Quote of the Day: Naaman's Request – Ricochet - Ricochet.com

Posted by parceline on

Monday, July 5, 2021

After being healed of leprously, Naaman is set to return to his own country. He says to Elisha (ESV):

. . . from now on your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the Lord. In this matter may the Lord pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, leaning on my arm, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon your servant in this matter.

Elisha’s only reply is:

Go in peace.

I can almost hear the sermons that have no doubt been preached on this, giving a negative assessment:

Naaman held something back! He didn’t fully commit to G-d! Even the great prophet Elisha failed to advise Naaman to radically commit his whole life to G-d!

And so on.

I can also imagine some positive assessments have been made. Maybe some subtle distinctions along these lines:

Naaman isn’t bowing in worship to the false god Rimmon; he’s just helping the aged king of Syria get around; it’s an act of kindness; it’s totally fine.

I think those interpretations both seem plausible and edifying enough. They don’t bother me. The worst I can say about them is that they might be wrong.

My own inclination at present is to take the incident along these lines:

It’s not giving us a judgment on what Naaman should do, but affirming that he is supposed to think for himself. It’s not Elisha’s job to spell out everything for him. He’s making an honest effort to figure out what is right in a complex situation. Maybe G-d will guide him to more wisdom later, but for now, he does not get any further prophetic instruction; he’s reoriented his life towards a better religion, and he may go in peace and think through the details for himself.

What do you think?

Published in Religion & Philosophy

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