Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Kings 5:15
And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that [there is] no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.
15 19. Naaman’s gratitude. His imperfect knowledge makes his practice imperfect (Not in Chronicles)
15. And he returned to the man of God ] He was a stranger in Israel, like the Samaritan among the ten lepers whom our Lord cured, but like him he also manifested his thankfulness. He came back with all his company, that the thanksgiving might lose nothing of its fulness, and in the presence of them all, proclaims the new knowledge which he has gained, how he has found that ‘there is no god who can deliver after this sort’.
came, and stood before him ] His feelings and attitude are alike changed, and so the prophet now shews himself to him. Naaman has begun his lesson in the school of Jehovah and Elisha is ready to encourage his weak steps.
no God in all the earth, but in Israel ] He has still his notion of different gods assigned to different lands, and does not conceive that Jehovah may be the God of all the earth. He is the God of Israel only, but all that are called gods elsewhere are not to be compared to Him.
take a blessing [R.V. present ] of thy servant ] Because with a present there generally is given good wishes and benediction, the Hebrews frequently used ‘blessing’ as here for ‘a gift’. Thus (Gen 33:11) Jacob calls the present which he had prepared for Esau by this name. ‘Take I pray thee, my blessing ’. Cf. also Jdg 1:15; 1Sa 25:27; 1Sa 30:26 (with margin).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
He returned – Naaman was grateful (compare Luk 17:15). From the Jordan to Samaria was a distance of not less than 32 miles. Naaman further went to Damascus, far out of his way, lengthening his necessary journey by at least three days. His special object in returning seems to have been to relieve his feelings of obligation by inducing the prophet to accept a blessing, i. e. a gift.
There is no God … – Compare the marginal references; but in none of them are the expressions quite so strong as here. Naaman seems absolutely to renounce all belief in any other God but Yahweh.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
2Ki 5:15-16
Now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.
Naamans money
This chapter contains valuable lessons concerning money; how the servants of God ought to use and to regard it. Some of our Lords weightiest and most solemn sayings were addressed to those who had much money, or were spoken with reference to them, as in the case of the rich fool, the man clothed in purple and fine linen, and the young ruler. The prominence given to this matter m Scripture need not be wondered at; for,
1. Money represents the good things of this world, which all are prone to love too well (Mar 10:22).
2. As the Lord Jesus has bought us, He claims absolute proprietorship over us (1Co 6:19-20), and therefore His claim extends to our money.
3. The manner in which a man acknowledges or repudiates this claim is, to a great extent, decisive of his spiritual condition (Mat 6:21). In the latter part of this chapter the money test is applied to three characters, Naaman, Elisha, and Gehazi:
I. Naaman longs at once to prove his gratitude, convinced that he was indebted to the God of Israel for the cure of his leprosy (Psa 116:12; Luk 17:15). He was wealthy, and to offer Elisha a present was the most natural way of showing his thankfulness. It is well when thank-offerings are common in families, when special gifts are offered for special mercies received by individual members of the household; thus the young are trained to recognise Gods claim on their possessions. But, more generally, a man who, through the cleansing power of the blood of Christ, has been cured of the leprosy of sin, will (if he has the means) pour his grateful offerings into the Lords treasury (2Co 8:1-5).
II. But Elisha firmly declined the gift. He feared lest Naaman should imagine him to be influenced by selfish considerations, and to be exercising the prophets craft for filthy lucres sake. He must not leave Naaman with false impressions as to the principles of the worshippers of the true God. Bishop Patrick says: It gives great authority to a teacher of virtue, not to be covetous. This example shows what an all-pervading principle true piety is; it leads its votary to make the glory of God his supreme end, and to shape his course accordingly (cp. Act 8:20; 1Co 9:15).
III. Tried by the money test, Gehazi is found wanting. He had every religious advantage: the constant attendant of Elisha, the witness of his miracles, the hearer of his words, the observer of his godly life, he ran well for a time. Covetousness, the love of money, is his ruin (1Ti 6:10; see verse 20). It made him a liar, and his lie made him a leper (Pro 21:6). Compare the cases of Judas and Demas. (F. F. Goe, M. A.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 15. He returned to the man of God] He saw that the hand of the Lord was upon him; he felt gratitude for his cleansing; and came back to acknowledge, in the most public way, his obligation to God and his servant.
Stood before him] He was now truly humbled, and left all his state behind him. It is often the case that those who have least to value themselves on are proud and haughty; whereas the most excellent of the earth are the most humble, knowing that they have nothing but what they have received. Naaman, the leper, was more proud and dictatorial than he was when cleansed of his leprosy.
There is no God in all the earth] Those termed gods are no gods; the God of Israel is sole God in all the earth. See my sermon on this subject.
Take a blessing] Accept a present. Take an expiatory gift. – Arabic. He desired to offer something for his cleansing. He thought it right thus to acknowledge the hand from which he had received his healing, and thus honour the Lord by giving something to his servant.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
He returned to the man of God, to give him thanks, and a recompence for his great kindness.
I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel; by this wonderful work I am fully convinced the God of Israel is the only true God, and that other gods are but impotent idols.
