“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. When he returned to the man of God with all his company, and came and stood before him, he said, “Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel” 2 Kings 5:14-15
The account in 2 Kings 5 of Naaman, a powerful Syrian commander who suffered from leprosy and was healed through the prophetic ministry of Elisha, contains rich lessons in humility, faith, obedience, and grace.
Naaman was a great military commander, highly respected by the king of Syria. Yet beneath his success was a devastating problem: he was a leper. Ironically, the person who pointed Naaman toward healing was an unnamed Israelite servant girl—a captive from Israel serving in Naaman's household. The powerful commander needed help from a young captive girl who, humanly speaking, was in the lowest position in the household.
Naaman went to Elisha expecting a dramatic healing. Instead, Elisha didn’t even come outside. He simply sent a messenger instructing him to go wash in the Jordan seven times. At this Naaman became angry. Likely he expected something impressive. He may have expected that Elisha would come out, call upon God, wave his hand, and the disease would be dramatically removed. Instead, Naaman receives a simple command, which he initially refused.
Naaman's servants persuaded him to reconsider. Thus, he went down to the Jordan and washed himself seven times, and was healed. His flesh became like that of a little child. And through it he learned humility before the God of Israel.
A loose connection can be drawn between Naaman’s washing and believer baptism. Both require simple, humble obedience. In both cases, it’s not the water that is most important; it is the one-time act of obedience. As 1 Peter 3:21 states, “baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
Obedience may sometimes seem insignificant, but obedience to God is never insignificant.
©Steve Taylor, 2026 --Used by permission
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