[2Ki 5:15-19a] I Will Not Accept A Thing

John C. Lim
2 Kings 5: 15-19a   (Part 3 of 4)  

15 Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, "Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. Please accept now a gift from your servant." 

16 The prophet answered, "As surely as the LORD lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing." And even though Naaman urged him, he refused. 

17 "If you will not," said Naaman, "please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the LORD.

18 But may the LORD forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD forgive your servant for this." 

19 "Go in peace," Elisha said. 

Naaman was completely and fully healed from his leprosy.  We can imagine what a great joy that must have been for Naaman as well as his servants.  Like the Samaritan leper who returned to Jesus to give praise and thanks, Naaman went back to the man of God.  Though he was a foreigner like the Samaritan, he knew he had an unfinished business.  That was the business of going back to the man of God and offering him his heartfelt gratitude.  Look at verse 15. 

      Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and  said, "Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. Please accept now a  gift from your servant."

I imagine the man of God, or Elisha was expecting Naaman for he knew that Naaman was healed just as he had said.  The man of God had no doubt in his mind that Naaman was healed.   So Naaman now stands before the prophet of God, Elisha and made a declaration.  
 
Although Naaman was not a believer in the beginning, God granted him that gift of faith and healing.  What made Naaman carry out what Elisha told him to do?  Yes, the servants had their part in persuading him.  But ultimately, Naaman was moved to act and follow the instruction because God had given him that measure of faith to trust and follow through.  That is the most precious gift from God.  The gift of faith is what leads us to believe in God and is the gift of grace. 

Often times, we think we are the ones who somehow act on our faith as if it was ours but in reality it is God’s gift of faith that compels us to act.  God gives us faith we need freely so that we can trust in His Son, Jesus Christ for our salvation. 

Naaman and those who accompanied him on this journey went back to the man of God to offer his thanks and gifts.  Naaman makes a public profession of faith when he says, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel.”

This is a tremendous profession.  Naaman is a foreigner who had been worshipping idols all his life.  However, he became convinced through this healing that God whom Elisha serves is the only true God of the known world.  He has seen many things in his life but nothing would shake the foundation of his core belief system like this healing of his incurable disease, leprosy.  He knew better than anyone else what an impossible feat this healing was.  He lived with the disease and he wallowed in his misery all these years.  This can’t be.  This healing should not have happened if he relied on his knowledge and personal experience.  But the healing took place.  He was the living proof that something impossible became possible. 

This healing has completely changed his belief system.  He realized that God of Israel is God who can heal the incurable disease.  This is so revolutionary, that Naaman makes public profession of faith.  God had given him this gift of faith and now he was merely carrying this to its logical conclusion.  He wanted the whole world to know that on this day, he would embrace the God of Israel.  
 
All those times when his own gods and their false priests would call on the name of their gods and wave their hands over the spot to heal him of his disease, nothing ever happened but when the man of God simply told him what to do and when he did it, he was healed.  Obviously, God of Israel is the true God and the rest is nothing more than false idols.  False healers even today lead people astray by putting the burden on very people who are most vulnerable and helpless.  They are so desperate and want to believe they can be healed, they would grasp at anything.  But these false healers don’t take responsibility for healing that doesn’t take place.  They would merely claim that those who needed healing lacked faith and therefore were not healed.  Or they would claim that they didn’t pray hard enough.  That is quite convenient for those false healers.  However, when people somehow are healed, they are only glad to take credit and add to their credential as they blow their own horn about their healing powers. 

Prophet Elisha was a man of God whose words came from God.  No one can claim this today.  Elisha didn’t heal everyone but for those he sought healing, they were healed completely.  He didn’t have 75% success rate.  He had 100% success rate.  Now, who can claim this today?

Naaman was now convinced that God of Israel is the one and only true God.  What about us?  Do we believe in God of heavens and earth who created us is the very God who sent His Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins?  Do we believe on this provision?   Is this God whom we serve and believe in? 