A blessing; a thankful acknowledgment. See Gen 33:11.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
15, 16. he returned to the man ofGodAfter the miraculous cure, Naaman returned to Elisha, towhom he acknowledged his full belief in the sole supremacy of the Godof Israel and offered him a liberal reward. But to show that he wasnot actuated by the mercenary motives of the heathen priests andprophets, Elisha, though he accepted presents on other occasions (2Ki4:42), respectfully but firmly declined them on this, beingdesirous that the Syrians should see the piety of God’s servants, andtheir superiority to all worldly and selfish motives in promoting thehonor of God and the interests of true religion.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company,…. To give him thanks for the advice he had given him, and by him to give thanks to God for the cure he had received; for he was sensible it was from the Lord, his words show:
and came and stood before him; for being admitted into the prophet’s house, instead of the prophet standing before him, as he before expected, he now stood before the prophet in veneration of him, and sensible of his obligation to him:
behold, now I know there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel; though he did not before, but his cure fully convinced him of it:
I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant; not a wish of health and happiness, which the prophet would not have refused, but a present; the Targum calls it an offering.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant. 16 But he said, As the LORD liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused. 17 And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules’ burden of earth? for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the LORD. 18 In this thing the LORD pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon thy servant in this thing. 19 And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way.
Of the ten lepers that our Saviour cleansed, the only one that returned to give thanks was a Samaritan, Luke xvii. 16. This Syrian did so, and here expresses himself.
I. Convinced of the power of the God of Israel, not only that he is God, but that he is God alone, and that indeed there is no God in all the earth but in Israel (v. 15)– a noble confession, but such as intimates the misery of the Gentile world; for the nations that had many gods really had no God, but were without God in the world. He had formerly thought the gods of Syria gods indeed, but now experience had rectified his mistake, and he knew Israel’s God was God alone, the sovereign Lord of all. Had he seen other lepers cleansed, perhaps the sight would not have convinced him, but the mercy of the cure affected him more than the miracle of it. Those are best able to speak of the power of divine grace who have themselves experienced it.
II. Grateful to Elisha the prophet: “Therefore, for his sake whose servant thou art, I have a present for thee, silver, and gold, and raiment, whatever thou wilt please to accept.” He valued the cure, not by the easiness of it to the prophet, but the acceptableness of it to himself, and would gladly pay for it accordingly. But Elisha generously refused the fee, though urged to accept it; and, to prevent further importunity, backed his refusal with an oath: As the Lord liveth, I will receive none (v. 16), not because he did not need it, for he was poor enough, and knew what to do with it, and how to bestow it among the sons of the prophets, nor because he thought it unlawful, for he received presents from others; but he would not be beholden to this Syrian, nor should he say, I have made Elisha rich, Gen. xiv. 23. It would be much for the honour of God to show this new convert that the servants of the God of Israel were taught to look upon the wealth of this world with a holy contempt, which would confirm him in his belief that there was no God but in Israel. See 1Co 9:18; 2Co 11:9.
III. Proselyted to the worship of the God of Israel. He will not only offer a sacrifice to the Lord, in thanks for his present cure, but he resolves he will never offer sacrifice to any other gods, v. 17. It was a happy cure of his leprosy which cured him of his idolatry, a more dangerous disease. But here are two instances of his weakness and infirmity in his conversion:– 1. In one instance he over-did it, that he would not only worship the God of Israel, but he would have clods of earth out of the prophet’s garden, or at least of the prophet’s ordering, to make an altar of, v. 17. He that awhile ago had spoken very slightly of the waters of Israel (v. 12) now is in another extreme, and over-values the earth of Israel, supposing (since God has appointed altars of earth, Exod. xx. 24) that an altar of that earth would be most acceptable to him, not considering that all the earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof. Or perhaps the transport of his affection and veneration for the prophet, not only upon the account of his power, but of his virtue and generosity, made him, as we say, love the very ground he went upon and desire to have some of it home with him. The modern compliment equivalent to this would be, “Pray, sir, let me have your picture.” 2. In another instance he under-did it, that he reserved to himself a liberty to bow in the house of Rimmon, in complaisance to the king his master, and according to the duty of his place at court (v. 18), in this thing he must be excused. He owns he ought not to do it, but that he cannot otherwise not do it, but that he cannot otherwise keep his place,–protests that his bowing is not, nor ever shall be, as it had been, in honour to the idol, but only in honour to the king,–and therefore he hopes God will forgive him. Perhaps, all things considered, this might admit of some apology, though it was not justifiable. But, as to us, I am sure, (1.) If, in covenanting with God, we make a reservation for any known sin, which we will continue to indulge ourselves in, that reservation is a defeasance of his covenant. We must cast away all our transgressions and not except any house of Rimmon. (2.) Though we are encouraged to pray for the remission of the sins we have committed, yet, if we ask for a dispensation to go on in any sin for the future, we mock God, and deceive ourselves. (3.) Those that know not how to quit a place at court when they cannot keep it without sinning against God, and wronging their consciences, do not rightly value the divine favour. (4.) Those that truly hate evil will make conscience of abstaining from all appearances of evil. Though Naaman’s dissembling his religion cannot be approved, yet because his promise to offer no sacrifice to any god but the God of Israel only was a great point gained with a Syrian, and because, by asking pardon in this matter, he showed such a degree of conviction and ingenuousness as gave hopes of improvement, the prophet took fair leave of him, and bade him Go in peace, v. 19. Young converts must be tenderly dealt with.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Another Leper – Verses 15-27
The miracle of Naaman’s healing wrought a far greater and more important effect on the man than mere restoration of physical health. He returned to the house of Elisha much humbled and sought the prophet out. He stood before him and admitted that he was converted to the God of Israel. The mighty miracle he had experienced in his body convinced him there was no God on all the earth than the God of Israel (Rom 10:10).
