2 Kings 5:9 says, So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. Naaman came with his horses and chariots to Elisha and stood before his door. I don't know if he thought his display of power would influence Elisha or if he just didn't feel safe coming alone. I do know that when we come to God through putting our faith in Jesus Christ that our position in the world will not impress Him and we must always come alone. Verse ten adds, And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. Elisha did not even come to Nathan but sent a messenger to him telling him to go and wash in the Jordan seven times. Elisha evidently was not impressed nor intimidated by Nathan, and neither should we be by anyone when sharing the gospel today. Elisha's message was simple, but it required obedience and action on Nathan's part. The gospel message is also simple, and it too requires obedience and action on the part of each individual if they are to be cleansed of the penalty of their sins. Verse eleven continues, But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. Nathan was mad, because Elisha had not done what he expected him to do. He thought Elisha would come out to him, wave his hand over him, and call on God and he would be healed. He actually wasn't expecting to have to do anything himself but be near Elisha. For some people, the gospel is too simple, and they reject it because they expect to have to do more than just believe. I know in this case Nathan was asked to do more, but I believe that was to show that he truly believed that Elisha spoke God's word and would humble himself to obey him. We can only come to God by humble obedience to Jesus Christ and faith in Him as the only way to salvation. Verse twelve continues, Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. Nathan asked if there were not rivers near Damascus with better water than all the waters in Israel that he could wash in, and he went away in a rage. He still thought Damascus was better than Israel and people still look for a better way to salvation today thinking that they have a better way than faith in Jesus Christ, and they either go away mad or disappointed in the simplicity of the gospel. Verse thirteen states, And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? Nathan's servants had a better understanding than Nathan did. They asked him if Elisha had told him to do some great thing would he not have done it, so why would he not do something simple like washing seven times in the Jordan. People today would still like for salvation to require more than just faith that Jesus Christ died for their sins and acceptance of this fact. Verse fourteen adds, Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. When Nathan did what Elisha told him to do, he was healed of his leprosy. When we do what the gospel tells us to do, we will be healed of the penalty of our sins and will become babies in Christ spiritually. Verse fifteen continues, And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant. Nathan had left Elisha's place angry, but he returned grateful. We may be angry when we first hear the gospel because it seems to simple, but if we believe and put our faith in it, we should return to God grateful for His salvation plan making us whole spiritually. Nathan said he now knew that there was no god but the God of Israel, and we must come to the realization that there is but one real God in order to be saved. Nathan also offered to reward Elisha for what he did. Verse sixteen says, But he said, As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused. Elisha refused Nathan's reward, and so should we if someone attempts to pay us for sharing the gospel today. Like Elisha, we are just the messenger, and all the glory should go to God and not to us. Verse seventeen adds, And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules' burden of earth? for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the Lord. Nathan then said he would no longer worship any God but the God of Israel and then asked for two loads of dirt from Israel on which to build an altar to God, as Matthew Henry says not really understanding that God is the God of the whole earth, and the dirt of Israel was no more sacred than any dirt anywhere. We should never believe that God is limited to a particular place, because He is the God of the whole universe. Verse eighteen continues, In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing. He also asked that God pardon him when he went into the house of Rimmon and bowed down. He knew that he would be required to do this by the king, and he didn't want to oppose him. We cannot go through the motions of worshipping other gods as Christians, but we must reject them outright and stand for God alone. Verse nineteen concludes, And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way. Elisha told Nathen to go in peace, but I don't really believe that this meant he agreed to Nathan's proposal. I don't believe that we can ever have real peace with God as followers of Christ if we are attempting to allow other gods in our life, even if it would save us some problems in the world. We must worship God alone and should never even go through the motions of worshipping another god, no matter what it costs us materially to refuse to do so.
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