There are moments when it is necessary for us to dip in the Jordan River, for only then will we be able to reach the greatness of God. Jordan has a very extraordinary meaning, as it is a masculine name of Hebrew origin. It comes from the Hebrew Yarden, from the word yarad, which means “to descend,” “to run,” “to flow.” The name has the sense of “the one who runs” or “the one who descends.”
Many times, due to positions, ranks, and roles 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 host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. (2 Kings 5:1)
Naaman was a very important man and held a position of great relevance, but behind this great and successful man there was a poor leper. Behind this great man was a Naaman who had an illness greater than the leprosy he carried with him: it was his ego, his self.
The Captive Girl and Unshakable Faith
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 valiant warrior, but he suffered from leprosy. At that time, Syrian raiders had invaded the territory of Israel, and among the captives was a girl who became a servant to Naaman’s wife.
We can learn much from this illustrious unknown who, even though taken captive, did not deny the faith and love of God. This girl knew a living God who could heal Naaman of his leprosy.
Every place that God puts us, He desires that we be His instruments on this earth. There will be moments when God will do things that we will never understand, for God desires that through us someone’s life be transformed.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts 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 though placed as a servant in the house of a stranger, as an instrument of God, will say to her mistress:
And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy. (2 Kings 5:3)
That girl had every reason to wish evil upon Naaman, but on the contrary, God was present in this girl’s life in such a way that she looks at the situation and sees the opportunity to present to that family a living God capable of performing miracles.
Naaman’s Journey and the King’s Reaction
Naaman tells the king what the Israelite girl had said to him, 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 set out taking 350 kilograms of silver, 72 kilograms of gold, and ten changes of clothing.
The letter that was taken to the king of Israel said in it: “With this letter I present my servant Naaman. I want the king to cure him of his leprosy.” Then the king of Israel, upon reading the letter, tears his clothes and says: “Am I God, able to give or take life? Why does this man ask me to cure a leper? As you can see, he is looking for a pretext to attack us!”
And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy. And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me. (2 Kings 5:6,7)
Elisha, the man of God, learned that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, and he sends him a message: “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” And at that exact moment Naaman goes with his horses and chariots to Elisha’s house.
Naaman’s Indignation at the Simplicity
Naaman, upon arriving at Elisha’s house, believed that the prophet should simply receive him, and that it would be enough for him to wave his hands over his head so that he would be cured of his illness. The reception was completely different from what Naaman imagined, for the one who receives Naaman is not the prophet, but one of his messengers.
And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. 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. (2 Kings 5:10,11)
We can understand that Naaman was going through this process because he needed to understand that his human position was worth nothing before God. Naaman’s ego needed to be broken, for he thought the prophet should receive him and not his messenger. Naaman believed that the miracle could be obtained without sacrifice. Many times we have the opportunity to receive our miracle, but we ourselves reject the voice of God with our selfish choices.
Naaman’s miracle was already practically underway, but we all know that the Jordan, the river that descends, was not one of the best. And not always what pleases our eyes will be what God will use to bless us, for God often uses what has the least value to transform into a supernatural tool.
Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. (2 Kings 5:12)
Naaman was indignant at having to dip in the Jordan River. Many times we do not see that we are already halfway through the process to receive our victory.
The Persuasion and Obedience that Heals
For the miracle to happen in Naaman’s life, all that was left was for him to dip, for even in his house the girl who had been taken captive had already said what Naaman should do.
The prophet had already pronounced a word over Naaman’s life; now it only depended on him to obey the word of God through the prophet, which was simply to dip seven times.
Naaman, instead of seeing obedience, simply gives place to the indignation that blinded him.
His officers tried to convince him, saying: “My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?”
Many times pride, the self, the 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 it.
Those men said something very reflective to Naaman, for God was not asking Naaman to do anything impossible, but only for Naaman to dip 7 times.
If the prophet had asked Naaman to do anything else, he certainly would have done it, but the prophet said only: go and dip seven times and you will be healed.
Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. (2 Kings 5:14)
Eternal Lessons from a Transformative Story
We learn from an unknown young girl, from the messenger, and from the officers some very valuable legacies.
From a young girl: We learn that wherever we are we must take the opportunity to speak of our God.
From the prophet: We learn that we must obey the voice of God so that lives may recognize the power and sovereignty of God.
From the servants: We learn that when we think about giving up, we must know that what God is asking us is only the possible, for the impossible God Himself will accomplish.
And if He has pronounced a word over our lives, He is faithful to fulfill it, for He watches over His word and in no way will it return empty.