Naaman was so grateful to Elisha and his God he was ready to bestow the great riches he had brought on him. But Elisha swore by the living God in whose presence he ever stood that he would receive nothing. And although Naaman tried urgently to have him accept something Elisha steadfastly refused. There is no charge for the gospel of Christ (Isa 55:1).
But if Elisha would take nothing from Naaman the captain wanted something from him. So dedicated would he be to worship of God henceforth that he wished to worship him at the altar on Israelitish soil. He requested to be allowed to carry back with him two mules’ burdens of it on which to erect his altar of burnt sacrifice. Further Naaman was reminded that he was required by his master to accompany him to the worship of the false god Rimmon. At such time he was expected to bow before that false idol. He asked Elisha that the Lord might pardon him at such times, inasmuch as it was demanded of him and would not be from his heart. ‘
Elisha consented to Naaman’s request and sent him away in peace. The thing looks very much like a compromise to the present-day reader. It was certainly expedient for Naaman to go along with his master’s worship of Rimmon, and he may very well have lost his life had he refused. It is not known, of course, whether Naaman made any attempt to convert the king to the true God, for he is not heard of again in the Scriptures. Had Naaman refused to comply with the requirement of the king there would have been no possibility of his influencing him to the truth. What might well be compromise in the present day may not have been so considered then. It is admittedly difficult to decide the question.
There was one who was greatly disappointed that Elisha did not allow himself to be enriched at the expense of the Syrian visitor. In the eyes of Gehazi he saw only a detested Syrian enemy of Israel. He overlooked the wonderful demonstration of God’s love and salvation toward even a Syrian. Gehazi saw material profits forfeited, not spiritual riches gained. His feeling illustrate the impact of the Savior’s warning (Mr 8:36-37). But the servant conceived a plan whereby he would get something of Naaman for himself.
Gehazi ran after the Syrian captain, who saw him and stopped the chariot. Gehazi had a story prepared. He said Elisha had sent him to ask from Naaman a talent of silver and two changes of clothing for two young prophets who had come to him unexpectedly. It must have seemed a quite plausible request to Naaman, and he insisted on sending a talent of silver to each of the young men of Gehazi’s story. He even put the heavy silver in two bags and had two of his own servants to convey it back for Gehazi.
The situation must have posed a problem for Gehazl who must not let Elisha see the two servants bringing the silver. So when they reached a point short of Elisha’s house he relieved them of their burden and hid it in his house. He then returned to wait on Elisha as though nothing out of the way had occurred. Elisha inquired of Gehazi from where he had come, and the servant denied that he had been anywhere.
Elisha now revealed to Gehazi that he knew the whole affair. The Lord had made the prophet to know it. He knew that Gehazi had accosted Naaman, and that the man had stopped the chariot and got out to meet him. Not only did Elisha know that Gehazi had received money and clothing from Naaman, but he knew a great deal more. The two talents would have a present-day value of above $40,000, and Elisha knew that Gehazi had visions of using the money to provide himself oliveyards, vineyards, sheep, oxen and servants. To receive payment for the conversion of the pagan Naaman would cause men to think they could purchase the favor of God. For his terrible sin in the matter, the leprosy which had infected Naaman would be transferred to Gehazi and to his family after him. immediately Gehazi was stricken and left the presence of Elisha white with leprosy. Riches are a curse to those who covet them (Jas 5:1-3).
More lessons: 1) one should serve the Lord faithfully in whatever place he may be brought; 2) the saved need to speak out for the truth though the world denies its power; 3) the world would willingly come to God on its own terms, which would glorify man rather than God; 4) one can never be saved short of absolute surrender to the Lord’s way; 5) all the terrible cost of man’s salvation has been paid by Christ, and it is offered freely to all men; 6) one can be in constant association with the righteous and still succumb to covetousness and sinful lust; 7) the thoughts of men are naked and open before God (Heb 4:13).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
C. NAAMANS CONVERSION 5:1519
TRANSLATION
(15) And he returned unto the man of God, he and all his company. And he came, and stood before him, and said, Behold, I pray you, I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. Now take, I pray you, a blessing of your servant. (16) And he said, As the LORD lives before whom I stand, I shall take none. And he implored him to take it, but he refused. (17) And Naaman said, Then shall not there be given, I pray you, two mule burdens of earth? For henceforth your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to another god except the LORD. (18) For this thing may the LORD pardon your servant, when my master goes to the house of Rimmon to wor ship, and he leans upon my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, may the LORD pardon your servant In this thing. (19) And he said unto him, Go in peace. And he went from him a little way.
