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Story 10
Historical setting:
Time:Around 845 B.C.
Place: Damascus,
Jericho, and the River Jordan.
Persons: A little
slave girl, Naaman, Elisha, Gehazi.
Scripture: II Kings
5.
Our story begins in the metropolis of Damascus. King
Benhadad of Syria and King Jehoram of Israel were enemies, and
the two nations were always at war with each other. Syria had
gone to Israel on many occasions and plundered it, taking
riches and capturing civilians.
Naaman was a general in King Benhadad's army. His deeds of
valor had earned him a top position. But Naaman had a serious
ailment. He was a leper. Leprosy was the most dreaded disease
known at the time, a disease that ate the flesh and gnarled
the limbs. And there was no known cure. Naaman knew that it
was just a matter of time before his disease would cause him
to have to leave his position, his family--his life as he knew
it--and go into seclusion. And the king knew this, too.
During one of Syria's sieges in Israel, a young girl was
snatched from her parents and taken captive. To show his
appreciation to Naaman, the king gave him the girl, to be a
servant to his wife. Although the child missed her family, she
carried out her duties diligently and happily. One day, when
her mistress was particularly sad, and was talking with some
of her attendants about her husband's worsening condition, the
girl overheard the conversation.
Going shyly to her
mistress she said, "Oh I do wish my master was in Israel, as
there is a great prophet there who would be able to heal his
disease. While I was still in my homeland, I heard of many
wonderful miracles that he performed. He even raised up a
little boy from the dead. I am sure he could cure Master."
Mistress was in no mood to hear the child's prattle, and
dismissed what she said as being just foolish talk of an
ignorant slave. However, one of the older attendants took
seriously what the girl said, and went to Naaman with the
report.
His hopes mounting, Naaman presented this information to
King Benhadad. The king quickly sprang into action. Thinking
that the king of Israel had some special magician in his
kingdom who could perform miracles, he wrote a letter to the
Jehoram, and called Naaman to him. "Go," he said, "I have
written a letter to the king of Israel. I want you to take
some servants with you and go to the land of Israel. Take
gifts of silver and gold and fine raiments to present to him,
imploring him to cure you." So Naaman, with his cavalcade of
chariots, camels and servants, headed off to Israel, loaded
with gifts of ten talents of silver, six thousand pieces of
gold, and ten changes of raiment. They headed straight for the
palace.
Naaman's servant was ushered into the king's presence. He
presented the letter from King Benhadad, and stood waiting for
his reply. He watched the king's face as he read: "To King
Jehoram, from your humble servant, King Benhadad of Syria. I
hear you have a great magician in your palace that can cure
all kinds of diseases. I have sent Naaman, my top captain, to
you so that you may recover him of his leprosy. He has brought
you expensive gifts in payment."
The waiting servant was unprepared for the violent reaction
that he witnessed. King Jehoram tore at his clothes, yelling,
"Who does he think I am? God? Does he think that I can kill
and make alive? He expects that I should cure this man of
leprosy? No! I know his tricks. He is like a wily fox. He is
trying to pick a fight. Get out! Get out this instance, and go
back to your king and tell him that if it is a fight he wants,
a fight he will get."
But someone in the palace heard the king's explosion and
went quickly and told Elisha the story. Elisha sent this reply
back: "Why has the king torn his clothes? Why is he so upset?
Tell him not to take it so hard. Send this captain to me. Let
him know that there is a prophet in Israel who is in touch
with God, the only One who can cure him of his terrible
disease."
So Naaman' entourage of camels and chariots and servants
stood at Elisha's door. But instead of the reception he
expected--that Elisha would come out and bow down to him,
showing obeisance--he was met by a servant, with this message:
"Go and wash in the river Jordan, seven times, and you will be
cured of your leprosy. Your skin will become like new."
Naaman flew off in a terrible rage. "Who does he think he
is? He could have at least met me face to face. I expected
that he would come out and wave his wand over me, and
pronounce me clean. Does he not know that it is the great
Captain Naaman that has come to him? How outrageous to be met
by a servant and told to go bathe in the filthy River Jordan!
Are there not better rivers in Damascus that he could have
picked? What about the Rivers Abana and Pharpar, known for
their sparkling waters, and popular with people for bathing?
How dare he!" The great captain turned away, fury burning him
to his very soul.
One of his servants, seeing his rage, went trembling up to
him and said, "Oh my father, if the prophet had told you to do
some hard thing, would you not have done it? Please do not be
angry. He has asked such a simple thing. 'Go dip in the river
of Jordan seven times, and you will be cured.'"
