Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy.” vs. 1
2 Kings 5:1-3
At the time of Elisha, about 850 BCE, Aram, Israel, and Judah were small monarchies clustered along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. They weren’t great powers, but they seemed to take great delight in warning each other. It’s interesting that while the nation of Aram was ultimately swallowed up by the Assyrians, the Aramean language spread over most of the Middle East and was likely the one spoken by Jesus. In Elisha’s day Aram and Israel regularly raided across borders, pillaging and taking captives, and Naaman was the commander of the Aramean army. But he got his name in the bible because he got leprosy, a dreaded skin disease. No one, no matter how famous, is immune to illness and suffering. Naaman however had an Elisha connection, a young slave girl from Israel that he’d captured on a raid and given to his wife, and she knew that Elisha could heal him. The girl told her mistress and set in motion a most unlikely chain of circumstances that concluded with Naaman paying a visit to Elisha. It’s amazing how connections like that work in our world. Simple conversations turn into life-enhancing messages that cut across ethnic, religious, and economic boundaries, and a brief comment turns into a surprise and sometimes even a miracle.
Thought for the Day: What’s an unexpected connection that changed my life?
0 Comments