COMMENTS
The grateful Naaman was determined to express his appreciation to the man of God even though the return trip to Samaria would take him at least forty miles out of his way and delay his return to Damascus by at least one day. At the Jordan, Naamans heart was transformed as well as his flesh. He waded into the waters a worshiper of Rimmon and emerged a worshiper of Yahweh. He had to repay this prophet of God, and all thoughts of personal delay and inconvenience were banished. The once pompous and haughty Aramean was now contrite and humble. He descended from his chariot, went into the prophets abode, and stood before him. What a change conversion makes in the disposition of a man! The confession of faith made by this foreign general is an acknowledgment of the sole supremacy of Yahweh. Other heathens in Scripture confess that Yahweh is a god or God of Israel; but Naaman confessed that Yahweh was the one and only God in all the earth. He was anxious that Elisha would take a blessing, i.e., a present, in appreciation for what he had done. Pagan people customarily bestowed great gifts upon the oracles which they consulted, and Naaman quite naturally and reasonably made the offer (2Ki. 5:15).
Though the Old Testament prophets did not generally object to freewill offerings from those who consulted them, on this occasion Elisha thought it best to decline the proffered reward. Naaman needed to learn that Yahweh was his true healer, Elisha but His representative. It was thus to Yahweh and not Elisha that Naaman owed his gratitude and his offerings. True to the dictates of oriental hospitality, Naaman continued to urge the prophet to accept the gifts; but it soon became obvious to him that Elisha was not simply making a courteous pretense of disinterest. He was absolutely declining to accept any reward for his services (2Ki. 5:16).
Even though Elisha refused to take from Naaman any gift, the Aramean would request one gift of Elishatwo mule loads of earth. The text does not explain what Naaman intended to do with this soil, but the general opinion is that he intended to spread it on the surface of a plot in Aram so as to consecrate that ground and make it a suitable place upon which to worship the Lord. In the mind of this newly converted heathen, the ground of Israel would be more holy, more appropriate for the worship of the God of Israel.
That the requested soil was intended for use in creating a place of worship seems to be implied in the declaration which immediately followed the request, viz., that Naaman henceforth would cease to offer sacrifice to any god other than Yahweh (2Ki. 5:17). His sincerity in this declaration is indicated by the one exception which immediately came to his mind. He knew that as captain of the host he would be required to attend the temple of Rimmon[536] with his king and would be compelled to bow before the image of that god. He was not willing to offend his master by refusing these formalities, and yet he realized in his heart that this would be inconsistent with the solemn declaration he had just made to worship Yahweh alone. He therefore expressed the hope that the Lord would pardon him of this wrong (2Ki. 5:18). Elisha did not declare that God would or would not overlook this departure from strict monotheism. He was not called upon to give an answer since Naaman had not asked a question but had only expressed a wish. Elishas Go in peace should be taken simply as wishing the peace of God to be on the departing Aramean (2Ki. 5:19).
[536] Rimmon (pomegranate) is a parody of Ramman, the title of Hadad, the Aramean Baal. Hadad was god of the storm.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(15) Company.Heb., camp, host. Naamans following consisted of horses and chariots (2Ki. 5:9).
Came.Went in: into Elishas house. Gratitude overcame awe and dread.
Behold, now.Behold, I pray thee. The now belongs to behold, not to I know.
I know that . . . in Israel.Naaman, like most of his contemporaries, Jewish as well as Syriau, believed in locally restricted deities. The powerlessness of the Syrian gods and the potency of Jehovah having been brought home to his mind by his marvellous recovery, he concludes that there is no god anywhere save in the land of Israel. In other words, his local conception of deity still clings to him. What a mark of historic truth appears in this representation!
Now therefore.And now.
Take a blessing of.Accept a present from (Gen. 33:11).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
15. He returned Deeply humbled, and filled with adoring gratitude to the mighty God who had wrought his cure.
No God but in Israel Not even in Syria, but in Israel alone, is there any God worth worshipping! A little before he had boasted of the rivers of Damascus, but he cannot henceforth reverence her gods.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Observe what a vast work the Lord had wrought upon the heart of this Syrian! The leprosy of his skin was not only washed away, but the leprosy and unbelief of his soul, he is at once convinced that the God of Israel must be the true God, and that there can be no other. Observe, moreover, how his heart was affected in wishing now for Elisha to take this blessing, as he called it, not any longer as the price of his cure, but as the token of his love. And observe how precious the very earth of Israel was to his view, who before this had despised her sacred river. Such, Reader will ever be the blessed effects of a change of heart, and the real conversion of the soul to God. Poor man! he feared indeed, that he should be obliged to dissemble his religion when the king, his master, on his return to Syria, made him attend him to his idol worship. And here he strikingly represents the case of many a young convert in the first opening of his renewed life. Timid and apprehensive lest carnal friends should mock or ill treat them, many there are, like this Syrian, or like Nicodemus, who in their first awakenings, visit Jesus by night. Joh 3:1-2 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
2Ki 5:15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that [there is] no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.
Ver. 15. And he returned to the man of God. ] Like the tenth leper. Luk 17:15 Many men are, that they may receive benefits, importunate; till they have received them, unquiet; when they have received them, unthankful. Naaman was none such.
