Elisha sent a messenger

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(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

2 Kings 5:9–14, “So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. 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. 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. And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, 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? 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.”

Naaman was a very important man and was used to being treated with respect. As a general he would command men to come and meet him and there were many soldiers just waiting for him to tell them what to do. When he arrived at Elisha’s home he expected that the prophet would come out, greet him and show him the respect that a general deserved. However, Elisha just sent out his servant to meet the general and tell him just to go and wash in the Jordan River. Naaman was extremely angry, the prophet hadn’t even bothered to come out and meet him and then told him to go and have a bath in the muddy little Jordan River. Not just once but actually put his head under the water seven time. He knew that the Syrian rivers were much better rivers than the Jordan River and went away in a very bad mood. As he went away he was angry and everyone in his contingent knew that he was angry as well. One of his attendants screwed up his courage and asked Naaman if Elisha had told him to do some great feat of courage would he have done that. Of course he would have done that, after all he was a great and courageous soldier. The attendant asked him just to jump into the river and put his head under the water seven times, after all, who would know and if it didn’t work he would be no worse off. Naaman decided that the attendant was right and he would just do it. I wonder if he threatened all his soldiers with severe consequences if they told anyone. Never the less, he stripped off his armour and his accoutrements and jumped in the Jordan River. He put his head under the water seven times. After the first six time he still had the leprosy but after the seventh time his skin was completely free of the disease.