Naaman then continues.  And as a token of his appreciation, he says, “Please accept now a gift from your servant.”  As we have seen before, Naaman is a man who did not expect something for free.  And as his custom and culture dictate, he was willing to pay for this unfathomable feat of healing.  For Naaman, this healing was worth every penny that he brought on this trip. 

So, Naaman offers his gifts to Elisha.  With such gesture, Elisha the man of God, a true prophet responds accordingly.  We can be sure that anyone in his right mind could think of many projects and worthy endeavors that could be made possible because of this generous donation.  And I am sure just as we could Elisha could think of many things he could do with that much money.  Why, he could build a new state of art facility for his students.  He could have helped countless poor people living in that ancient time in Israel.  He could have built a majestic temple for people to worship God of Israel.  I am sure there are many more worthy projects that we can come up with.  There must have been many things he could have used the money for the benefit of the people.  But look at what this man of God, Elisha says in verse 16. 

      The prophet answered, "As surely as the LORD lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing."  And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.

Elisha the prophet says appropriately and accordingly that he will not accept a thing.  Now, think about this.  Elisha just healed the great general of Aram’s army of his incurable leprosy.  Naaman thought this healing was worth every penny of the $2 million dollars he brought.  He was more than glad to give all this to Elisha but Elisha in one simple word said, no.

That is something special in our world today. Here is a man of integrity and character who is so in tune with God that his only strength and security come from his relationship with God.   Elisha is a prophet of God who has transcended the materialistic parameters and is solely living to do God’s will.  How we long for such spirit in God’s servants today.  Having the courage to decline such an offer is quite rare today where people are prone to corruption.  From those who would pander healing and try to extract financial gain, nothing can be more refreshing than Elisha’s refusal to take a penny from Naaman. 

The Bible tells us that Naaman urged Elisha but Elisha refused.  “As surely as the LORD lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.”  What an incredible response from the man of God, the prophet of God! 

We might ask as to why he did not accept a thing.  Here is the most salient point.  God’s healing is not for sale.  God’s healing is free of cost.  God’s healing is freely offered without any cost associated with it.  When God saves us from our sin, He freely forgives us of our sin.  Our good works cannot achieve our salvation.  It is the gift of God.  God’s gift of healing is not for sale and no amount can be associated with God’s grace.  The cost of our salvation is life of Jesus Christ.  The blood that was shed for us is the cost of our healing.  Jesus had to die on the cross to pay for our redemption.

Can we put a price tag on the blood of Jesus Christ?  All the wealth in the world would not be enough to pay for a single drop of His blood.  Yet, Jesus gave himself up for us willingly and freely.  So, the prophet of God, Elisha tells Naaman that he would not accept a thing.  Even with Naaman’s urging Elisha would not relent. 

Elisha would not want to cheapen Naaman’s healing by accepting gifts.  God’s grace is not for sale.  When God saves us from our sin through the blood of Jesus Christ, it was unconditional love not based on our efforts or our good works. 

When Naaman realized that Elisha would not be budged, he then does something very interesting.  Look at verse 17.

      "If you will not," said Naaman, "please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair  of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any  other god but the LORD.

Why does he do this?  We have to remember that Naaman did not grow up in the household of Israelite. He does not know all the customs and rituals of Israelites.  But in his own way, he wanted to worship God and show his devotion to the one who healed him of his disease.  Now that Naaman realized that God of Israel is the only true God, he would not go back to his previous custom of making burnt offerings and sacrifices to the gods of his land. 

Naaman’s personal view of faith has completely transformed because of God’s gift of faith that brought healing of his disease.  But then, he asks something to Elisha in verse 18.

      But may the LORD forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple  of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I bow there also—when I bow down  in the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD forgive your servant for this."

This is an interesting request from Naaman.  Although Naaman himself now is a believer in God of Israel, his king of Aram is not a believer.  And Naaman is the most entrusted general of Aram’s army.  Apparently, when the king goes into the temple of Rimmon to bow down, he takes Naaman with him and leans on Naaman’s arm.  Naaman has to bow as well in that situation.  So, Naaman tells this to Elisha.

