March 16 – Namaan and the Miracle of Faith – to a Dirty Soul
II Kings 5 & Romans 7
In the previous devotion, I encouraged you to read and learn from II Kings 5, the account of the healing from leprosy of the Syrian general Naaman. The lessons are manifold, including a small window into the real core of the miracle: Naaman believed a little slave girl, and made tremendous accommodations to follow through with that hope and eventual genuine faith.
In this fascinating account, we have a little captive slave girl who believed in her graceful and powerful God, despite her “looser” circumstances. We have a king of Israel, (Samaria), not even aware that His God Yahweh (his country’s historic but not currently worshipped God) had a prophet like Elisha who could do this healing. We have a foreign general and his king who both believe the witness of a little Jewish slave girl. We have a vacillating Naaman, who is ready to forget the whole thing and return without healing because he is offended at the simplicity of Elisha’s directions. And we have his servants, who appear to believe, and encourage Naaman to go through with the plan, even though it seems absurdly humble. And we have a greedy assistant to the prophet, who is letting riches choke out his faith.… It seems like we have all the various seeds of the Parable of the Sower (Mt. 13) covered!
Why did Naaman believe the little girl?
Perhaps the stories of Elijah’s counseled victories over Syria as well as his previous miracles in regions north laid a foundation and witness of Yahweh as a God who could, indeed, do miracles. The slave girl apparently knew some of these miracles. But beyond this, we have only the hollowness of the false gods as a testimony that Naaman had no faith in his own country’s deities.
One more thing we do have, Naaman’s leprosy. Although some commentators say the word used for Naaman’s skin disease allowed for something other than leprosy, Jesus in Luke 4:37, retelling the story, uses a word which fits more precisely with leprosy. In Syria, the disease may not have had the stigma it did in Israel, but it was still both an obvious ailment to all, and an irritant and stigma for the general.
What comes to mind is St. Paul’s awareness of his “wretched” sin. In Romans 7, Paul famously said, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” Paul’s sin may not have been as visible as Naaman’s skin disease, but Paul knew his sin was ugly and obvious to God.
When people don’t feel dirty, showers lose their importance; we’ve all been near someone who unknowingly needs to bathe. Yet, sometimes, we’re the oblivious dirty ones. Naaman and Paul were aware of their need. Their uncleanness was crying out like lepers were required to do in the days of Jesus, “Unclean! Unclean!”
Imagine this as a daily public proclamation! Humiliating.
But all of us must make that confession to God: “Unclean!” And, Praise the Lord, His solution is absurdly simple. Trust Him to do the cleaning/healing. Jesus said, “Salvation is from the Jews.” (Jn. 4) That is why the measly little Jordan river, which is outsized in many places by our Six Mile Creek, was a letdown for Naaman. He was looking for blessed bling! Theology of glory. He got the nautical equivalent of crucifixion. God is about humility, humility in our hearts and humility from the cross. And by grace like that provided at Calvary, Naaman believed.
Prayer: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! There is therefore now no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus!” Lord, thank You for Your healing.
Bless me when my faith is prideful that it may be humbled and sustained. Amen.