Behold, now I know.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
2 Kings
NAAMAN’S IMPERFECT FAITH
2Ki 5:15 – 2Ki 5:27
Like the Samaritan leper healed by Jesus, Naaman came back to give glory to God. Samaria was quite out of his road to Damascus, but benefit melted his heart, and the pride, which had been indignant that the prophet did not come out to him, faded before thankfulness, which impelled him to go to the prophet. God’s gifts should humble, and gratitude is not afraid to stoop. Elisha would not see Naaman before, for he needed to be taught; but he gladly welcomes him into his presence now, for he has learned his lesson. Sometimes the best way to attract is to repel, and the true servant of God consults not his own dignity, but others’ good, whichever he does.
I. The first point is the offer and refusal of the gift. The benefited is liberal and the benefactor disinterested. Naaman was a convert to pure monotheism. His avowal is clear and full. But what a miserable conclusion he draws with that ‘therefore’! He should have said, ‘Therefore I come to trust under the shadow of His wings.’ But he is not ready to give himself, and, like some of the rest of us, thinks to compound by giving money. When the outward giving of goods is token of inward surrender of self, it is accepted. When it is a substitute for that, it is rejected. No doubt, too, Naaman thought that Elisha was, like the sorcerers of heathenism, very accessible to gifts; and if he had come to believe in Elisha’s God, he had yet to learn the loving-kindness of the God in whom he had come to believe. He had to learn next that ‘the gift of God’ was not ‘purchased with money’ and the prophet’s acceptance of his present would have dimmed Elisha’s own character, and that of his God, in the newly opened eyes of Naaman.
Elisha’s answer begins with the solemn adjuration which we first hear from Elijah. In its use here, it not only declares the unalterable determination of Elisha, but reveals its grounds. To a man who feels ever the burning consciousness that he is in the presence of God, all earthly good dwindles into nothing. How should talents of silver and gold, and changes of raiment, have worth in eyes before which that awful, blessed vision flames? A candle shows black against the sun. If we walk all the day in the light of God’s countenance, we shall not see much brightness to dazzle us in the pale and borrowed lights of earth. The vivid realisation of God in our daily lives is the true shield against the enticements of the world. Further, the consciousness of being God’s servant, which is implied in the expression ‘before whom I stand,’ makes a man shrink from receiving wages from men. ‘To his own Master he standeth or falleth,’ and will be scrupulously careful that no taint of apparent self-seeking shall spoil his service, in the eyes of men or in the judgment of the ‘great Taskmaster.’ Elisha felt that the honour of his order, and, in some sense, of his God, in the eyes of this half-convert, depended on his own perfect and transparent disinterestedness. Therefore, although he made no scruple of taking the Shunemite’s gifts, and probably lived on similar offerings, he steadfastly refused the enormous sum proffered by Naaman. ‘The labourer is worthy of his hire,’ but if accepting it is likely to make people think that he did his work for the sake of it, he must refuse it. A hireling is not a man who is paid for his work, but one who works for the sake of the pay. If once a professed servant of God falls under reasonable suspicion of doing that, his power for good is ended, as it should be.
II. The next point to notice is the alloy in the gold , or the imperfection of Naaman’s new convictions. He had been cured of his leprosy at once, but the cure of his soul had to be more gradual. It is unreasonable to expect clear sight, with the power of rightly estimating magnitudes, from a man seeing for the first time. But though Naaman’s shortcomings are very natural and excusable, they are plainly shortcomings. Note the two forms which they take,-superstition and selfish compromise. What good would a couple of loads of soil be, and could he not have taken that from the roadside without leave? The connection between the two halves of 2Ki 5:17 makes his object plain. He wished the earth ‘for’ he would not sacrifice but to Jehovah. That is, he meant to use it as the foundation of an altar, as if only some of the very ground on which Jehovah had manifested Himself was sacred enough for such a purpose. He did not, indeed, think of ‘the Lord’ as a local deity of Israel, as his ample confession of faith in 2Ki 5:15 proves; but neither had he reached the point of feeling that the Being worshipped makes the altar sacred. No wonder that he did not unlearn in an hour his whole way of thinking of religion! The reliance on externals is too natural to us all, even with all our training in a better faith, to allow of our wondering at or severely blaming him. A sackful of earth from Palestine has been supposed to make a whole graveyard a ‘Campo Santo’; and, no doubt, there are many good people in England who have carried home bottles of Jordan water for christenings. Does not the very name of ‘the Holy Land’ witness to the survival of Naaman’s sentimental error?
The other tarnish on the clear mirror was of a graver kind. Notice that he does not ask Elisha’s sanction to his intended compromise, but simply announces his intention, and hopes for forgiveness. It looks ill when a man, in the first fervour of adopting a new faith, is casting about for ways to reconcile it with the public profession of his old abandoned one. We should have thought better of Naaman’s monotheism, if he had not coupled his avowal of it, where it was safe to be honest, with the announcement that he did not intend to stand by his avowal when it was risky. It would have required huge courage to have gone back to Damascus and denied Rimmon; and our censure must be lenient, but decided.
