Tuesday
Read 2 Kings 5:1-14
5
Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army, was highly respected and esteemed by
the king of Syria, because through Naaman the Lord
had given victory to the Syrian forces. He was a great soldier, but he suffered
from a dreaded skin disease. 2In one of their raids against Israel,
the Syrians had carried off a little Israelite girl, who became a servant of
Naaman’s wife. 3One day she said to her mistress, “I wish that my
master could go to the prophet who lives in Samaria! He would cure him of his
disease.” 4When Naaman heard of this, he went to the king and told
him what the girl had said. 5The king said, “Go to the king of
Israel and take this letter to him.”
So Naaman set out, taking 30,000 pieces
of silver, 6,000 pieces of gold, and ten changes of fine clothes. 6The
letter that he took read: “This letter will introduce my officer Naaman. I want
you to cure him of his disease.”
7 When the king of Israel read the
letter, he tore his clothes in dismay and exclaimed, “How can the king of Syria
expect me to cure this man? Does he think that I am God,j with the
power of life and death? It’s plain that he is trying to start a quarrel with
me!”
8 When the prophet Elisha heard what
had happened, he sent word to the king: “Why are you so upset? Send the man to
me, and I’ll show him that there is a prophet in Israel!”
9 So Naaman went with his horses and
chariot, and stopped at the entrance to Elisha’s house. 10Elisha
sent a servant out to tell him to go and wash himself seven times in the River
Jordan, and he would be completely cured of his disease. 11But
Naaman left in a rage, saying, “I thought that he would at least come out to
me, pray to the Lord his God, wave
his hand over the diseased spot,k and cure me! 12Besides,
aren’t the rivers Abana and Pharpar, back in Damascus, better than any river in
Israel? I could have washed in them and been cured!”
13 His servants went up to him and
said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would
have done it. Now why can’t you just wash yourself, as he said, and be cured?” 14So
Naaman went down to the Jordan, dipped himself in it seven times, as Elisha had
instructed, and he was completely cured. His flesh became firm and healthy,
like that of a child.
Think
The healing of Namaan tells us about the simple way in which God heals
people. Namaan was ready to pay lots of
money to the King of Israel; but Elisha advised him only to wash in a dirty
stream.
Pray
Lord I often over complicate your grace and forget to receive your gift of
healing and forgiveness. Help me to be
more simple in my understanding of your love.
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