Naaman was a pagan general with a problem. He was a leper. His faith impelled him to travel into hostile territory, seeking healing and carrying a fortune as payment. He went to the prophet Elisha, full of hope in Yahweh’s power.
Behold, I thought that he [the prophet] would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper (2 Kings 5:11).
God can heal that way. But God is sovereign. Naaman’s preconceived idea—even if faith-filled—did not dictate God’s method. God’s message showed His way of working, and it required submission:
Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean (2 Kings 5:10).
Naaman’s pride and preconceived notions nearly cost him his healing. But he reconsidered, and finally obeyed.
Naaman dipped seven times “according to the word of the man of God.”
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 (2 Kings 5:14).
Evidently, Naaman’s healing occurred, not with the first or second dip, not even with the sixth, but with the seventh dip. Why point this out? Because this is not primarily about human work. (The human, Naaman, had no desire for this humiliating method.) Rather, this is about how God works, with lessons for future generations (Luke 4:24-27). As a believer, Naaman preferred gestures that are popular today: Call on the Lord’s name! Wave the hand! But God made His own sovereign choice. He chose faith that was fully obedient. When man obeys, does that work against grace? Naaman acknowledged God’s unique power (2 Kings 5:15). Naaman offered his riches, but the prophet refused them (2 Kings 5:15-16). Why? Divine healing is a gift, far beyond money’s ability to earn or to express thanks. Humble dipping in water, far from interfering with grace, became, in the hands of the Almighty, the healing touch of grace.
(For an uninspired version of Naaman’s story, see Study Note Three).