The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Naaman’s Life

Daily Devotional – Sunday, June 25, 2023
Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper.
2 Kings 5:1 (NKJV)

The first part of Second Kings Chapter 2 is a study in the good, the bad and the ugly of Naaman’s Life. Who was he? “Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper.” (2 Kings 5:1).

The Good

Naaman was a well-trained and successful Syrian military commander. Many surrounding nations must have trembled at the mention of this man. Moreover, his character was impeccable. He was a man of honour in Syria, and greatly valued by his king.

More importantly, this good man pleased the Lord, despite being from a heathen nation. God made Syria victorious over other nations because of Naaman. This fearless commander had everything going well for him, or so it seemed.

The Bad

Not so fast! There was a chink in Naaman’s armour (pun intended). The concluding section of verse 1 states, “He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper.” What a contrast! The man who instilled fear in mighty armies was himself a social outcast.

Leprosy, a contagious disease, was incurable then. Those who had the unfortunate fate of contracting the disease were doomed to a life of hopelessness and stigma. While Naaman’ exploits partly shielded his from this fate, he still had to contend with the ignominy of being a leper.

The Ugly

In His mercy, God provided a solution for Naaman’s problem, but there was problem. The proud Naaman refused to wash himself seven times in River Jordan as instructed by Prophet Elisha. This warrior considered it an insult to be ordered by an ‘insignificant’ Hebrew prophet to wash in the dirty river.

Were it not for the intervention and pleadings of his servants, Naaman would have remained a leper for the rest of his life. Pride was that worst trait of this man of war. He lacked the humility to allow divine intervention in his life.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Naaman’s Life

There is a Naaman in all of us. We have our good side, which we want people to see. We take pride in our academic, professional, financial, familial and other achievements. On the flipside, we have leprous character traits that impede us from attaining our full potential.

Our loving God, though, is willing to help us overcome our weaknesses as long as we surrender our pride to Him. Pride convinces us that we do not need God or the help He is offering. The good the bad and the ugly of Naaman’s life teaches us to reject self-sufficiency and pride, and allow God to lead us where He deems fit.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, once again, I surrender my life to You. Take away my self-sufficiency and pride, and heal all the faculties of my being.

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