2 Kings 5

Elisha was a miracle-working prophet who ministered to all sorts of people who brought him all kinds of needs. In this section, we see Elisha healing a distinguished general, judging his own servant, and helping a lowly student get back to work. It may seem a long way from the lofty head of the army to a lost axhead, but both were important to God and to God’s servant. Like our Lord when He ministered here on earth, Elisha had time for individuals and he wasn’t influenced by their social standing or their financial worth. “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5: nkjv).

But as important as the miracles are in this section, the theme of ministry is even more important. The Lord not only gave new life to Naaman, He also gave him a new purpose in life, a new ministry. He would return to Syria (Aram) as much more than a general, for now he was an ambassador of the true and living God of Israel. Naaman gained a new purpose in life, but, alas, Gehazi lost his ministry because of his covetousness and deception. When Elisha recovered the lost axhead, the student got back his “cutting edge,” and his ministry was restored to him.

The prophet Elijah is named twenty-nine times in the New Testament while Elisha is named only once. “And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian” (Luke 4: nkjv). Naaman was a Gentile and the commander of the army of an enemy nation, so it’s no wonder the congregation in Nazareth became angry with the Lord, interrupted His sermon, and carried Him out of the synagogue. After all, why would the God of Israel heal a man who was a Gentile and outside the covenant? He was an enemy who kidnapped little Jewish girls, and a leper who should have been isolated and left to die. These people knew nothing about the sovereign grace of God. Like Naaman, they became angry, but unlike Naaman, they didn’t humble themselves and trust the Lord. Naaman’s experience with Elisha illustrates to us the gracious work of God in saving lost sinners.

Naaman needed the Lord (vv. 1–3). The king of Syria was Ben Hadad II, and as commander of the army, Naaman was the number two man in the nation. But with all his prestige, authority, and wealth, Naaman was a doomed man because under his uniform was the body of a leper. It appears from verse 11 that the infection was limited to one place, but leprosy has a tendency to spread and if left unchecked, it ultimately kills. Only the power of the God of Israel could heal him.

Although Naaman didn’t realize it, the Lord had already worked on his behalf by giving him victory over the Assyrians. Jehovah is the covenant God of Israel, but He is also Lord of all the nations and can use any person, saved or unsaved, to accomplish His will (see Isa. 44:28; 45:13; Ezek. 30:24–25). The Lord also did a gracious thing when He permitted Naaman to bring the captive Jewish girl into his house to be his wife’s maid. The girl was a slave, but because she trusted the God of Israel, she was free. Even more, she was a humble witness to her mistress. Her words were so convincing that the woman told her husband and he in turn informed the king. Never underestimate the power of a simple witness, for God can take words from the lips of a child and carry them to the ears of a king.

Although there is no direct scriptural statement that leprosy is a picture of sin, when you read Leviticus 13, you can clearly see parallels. Like leprosy, sin is deeper than the skin (v. 3), it spreads (v. 7), it defiles (v. 45), it isolates (v. 46), and it is fit only for the fire (vv. 52, 57).

Seeking the Lord (vv. 4–10). Naaman couldn’t leave Syria without the king’s permission, and he also needed an official letter of introduction to Joram, king of Israel. After all, Syria and Israel were enemies, and the arrival of the commander of the Syrian army could be greatly misunderstood. Both Naaman and Ben Hadad wrongly assumed that the prophet would do whatever the king commanded him to do and that both the king and the prophet would expect to receive expensive gifts in return. For that reason, Naaman took along 750 pounds of silver and 150 pounds of gold, plus costly garments. The servant girl had said nothing about kings or gifts; she only pointed to Elisha the prophet and told her mistress what the Lord could do. Unsaved people know nothing about the things of the Lord and only complicate that which is so simple (1 Cor. 2:14). We aren’t saved by bringing gifts to God, but by receiving by faith His gift of eternal life (Eph. 2:8–9; John 3:16, 36; Rom. 6:23).

