman alone was healed to show that God's mercy reached beyond Israel, since no Israelite leper was cleansed in Elisha's time. His reference to that Gentile blessing challenged expectations, exposed national pride and resistance to His message, and offended and provoked the hostility of the hearers at Nazareth.