Why would God have rejected Cains offering? 34). God is the one who gives, not Elisha. The paintings present restoration integrates these condition issues and unifies the composition well. 1 Kings 13:8 And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place: I will receive none.--Theodoret compares our Lord's "Freely ye have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8). However, it cannot be entirely ruled out that Jacob Backer also contributed to the painting. Naaman (Hebrew: Namn, "pleasantness") the Aramean was a commander of the armies of Ben-Hadad II, the king of Aram-Damascus, in the time of Joram, king of Israel. Maybe something's gone wrong." Lambert Jacobsz, Elisha and Gehazi (Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Queens University, Kingston). Describing Diatheke: Covenant Centrality in the Bible, Pets in the Bible and Their Exegetical Significance, See to This: The Meaning of Jehovah Jireh in Genesis 22. The name "Naaman" means "nice guy!". oil on canvas (151 249 cm) 1661 And they said, "Hey, it looks like the servant of the prophet's coming." And he took it and put it in his house. Create an account or log in to get started. Just mad. And as they were going along, one of his servants said to him, "You know, had that prophet told you to do some great deed, you know, go out and slay the dragon and get the seven golden apples, had he given you some great deed to do, you would be glad to do it. [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. He was accustomed to being in charge and to giving the orders. cat. Abraham van Dijck, Elisha Refusing Naamans Gifts (present whereabouts unknown); Werner Sumowski, Gemlde der Rembrandt-Schler,vol. We have rules about when one may accept charity from an idol worshipper. Israel was therefore Yahwehs portion (Deut 32:9), whereas all the other nations belong to the sons of God whom Israel was forbidden to worship. "Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, 6, unsold). After Naaman departed, Gehazi ran after him and asked him for gifts. Gehazi accepted two talents of silver and two changes of clothes. [5], The request of Naaman to be permitted to carry away two mules' burden of Israelitish earth for the purpose of erecting upon it an altar on which to offer sacrifices to Yhwh, reflects the belief of those days that the god of each land could be worshiped only on his own soil. And he urged him to take it; but he refused. Just to receive from God the simplicity with which God gives to me. The artist carefully modelled the faces of these two protagonists, paying great attention to their facial expressions. However, Elisha's servant, thinking the prophet should receive some kind of payment for his services, takes two talents (about $800,000) and returns to Elisha. Backer had a great reputation as a skilled painter of finely formed hands. He focused particularly on Naamans gaze as he quietly reflects upon the prophets reasons for refusing to accept his gifts of appreciationthe moment of revelation when Naaman came to understand that there is no God in all the world except in Israel.. When he discovered that he was stricken with leprosy, he searched for a cure -- and of course, at that time, there was no cure. How to combine multiple named patterns into one Cases? I can hire me some servants. He did not want money, wealth, power, or prestige to interfere with the call of God that was on his life. Interestingly, the Septuagint (the classic translation of the Old Testament into Greek) uses the word baptizein (to baptize) for Naamans immersions in the Jordan River. New York, 2020. 14:1-12, where God himself tells Moses the ritual for cleansing one with a skin disease). The leprosy that was upon Naaman is going to be upon you and your family. Gehazi asked for (and received) silver and clothing from Naaman, after lying about the arrival of two men of the sons of the prophets. Then when his mentor was taken up into the whirlwind, Elisha became the leader of the sons of the prophets. After this, Naaman and his retinue returned to Elisha and offered a giftten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, ten sets of clothingElisha could take whatever he wanted. Now Naaman was the captain of the host of Syria, he was a great man with his master, he was honorable, because the LORD had actually helped him to subdue many nations. 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.. 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. Amsterdam Museum, Amsterdam. They perhaps considered themselves to be as unselfish as Elisha was. