The prophet Elisha heals a man of leprosy
Bible Accent: 1 and 2 Kings
Saint for Today: St. Margaret-Mary
The prophet Elisha heals a man of leprosy
Naaman was a brave soldier, the commander of the army of the king of Aram. But Naaman’s skill as a military leader could not earn him the victory over a very serious medical issue he was affected by. He was a leper. A young Israelite girl was the servant of Naaman’s wife. This girl was as concerned about Naaman’s health as he was. This girl said to her mistress, “If only my master would present himself to the prophet in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”
After hearing about this prophet, Naaman went before the king and asked his permission to try to find this prophet. The king said, “Go. I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.” Naaman prepared for his journey, bringing along with him as gifts 10 silver talents, 6,000 pieces of gold and 10 festal garments.
Naaman appeared before the king of Israel and gave him the letter from the king of Aram. It read, “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy.”
But the king of Israel thought this was a trick. The king tore his clothing and said, “Am I a god with power over life and death, that this man should send someone for me to cure him of leprosy? Take note! You can see he is only looking for a quarrel with me!”
When Elisha, a prophet and a man of God, had heard what the king had said, he sent a message to him. “Why have you torn your garments? Let him come to me and find out that there is a prophet in Israel.”
So Naaman went to the house of Elisha. Instead of appearing in front of Naaman, Elisha sent him a message that he should go and wash in the Jordan river seven times and he would be healed. But this angered Naaman. He thought Elisha would come out, touch him and heal him immediately. He prepared to return home.
Naaman’s servants pleaded with him to change his mind. “My father, if the prophet told you to do something extraordinary, would you not do it?” So Naaman agreed and did as the prophet had instructed him. And he was healed. Naaman declared to Elisha, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel.”
READ MORE ABOUT IT:
2 Kings 5
Q&A
1. What was wrong with Naaman?
2. What did Naaman have to do to be healed?
Bible Accent: 1 and 2 Kings
The books of 1 and 2 Kings are considered by many scholars to be the conclusion of a series of biblical books that tell the story of Israel from the time the Israelites entered the Promised Land through the collapse of the two major kingdoms of Israel and Judah. The first book of this historical series is the Book of Joshua. Scholars also realize that throughout these books historical accuracy has sometimes been ignored in order to make a more interesting story. Literary techniques that are still used by writers today can be found in the two Kings books, such as how the stories are planned, leaving hints about future events in the story and giving us vivid images of the characters of the story by describing how they look and what they do in the story.
Saint for Today: St. Margaret-Mary
Margaret-Mary (1647-1690) was the daughter of a notary of the town of Burgundy in France. When she was 8 her father died, leaving behind seven hungry children, and Margaret was sent to a school run by the Poor Clares. Young Margaret was immediately impressed with the religious life of the nuns there. She, in turn, impressed the nuns with her own religious devotion, so they let her receive her first Communion when she was 9 years old. Margaret became ill and was bedridden for the next 6 years, but when she was 22 she joined a convent and helped out in the infirmary. She had many visions in her life, and she had a devotion to the Sacred Heart. We honor her on Oct. 16.
