2 Kings 5 – Study

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: 2 Kings 5:1-14

1 Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.

2 Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, ‘If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.’

4 Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. 5 ‘By all means, go,’ the king of Aram replied. ‘I will send a letter to the king of Israel.’ So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. 6 The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: ‘With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.’

7 As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, ‘Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!’

8 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: ‘Why have you torn your robes? Make the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.’ 9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, ‘Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.’

11 But Naaman went away angry and said, ‘I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?’ So he turned and went off in a rage.

13 Naaman’s servants went to him and said, ‘My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, “Wash and be cleansed”!’ 14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.

A. Find Out:

1. What was Naaman’s problem and who suggested what? v.1-3
2. How did this become a problem for king Joram? v.4-7
3. Who ‘rescued’ the king and how? v.8-14

B. Think:

1. What is the state of the nations at this time?
2. How are Aram and Israel drawn together again?
3. What is God’s part in all that takes place?

C. Comment:

     We are looking at some of these passages with large brush sweeps rather that in detail, because in this particular set of studies we are focusing on the kings of Israel, and at this point their activity is almost peripheral to that of what is being show us by the writer.

     First here, note the historical context. At the end of 1 Kings, Ahab had been killed in battle against Aram (or Syria as it may otherwise known). In chapter 19 Elijah had been sent to Damascus to anoint a new king of Aram (v.15). In chapter 20 the king of Aram besieged Samaria (v.1-) but was defeated by Israel with God’s help. Thus there had been ongoing conflict with Aram and Aram would raid Israel and carry away people and plunder. Thus it is that when the great army commander Naaman contracts leprosy, an Israelite slave girl in his home provides hope with talk of the prophet of Samaria. At this point it becomes political. Naaman sends to king Joram – who panics! Joram may not be as bad as his predecessors but he really still hasn’t a spiritual clue! It takes Elisha himself to dig the king out of a potentially unpleasant international incident!

     Now why are we looking at this? Because it shows the ongoing witness and activity of the Lord in the land, despite the ongoing unfaithfulness of the kings of Israel. It is amazing that the Lord maintains His presence with Israel despite their indifference to Him. They will never be able to say, we didn’t know. They did know because God kept speaking, kept acting on their behalf. Amazing!

D. Application:

1. God maintains a testimony despite national unfaithfulness.
2. Will we be part of that testimony?