So, angrily, Captain Naaman turned his convoy around and
headed for the River Jordan, some twenty miles away. He threw
off his outer garments and stepped into the dirty river,
curling his lips as he did so. The red clay gave the river the
appearance of flowing with blood, rather than water. Gingerly
he immersed himself into the water. Gasping, he came up,
looking at his skin. No difference. All he could see was the
red clay, clinging to his skin. He dipped again, and again,
and again, each time inspecting his skin. No difference. "I
knew this was ridiculous," he muttered, as he came up for the
sixth time. "Oh well, I've already made a fool of myself, so I
may as well go down for the seventh time."
After coming up from the water this time, he looked at his
hands. They looked like they had when he was a youth, pure,
white, and no blemishes. With a whoop, he stepped out of the
water, where his servants were waiting with his drying robe
and his outer clothes. His face looked like the sky on a clear
summer day. It was shining, and he was smiling, a rare thing
for this great Captain.
"Hurry," he said to his servants. "We must go back to the
prophet's house and present our gifts. We must thank him."
Naaman's servants had never seen him this happy. With
lightened hearts they turned the cavalcade around and headed
back to Elisha's dwelling.
Standing before the prophet Naaman said, "Now I know that
there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel. Please
accept these gifts I am offering, in appreciation for what you
have done for me this day."
But he did not expect the response he got from Elisha. "As
my God lives, before whom I stand, I will not accept anything
from you."
Even after Naaman's persistent urging, Elisha refused to
take a single thing. The pompous Naaman, deflated by the
refusal, got into his carriage. "What a strange man that
prophet, Elisha, is!" He had never heard of anyone refusing
gifts and money.
But wait. He turned back to Elisha and said, "Well, if you
will not take the gifts from me, I ask you this, I would like
to take with me some of your soil so that I can build an altar
to offer burnt offering to the Lord when I return to my
homeland. For, from now on, I shall worship no other God but
your God... But you will have to pardon me when I go with the
king to the house of Rimmon to worship there. If I bow down
with the king, because he relies on me, I do hope God will
pardon me then."
Elisha said, "Take the soil, and go in peace." He did not
say that he understood. He neither condemned nor commended him
for his stand.
Gehazi, the servant who had been with Elisha for some time,
watched Naaman's entourage leaving. He said to himself, "My
master was too easy on Naaman. He is rich. Why didn't he take
his gifts? But wait, as the Lord lives, I will run after him
and take something. Why shouldn't I? He offered it, after
all." So Gehazi ran quickly after the retreating procession.
Naaman turned when it was drawn to his attention that
someone was running after the convoy. He recognized him to be
Elisha's servant. He got down from his carriage to meet him,
asking, "Is everything all right?"
Gahazi answered, "Oh yes, everything is all right; however,
my master has sent me after you. Just after you left a couple
of young men, sons of the prophets, came from Mount Ephraim.
My master has asked me to request a small token from you so
that he can give something to these men. He suggested a talent
of silver and two changes of garments."
"It is a small thing you ask," replied Naaman. "Here, take
two talents and two changes of garments. I shall send my
servants back with you to help you carry your gifts. And I bid
your master well."
But Gehazi would not let the servants go all the way back
with him. He relieved them of the gifts and hid them in the
house, bidding the men goodbye. Gehazi's heart was beating
fast, for fear Elisha would come on the scene before he had a
chance to properly hide the goods.
Gehazi, pleased that he had not been caught, went in and
stood before Elisha. And Elisha said to him, "Gehazi, where
have you been?"
To this, Gehazi answered, "My lord, I have not been
anywhere."
"Oh Gehazi," said Elisha, his head lowered, "did not my
heart go with you when you went after Naaman and his chariots?
Is this any time to receive money and garments and olive yards
and vineyards and sheep and oxen and menservants—all the
things that the money you have received from the Captain could
buy?"
Elisha continued, sorrow showing in his face. "Gehazi, the
leprosy which Naaman has been cured from will be upon you and
upon your seed forever."
Gehazi stood before Elisha, ashamed now, and trembling. He
looked down at his hands and they were white as snow. He went
from Elisha's presence, and from his service, a leper. His
greed had bought the dread disease, which would be with him
and his offspring forever.
Helen Dowd
 
(source of some of the information gleaned from "The
Chosen Word" copyright 1915 The John A. Hertel Co.)
Please read: Story 11 "The
Invisible Army
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