Naaman is a man of deep thought as he thinks about the consequences for what just took place.  He knows that his life is now forever changed.  He is now a believer in God and will have to live as one who believes in God. He can no longer worship the idols of his land but has now made a public profession of faith and will live to honor that profession. 

Naaman is a general or a soldier.  He understands that he lives under the direct command of his king.  Whether he agrees or not with his king’s religious faith is irrelevant.  As a soldier, he must be counted on to be at his king’s side.  That is his duty and his obligation as he serves king of Aram.  So, wisely he asks this of Elisha. 

As Christians we live in two worlds.  When we go out into the world, we must be aware of the demands that are made on us.  We live as believers in this world and will not cross over the threshold to side with the world but we also must realize that there are responsibilities such as paying taxes, and being available to serve in jury duties.  We also participate in other activities such as elections and many other worthy causes we have interest in.  We have obligation to our society to contribute and to make positive impact.  We cannot ignore or refuse our responsibilities as we live in our society. 

Naaman is quite aware that he will have to walk this line from now on carefully.  And this is the beauty of Naaman’s young faith as he candidly seeks Elisha’s counsel and understanding.  Though he believes in God, he does see potential situation when he gets back that may seem like he is worshipping idol.  Perhaps he is and perhaps he is not.  We have to be careful in making a definitive statement in regards to Naaman’s predicament.

Naaman’s predicament is clearly addressed here.  Though he does not worship Rimmon, as his public and official position dictates, he must enter the temple of Rimmon with the king and must bow.  We have to realize that Naaman is a new believer who just became a believer in God of Israel.  Can we then expect Naaman to have the seasoned faith in God at this point in time?   

As we know, Daniel and his three friends had faith in God that was forged from their young age where they grew up in believing families.  They were mature in their faith to refuse making any compromises.  Daniel and his three friends did not eat the food that was offered to idols and were able to withstand pressure with God’s supernatural help.   And later, Daniel’s three friends were thrown into the burning furnace but were protected by God, again miraculously.  So, we have cases such as those in the book of Daniel but we also have a situation as we encounter here with the story of Naaman. 

  To quickly condemn Naaman for making this compromise is our own choice but I would suggest some caution.  Naaman is a foreigner who may be one of the few believers in his country. Contrast to this, we have Israelites who are more knowledgeable and aware of God of Israel and yet they refused to worship him.  They went after foreign gods while completely abandoning God of Israel.  When we compare how the very Israelites who should be worshipping God turning to the idols and not even asking guidance from Elisha while this foreigner, Naaman apologetically asks for forgiveness as he has to fulfill his civic duty to his King, we realize what a contrast this truly is.

To this request from Naaman, look at what Elisha says in verse 19.

     "Go in peace," Elisha said.

This simple answer Elisha offers neither approves nor grants permission to worship foreign gods or idols.  Elisha simply offers words of encouragement to Naaman as he must do what he must as his civic duty demands of him.  It is really about Naaman’s conscience.  God is the ultimate one to whom we are all accountable.  Only God can truly judge the motive and inner heart.  Elisha, though he is a man of God leaves this issue with Naaman to work it out.  Perhaps someday, Naaman will become more mature in his faith and will be able to take a stance where he will be much more confident. 

But at this point in his life, he will do his best to honor his pledge to worship God of Israel but that he will faithfully serve his earthly king to whom he has given his oath to serve.  Elisha’s “Go in peace” statement is an example of God’s grace shown to Naaman.  Though his king is not a worshipper of God, Naaman owes his loyalty to this king.  As we live in this world of ours, we have our earthly bosses to whom we are accountable.  Just because they are not of the same faith does not mean that we treat them with disrespect and disdain.  Quite contrary, we must show our respect and honor them as they have been placed above us.  
 
Perhaps through our testimony, they too shall one day become Christians.  Although we don’t know what happened to Naaman and his king, we can be sure that Naaman would have positive impact on his king and will be used of God for the rest of his life. 

Gospel message is powerful to change us.  Once we become Christians, we live life that reflects life of the believer in all areas of our lives.  We take on the values proscribed in the Bible.  We are now led by God’s spirit who dwells within us.  We are now living life that gives glory to God.