There is a Prophet in Israel

2 Kings 5

Naaman’s Leprosy Healed

5 Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. ² And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife. ³ Then she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.” ⁴ And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel.”

⁵ Then the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.”

So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. ⁶ Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said,

Now be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy.

⁷ And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me.”

⁸ So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.”

⁹ Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house. ¹⁰ And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” ¹¹ But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ ¹² Are not the ^[c]Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. ¹³ And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” ¹⁴ So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

¹⁵ And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, “Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant.”

¹⁶ But he said, “As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused.

¹⁷ So Naaman said, “Then, if not, please let your servant be given two mule-loads of earth; for your servant will no longer offer either burnt offering or sacrifice to other gods, but to the Lord. ¹⁸ Yet in this thing may the Lord pardon your servant: when my master goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand, and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord please pardon your servant in this thing.”

¹⁹ Then he said to him, “Go in peace.” So he departed from him a short distance.

Gehazi’s Greed

²⁰ But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “Look, my master has spared Naaman this Syrian, while not receiving from his hands what he brought; but as the Lord lives, I will run after him and take something from him.” ²¹ So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw him running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him, and said, “Is all well?”

²² And he said, “All is well. My master has sent me, saying, ‘Indeed, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the mountains of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of garments.’ ”

²³ So Naaman said, “Please, take two talents.” And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and handed them to two of his servants; and they carried them on ahead of him. ²⁴ When he came to the citadel, he took them from their hand, and stored them away in the house; then he let the men go, and they departed. ²⁵ Now he went in and stood before his master. Elisha said to him, “Where did you go, Gehazi?”

And he said, “Your servant did not go anywhere.”

²⁶ Then he said to him, “Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is it time to receive money and to receive clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants? ²⁷ Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and your descendants forever.” And he went out from his presence leprous, as white as snow.

“There is a Prophet in Israel”

Second Kings 5 opens by introducing us to Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army. He was a respected and successful military leader, described as a “mighty man of valor.” God had even permitted Syria to experience victory through him. Yet Scripture adds four words that changed everything about his life: “but a leper” (2 Kings 5:1).

Naaman had position, reputation, authority, and wealth, but none of those things could cure what was destroying his body.

During one of Syria’s raids into Israel, a young Israelite girl had been taken captive and became a servant to Naaman’s wife. Though she had been removed from her home, she had not lost her faith in the God of Israel. She told Naaman’s wife that there was a prophet in Samaria who could bring healing to Naaman (2 Kings 5:2–3). Word eventually reached Naaman, and with the permission of the king of Syria, he traveled toward Israel carrying silver, gold, clothing, and a letter from his king (2 Kings 5:4–6).

When the king of Israel received the letter asking that Naaman be healed, he became distressed and tore his clothes. He knew he had no power to heal leprosy and feared Syria was looking for an excuse to start a conflict. But when Elisha heard what had happened, he sent word to the king: “Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel” (2 Kings 5:7–8).

Elisha understood something the king did not—the answer was not political power, money, or human influence. God was about to reveal Himself through prophetic ministry.

Naaman arrived at Elisha’s house with his horses and chariot, probably expecting the prophet himself to come outside and perform some dramatic act of healing. Instead, Elisha did not even come to the door. He sent a messenger telling Naaman to wash in the Jordan seven times, promising that his flesh would be restored and he would be clean (2 Kings 5:9–10).

This offended Naaman. He had already imagined how his healing should happen. He expected Elisha to come out, call upon God, wave his hand over the leprosy, and heal him. Angry and disappointed, Naaman argued that the rivers of Damascus were better than the Jordan and turned away in a rage (2 Kings 5:11–12).

But Naaman’s servants reasoned with him. They essentially said, “If the prophet had asked you to do something difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? Then why not obey when he simply says, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” (2 Kings 5:13). Naaman humbled himself, went down into the Jordan, and dipped himself seven times “according to the saying of the man of God.” On the seventh time, his flesh was completely restored, becoming like the flesh of a little child (2 Kings 5:14).

His miracle came when his obedience finally came into agreement with the word God had given.

Naaman returned to Elisha a changed man. He now confessed, “Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel” (2 Kings 5:15). He offered Elisha a gift, but Elisha firmly refused it, saying, “As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing” (2 Kings 5:16). Naaman urged him, but Elisha still refused. The prophet understood that this was not the time to profit from the miracle. God had healed Naaman freely, and Elisha would not allow money to confuse what God was revealing about Himself.

Naaman departed in peace, but Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, saw the situation differently. Gehazi thought Elisha had allowed Naaman to get away too easily. He decided to run after Naaman and receive something for himself (2 Kings 5:19–20). When Gehazi caught him, he lied. He claimed that Elisha had suddenly received two young men from among the sons of the prophets and needed silver and clothing for them. Naaman gladly gave Gehazi even more than he requested (2 Kings 5:21–23).

Gehazi returned and secretly hid what he had received. Then he went back and stood before Elisha as though nothing had happened. Elisha asked him a simple question: “Where did you go, Gehazi?” Gehazi answered, “Your servant did not go anywhere” (2 Kings 5:24–25). But Gehazi was standing before a prophet whose natural eyes had remained at home while his prophetic perception had followed what happened.

Elisha answered him with one of the most powerful statements in the chapter: “Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you?” Then Elisha asked, “Is it time to receive money and to receive clothing?” (2 Kings 5:26). The issue was deeper than money. Gehazi had failed to discern the time, the moment, and what God was doing. What Elisha had intentionally refused, Gehazi secretly pursued.

The chapter ends with a sobering reversal. The leprosy that had left Naaman came upon Gehazi, and Gehazi walked out from Elisha’s presence “leprous, as white as snow” (2 Kings 5:27). Naaman entered the story carrying leprosy and left carrying a testimony of the God of Israel. Gehazi entered the story walking beside the prophet and left carrying the very disease from which Naaman had been delivered.

Second Kings 5 therefore gives us much more than the story of a healing. It gives us a picture of prophetic maturity and prophetic immaturity standing side by side. Elisha knew when to speak, what instruction to give, when not to perform for someone’s expectations, when to refuse a gift, and how to protect the integrity of what God was doing. Gehazi was close enough to watch mature prophetic ministry but had not yet developed the character necessary to carry its weight. He saw the miracle, but he failed to understand the moment.

And perhaps that is one of the strongest lessons for those being trained in prophetic ministry: it is possible to stand close to an anointing without allowing God to form the character necessary to carry it. Elisha’s maturity was not demonstrated merely because he knew what God was saying. His maturity was also demonstrated by knowing what to do with what God was saying. Second Kings 5 teaches us that revelation must be accompanied by obedience, discernment, restraint, integrity, and consecration.