The Prophet ElishaSýnishorn

God’s Grace for Enemies

“Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, […] was a leper.” (2 Kings 5:1)

“So, he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.” (2 Kings 5:14)

The Syrians were at war with Israel. They regularly came to raid the land and take people captive. One girl was taken to Syria and became a household slave of Naaman, commander of the Syrian army. Despite being mistreated, this girl wanted the best for her master. She suggested: “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” And so Naaman went to Elisha to ask for healing.

The prophet told him to wash himself seven times in the river Jordan. Initially, Naaman was reluctant to do so, but when he finally did, he was fully healed!

Naaman correctly understood that his healing was not caused by Elisha’s own power but by God. Therefore, he said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel” (1 Kings 5:15). From then on, he wanted to worship this God only.

Naaman was healed by the Lord’s grace, even though he belonged to the enemies of God’s people Israel. A little girl played a key role in this miracle by “loving her enemy and praying for those who treated her badly”, as Jesus requires all of us to do (compare Matthew 5:44).

What would you do if you were in this girl’s position? Are there similar situations in your life?