He was sent to the door by Elisha with a message for Naaman to wash in the Jordan River seven times to be healed of his leprosy. A Bible Story for Adults. Somehow I would like to deserve or earn God's blessings. Naaman's wife had a servant girl from Israel who said that a prophet there would be able to heal him. Just to accept the fact that God loves me and to receive His gifts gracefully. To report dead links, typos, or html errors or suggestions about making these resources more useful use the convenient. (The mikveh is a bath used for ritual immersion in Judaism. Why would God have rejected Cains offering? Gehazi was Elisha's helper. Can we say the same thing about Elishas rejection of Naamans gift? Elisha refused to accept the gifts, but his servant, Gehazi, decided he would "run after him, and take somewhat of him." . The original support has been lined and its tacking margins have been removed. 8), which the Rabbis regard as an allusion to Naaman's bathing in the Jordan; the appellation "Moab" is a play on the word "abi" (= "my father"), by which Naaman was addressed by his servants in II Kings v. 13 (Num. And he came to Elisha and he sought to give to Elisha some of these gifts that he had brought from Syria and Elisha said, "No, I don't want your gifts. If Elisha had accepted those gifts, he would be accepting the glory that God should get. And he started thinking of what he could do with some of that reward that Naaman was offering.And so he went chasing after Naaman. Among the onlookers to this encounter are Naamans servants and soldiers, as well as Elishas servant Gehazi, the attentive young man at the far right. 6 (ascribed to Pieter de Grebber by Fred Meijer). Discover God's love and plan for you, This was a demonstration of humility. But he said, As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none. See also Jasper Hillegers, Lambert Jacobsz: Elisha and Gehazi, in Salomon Lilian Old Masters 2012, Jasper Hillegers et al. Because of Jacobszs paintings devotional content, it is tempting to assume that it was intended for the Mennonite Church (Vermaning) he cofounded, and where he delivered the first sermon on 7 August 1631; see the biography of Lambert Jacobsz in this catalogue. One day, his wife's Israelite servant girl told her about the power of God moving through the prophet Elisha. Naaman was the captain of the army of the king of Aram (Syria). Naaman was angry and would have left, but his servant asked him to try it and he was healed. The leprosy was gone.He was so excited he headed back to the prophet's house because he was loaded down with all kinds of gifts that the king of Syria had sent. We've got better rivers up in Damascus." Not only is Elisha's gesture of refusal reminiscent of that in the Leiden Collection painting, but Gehazi similarly stands behind the prophet in both works. We are like Naaman that we don't always recognize that our lives are held together by God's power and grace. For Parents Only: CBN Animation Club & DVDs, login to access full-length Superbook episodes, FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE SUPERBOOK DVD CLUB. Elisha understood Naamans request and granted it without hesitation. His refusal, strongly contrasting with the conduct of ordinary prophets, Israelite and heathen (comp. II Kings v. 2). Naaman then takes his bath in the Jordan river (as a mikveh) and is healed. He wanted to thank Elisha by giving him presents, but Elisha refused. The prophet Elisha, upon hearing of the king's tear-clothes moment, asked that Naaman be sent to him so that "he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel." (see 2 Kings 5:8). And so it was told to Naaman and he told the king that there was a prophet in Israel that could cure him of his leprosy. Why was Hezekiah not rebuked for seeking a sign in 2 Kings 20. People become very excited when they see God work. The Bible calls him "the servant of Elisha, the man of God. As a result, Israel was holy ground; the territory of every other nation was not. After Naaman departed, Gehazi ran after him and asked him for gifts. The model for the elderly man was also used for a version of The Tribute Money in Stockholm by Jacob Backer in his Leeuwarden period; see Grel Cavalli-Bjrkman, Dutch and Flemish Paintings, vol. And the leprosy from Naaman fell on Gehazi and would remain in his descendants. The third one is, then, that of the gifts: Naaman insists on giving Elisha some gift (the text doesnt specify what, but one can assume that it might have to do with Naamans six thousand shekels of gold), but Elisha refuses him, saying As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.. Just mad. For comparable tronies of old men executed by Jacob Backer in this period, see Jacob Backer, The Head of an Apostle, ca. 2 Now the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel; and . In De Grebbers painting, the patrons assume the roles of Naaman and three of his servants. Why did Elisha refuse naamans gifts? ), "It is, after all, by divine power that men are able to perform priesthood miracles," states the manual. The king of Israel didn't know what to do, yet Elisha (Eliseus) sent a message to the King, advising that the King tell Naaman to come to see him. The