Naaman was a great and strong man. He was an important leader in his country. But Naaman had a big problem: his skin was diseased. It was full of stains, and no one could cure him. This made him very sad.
One day, a little girl who worked at Naaman’s house said, “I know someone who can help! The prophet Elisha in Israel knows God. God can heal Naaman!”
Naaman heard this and set off. He took many gifts with him and rode in his chariot to Elisha’s house.
When he got there, Elisha didn’t come out herself. He sent only one messenger. He said: “Go to the river and bathe in the water seven times! Then you’ll get well.”
Naaman became angry. “Only water? I thought Elisa was going to do something special! Why should I bathe in this river?” He was about to ride home.
But his servants said gently, “Please, Naaman, give it a try. It’s quite simple. Maybe it will help!”
Naaman thought. Then he went to the river and dived in – once, twice, three times … When he had submerged seven times, he looked down at himself. His skin was quite healthy! Not a single spot was to be seen!
Naaman jumped up for joy. “God has healed me! Now I know: There is only one true God!”
He returned home happy and thanked God for the miracle.
Questions to think about
Have you ever done something you didn’t understand, but it was good for you?
Can you trust God even if you don’t understand everything?
Message of history
God can heal, and He is happy when we trust Him – even if we don’t always understand it.
Bible passage
The story of Naaman and the healing bath is found in 2 Kings 5:1-14:
*”Naaman, the commander of the king of Aram, was a man of renown before his lord and highly respected; for through him the Lord had given victory to the Aramaeans. But this mighty man was a leper. And the Aramaeans had gone out in roves, and had taken a little girl captive from the land of Israel, who was now serving Naaman’s wife. And she said to her mistress, “Oh, that my Lord were before the prophet who dwells in Samaria!” He would free him from his leprosy!
Then Naaman went in and reported it to his master, saying, “This is how the girl from the land of Israel spoke.” Then the king of Aram said, “Go.” I will send a letter to the king of Israel. And he went and took with him ten talents of silver, and 6,000 [Schekel] gold, and ten changes of clothes.
And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, “And now, when this letter comes to you, behold, I will send you my servant Naaman, that you may free him from his leprosy.” And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he tore his garments, and said, “Am I God, then, that I should kill and give life?” For he sends to me that I am to free a man from his leprosy! Recognize and see that he is looking for a pretext against me!
But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his garments, he sent to the king and said to him, “Why have you torn your garments?” Let him come to me so that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel! So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. Then Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and bathe seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored to you, and you will be clean.”
Then Naaman was angry and went away and said, “Behold, I thought he would come out and [vor mich] stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and run his hand over the place and deliver the leper.” Aren’t the Abana and Parpar rivers near Damascus better than all the waters in Israel? Can’t I bathe in them and become clean? And he turned and went away in anger.
Then his servants came to him and spoke to him, saying, “My father, if the prophet had said anything great to you, would you not have done it?” How much more, since he said to you, ‘Bathe, and you will be clean!’
So he went down and dived seven times into the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little boy, and he was cleansed.” *