This was King Joram’s opportunity to honor the Lord and begin to build peace between Syria and Israel, but he failed to take advantage of it. Although 3: suggests that Joram and Elisha weren’t close friends, the king did know who Elisha was and what he could do. He also surely knew that Israel’s task was to bear witness to the godless nations around them (Isa. 42:6; 49:6). But Joram’s concerns were personal and political, not spiritual, and he interpreted the letter as a declaration of war. Alarmed by the thought, he impulsively tore his clothes, something that kings rarely did; but his mind was blinded by unbelief and fear, and he didn’t understand what the Lord was doing.

The prophet was in his home in the city of Samaria, but he knew what the king had said and done in his palace, for God hides from His servants nothing they need to know (Amos 3:7). His message to Joram must have irritated the king, but at the same time Elisha was rescuing Joram from personal embarrassment and possible international complications. Yes, there was a king on the throne, but there was also a prophet in Israel! The king was helpless to do anything, but the prophet was a channel of God’s power.

Elisha knew that Naaman had to be humbled before he could be healed. Accustomed to the protocol of the palace, this esteemed leader expected to be recognized publicly and his lavish gifts accepted with exaggerated appreciation, because that’s the way kings did things. But Elisha didn’t even come out of his house to welcome the man! Instead, he sent a messenger (Gehazi?) instructing him to ride thirty-two miles to the Jordan River and immerse himself in it seven times. Then he would be cleansed of his leprosy.

Naaman had been seeking help and now his search was ended.

Resisting the Lord (vv. 11–12). If Naaman began his journey at Damascus, then he had traveled over one hundred miles to get to Samaria, so another thirty miles or so shouldn’t have upset him. But it did, for the great general became angry. The basic cause of his anger was pride. He had already decided in his own mind just how the prophet would heal him, but God didn’t work that way. Before sinners can receive God’s grace, they must submit to God’s will, for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5: nkjv; see Rom. 10:1–3). Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse used to say, “Everybody has the privilege of going to heaven God’s way or going to hell their own way.”

The Lord had already been working on Naaman’s pride, and there was more to come. King Joram wasn’t able to heal him, the prophet didn’t come to court or even come out to greet him, and he had to dip in the dirty Jordan River, not once, but seven times. And he a great general and second in command over the nation of Syria! “Ah, that is just the trouble,” said evangelist D. L. Moody when preaching on this passage. “He had marked out a way of his own for the prophet to heal him, and was mad because he didn’t follow his plans.” Is it any different today? People want to be saved from their sins by participating in a religious ritual, joining a church, giving money to the church, reforming their lives, doing good works, and a host of other substitutes for putting faith in Jesus Christ. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us” (Titus 3:5).

Naaman had another problem: he preferred the rivers back in Damascus to the muddy Jordan River. He thought his healing would come from the water, so it was logical that the better the water, the better the healing. He would rather have his own way and travel over a hundred miles than obey God’s way and go thirty-two miles! He was so close to salvation and yet so far away!

Trusting the Lord (vv. 13–15a). Once again, the Lord used servants to accomplish His purposes (vv. 2–3). If Naaman wouldn’t listen to the command of the prophet, perhaps he would heed the counsel of his own servants. “Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord” (Isa. 1:18). Elisha didn’t ask him to do something difficult or impossible, because that would only have increased his pride. He asked him to obey a simple command and perform a humbling act, and it was unreasonable not to submit. When Naaman told his story back in Syria and got to this point, his friend would say, “You did what?” Faith that doesn’t lead to obedience isn’t faith at all.

When he came up from the water the seventh time, his leprosy was gone and his flesh was like that of a little child. In New Testament language, he was born again (John 3:3–8). “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18: nkjv). By his obedience he demonstrated his faith in God’s promise, and the Lord cleansed him of his leprosy. To quote D. L. Moody again, “He lost his temper; then he lost his pride; then he lost his leprosy; that is generally the order in which proud rebellious sinners are converted.” Naaman gave a clear public testimony that the Lord God of Israel was the only true and living God and was the God of all the earth. He renounced the false gods and idols of Syria and identified himself with Jehovah. What an indictment this testimony was against the idol-worshipping king and people of Israel!

