At the appointed time, upon the day following, Naaman again presented
himself before Jehoram, king of Israel.
The latter had assembled about him his courtiers, counselors and wise
men. He appeared no longer troubled nor disturbed. He looked with
serene eyes upon Naaman, into which, however, there flashed a look of
loathing as he remembered that the man before him was a leper.
The courtiers, counselors and wise men of the Kingdom also looked with
aversion upon Naaman, notwithstanding the nobility of his form, his
handsome, proud face and the magnificence of his raiment, for in Israel
the leper is an object of intense aversion, and, had Naaman been an
Israelite, he would have been banished in spite of his rank, wealth and
the services he had rendered to his country.
The king of Israel and those of his court were deeply incensed that
Benhadad, king of Syria, had sent into their midst, to the person of
the king himself, a man afflicted with leprosy.
Naaman stood, with folded arms and grave face, waiting for the king to
speak.
For some moments Jehoram was silent, pondering the wisest and most
judicious manner of making known to Naaman his wish regarding him.
The king was perfectly sure that Elisha would extricate him from his
difficulty, for had not the prophet bade his servant say, 'Why hast
thou rent thy garments?' which meant literally, 'Why art thou troubled
and of so little faith?'
But the king, laboring under an erroneous idea as to Benhadad's motive
in sending Naaman to him, wished so to act as to leave Benhadad no
pretext for making war upon him. Benhadad had in reality desired to
be complimentary in the wording of his letter in order to propitiate
Jehoram, so that the latter would command Elisha to heal Naaman.
"Naaman of Syria," said Jehoram, "I did promise thee an answer to the
letter of thy king. Go thou to the house in Samaria of the prophet,
Elisha, and say unto him, 'I am Naaman of Syria, a leper, who hast come
to thee to be made whole.' Then will Elisha heal thee of thy leprosy."
"My lord, I know not where dwelleth this Elisha," said Naaman.
"I will send a servant to guide thee," said the king.
So Naaman entered his chariot, and with all his retinue, started for
the home of the prophet. The king's servant led the way on foot. The
magnificent caravan passed through the streets of Samaria, wound among
the hills and stopped before a small and lowly dwelling.
Lifting himself from among his silken cushions, Naaman called
impatiently to one of his servants,
"Why hast the caravan come thus to a halt?"
"At the command of the king's servant, my lord," was the reply.
"Send to me the king's servant," cried Naaman, angrily.
In a few moments the servant of the king stood beside the chariot.
"Why hast thou thus stopped the caravan of Naaman?" asked the Syrian
nobleman, angrily.
"My lord, I am but fulfilling the orders of the king, my master," was
the reply.
"Thou speaketh falsely," cried Naaman, with increasing anger. "Thy
master didst command thee to conduct me to the house of Elisha, the
prophet."
"My lord, I have obeyed the order of my master," said the servant.
"This is the house of Elisha, the prophet."
"'Tis impossible!" cried Naaman, incredulously. "A great man like
Elisha must surely dwell in a palace. This is the abode of a man,
humble, obscure; Elisha is rich and famous."
The king's servant regarded Naaman wonderingly.
"Pardon me, my lord, but thou dost know little regarding the prophet
Elisha," he said. "'Tis true that his fame hath gone forth over the
land, but Elisha hath not riches; he is a man, poor and humble; he
dwelleth not in a palace, this is his home."
Naaman, perplexed and wondering, waved the servant of the king
impatiently aside and summoning one of his own servants, said to him:
"Go thou into the house of Elisha and say to him that Naaman, general
in the Syrian Army, high in favor with Benhadad, king of Syria, doth
desire speech with him."
The servant passed into the house of Elisha. In a short while he came
forth alone.
"Is not the prophet, Elisha, within?" asked Naaman, impatiently.
"Yes, my lord," was the answer, "but I saw him not. The servant of
Elisha did carry the message to his master."
"And what answer sendeth Elisha?" asked Naaman, with eagerness.
"Elisha desireth to know, my lord, what is thy will with him," replied
the servant.
Naaman's brow darkened with displeasure.
"Is it thus that the great and rich Naaman of Syria is received by the
poor and humble Elisha?" he cried. Then, remembering the errand upon
which he had come, he controlled his indignation, thinking, "I must
humor this man if I would have my will of him: Go thou again into the
house of Elisha," he said, "and bid the servant say to his master, that
Naaman of Syria hath journeyed from Damascus that Elisha may heal him
of his leprosy."
The servant turned away and passed into the house. In a few minutes he
returned with the servant of Elisha who, approaching Naaman, said:
"My master, Elisha sayeth unto Naaman of Syria, 'Go thou and bathe
seven times in the Jordan and thy flesh shalt recover health and thou
shalt be clean.'"
"Dost thy master mean to mock me that he treateth me as though I were
but a common outcast leper?" cried Naaman. "I did think that he would
have come out to see me, and, touching with his hand the place of the
leprosy, would have invoked the name of Jehovah, his God, and healed
me. Go wash seven times in the Jordan? What marvelous power doth the
Jordan possess? But enough of this folly. Thy master doth but speak in
jest. Go say to him that Naaman of Syria came not to be mocked, but to
be cured of his leprosy, and that he bringeth with him a great treasure
with which to reward Elisha."
"My lord, it would avail naught for me to carry thy message to my
master," said the servant. "Elisha hath spoken," and, turning, he
passed quietly among the servants of Naaman and entered the lowly
dwelling of his master.
Naaman sat for some moments in silence. The servant of the king looked
up at him eagerly and seemed about to speak, but awed, perhaps, by the
Syrian's white face and sombre eyes, remained silent.
At length, Naaman roused himself, sprang to his feet, and drawing his
splendid form to its full height, cried in a loud voice:
"Back to Damascus! Naaman hath but come upon a fool's errand." Then
turning upon the servant of the king, he cried, in tones of great
anger, "Go to thy master, Jehoram, king of Israel, and say to him that
Benhadad, king of all Syria, will know how to avenge the insult that
hath been offered to Naaman."
"But, my lord, the king, my master, didst intend thee no insult,"
protested the servant. "The ways of Elisha are not like unto the ways
of other men."
"Stop not to parley with me!" cried Naaman, furiously. "Be gone ere I
bid my servants drive thee hence."
The servant of the king bowed his head and passed swiftly away.
"Now, onward to Damascus," said Naaman, throwing himself wearily back
upon the cushions.
At that moment, however, one of Naaman's servants, a white-haired old
man, approached the chariot and said:
"Wilt my lord hear patiently old Masrekah whose hair has grown gray in
his service and who didst serve his father before him?"
"Speak, my good Masrekah," answered Naaman.
"My lord, thou art a mighty man of valor and know not the meaning of
fear," continued Masrekah. "If the prophet, Elisha, bade thee do some
act difficult of achievement, thou wouldst have listened and obeyed?"
"Ay, most willingly," replied Naaman.
"Then, my master, do not despise this thing that Elisha bid thee do
because it is a simple thing," said Masrekah. "My lord, I do not
believe that Elisha doth intend thee mockery and insult. Didst thou
not take heed of the words of the king's servant, 'The ways of Elisha
are not like unto the ways of other men?' Thou, my lord, didst expect
to find him in a palace, but instead he dwelleth as do the poor and
lowly. Thou didst think that he would heal thee with ostentatious and
impressive ceremonial, but he sendeth thee word to go to bathe seven
times in the Jordan and thou shalt be clean. My Lord, despise not the
bidding of Elisha."
"Thou speaketh with the wisdom of years, my good Masrekah," answered
Naaman. "Naaman will give heed to thy words. I go to bathe seven times
in the Jordan."