Who is Naaman? Naaman is one of those Biblical characters whose story you might have heard, but whose name you might not remember. He lived during the Old Testament period and had a notable encounter with Elisha, one of the most powerful prophets in history. Naaman was not an Israelite, but he had a significant interaction with the God of Israel. He went to Elisha seeking a cure for a disease that had devastated his life.(Who is Naaman)
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What is Naaman’s Story in the Bible?(who is Naaman)
To answer the question “Who is Naaman?”, we should note that although Naaman was not an Israelite, he had a profound encounter with the God of Israel. He went to Elisha seeking a cure for a disease that had devastated his life. His story is one of humility and listening to God, even when God asks us to do things we might be reluctant to do. We will explore his story, his illness, and the lessons we can learn from him today.
Before diving into Naaman’s story, we should get to know him better. As mentioned earlier, he was not an Israelite. He was the commander of the army of Aram, or modern-day Syria. While Syria occasionally clashed with Israel, during the time of the prophet Elisha, who lived during the era of the kings of Israel, there does not seem to have been such conflict. At least, Israel had bigger problems with its corrupt line of kings. God appeared to smile upon Aram during Naaman’s time as a war commander, and everyone highly esteemed him.(Who is Naaman)
Then Naaman contracted leprosy. It’s important to understand that ancient civilizations had limited vocabulary for skin diseases. Thus, leprosy could encompass a variety of conditions, but regardless of the type, it always led to social ostracism. Lepers had to live on the outskirts of cities and could not visit holy places or interact with people.
A slave girl, who had been captured from Israel, told Naaman’s wife about a prophet in the northern kingdom of Israel, in Samaria, who could help cure Naaman. This news reached Naaman, and he sought help from the king of Aram. The king of Aram sent a letter along with a substantial bribe for Naaman’s cure to the king of Israel.
Since the king of Israel came from a pagan background, he might have been accustomed to pagan priests who took money before performing sacrifices or miracles. The king also had a vested interest in Naaman’s healing because lepers were considered unclean and often lived in isolation, so Naaman likely couldn’t lead any campaigns in his condition. The king wanted his best commander healed to continue their conquests.
The king of Israel was perplexed by the letter because he couldn’t heal people. He feared Syria wanted to instigate a war against him. When Elisha heard about this, he brought Naaman to his house. When Naaman arrived, Elisha told him to wash seven times in the Jordan River. The Jordan River apparently wasn’t known for its cleanliness, and Naaman found it repulsive.
As a high-ranking official, Naaman expected “special treatment” and a grand miracle—certainly better than being told to wash in a dirty river. So, he became angry and left. His servants convinced him to follow Elisha’s instructions. Reluctantly, he washed seven times and was immediately healed. Elisha refused to accept any payment for this miracle, and Naaman acknowledged that because of this, God is the only true God.(Who is Naaman)
Read more : Who is the Virgin Mary and what was her role in the life of Jesus?
Did Naaman Get Leprosy Due to His Sins?(who is Naaman)
In the Bible, we see instances where people are afflicted with diseases due to their wrongdoings. For example, Herod, who claimed to be a god (or didn’t stop others from saying so), was eaten by worms (or, according to some scholars, suffered from a terrible intestinal disease). Asa was afflicted with a foot disease due to disobedience. Miriam was struck with leprosy for speaking against Moses’ foreign wife. In both the Old and New Testaments, it was common to believe that if someone had a disease, it was due to something wrong they had done.
However, there are other instances in the Bible where individuals suffer without having done anything wrong. In Job’s case, he did nothing wrong, so we must be cautious when assuming someone has earned their disease. After all, when Jesus healed people, he clarified that not all of them had done anything to deserve their ailments. They just had those ailments to demonstrate God’s power through a miracle. In Naaman’s case, the Bible is silent about whether he did something wrong. All 2 Kings 5 wants to tell us is that he had a disease and God healed it.
Some Jewish scholars explain Naaman’s “curse” or disease in rabbinic literature such as the Talmud and Midrash. They look at the fact that he had captured a woman from Israel and made her a slave for his wife. God is very clear in the Old Testament that he opposes the enslavement of his people, especially after Israel spent so much time as slaves in Egypt, and God made his thoughts clear in Levitical law.
So perhaps he was struck for wrongfully enslaving the Israelite girl. Elisha doesn’t seem to point to one side or the other when he tells Naaman to wash. But Elisha seems to see Naaman’s real problem: his pride.
Naaman thought he deserved the best treatment. As an upper-class individual, he was probably used to a very comfortable life where people gave him the best things. Regardless of whether Naaman’s disease came from wrongfully capturing the girl, pride, or just sheer circumstance, he ultimately emerges humbled and praising God.
Lessons from Naaman’s Story in the Bible
Now that we understand who Naaman is, his story can teach us a lot about ourselves. Naaman, somewhat of an enemy to Israel, had the audacity to ask an Israelite prophet for a miracle, especially after having captured one of them. But God answered him—not in the way he expected. If we truly analyze this section with a repentant heart, we can learn two important life lessons from Naaman and perhaps see our own need for humility.
Naaman had a pride problem: If we’re honest, so do we. We often think our lives should go a certain way. When disease or other hardships enter our lives, we tend to get very upset. We forget that we live in a fallen world and have contributed to its fallen nature. We are not entitled to healing or anything else. Many times, God strikes at our pride. When we find ourselves in difficult situations, that pride diminishes. Just as Naaman needed to wash in the Jordan, we all have our versions of the Jordan River. We may need to accept the humility required for cleansing.
Naaman wanted God to work in a specific way: It’s interesting that the king of Aram tried to bribe the king of Israel to perform the miracle. Even after Naaman praises God, he tries to pay Elisha. He doesn’t quite understand the bigger picture. He cannot use wealth or position to get what he wants in this situation. Similarly, although not all of us are wealthy (the article’s author is certainly far from it), we might try to bribe God. With promises, gifts, prayers… when God already has all we have. We cannot influence him with possessions, time, any of it.
If we are honest, we can sometimes be very much like Naaman. We dare to ask for more when we have committed great sins and then get angry at God for his solutions to our problems. We may need to wash in the Jordan and allow God to change us in ways only he can.
