There are a lot of things we can like about the Bible. We can talk about its holy status or the harmony with which it was written. I like the humanity of it. The writers of its pages did not spare the details of man’s humanity. Characters were described with imperfections and all, and we learn from these literary warts.
One event that has been on my mind is that of Naaman from 2 Kings chapter 5. Here is a man that was powerful. He was one of the captains of the army of the King of Aram. Another detail we are given is that he is a leper. He was falling apart, and there was no one that could help him. Then, enter the captive servant girl. She was an Israelite that had been taken captive by the Arameans in a raid. She may have been young, but she did know enough to recommend that her master go and see Elisha, the prophet of God. She told this to the wife of Naaman. Then, Naaman finds out about it and asks permission of his King to go and speak with Elisha. They had been doing raids into Israel before, but now there seems to be some kind of diplomatic agreement because the King of Aram is sending a letter to the King of Israel so that Naaman may go into the country.
What unfolds at the house of Elisha is rather comical. So, Naaman with his entourage and all the stuff that he was going to pay Elisha with finally arrives. With all of this at his front door, Elisha doesn’t even go outside. He sends out a servant to tell Naaman to go dip in the Jordan River seven times. In my mind, this all takes place at a shanty adobe house. There are horses and chariots and a bandaged Dr. Moreau looking character fanning himself in front of the shanty. They have announced their presence and are waiting for the holy man to come out. But, he doesn’t come. The door opens with a creek, and the servant nervously tells Naaman the instructions. Here is how Naaman responds, “But Naaman was furious and went away and said, “Behold, I thought, ‘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 cure the leper.’ “Are not Abanah and 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” (2 Kings 5:11-12). His servants reasoned with him, and he eventually went to the Jordan River and was cured.
What I find interesting is that he would have gone off and rotted to pieces all because it was not done the way he thought it should be done. Sometimes we allow our thinking and “judgement” to cloud the simplicity of what is at hand. Fortunately, he had people around him to speak with some sense and encouragement. We need to do the same!