Serving the Lord (vv. 15b-19). Like every new believer, Naaman still had a lot to learn. He had been saved and healed by trusting in God’s grace, and now he had to grow in grace and faith and learn how to live to please the God who saved him. Instead of hurrying home to share the good news, Naaman returned to the house of Elisha to thank the Lord and His servant. (See Luke 17:11–19.) That meant traveling another thirty miles, but he must have rejoiced during the entire trip. It was natural for him to want to reward Elisha, but had the prophet accepted the gift, he would have taken the credit to himself and robbed God of glory. God saves us “to the praise of the glory of His grace” (Eph. 1:6, 12, 14). He also would have given Naaman, a new convert, the impression that his gifts had something to do with his salvation. Abraham had refused the gifts from the king of Sodom (Gen. 14:17–24), Daniel would refuse the king’s offer (Dan. 5:17), and Peter and John would reject Simon’s money (Acts 8:18–24).

Naaman was starting to grow in his understanding of the Lord, but he still had a long way to go. Elisha refused his gifts, but Naaman asked if he could take some native soil with him to Syria to use in his worship of Jehovah. In those days, people had the idea that the gods of a nation resided in that land, and if you left the land, you left the god behind. But Naaman had just testified that Jehovah was God in all the earth (v. 15)! However, taking that soil was a courageous act, because his master and his friends would surely ask Naaman what it meant, and he would have to tell them of his faith in the God of Israel.

In his second request, Naaman showed unusual insight, for he realized that the king would expect him to continue his official acts as the commander of the army. This included accompanying the king into the temple of Rimmon, the Syrian equivalent of Baal. Naaman was willing to perform this ritual outwardly, but he wanted Elisha to know that his heart would not be in it. Naaman anticipated that his healing and his changed life would have an impact on the royal court and eventually lead to the king’s conversion. Instead of criticizing believers who serve in public offices, we need to pray for them, because they face very difficult decisions.

It’s interesting that Elisha didn’t lecture him or admonish him but just said, “Go in peace.” This was the usual covenant blessing the Jews invoked when people were starting on a journey. The prophet would pray for him and trust God to use him in his new ministry in Syria. Naaman’s leprosy was gone, he still had the treasures, he carried soil from Israel, and he knew the true and living God. What a witness he could be in that dark land—and Naaman’s servant girl would join him!

While Naaman was seeking to live the truth and please the Lord, Elisha’s servant was wallowing in deception and unholy desires. “Thou shalt not covet” is the last of the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:17), but when you break this one commandment, you tempt yourself to break the other nine. Covetous people will make idols out of material wealth, bear false witness, steal, dishonor God’s name, abuse their parents, and even murder. Gehazi had been decaying in his spiritual life, and this was the climax. He had pushed away the woman whose son died (4:27), and he had no power to raise the boy to life (4:31). Now his covetousness took control, it led to lying, and it finally resulted in Gehazi becoming a leper. The disease on the outside typified the decay on the inside.

He lied to himself (v. 20). When he refused the gifts, Elisha hadn’t been “easy” on Naaman but had taught the young believer a difficult lesson. Gehazi was measuring his master’s conduct the way the world would measure it, not the way God measured it. Like our Lord’s disciples when Mary anointed Jesus, he asked, “Why this waste?” (Mark 14:3–9), only in Gehazi’s situation, it was a wasted opportunity to get wealth. He actually believed he would be a better and a happier man if he took some gifts from Naaman and that he had the right to do it. “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12: nkjv).

