Naaman the Leper

Title Ideas:A girl testifies about God’s power.God heals a powerful gentile army commander.Naaman’s shame.Naaman’s pride and Gehazi’s greed.

When Elisha was a prophet in Israel’s northern country, an army from Syria used to [would] attack Israelite towns. The Syrian army commander’s name was Naaman.

Naaman led the Syrian army in many victories against their enemies, because God helped him. The Syrians would rob towns and capture children. However, Naaman was sick with a skin disease.

During one of Naaman’s attacks against Israel, he captured a little girl whom he gave to his wife as a servant. One day, the girl said to Naaman’s wife, “There is a prophet in Israel named Elisha who could cure [heal] Naaman’s [my master’s] skin disease!”

So Naaman asked the Syrian king for permission to go to Israel. The king wrote a letter for Israel’s king, saying: “You must cure Naaman’s disease!”Naaman took gold, silver and fine clothes to give [to the king and to Elisha].

When Israel’s king read the letter from Syria’s king, he shouted, “I am not God! I cannot heal illnesses [sickness]! The Syrian king must want to start a [make] war with me!”

When the prophet Elisha heard about Naaman and the Syrian king’s letter, he sent a messenger to Israel’s king, saying, “Send the Syrian commander to me, so that I can show him that there is a real [true] prophet in Israel!”

So Naaman went to see Elisha. Before Naaman came, Elisha said to his servant [Gehazi], “When the Syrian shall come, tell him: Go bathe seven times in the Jordan River. Then your flesh [sickness] shall be healed, and you [your skin] shall be restored!”

Elisha’s words made Naaman so angry that he shouted to his servants, “There are better [cleaner] rivers in Syria. I wanted the prophet to heal me by speaking words over me, or by waving his hand over my skin disease!”

But Naaman’s servants replied, “Sir! If this prophet had told you to go do something hard [difficult] to do, then you would have done so! Please, do as the prophet said! Go bathe yourself in Jordan River!”

So Naaman went and bathed himself six times in Jordan River, as Elisha had instructed [told] him to do. When he bathed himself the seventh time, his sickness disappeared [was healed]. His skin became as smooth [fresh] as a little child’s skin.

Naaman went back to see Elisha and said, “I now know that the Lord, Israel’s God, is the only true God!” Then Naaman said, “Please accept these gifts!” But Elisha replied, “No! I will never accept gifts [in exchange] for the Lord’s good actions!”

Naaman left to return to Syria. But Elisha’s servant [Gehazi] ran after Naaman on the road and said [lied], “Two young prophets have come to see [my master] Elisha, and they need some silver and clothes!” So Naaman gave him [the servant] more than what he asked for.

When the servant returned to Elisha’s house, Elisha rebuked him, saying, “From now on you have the same [Naaman’s skin] disease and your descendants will have Namaan’s disease!”