Wednesday, July 2, 2025  

Today's Scripture
2 Kings 5:1–14

Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. And the king of Aram said, “Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.” He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.” But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.”

So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.” But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?” He turned and went away in a rage. But his servants approached and said to him, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean. (NRSV)

Reflection

Naaman seems like he’d be right at home in our current transactional political culture. Here is this highly regarded warrior who has the favor of his king. Except he has a horrible disease. Not to worry, his king allows him to travel to the king of Israel with a referral and gifts, because he has heard he could be cured there.

And then there is the made-for-cable-TV news drama when he arrives. “Are you kidding me? I show up to the king’s representative, and he doesn’t even have the courtesy to greet me? And not only that, but he is also offering me something no better than I could have gotten at home?” The outrage!

Then something happened that doesn’t seem to happen often currently. Naaman listens to his advisors and changes his mind. And he is healed.

Do we sometimes let our egos get in the way of what God is trying to give us?

Naaman was willing to reconsider his anger and accept the grace of God’s healing through Elisha. Are we willing to do that? Naaman’s story is a good reminder that our salvation is through faith, not because of our status or anything humanly accomplished.

Prayer

God, thank you for your healing grace. Forgive us when our egos stand in the way of a closer relationship with you. Amen.

Written by Anthony Hipp, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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