2 Kings 5 Devotional

A Cure No Silver Could Buy

“Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God, stood before him, and declared, “Now I know for sure that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.””2 Kings 5:15 (BSB)

Naaman commands the army of Israel's enemy, and the text says it was the LORD who had given Aram victory through him (5:1). He also has leprosy. Help comes through a captive Israelite girl (5:2-3). Naaman arrives with horses, chariots, and a fortune in silver and gold, and Elisha does not even come to the door. He sends word to wash seven times in the Jordan (5:10). Naaman storms off, offended, until his servants persuade him to do the simple thing. He comes up from the water healed and confesses that Israel's God is the only God anywhere (5:14-15).

Elisha refuses every gift, because the healing was not for sale (5:16). Gehazi runs after Naaman for some of the silver anyway, lies about it, and receives Naaman's disease (5:20-27). Jesus pointed to Naaman, a foreigner, as the one leper cleansed in Elisha's day (Luke 4:27). Grace cannot be earned by greatness or bought with money. It is received by those humble enough to take God at his word.

To think about: Is there a simple step of trust you have resisted because it seemed too small or too humbling?