practice in Lambert Jacobszs workshop included the frequent variation and copying of originals by some leading painters of the time, such as Rembrandt van Rijn (160669), Jan Lievens (160774), and Gerrit von Honthorst (15921656). What happens when someone rejects a sacrifice, a gift, an offering? Gehazi, as is recounted in a subsequent episode in the biblical story, follows Naaman after the Syrian commander leaves Elisha and accepts the gifts intended for his master, falsely telling Naaman that Elisha had sent him to do so (2 Kings 5:1727). By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. Naaman then traveled to Samaria to see Elisha, but the prophet never received him: he just sent a messenger to meet Naaman and his entourage by the door. In 2 Kings 5:17, Naaman follows the request with an explanation: for from now on your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the Lord. The dirt and Naamans new allegiance to the God of Israel are related. You must be logged in to use this feature. Naaman was a warrior who won many battles for his king and his country. Amsterdam, Museum Het Rembrandthuis; Aachen, Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum) (Zwolle, 2008), 44, fig. It is Elishas messenger who tells Naaman to take seven dips in the river Jordan. Then, Gehazi hid the gift and returned to his Master's home. He was a mighty man and very brave, but he was a leper. Where our treasure is, there will heart be also. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. Gehazi's acceptance was unacceptable in the frame of Elisha's refusal. The artist began the composition on top of the ground by painting in part of the architectural setting, leaving a reserve for figures such as Naaman, Elisha, and Gehazi. So please accept a gift from your servant." 16 But Elisha replied, "As surely as the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will not accept it." And although Naaman urged him to accept it . More broadly, the idea derives from Deuteronomy 32:89 (compare Deut 4:1920), where we learn that when God divided up the nations at the Tower of Babel, they were allotted to the sons of God. The nations of the world were, in effect, disinherited by Yahweh as his own earthly family. Help us continue to bring the Gospel to people everywhere through uplifting and transformative Catholic news, stories, spirituality, and more. A PDF of every version of this entry is available in this Online Catalogue's Archive, and the Archive is managed by a permanent URL. Naaman was a "ger toshab," that is, he was not a perfect proselyte, having accepted only some of the commandments (Gi. When he discovered that he was stricken with leprosy, he searched for a cure -- and of course, at that time, there was no cure. Jacobsz acted as an art dealer in Leeuwarden, which allowed him to have close ties with artists and dealers in other cities. He was accustomed to being in charge and to giving the orders. Where Are Giants in the Bible Other Than Goliath? Elisha understood Naaman's request and granted it without hesitation. Naaman traveled to Samaria, where Elisha told him to take seven dips in the river Jordan. I want to do some great thing for God. And so the king had torn his clothes and was all upset. Some paint layers were thinly applied, as in sections of the brown background and the plum-colored textile held by Naamans attendant. In which circumstances are we allowed to reject a gift? He is unfamiliar with the Jewish tradition of the ritual bath (mikveh) as it appears in several sections of the book of Leviticus (for example, in Lev. Naaman sends a letter to the king saying that he expected the king to heal him! 6, Nachtrge, Ortsregister, Ikonographisches Register, Bibliographie, Knstlerverzeichnis (Landau, 1983), no. Let me have enough dirt from Israel to fill the baskets on two of my mules. For Bruyns remark, see Jasper Hillegers, Lambert Jacobsz (15981636) en zijn werkplaats: Atelierpraktijk in Leeuwarden omstreeks 1630, De Vrije Fries 89 (2009): 78, which refers to Josua Bruyn, Boekbespreking Werner Sumowski, Gemlde der Rembrandt-Schler, VI, Oud Holland 110 (1996), 167. 1 Kings 17:1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. Want to see fewer ads on Aleteia? [5], As the object of the narrative of Naaman's sickness and restoration to health is, apparently, to form a link in the long series of miracles performed by Elisha, the redactor of II Kings did not concern himself to indicate the time when this event occurred. And so the king of Syria Benhadad sent a formal letter to the king of Israel [and sent Naaman down] ( 2 Kings 5:1-5 ). The man was also a valiant warrior, but he was a leper. 212. If the tradition is correct, the Syrian king whom Naaman served must have been Ben-hadad II. Only after Naaman's slaves suggest to their master that he has nothing to lose by at least giving it a try since the task is a simple and easy one, he takes his bath in the Jordan river as a mikveh as instructed and finds himself healed. As Halbertal explains, the goal of the sacrifice is to produce a gift cycle,. Anyone who is stricken with this disease knows that they will endure years of pain and ultimately death. 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