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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: The Healing of Naaman
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Anglican_Brat
Shipmate
# 12349
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Posted
This Sunday, the OT semi-continous reading is the healing of Naaman by Elisha, 2 Kings 5:1-14
One thing that struck me this week is that Naaman is a mighty general of Aram. Aram and Israel in the Kings narrative are constantly at war with each other, would not Elisha's healing, constitute in a way, treason to Israel? If the general of the army of your enemy is sick or wounded, wouldn't it be a good idea, militarily, to take advantage of this for one's own nation?
I'm thinking of interpreting this story as an Old Testament example of Jesus's command to love one's enemies.
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Posts: 4332 | From: Vancouver | Registered: Feb 2007
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mousethief
Ship's Thieving Rodent
# 953
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Posted
There must have been some diplomatic relations between the two nations, or how could the king of one send a letter to the king of the other asking for a favor? They can't have been at war at the moment. (my 2p)
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This is the last sig I'll ever write for you...
Posts: 63536 | From: Washington | Registered: Jul 2001
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Lamb Chopped
Ship's kebab
# 5528
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Posted
I'm pretty sure the king of Israel at that time knew he was not in a position to piss off Elisha by squawking anything about treason. And it would be hard for him to do so anyway when he himself forwarded the guy (though he did it just to get himself out from under, of course).
Elisha I'm pretty sure saw himself as God's prophet plain and simple, and put ordinary patriotism way way down his list of feelings. Hard to do otherwise when God refuses to respect your personal prejudices!
I do think the king of Aram had an ulterior motive for sending Naaman to Israel, though. He probably thought, "If the healing falls through for any reason, that's all the excuse I need to declare war next season." Just another move in the game.
I wonder if he was taken aback when Naaman returned home healed.
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Er, this is what I've been up to (book).
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!
Posts: 20059 | From: off in left field somewhere | Registered: Feb 2004
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mousethief
Ship's Thieving Rodent
# 953
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Lamb Chopped:
I wonder if he was taken aback when Naaman returned home healed.
What a great premise for biblical fan fic!
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This is the last sig I'll ever write for you...
Posts: 63536 | From: Washington | Registered: Jul 2001
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Brenda Clough
Shipmate
# 18061
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Posted
Geez louise, dude, you're back? I thought it was a one-way ticket -- I mean, great, welcome home! Honey, get the kitchen going on a fatted calf, okay? Well, so Naaman, any chance it was black magic? Something with witches and bones, you know -- we could get some PR mileage out of that. Don't sit on that, do you mind? Leprosy, you know, I mean you look great, but that's my favorite cushion. Lemme get you some wine here, I need a drink...
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Science fiction and fantasy writer with a Patreon page
Posts: 6378 | From: Washington DC | Registered: Mar 2014
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Eutychus
From the edge
# 3081
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Posted
The thing that really strikes me in this story is the way Naaman almost passes up the healing because it failed so utterly to coincide with his expectations of how it should happen: verse 11, "but I thought that for me, he should..."
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Let's remember that we are to build the Kingdom of God, not drive people away - pastor Frank Pomeroy
Posts: 17944 | From: 528491 | Registered: Jul 2002
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Alan Cresswell
Mad Scientist 先生
# 31
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Lamb Chopped:
I do think the king of Aram had an ulterior motive for sending Naaman to Israel, though. He probably thought, "If the healing falls through for any reason, that's all the excuse I need to declare war next season."
That was certainly in the mind of the king of Israel. Who quite possibly would have considered giving Elisha a medal for averting a war, if Elisha hadn't been such a general trouble maker.
It's also not beyond possibility that Naaman goes home with the thought "there's a God in Israel capable of doing great things. I'll advise my king that it's probably not a good idea to piss Him off".
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Don't cling to a mistake just because you spent a lot of time making it.
Posts: 32413 | From: East Kilbride (Scotland) or 福島 | Registered: May 2001
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TurquoiseTastic
Fish of a different color
# 8978
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Posted
Jesus of course picks up on this story when he says "there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed - only Naaman the Syrian"...
This did not go down well with the audience.
Posts: 1092 | From: Hants., UK | Registered: Jan 2005
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Lamb Chopped
Ship's kebab
# 5528
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Alan Cresswell:
It's also not beyond possibility that Naaman goes home with the thought "there's a God in Israel capable of doing great things. I'll advise my king that it's probably not a good idea to piss Him off".
I'd expect Naaman's mere appearance would be enough to trigger that thought in the king's head!
As for the Israelite king, I'd bet doughnuts that his reaction to the whole thing was first relief and then general pissed-offness--because here's this wonderworking prophet, but he won't do bupkis for his own king.
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Er, this is what I've been up to (book).
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!
Posts: 20059 | From: off in left field somewhere | Registered: Feb 2004
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TurquoiseTastic
Fish of a different color
# 8978
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Posted
Hmmm, perhaps that's roughly what the friendly citizens of Nazareth thought too...
Posts: 1092 | From: Hants., UK | Registered: Jan 2005
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Gee D
Shipmate
# 13815
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Posted
One point made in our sermon this morning was the great role played by servants - the captive girl who suggests the prophet to start and then the servants who tell Namaan to do what Elisha has told him, though Elisha did not even come to the door.
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Not every Anglican in Sydney is Sydney Anglican
Posts: 7028 | From: Warrawee NSW Australia | Registered: Jun 2008
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wots a user name
Apprentice
# 18619
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Posted
Namens's return, healed by a foriegn God and now worshipping that foriegn God would open a whole can of worms for the king of aram and his priests.
They would have evidence of a miracle working God that far surpassed anything they could do and like the egyptioon magicans and the pharases later in the NT they were not prepared to change how they thought about God.
Posts: 3 | From: London | Registered: Jul 2016
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Baker
Shipmate
# 18458
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Brenda Clough:
Geez louise, dude, you're back? I thought it was a one-way ticket -- I mean, great, welcome home! Honey, get the kitchen going on a fatted calf, okay? Well, so Naaman, any chance it was black magic? Something with witches and bones, you know -- we could get some PR mileage out of that. Don't sit on that, do you mind? Leprosy, you know, I mean you look great, but that's my favorite cushion. Lemme get you some wine here, I need a drink...
This is one of the funniest things I've read in a long time. I laughed out loud when I read it the first time! ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
quote:
It's also not beyond possibility that Naaman goes home with the thought "there's a God in Israel capable of doing great things. I'll advise my king that it's probably not a good idea to piss Him off". [/QB]
This would have been my thought as well.
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Ad astra per aspera
Posts: 108 | From: Tottering-on-the-Brink | Registered: Aug 2015
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