2 Kings 5:19

2 Kin. 5:19. "And he said unto him, Go in peace." These words do not at all imply that the prophet approved of the design Naaman had just before declared of bowing in the house of Rimmon. There indeed seems here to be some difficulty; at first view, it looks as if these words of the prophet manifested an approbation of what he had expressed. But a particular consideration of the circumstances of the affair may serve wholly to remove the difficulty, and to make it manifest that they implied no such approbation. For it is to be considered that the Syrians were now at war with Israel. We have an account but a little before this, 1 Kin. 22 of a great battle of the king of Syria of his thirty-two captains with both the kings of Israel, and we have no account of any peace made after this; but, on the contrary, it appears by the 2nd and 3rd verses of this chapter, and by what we have an account of in the next chapter, that the war still continued, and Naaman was the chief actor in the war, and had been the chief instrument of the mischief that the Syrians had done Israel, for he was the captain of the host of the king of Syria, or general of his army, and a very valiant, successful general, and he by whom the chief exploits had been done, that had been accomplished by the Syrians in war, as is signified in the first verse of this chapter, and was probably, under the king, the chief general that led the Syrians in the battle forementioned, wherein Israel received that great defeat wherein their king was slain, which seems to be the thing aimed at in the first verse of this chapter, when it is said that by him he had given deliverance in victory (as it is in the margin) unto Syria. And those things were now fresh in memory, being but two or three years before; so that Naaman must needs know that it would be a remarkable thing if so great and terrible an enemy to Israel as he had been, and one that Israel had suffered so much from, and an enemy that they had now cause to fear above all enemies on earth (the war between the two nations yet continuing). I say he must be sensible that it would be a remarkable thing if he came into the midst of the land of Israel, and to that great prophet that was as it were the father of that people, and should be suffered to return again to his own country in peace; and there is reason to think that he did not come and go without a trembling fear, lest he should be troubled on this score. It was the manner among the heathen nations at that day, as the Syrians knew, for their augurs, diviners, magicians, and those who had immediate intercourse with their gods, which were their prophets, to interest themselves in affairs of their respective nations, and for the nations to have great dependence upon them in time of war. And they doubtless had heard the great things the prophets of Israel had done for them against their enemies, Moses, Samuel, and others, and how the prophets had assisted the Israelites against their nation, even in that generation. (See 1 Kin. 20.) And the Assyrians appear apt enough to discern how this very prophet Elisha assisted the king of Israel in war. (See the next chapter.) And doubtless Naaman now looked upon this prophet who had healed him of his leprosy as a man of great power, and judged that he could easily destroy him, and though as yet he had received no hurt from his power, but great good, yet he seems to be full of fear and jealousy, as appears by this, that although Elisha had bid him go in peace, thereby signifying that no harm should be done him on account of the war with Syria, and for his being so great an enemy to Israel, yet when he sees Gehazi coming after him, his fears are excited anew. He was afraid that the prophet had a reckoning to require of him, and therefore, as soon as Naaman sees him, he immediately lighted down from his chariot to meet him, and his first questions is, Is there peace? (for so it is in the Hebrew, verse 21.) The prophet was sensible what Naaman's fears were, and probably knew that he made him the offer of a large present, partly for that end to secure his favor and friendship, that he might not hurt him, and that his fears were increased by his refusing his present. He was afraid that this was a sign that he would not be friends with him; for accepting of presents was looked upon as a token and seal of friendship and peace. And therefore Manoah's wife says, "If the Lord had been pleased to kill us, he would not have accepted an offering at our hands." And therefore Jacob urges Esau to accept his present, because he desired a seal of peace and friendship with Esau. And when after the prophet had utterly refused Naaman's present, Naaman professes a design of changing his religion. This probably still is one thing he has in view, thoroughly to reconcile this great prophet to him. The prophet fully knowing Naaman's circumstances and apprehensions, it is with respect to these things that he says to him, Go in peace, signifying no more than that he bid him farewell, and that though he had refused his present, yet he need not fear his troubling him, or taking the opportunity, now he was in the land of Israel, to do him any mischief on account of the war between Israel and Syria, or for his having been so terrible and destructive an enemy to his country, designedly avoiding making any reply at all to those things he had been saying to him, as his request that he would give him two mules' burthen of earth, that he might offer sacrifice to God, or his design which he had taken occasion to signify to him of bowing in the house of Rimmon. He neither answers his request by commanding that any earth should be given him, or giving him leave to take it. He says nothing at all about it, nor does he make any observation on his intimated design, but only takes leave of him, and lets him understand that he may go in peace, without fear of any such mischief as he seemed to be guarding against. And Naaman seems to understand him. When the prophet spake of peace, there is reason to think that he understood him to mean what he himself means, when presently after he speaks of peace, saying to Gehazi, " Is there peace? " fearing that the prophet now intended to molest him as an enemy. And the words themselves, according to the common use of such phrases, did not carry any more in them. Thus, when Judah, after the cup had been found in Benjamin's sack, says to Joseph, "Behold, we are my lord's servants, both we and he also with whom the cup is found," Joseph answers, Genesis 44:17. "God forbid that I should do so; but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant, and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father;" as much as to say, I have no quarrel with you for your brother's crime, but will dismiss you without doing you any harm. So Genesis 26:28; Genesis 26:29. "Let us make a covenant with thee, that thou wilt do us no harm, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace;" and verse 31. "And Isaac sent them away, and they departed in peace." So it is noted of Abner, 2 Samuel 3:21. after he had been carrying on a war against David in favor of Ishbosheth, that he came and conversed with David, and David sent him away, and he went in peace, i.e. David did not do him any hurt for his having acted before as his enemy. So Joshua 10:20; Joshua 10:21, it is noted of the people of Israel, that after they had been carrying on a successful war against the Amorites, and had slain them with a great slaughter, the people returned to the camp in peace, and that none moved his tongue against the children of Israel. Many other places might be mentioned where such phrases are used in the same manner. But I shall now mention but one more in 2 Chr. 19 at the beginning. We are informed, that after Jehoshaphat had been to war with the Syrians, to assist Ahab, he returned to his house in peace; the meaning is only, that he was not slain, as Ahab was, and returned without receiving any hurt in the war; not that he returned under the divine smiles, and with his favor and approbation, for he did not so return, but, on the contrary, he in his return met with a severe rebuke from God, and denunciation of his wrath for the business he had been about.

