2 Kings 5:14
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. 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 went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan as Elisha directed, and was miraculously healed so his diseased flesh became new and healthy like that of a little child. At first he refused in pride and rage, expecting a dramatic gesture and counting the rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel, until his servant persuaded him to do the simple washing and be clean. He was healed when he set aside pride and obeyed in faith, his willingness to recognize his need and follow the light given him being tested in a humble course. His cleansing brought conversion and knowledge of the true God, showing divine mercy favoring a heathen who lived up to all the light he had while many lepers in Israel were passed by for unbelief and misuse of greater privileges. His experience teaches that perfecting Christian character requires faithfully doing as bidden in small humble duties, for God values and blesses those who do right as far as they know.
Healing in the Jordan
The verse records a wonderful miracle of healing wrought through Elisha the prophet in Samaria by the power of Heaven, fulfilling the belief of the little captive maid waiting on Naaman's wife that if her master were with the prophet he would recover him of his leprosy. Naaman went down and dipped himself seven times in the 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.
At first he refused the direction in mortification, disappointment, passion and rage because it seemed beneath his dignity and humbling to his proud and lofty spirit. He expected the prophet to come out to him, stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God and strike his hand over the place and recover the leper. He counted Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel, and those rivers were beautified by surrounding trees and groves where idols were placed and where many flocked to worship idol gods, so that washing there would have cost him no humility. His servant persuaded him that if he would have done some great thing bidden by the prophet, how much rather he should wash merely and be clean when told to wash, and he later repented and obeyed and received cleansing and a healthful, happy life.
Complete cleansing meant the unnaturally white scaly surface disappeared, the blood became healthy, the nerves became sensitive, the muscles became firm, and the body was made new and healthy like that of a young child. This was the only cleansing of a leper known since Elisha's day, and it is the precedent for the cleansing of the leper by Jesus, when the same restoration takes place immediately when Jesus speaks and touches. The verse marks the end of God's sending of the little Israelite maiden to Naaman the Syrian captain to help him in his need, when her service where God had placed her in the duty that lay nearest accomplished its purpose.
Faith and Divine Favor
Naaman was healed when he set aside his pride and acted in faith upon Elisha's specific direction to dip seven times in the Jordan, his faith being tested in willing obedience to a humble course that brought the promised cleansing. He first refused the direction because it seemed humbling, but later repented and obeyed, and received cleansing and a healthful, happy life that would have been lost as a rich and holy blessing had he refused the duty. His healing followed his willingness to recognize his need for help and to receive the lesson and instruction given through the light and convictions he had. He sought help and acted in response to that light, and his felt need, willingness to receive the lesson, and faithfulness to what he had received made him receptive to God's power.
His cleansing was accompanied by conversion in spirit and by blessing with enlightenment and knowledge of the true God and divine truth. His faith in thus valuing God's favors and responding to the light given is commended as an object lesson for those who serve God, for God works for such. He was a Syrian nobleman and heathen who felt his need and lived up to all the light he had received, and he was cleansed and favored, while many lepers in Israel with greater light and privileges were left uncleaned and passed over. Their unbelief and misuse of God's gifts closed them to blessing, whereas his faithfulness to his convictions and sense of need made him ready to receive grace even when those with greater light rejected it.
Because he lived up to the light he had, he was counted and accounted more righteous than God's chosen people when they backslid and rejected the light and turned from God, sacrificing principle for convenience and worldly honor. God's power displayed through the prophets was not labored for the salvation of an unbelieving, hard-hearted people who clung to sin and cut themselves off from the channel of blessing, but was given especially to those who had hearts that could feel and faith that would grasp the evidences God was pleased to give, even when found in a heathen land outside the chosen people. God did not allow servants chosen for a special work to labor for such a hard-hearted and unbelieving people, but those who had hearts to feel and faith to believe were especially favored with evidences of His power through the prophets.
The verse thus shows God's mercy reaching beyond Israel while a prophet may be rejected by his own people, for no leper in Israel was cleansed in Elisha's time while Naaman the Syrian was cleansed. Christ held up this history at Nazareth as a severe and terrible rebuke that opened corrupt lives and struck home the truth about wicked unbelief. By revealing secret thoughts He gave evidence of His divinity to meet the questionings of His hearers, and He showed that those who would not believe because He came in meekness and lowliness, in poverty and sorrow as a common man, and who would have no king unless attended by riches and splendor and a grand and imposing army, forfeit claim to be God's people.
Call to Humble Obedience
The sevenfold dipping in the Jordan shows that perfecting Christian character requires condescending to be faithful in the littles, in small humble duties of small account that must be done faithfully through life. Naaman the Syrian leper was bidden by Elisha to bathe seven times in Jordan to be cured and made clean, but in mortification, disappointment, passion and rage he refused the humble course because he considered it beneath his dignity. He expected the prophet to come out to him, stand, call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place and recover the leper, and he counted Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel. Those rivers were beautified by surrounding trees and groves where idols were placed and where many flocked to worship idol gods, so washing there would have cost him no humility, whereas following the specified directions of the prophet would humble his proud and lofty spirit. His servant persuaded him that if he would have done some great thing bid by the prophet, how much rather he should wash merely and be clean when told to wash, and willing obedience brought the desired result so that he washed and was made whole. God cannot be pleased and love and affection cannot be gained without doing just as bidden with willingness and pleasure, since neglect of small things makes great deficiency of character.
Naaman was promised cleansing and a healthful, happy life if he performed the humble duty, for he first refused the prophet's directions because their requirement seemed humbling, but later repented and obeyed. His experience shows that refusing the duty would have meant losing a rich and holy blessing. After he obeyed the man of God's instruction to wash in the Jordan his flesh became like that of a little child and he was clean, and his healing was accompanied by conversion in spirit. His faith is commended as an object lesson for those who serve God: God works for those who value His favors and respond to the light given them.
The cleansing marks the end of God's sending of the little Israelite maiden to Naaman the Syrian captain to help him in his need, when her service where God had placed her in doing the duty that lay nearest accomplished its purpose as God's choice for her. God still sends men and women and youth today as His representatives to those in need of divine help and guidance. Naaman as a heathen who felt his need and lived according to the light he had received God's favor and cleansing from leprosy, while Israelites with greater light were passed over because of their unbelief and misuse of their privileges. His example teaches that God regards those who do right as far as they know more favorably than people who profess godliness while living contrary to it.