Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

Naaman was the commander of the army of Benhadad, king of Syria. He was a great man, he was a man of valour, he was an honourable man, and the Lord had given victories to him. He’s a great example of how the Lord has always worked on behalf of all humanity, not just the Jewish people (although they ARE His chosen, special children, with first place – Exodus 19:6; Romans 1:16). He had a situation, though. He was a leper. Kudos to everyone around him, this had not limited him. He had position, respect, and power. He was prideful though. Biblical leprosy was almost always a spiritual condition, not a physical disease like Hansen’s (Numbers 12:1-10).

At that time the Syrians weren’t attacking Israel enmasse. They were raiding in smaller groups (probably in hundreds or thousands, but not tens of thousands). During one of the raids, a little girl was taken. Then she was sold to Naaman who gave her to his wife as a servant. One day, she mentioned to her mistress that she wished they were living in Israel because there was a prophet there that could take Naaman’s leprosy away. Now, there was no evidence that any of the prophets had done this, including Elisha. But there was such a reputation of Elisha being a man of God, that those who trusted in God knew that there was nothing God couldn’t do through Elisha.

The wife believed the girl and told her husband. Naaman believed and told Benhadad. Benhadad believed and sent Naaman to the king of Israel asking to be cleansed of leprosy. This would make Naaman more of an ambassador than a penitent.