2 Kings 5 – Naaman and the dip in the Jordan River

There are times when it is necessary to dive into the Jordan River, because only then will we be able to reach the greatness of God. Jordan has a very extraordinary meaning, as Jordan: Means “the one who runs” or “the one who descends”. here that comes down. Often for patent positions and positions we occupy, we are taken by pride, by our ego and we fail to see the greatness of God around us.

And Naaman, captain of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man before his LORD, and of great respect; for by him the LORD had given deliverance to the Syrians; and this man was a valiant hero, but a leper. (2 Kings 5:1)

Naaman was a very important man and had a position of great importance, but behind this Great and successful man was a poor leper. There was behind this great man, a Naaman who had a disease greater than the leprosy he carried with him, it was his ego, his self.

The king of Syria had great respect for Naaman, for he was the commander of his army, through him the Lord had given great victories to Syria. Naaman was a brave warrior, but he suffered from leprosy. At the time, Syrian marauders had invaded the territory of Israel, and among the captives was a girl who became a servant to Naaman’s wife.

Much can be learned from this illustrious stranger that even though she was taken captive, she did not in any way deny the faith and love of God. This girl knew a living God who would be able to heal Naaman of his leprosy. Every place we are, in fact, is to be instruments of God and there will be times when God will do things that we will never understand, because God wants that through us someone’s life is transformed.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8,9)

God’s thoughts are not like our thoughts, nor are our ways like the ways of the Lord. That girl even being placed as a servant in the house of a stranger as an instrument of God will say to her mistress:

Before my lord was before the prophet who is in Samaria; he would restore him from his leprosy. (2 Kings 5:3)

Wherever God is placing us, we must be living instruments, that is, we are there, because we are God’s channels. That girl had every reason to wish Naaman ill, but on the contrary, God was present in this girl’s life so that she looks at the situation and sees the opportunity to present that family, a living God capable of working miracles.

Naaman tells the king what the Israelite girl had said, and the king of Syria gives him permission to visit the prophet. The king gives Naaman a letter of introduction to the king of Israel. Naaman left carrying 350 kilos of silver, 72 kilos of gold and ten party clothes. 

The letter that was taken to the king of Israel said with it: “With this letter I present my servant Naaman. I want the king to cure him of the leprosy”. So the king of Israel when he reads the letter, rips his garments and says: “Am I God, able to give or take life? Why is this man asking me to cure a leper? As you can see, he is looking for an excuse to attack us!”.

And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, When this letter came to you, know that I sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy. And it came to pass, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his garments, and said, Am I God to kill and to quicken, that he may send me a man, that I may heal him of his leprosy? From what do you notice, I ask you, and see that he seeks occasion against me. (2 Kings 5:6,7)

Elisha, the man of God, learns that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, sends him a message: “Why have you torn your garments? Let him come to me, and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” And at that very moment Naaman goes with his horses and chariots to Elisha’s house.

When Naaman arrived at Elisha’s house, he thought that the prophet should only receive him and that if he only had to put his hands on his head, he would be cured of his illness. The reception was totally different from what Naaman imagined, because the one who receives Naaman is not the prophet, but one of his messengers.

Then Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, Go and wash yourself in Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be healed, and thou shalt be clean. But Naaman was very angry, and went away, saying, Behold, I said with me, Surely he will go out, he will stand, he will call on the name of the LORD his God, and he will pass his hand over the place, and he will restore the leper. (2 Kings 5:10,11)

We can understand that Naaman was going through this process, because he needed to understand that his position before God was of no use. Naaman’s ego needed to be broken, as he thought the prophet should receive him and not his messenger. Naaman believed that the miracle could be accomplished without sacrifice. We often have the opportunity to receive our miracle, but we ourselves reject the voice of God, with our selfish choices. 

The miracle of Naaman was practically underway, but we all know that the Jordan, the river that goes down, was not one of the best, but not always what pleases our eyes will be what God will use to bless us, because God will often use that least valuable, to turn into a Supernatural tool.

Are not Abana and Barpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be purified? And he turned, and left with indignation. (2 Kings 5:12)

Naaman was outraged at having to dive into the Jordan River, the river that goes down, and we often don’t see that we’re halfway through the process to receive our victory. For the miracle to happen in Naaman’s life he only needed to dive, because even in his house the girl who had been taken captive had already said what she should do in her hand, the prophet had already deliberated a word about Naaman’s life, now only it was up to him to obey the word of God through the prophet, which was to dive seven times. Naaman, instead of seeing obedience, simply gives way to the indignation that blinded him.

His officers tried to convince him, saying, “My father, if the prophet told you something great, would you not do it? How much more, when he says to you, “Wash yourself, and thou shalt be clean’.

Often our pride, our I, our ego, prevents us from seeing the miracle that is already in front of us. The miracle was already in front of Naaman, but his pride prevented him from seeing.

Those men told Naaman something totally reflective, as God was not asking Naaman to do anything impossible, but God was asking Naaman to just dive 7 times. If the prophet had asked Naaman to do anything else, he would certainly have done it, but the prophet just said, go and dive seven times and you’ll be healed.

Then he went down, and dipped into Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh became like the flesh of a child, and he was purified. (2 Kings 5:14)

We learned from an unknown young woman, the messenger and the officers some invaluable legacies.

From a young woman: We learned that wherever we are, we should take the opportunity to talk about our Almighty God.  

From the prophet: We learn that we must obey God’s voice to fulfill our requests.  

With the servants: We learned that when we think about giving up, we must know that what God is asking of us is only possible, because the impossible will be God who will do it. 

 And if he has deliberated a word about our lives, he is faithful to fulfill it, because he watches over his word and by no means will it return empty.

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