Naaman was the first preacher of a doctrine of compromise, which has found eminent defenders and practisers, in our own and other times. To separate the official from the man, and to allow the one to profess in public a creed which the other disavows in private, is rank immorality, whoever does or advocates it. The motive in this case was, perhaps, not so much cowardice as selfish unwillingness to forfeit position and favour at court. He wants to keep all the good things he has got; and he tries to blind his conscience by representing the small compliance of bowing as almost forced on him by the grasp of the bowing king, who leaned on his hand. But was it necessary that he should be the king’s favourite? A deeper faith would have said, ‘Perish court favour and everything that hinders me from making known whose I am.’ But Naaman is an early example of the family of ‘Facing-both-ways,’ and of trying to ‘make the best of both worlds.’ But his sophistication of conscience will not do, and his own dissatisfaction with his excuse peeps out plainly in his petition that he may be forgiven. If his act needed forgiveness, it should not have been done, nor thus calmly announced. It is vain to ask forgiveness beforehand for known sin about to be committed.
Elisha is not asked for his sanction, and he neither gives nor refuses it. He dismissed Naaman with cold dignity, in the ordinary conventional form of leave-taking. His silence indicated at least the absence of hearty approval, and probably he was silent to Naaman because, as he said about the Shunemite’s trouble, the Lord had been silent to him, and he had no authoritative decision to give. Let us hope that Naaman’s faith grew and stiffened before the time of trial came, and that he did not lie to God in the house of Rimmon. Let us take the warning that we are to publish on the housetops what we hear in the ear, and that, if in anything we should be punctiliously sincere, it is in the profession of our faith.
III. The last point is Gehazi’s avarice, and what he got by it. How differently the same sight affected the man who lived near God and the one who lived by sense! Elisha had no desires stirred by the wealth in Naaman’s train. Gehazi’s mouth watered after it. Regulate desires and you rule conduct. The true regulation of desires is found in communion with God. Gehazi had a sordid soul, like Judas; and, like the traitor Apostle, he was untouched by contact with goodness and unworldliness. Perhaps the parallel might be carried farther, and both were moved with coarse contempt for their master’s silly indifference to earthly good. That feeling speaks in Gehazi’s soliloquy. He evidently thought the prophet a fool for having let ‘this Syrian’ off so easily. He was fair game, and he had brought the wealth on purpose to leave it. Profanity speaks in uttering a solemn oath on such an occasion. The putting side by side of ‘the Lord liveth’ and ‘I will run after him’ would be ludicrous if it were not horrible. How much profanity may live close beside a prophet, and learn nothing from him but a holy name to sully in an oath!
The after part of the story suggests that Naaman was out of sight of the city before he saw Gehazi coming after him. The cunning liar timed his arrival well. The courtesy of Naaman in lighting down from his chariot to receive the prophet’s servant shows how real a change had been wrought upon him, even though there were imperfections in him. Gehazi’s story is well hung together, and has plenty of ‘local colour’ to make it probable. Such glib ingenuity in lying augurs long practice in the art. If he had been content with a small fee, he needed only to have told the truth; but his story was required to put a fair face on the amount of his request. And in what an amiable light it sets Elisha! He would not take for himself, but he has nothing to give to the two imaginary scholars, who have come from some of the schools of the prophets in the hill-country of Ephraim, thirsting for instruction. How sweet the picture, and what a hard heart that could refuse the request! Truly said Paul, ‘The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.’ Any sin may come from it, and be done to gratify it. ‘Honestly if you can, but get it,’ was Gehazi’s principle, as it is that of many a man in the Christian Churches of this day. Greed of gain is a sin that seldom keeps house alone. Naaman no doubt was glad to give, both because he was grateful, and because, like most people in high positions, he was galled by the sense of obligation to a man beneath him in rank. So back went Gehazi, with the two Syrian slaves carrying his baggage for him, and he chuckling at his lucky stroke, and pleasantly imagining how to spend his wealth.
‘The tower’ in 2Ki 5:24 is more correctly ‘the hill,’ and it was probably there where the little group would come in sight of Elisha’s house. So Gehazi gets rid of the porters before they could be seen or speak to any one, and manages his load for a little way himself, carefully hides it in the house, and, seeing the men safely off, appears obsequious and innocent before Elisha. The prophet’s gift of supernatural knowledge was intermittent, as witness his ignorance of the Shunemite’s sorrow; but Gehazi must have known its occasional action, and we can fancy that his heart sank at the ominous question, so curt in the original, and conveying so clearly the prophet’s knowledge that he had been away from the house: ‘Whence, Gehazi?’ One lie needs another to cover it, and every sin is likely to beget a successor. So, with some tremor, but without hesitation, he tries to hide his tracks. Did not Elisha’s eye pierce the wretched hypocrite as with a dart? and did not his voice ring like a judgment trumpet, as he confounded the silent sinner with the conviction that the prophet himself had been at the spot, though his body had remained in the house? So, at last, will men be reduced to stony dumbness, when they discover that an Eye which can see deeper than Elisha’s has been gazing on all their secret sins. The question, ‘Is this a time to receive?’ etc., suggests the special reasons, in Naaman’s new faith, for conspicuous disregard of wealth, in order that he might thereby learn the free love of Elisha’s God and of Jehovah’s servant, both of which had been tarnished by Gehazi’s ill-omened greed. The long enumeration following on ‘garments’ includes, no doubt, the things that Gehazi had solaced his return with the thought of buying, and so adds another proof that his heart was turned inside out before the prophet.