Surely Gehazi knew that Naaman’s salvation and healing were wholly by the grace of God and that taking gifts might give the Syrian general the impression that he could do something to save himself. When he returned to Syria, Naaman would have to account for the missing treasures, and this could only weaken his testimony. Abraham refused gifts from the king of Sodom so he wouldn’t compromise his testimony before the people of Sodom who needed to know the Lord (Gen. 14). Peter and John refused Simon’s offer lest they give the Samaritans the idea that God’s gifts could be purchased with money (Acts 8:20ff.). The apostle Paul even refused financial support from the church at Corinth lest the people think he was just another traveling philosopher, out to collect money.

Gehazi took the Lord’s name in vain when he said “As the Lord lives” (v. 20, see v. 16), for he had sin in his heart and was planning to sin even more. We get the impression that Gehazi had no fear of God in his heart and privately used God’s name carelessly. Had he revered the name of God—the third commandment, Exodus 20:7—he would not have been controlled by greed.

He lied to Naaman (vv. 21–24). Naaman’s caravan wasn’t too far away, and Gehazi was able to run and catch up with it (see 4:26, 29). Naaman did a noble thing when he stopped his chariot and stepped down to meet Elisha’s servant. (See Acts 8:31.) Perhaps Elisha had another message for him, or perhaps there was a need to be met. For a Syrian general to show such deference to a Jewish servant was certainly an indication that God had wrought a change in his heart. Naaman greeted him with “Shalom—is all well?” and Gehazi replied “Shalom—all is well.” But all wasn’t well! When a man’s heart is filled with greed and his lips are filled with lies, he is far from enjoying shalom, which means “peace, well-being, fulfillment, prosperity, safety.”

In carrying out his evil plan, Gehazi not only used God’s name in vain, but he also used God’s work as a “cloak of covetousness” (1 Thess. 2:1–6). Using Elisha’s name, he lied to Naaman when he asked for gifts for two sons of the prophets from Bethel and Gilgal. These schools were located in the area of Mount Ephraim. We must not criticize Naaman for believing Gehazi’s lies, for after all, he was a young believer and lacked the discernment that comes with a maturing spiritual experience. “My master has sent me” was a deliberate falsehood, although unknown to Gehazi, his master knew what he had done. Naaman not only gave Gehazi more than he requested and wrapped it neatly, but he also assigned two of his servants to carry the gifts for him. When the three men arrived at the hill on which Samaria was built (or perhaps a hill between them and Samaria), Gehazi took the bundle and sent the men back, lest somebody recognize them and start asking questions. Gehazi was near his master’s house, and he had to be careful not to let him know what he had done.

He lied to Elisha (vv. 25–27). Acting very innocent, Gehazi went and stood before his master, awaiting orders, but he found himself on trial! Gehazi had forgotten that “all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Heb. 4: nkjv). God knew what Gehazi had done, and He communicated it to His servant. The scene reminds us of how Joshua interrogated Achan (Josh. 7) and Peter interrogated Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5), all of whom had coveted wealth and lied about it.

Elisha not only saw what his servant had done, but he saw into his servant’s heart and knew why he did it. Gehazi longed to be a wealthy man with land, flocks and herds, expensive clothing, and servants to obey his orders. He wasn’t content to labor by the side of Elisha the prophet; he wanted to have security and comfort. There’s certainly nothing wrong with being wealthy, if that’s God’s will for your life, for Abraham and Isaac were wealthy and so was David. But it is wrong to get that wealth through deceit and to make that wealth your god. Gehazi used the ministry God gave him as a means of deceiving Naaman, and that is contrary to God’s will (1 Thess. 2:1–6; 2 Cor. 2:17; 4:2).

God judged Gehazi by giving him leprosy and promising that at least one of his descendants in each generation would be a leper. The covetousness that ate away at his heart became leprosy eating away at his body. Gehazi had hoped to leave great wealth to his descendants, but instead, he left great shame and sorrow for years to come. In Israel, lepers were considered unclean and weren’t allowed to be in the community and live normal lives. Gehazi could no longer be Elisha’s servant; he had lost his ministry. “Not greedy for money” is one of the qualifications for God’s servants (1 Tim. 3:3). One of the marks of the last days is that people will love money more than they love God or other people (2 Tim. 3:1–5).