Here, perhaps, it may be objected, that it is hardly credible that the prophet should make no reply to what Naaman had said, the occasion so naturally leading him to it, and duty obliging him to manifest his disapprobation of it, if it was sinful.

As to his not replying when the occasion naturally led to it, it may be observed, that the former part of Naaman's speech seemed much more to lead to and require some reply, wherein he desires of the prophet that he would give him two mules' burthen of earth; what he there purposes, is in the form of a request to Elisha. "Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given unto thy servant two mules' burden of earth," etc. As to what he says concerning bowing in the house of Rimmon, he therein indeed expresses his intention, but asks no request of the prophet. He does not ask his leave, or his opinion, or advice, nor does he ask him any question, or propose anything to him for his opinion, or as though he expected any reply. But yet it is evident, in fact, that he makes no reply at all to the former part of his speech, that was evidently proposed to him for that end, that he might have a reply. He consecrates no earth for an altar for Naaman, he gives no orders to his servant to give him his two mules' burthen of earth, nor does he say a word signifying that he consents he should take it, approving of his design of building an altar with it, but bids him farewell, without any reply at all. And therefore it is not incredible that he should make no reply to that part of his speech which comes in incidentally, that did in nowise so naturally lead the prophet to answer.

As to the latter part of the forementioned objection which relates to the prophet's being bound in duty to forbid what Naaman declared to be his intention, or to have manifested his disapprobation of it, if it were unlawful, when so fair occasion was given him to express his mind concerning it: to this I would say,

1. The prophets spake under the immediate direction of heaven; they were to deliver God's messages, and were only the agents to utter his words. In this whole affair of Naaman he acted in his character of a prophet, and Naaman is now addressing him as such, and God was not pleased to put any reply into his mouth.

2. God herein dealt with Naaman, as he commonly does with such hypocrites that pretend to be his servants, but are joined to idols. Hosea 4:17. "Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone." Matthew 15:14. "Let them alone, they be blind leaders of the blind." It was just so with Naaman as it was with the elders of Israel in Chaldea, they pretend to worship the God of Israel alone, but yet living among idolaters, and in subjection to them, they thought they might comply with the people of the land, who now were their masters, in some of their idolatrous customs, seeing they must render themselves very obnoxious by refusing, and they came to the prophet Ezekiel to inquire of him something concerning this affair; but God replies by the prophet, Ezekiel 14:3. "Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumbling-block of their iniquity before their face, should I be inquired of at all by them?" Again, Ezekiel 20:1, certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and sat before me. Verse 3. "Thus saith the Lord God, Are ye come to inquire of me? as I live, saith the Lord, I will not be inquired of by you," with Ezekiel 20:31. "For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day; and shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? as I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you." That what was the especial reason of God's treating them with such manifestations of abhorrence, and refusing any intercourse with them, was, that they joined idolatry with a profession of his name under a pretense of worshipping him, or had a disposition so to do, is manifest by Ezekiel 20:39. "As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God, Go ye, serve every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: but pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts and your idols." And that the thing that was in their mind about which they came to Ezekiel to inquire, was whether they might not comply with the people they dwelt among in some of their idolatrous customs, though they professed in heart to serve the true God only, is plain from Ezekiel 20:32. "And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all that ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone."

3. Though Elisha made no reply to what Naaman had said of bowing in the house of Rimmon, and so did not directly declare his dislike of it, yet his manner of treating Naaman on this occasion (though no other than friendly), if duly weighed, and rationally reflected upon by Naaman, would sufficiently show him the prophet's disapprobation of it, and in a manner tending more to convince and affect him than if he had directly forbid it. Naaman made a proposal to Elisha of taking two mules' burthen of earth of the land of Canaan (as though he highly valued the very dust of that land), to build an altar to Elisha's God, doubtless expecting that Elisha would show himself much pleased with it, and desires to have this earth as given and consecrated by Elisha. But Elisha does not grant his request, he takes no notice of it, intimating that he looked on his pretenses not worthy of any regard, and immediately, without saying one word to what he had said, sends him away, and takes his leave of him, as not thinking it worth his while to enter into any conversation with him about such a mongrel worship as he proposed, nor desiring any unnecessary communion with such an idolater.