His punishment is severe; but his sin was great. The leprosy was a fitting punishment, both because it had been Naaman’s, from which obedient reliance on God had set him free, and because of its symbolical meaning, as the type of sin. Gehazi got his coveted money, but he got something else along with it, which he did not bargain for, and which took all the sweetness out of it. That is always the case. ‘Ill-gotten gear never prospers’; and, if a man has set his heart on worldly good, he may succeed in amassing a fortune, but the leprosy will cleave to him, and his soul will be all crusted and foul with that living death. How many successful men, perhaps high in reputation in the Church as in the world, would stand ‘lepers as white as snow,’ if we had God’s eyes to see them with!
Fuente: Expositions Of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren
returned. About thirty miles.
now I know. Compare “Behold, I thought”, 2Ki 5:11.
take = accept.
blessing = a present. Compare Gen 33:11. Jdg 1:15.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
2Ki 5:15-19
2Ki 5:15-19
NAAMAN RETURNED TO THANK AND HONOR ELISHA; THE MAN OF GOD
“And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him; and he said, Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a present of thy servant. But he said, As Jehovah liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it, but he refused. And Naaman said, If not, yet, I pray thee, let there be given to thy servant two mules’ burden of earth; for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt-offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto Jehovah. In this thing Jehovah pardon thy servant: when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, Jehovah pardon thy servant in this thing. And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way.”
“And he returned to the man of God” (2Ki 5:15). It was no easy thing that Naaman did here. His dipping seven times in Jordan had been accomplished on his way back to Syria, at least some twenty miles from Samaria, and some scholars say thirty miles. Making the whole round trip with the animal-drawn conveyances of that era was a matter of several days additional travel. It is therefore a mark of Naaman’s character and of his high appreciation for the miracle God had been performed on his behalf that he would undertake this additional travel to return to Samaria.
“Let there be given to thy servant two mules’ burden of earth” (2Ki 5:17). In this request of Naaman, there is evident the ancient conception of God’s being identified with a certain land. Much as he honored God, he did not at that time understand that God is God of ALL lands. Jonah learned that he could not get away from God’s presence merely by going to a different country, but the common superstition of that period of history is evident in this request.
Montgomery tells us that when the Jews built a synagogue in Persia, “It was composed entirely of earth and stone brought from Jerusalem.” and that, “The empress Helena imported holy soil to Rome.”
“When I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, Jehovah pardon thy servant” (2Ki 5:18). Rimmon, of course was a pagan deity worshipped in Damascus; and Martin wrote that, “Rimmon is only the Syrian title for Baal.” Keil wrote that, “Rimmon is probably a short form for Hadad-rimmon, because Hadad was the supreme deity of the Damascene Syrians, the sun god.”
Scholars of all generations have had trouble with this passage. Did Elisha actually give his consent to what Naaman suggested here? Did he not say, “Go in peace”? Stigers interpreted this as meaning that, “Naaman received assurance that God understood his heart.” However, such a conclusion appears to be very questionable.
“Elisha answered, `Go in peace,’ without thereby either approving or disapproving the religious intentions just expressed by Naaman.” “The clause, `go in peace,’ merely means farewell.” “Elisha’s words here, `Go in peace,’ should be taken simply as Elisha’s parting wish that the peace of God would accompany Naaman on his way back to Damascus.”
“So he departed from him a little way” (2Ki 5:19). The terminology used here seems to be for the purpose of indicating that “some distance” (as in the margin) from the house of Elisha, Naaman paused long enough to load up that two mutes’ burden of earth which he had requested. That would also have facilitated the performance of Gehazi’s wicked deception.
E.M. Zerr:
2Ki 5:15. Gratitude is one of the greatest of virtues, and very unworthy is he who does not manifest it in return for favors. The benefit was already bestowed upon Naaman; his offer of the blessing, therefore, was from a pure and unselfish motive. The blessing is elsewhere translated “present” in the A. V. Naaman was a lord over others, but called himself a servant to Elisha, which was in humble respect for his benefactor.
2Ki 5:16. There could not be anything morally wrong in offering or accepting the present. We are not told why Elisha refused it. He was so positive about it that he emphasized his determination by making it as sure as that the Lord lived.
2Ki 5:17. We know there was earth available in the land of Syria. The use Naaman proposed to make of this was to build an altar on which to offer sacrifices. He had the erroneous idea that earth from the country where he had been converted to the God of Israel was more suitable for the purpose. Elisha made no objection to his taking the earth, nor to his proposal to offer sacrifices to God. The Patriarchal Dispensation was in force, and any man not an Israelite was eligible for proselyting to that form of religion, even if he were not in direct line. See Exo 18:12; Job 1:5.
2Ki 5:18. Naaman was a servant of the king, and he was an idolater. When they entered the house of Rimmon, an idolatrous temple, Naaman would still need to accompany his master to give him bodily support. By that sort of service he would have to move his body up or down in conjunction with his master’s body. In this verse he is reserving the right to do that, and it was not to be regarded as a breaking of the promise just made to Elisha to worship God only.
