Topical Bible: Unbelief: Naaman

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Naaman, a prominent figure in the Old Testament, is a notable example of unbelief transformed into faith. He was the commander of the army of the king of Aram (Syria), a man of great valor and honor, but afflicted with leprosy. His account is primarily found in 2 Kings 5, where his journey from unbelief to faith is detailed.

Naaman's initial unbelief is evident in his reaction to the instructions given by the prophet Elisha. After being informed by a young Israelite servant girl that a prophet in Samaria could heal him, Naaman sought permission from the king of Aram to visit Israel. He carried with him a letter to the king of Israel, along with lavish gifts, expecting a grand reception and a miraculous healing. However, upon reaching Elisha's house, he was met not by the prophet himself, but by a messenger who instructed him to wash seven times in the Jordan River to be cleansed of his leprosy.

Naaman's response was one of anger and disbelief. He expected Elisha to come out, stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the leprosy, and cure him. Naaman's pride and preconceived notions of how his healing should occur blinded him to the simplicity and humility required by Elisha's instructions. He exclaimed, "Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be cleansed?" (2 Kings 5:12). His initial reaction highlights a common human tendency to doubt God's methods when they do not align with personal expectations or cultural norms.

Despite his initial unbelief, Naaman's servants approached him with wisdom and humility, urging him to reconsider the prophet's simple command. They reasoned, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'?" (2 Kings 5:13). Their counsel reflects the importance of humility and obedience in overcoming unbelief.

Convinced by his servants, Naaman set aside his pride and followed Elisha's instructions. He dipped himself seven times in the Jordan River, and his flesh was restored like that of a young boy. This act of obedience, despite his initial skepticism, resulted in his physical healing and spiritual transformation. Naaman returned to Elisha, declaring, "Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel" (2 Kings 5:15). His confession signifies a profound shift from unbelief to faith, acknowledging the sovereignty and power of the God of Israel.

Naaman's account serves as a powerful illustration of how unbelief can be overcome through humility, obedience, and the willingness to trust in God's ways, even when they defy human logic or expectation. His journey from skepticism to faith underscores the transformative power of God's grace and the importance of setting aside personal pride to experience divine healing and revelation.

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2 Kings 5:12
Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Naaman
... declared; "and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian." Luke 4:27.
God passed over the many lepers in Israel because their unbelief closed the ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 20 naaman.htm

The Sin of Unbelief
... vessels, and redeemed her sons; at all events the cure of Naaman was common ... detailed
the circumstances, but I shall discourse upon the sin of unbelief and the ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 1 1855/the sin of unbelief.htm

The First Period. Ch. 4:14-44
... the blessed salvation of Christ while those who knew him best would suffer for their
unbelief. ... as by Elijah of old and lepers are cleansed as was Naaman by the ...
/.../erdman/the gospel of luke an exposition/a the first period ch.htm

"Is not this the Carpenter's Son?"
... With intense energy he worked to fasten them in unbelief. ... Israel in the time of Elisha
the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman, the Syrian ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 24 is not this.htm

Jesus visits Nazareth and is Rejected.
... [Naaman also was a Gentile. ... in the Bible.] ^b 5 And he could there do no mighty work,
^a 58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/lx jesus visits nazareth and.htm

Matt. xiii. 53
... He did not," it is said, "many mighty works, because of their unbelief." [1890]
But ... by Eliseus was any other leper healed, but the stranger Naaman; [1893] and ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of saint matthew/homily xlviii matt xiii 53.htm

The Judicial Severity of Christ and the Tenderness of the Creator ...
... days of Eliseus the prophet, and none of them was cleansed saving Naaman the Syrian ...
His main purpose in this declaration was to strike at the unbelief or the ...
/.../the five books against marcion/chapter xxxv the judicial severity of.htm

Refutation of the Jews
... of what has taken place; but indeed all Scripture teems with disproof of Jewish
unbelief. ... The leper Naaman was cleansed, it is true, but no deaf man heard nor ...
/.../athanasius/on the incarnation of the word/chapter 6 refutation of the.htm

The Evangel Booklets
... Story. Anna Potter Wright.12. The Penitent Thief, and Naaman the Syrian. DL
Moody.13. ... Harold Francis Branch.38. The Peril of Unbelief and the Danger of Doubt. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/moody/moodys stories/the evangel booklets.htm

Discourse of Abbot Nesteros on the Threefold System of Gifts.
... unbelief." [1940] Whence also the Lord Himself says: "Many lepers were in Israel
in the days of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed but Naaman ...
/.../cassian/the conferences of john cassian/chapter i discourse of abbot.htm