Naaman off to the king of Israel with many fine gifts of gold and silver and fine cloth as
payment.
Well, when Naaman arrived at the palace of the king of Israel, the king did not know
what to do. He did not know how to heal leprosy! But soon, the prophet Elisha sent a
message to the king, and said, “Send this man to me.”
But when Naaman came to Elisha’s house, Elisha didn’t even bother to come out to meet
him! He just sent a servant out to say, “Naaman, my master says for you to go and wash
yourself seven times in the Jordan River, and you will be healed.”
Naaman was furious! “I could wash in the great rivers of Aram! Why would I come all
the way to this unimportant river in Israel if my disease could be healed just by washing
in a river?” Angry, he turned to leave.
But one of his servants said to him, “Naaman, if Elisha had asked you to do something
difficult
, you would have done it, wouldn’t you? It is only that this seems too simple to
you. But why not do it anyway? What can it hurt?”
Reluctantly, Naaman agreed, and dipped himself seven times in the flowing waters of the
Jordan River. To his total amazement, after the seventh time, his sores disappeared – he
was cured! (children can remove dots here) He rushed back to Elisha’s house to thank
him, and give him the gifts he had brought. But Elisha would not accept the gifts. “God
has done this thing,” said Elisha. “God has used the water of the Jordan River to heal
you.”
Naaman was even more amazed now! Why had Elisha’s God done this for him? He was
not an Israelite – he was even an
enemy
of Israel! Suddenly, Naaman realized that this
God, the God of Israel, must be the most powerful God in the world – much more
powerful than the gods that the people of Aram worshipped. And right there and then,
Naaman became a believer in the God of Israel – the one true God. Naaman decided that
he, too, would worship this God. And so he loaded two wagons with Israelite soil to take
back with him to Aram, so that he could worship their God on their soil.
Elisha was pleased, and he told Naaman to “Go in peace.” And Naaman returned, healed
by God in the water of the river.
Discussion:
Together, say today’s Bible verse:
II Kings 5:14 – “So Naaman washed himself seven times in the water of the
Jordan...and his flesh was restored...and he was clean.”
If time permits, talk with the children about the story. You may want to ask leading
questions such as:
What would it feel like to have a disease so horrible that no one would come near
you to play or to help you? Even your parents and your brothers and sisters!
What did Elisha tell Naaman to do in order to be healed?
Why didn’t Naaman think that it would work?
Have you ever been really sick? What made you well?
How can
we
use water to help us stay healthy and well?
Rev. 1/06