2Ki 5:19. The reservation was approved as indicated by the words, go in peace. A little way means he got only a short distance homeward until something happened, of which we will read in the next paragraph.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
the Penalty of Greed
2Ki 5:15-27
Naaman was so grateful that he came twenty miles out of his way to render thanks to the man of God, bringing a great sum as a gift. Notice his whole-souled desire to worship Jehovah, as shown in his fear lest his official connection with idolatry might be held to compromise him; and in his ready beneficence toward Gehazi, who, he supposed, had come in Elishas name. All these are symptoms of a noble soul on whom the Holy Spirit had been at work. We are here reminded of Cornelius, Naamans counterpart in the New Testament, Act 10:1. What a comfort it is to believe that God has been influencing men like this in all the centuries, fashioning them, though they knew him not, till the hour arrived when He spoke to them through prophet or apostle.
Gehazi is the sad counterpart of Judas. Like the traitor, he revealed the hardening effect that association with pure goodness may have on the human conscience. If it does not produce life unto life, it issues in death unto death. The same sun that bleaches linen, tans the hand that exposes it to the sunlight.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
he returned: Luk 17:15-18
now I know: 2Ki 5:8, Jos 2:9-11, Jos 9:9, Jos 9:24, 1Sa 17:46, 1Sa 17:47, 1Ki 18:36, Isa 43:10, Isa 43:11, Isa 44:6, Isa 44:8, Isa 45:6, Jer 10:10, Jer 10:11, Jer 16:19-21, Dan 2:47, Dan 3:29, Dan 4:34, Dan 6:26, Dan 6:27, Rom 10:10
a blessing: Gen 33:11, 1Sa 25:27, 2Co 9:5
Reciprocal: Exo 18:11 – Now I Jos 4:24 – all the people 1Sa 30:26 – present 1Ki 13:7 – I will give 1Ki 14:3 – And take 2Ki 1:3 – it 2Ki 3:12 – Israel 2Ki 19:15 – thou art the God 2Ch 6:32 – is come Isa 36:16 – Make an agreement with me by a present Isa 37:16 – thou art Mat 10:8 – freely ye Act 8:18 – he offered Act 8:20 – thou 2Co 8:4 – that 3Jo 1:7 – taking
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
BLESSED ASSURANCE
Behold, now I know.
2Ki 5:15
Yes, Naaman saw things differently now. Religion had ceased to be a mere matter of opinion, it had become a matter of personal experience and conviction. In place of Behold, I thought (v. 11), words which we are all ready enough to use on religious questions, he could say, Behold, now I know. He was a changed man altogether.
No mans religion is the reality it should be until he can say with Naaman, Behold, now I know. This is the meaning of the Psalmists prayer, Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation. He wanted God so to speak the truth into his heart, that his heart might witness to it with full assurance. Then the prophets testimony can be ours. Thine anger is turned away, and Thou comfortedst me. For comfort is no comfort unless you feel it.
Learn then to follow Naaman step by step till you reach the same assurance.
I. Let there be an honest facing of your true condition.You are a leper in spite of all your good points. Our redeeming features, as we call them, are powerless to redeem us. We are sinners, lost, helpless, and unclean.
II. Let there be a direct personal application to the Lord Jesus Christ.Naaman gained nothing by going to the King of Israel. The Lord Jesus does not cleanse at the command of any one.
III. Abandon all desire to do some great thing.Naaman would gladly have done some great thing, but if so, he would have returned to Damascus as proud in heart as when he came. By receiving a free cleansing his heart became broken and contrite, and he was able to offer to God the one sacrifice that God accepts.
IV. Let there be the persevering obedience of faith.Naaman dipped himself seven times.
Rev. F. S. Webster.
Illustration
There are different kinds of knowledge. There is the knowledge that rests upon observation. Then there is a knowledge that admits of mathematical demonstration. But there is a knowledge equally certain and definite, which rests upon intuition, and comes wholly from within. In all personal religion this kind of knowledge is an important element. We know when we have done wrong, we know when our motives are insincere, when our hearts are rebellious and proud, when our heart is not right with God. Yes, call it what you may, this language of the heart, the verdict of a mans own inner consciousness cannot be ignored. It cannot be shaken by argument. It is the supreme court of judgment.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
2Ki 5:15. He returned to the man of God To give him thanks and a recompense for the great benefit which he had received. I know there is no God in all the earth but in Israel By this wonderful work I am fully convinced that the God of Israel is the only true God, and that other gods are impotent idols. A noble confession! but such as speaks the misery of the Gentile world; for the nations that had many gods, really had no God, but were without God in the world. He had formerly thought the gods of Syria gods indeed, but now experience had rectified his mistake, and he knew Israels God was God alone, the sovereign Lord of all. Had he merely seen other lepers cleansed, perhaps it would not have convinced him; but the mercy of the cure affected him more than the miracle of it. Those are best able to speak of the power of divine grace, who have themselves experienced it. I pray thee take a blessing of thy servant A thankful acknowledgment, or token of gratitude. The Hebrews called every gift a blessing.