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.. He has a dozen years of classroom teaching experience on the college level and another ten in distance education. Jointly published by the Deseret News and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, its content supports the doctrines, principles and practices of the Church. 1800 (Stockholm 2005), 59, no. ; Arama, "'Aedat Yia," ch. Why would he ask for dirt? All rights reserved. Jack Kilgore & Co., Inc., New York, 2006. However, as noted, nothing is known about a commission, and it therefore remains uncertain for whom or which institution Jacobsz originally made this painting. [1] When the Hebrew slave-girl who waits on his wife tells her of a Jewish prophet in Samaria who can cure her master, he obtains a letter from King Ben-Hadad II of Aram to King Joram of Israel in which Ben-Hadad asks Joram to arrange for the healing of his subject Naaman. I want to do some great thing for God. See Albert Blankert, Kunst als regeringszaak in Amsterdam in de 17e eeuw (Exh. When he discovered that he was stricken with leprosy he searched for a cure -- and of course at that time there was no cure. Bol was commissioned by the masters of the Amsterdam leper home. The new baptism takes place in the Jordan River where Jesus of Nazareth, also called the Christ by his followers, was baptized many centuries later. This painting was long believed to have been painted by Lambert Jacobsz, but recently has been attributed to Jacob Backer.6. Now you see, he starts to read his mind at this point, or he starts to discern what was on his heart. But he said, As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. When the two meet, Elisha tells him rather dismissively that he needs to take a bath in the Jordan River. A servant of Elisha, Gehazi, seeing Naaman being turned away from offering God offerings, ran after him and falsely asked for clothing and silver for visitors. 20-7). The temptation to use priesthood power for personal gain has plagued man throughout history (see for example the account of Balaam in Jude 1:11and the account of Nehor in Alma 1). See also Jasper Hillegers, Lambert Jacobsz: Elisha and Gehazi, in Salomon Lilian Old Masters 2012, Jasper Hillegers et al. . He then praised the lord of Israel as the only true god. And that is why, like Naaman, we must come humbly before the Lord to obtain favor and mercy in our time of need. Naamans wife was married to a mighty warrior that suffered from leprosy. 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. The display of power, so transparently without sacrifice or incantation, awakens Naaman to the fact that Yahweh of Israel is the true God. Naaman doesnt take this well and prepares to go home. https://theleidencollection.com/iconclass. You know, I would like to go out and conquer a thousand giants or something. The regents of the Leprozenhuizen in Haarlem and Amsterdam seem to have used Naamans story to show their integrity, as city councils often fall back on stories from classical history. Amsterdam, Museum Het Rembrandthuis; Aachen, Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum) (Zwolle, 2008), 3034, 20411, nos. 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. rev2023.3.1.43269. According to Blankert, the subject had a twofold significance for the regents: first, Elishas refusal symbolized the regents own rectitude and, second, the example of Gehazi was a cautionary note for their servants that they would pay a heavy price for deception. Click here to see the archived version(s) of this entry. He wanted to thank Elisha by giving him presents, but Elisha refused. By doing so, Naaman received his healing. To demonstrate his gratitude, Naaman, wearing a richly decorated turban and pale turquoise kaftan, came before the prophet to offer Elisha precious gifts, including the purple cloak on which he rests his left hand. A1A16. What happens when someone rejects a sacrifice, a gift, an offering? 15, 5). Moreover, the figure of Elisha was thought to resemble the old man at the left in De Grebbers Conferring of the Sword on the Coat-of-Arms of Haarlem from 1630. For Parents Only: CBN Animation Club & DVDs, login to access full-length Superbook episodes, FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE SUPERBOOK DVD CLUB. It includes articles on history, literature, religion and theology, text, versions, language, and the bearing on the Old Testament of archaeology and the study of the Ancient Near East. Jacob Backer, The Tribute Money, 1630s (Nationalmuseum, Stockholm); see Grel Cavalli-Bjrkman, Dutch and Flemish Paintings, vol. R. After Naaman was cured of leprosy, he offered Elisha gifts for his use of priesthood powers. And when Gehazi came up, he said, "Is everything fine?" I could buy an olive orchard, a vineyard. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. (2 Ne. And salvation is such a simple thing. Superbook DVD Club members have access to watch full-length Superbook episodes online or within the Free Superbook Bible App. (Comp. As Halbertal explains, the goal of the sacrifice is to produce a gift cycle,. I think Elisha was rebuking not only the actions of Gehazi, but also the attitude of his heart. ; but as the interval between the death of Ahab and the curing of Naaman's leprosy is not known, it is impossible to identify the King of Israel to whom Naaman was sent with a letter. 1 Kings 18:15 And Elijah said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to day. I can only receive by grace the goodness of God. And in certain dire situations, one is permitted to accept presents openly.) Amsterdam, Royal Palace) (Lochem, 1975), 4146. Another composition with small-scale figures is the 1635 Elisha Refusing Naamans Gifts in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. He does, however, ask for sacrificial altar soil to be given him to take back home and that the God of Israel pardon him when he enters the temple of Rimmon as part of his obligations to the king of Syria. Why did Elisha refuse naamans gifts? He then praised the lord of Israel as the only true god. The painting is on a fine plain-weave canvas support. Naaman was a powerful man and a warrior who was used to giving commands and having those commands obeyed. The name Elisha in Hebrew is translated, "My God is salvation". The Lord healed Naaman. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. 18 (The rule is that, in general, we are forbidden, but there are certain situations where we can accept gifts, albeit discreetly. Subscribe for free and get daily or weekly updates straight to your inbox, The three things you need to know everyday, Highlights from the last week to keep you informed. Amsterdam, Museum Het Rembrandthuis; Aachen, Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum) (Zwolle, 2008), 44, fig. The suggestion that vv. 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. 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. Could he have executed it for the Leprozenhuis in Leeuwarden, much as Pieter de Grebber did in 1637 for the regents of the Leprozenhuis in Haarlem, or as Ferdinand Bol would do in 1661 for the Leprozenhuis in Amsterdam? lx. Does Cast a Spell make you a spellcaster? The paint layers are generally in good condition. In the healing of Naaman we find some interesting things, and one of them is that typically, we, all of us, really have difficulty with just accepting the grace of God. He was a man without many options and so God became his only hope. Why must a product of symmetric random variables be symmetric? Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. This also shows the place where the king and the people were at spiritually because the king doesn't think to call Elisha there to heal Naaman. Naaman departed for Syria, but Elisha's servant Gehazi ran after him and told a lie in order to get Naaman's gift for himself. Can we simply say no, thanks, you keep it to that uncle who has sacrificed some of his time and money to give us (again) a pack of three handkerchiefs for Christmas? BRILL's mainly English language publications include book series, individual monographs and encyclopaedias as well as journals. When Elisha became aware of Gehazis duplicity, he punished his servant by infecting him with the disease from which Naaman had just been cured. Elisha's refusal of Naaman's gift in our passage, and that this expla-nation should be sought in the prophet's judicial deliberations over his servant, Gehazi, incurred after the latter had acquired Naaman's gift (vv. Ewald ("Gesch." Because of this, Christian commentators have often interpreted the history of Naamans story as a typological prefiguration of the Christian church rite of baptism, in which Gods grace is freely given to a person who is not quite yet a Christian: in the end, it is a message of Gods grace going to meet the person where the person is, regardless of merit, unconditionally, asking nothing in return. Superbook whisks the kids off to meet Naamans servant girl and follow Naamans story through to his amazing cure of leprosy. We've got better rivers up in Damascus." The king of Israel suspects in this to him impossible request a pretext of Syria for later starting a war against him, and tears his clothes. In the more thickly painted central figures, the artist used dabs of paint to imitate metallic reflections in Naamans garments, as well as in the highlights and other light-colored details in the textiles. He's trying to start a fight. See Hendrik Luitje Straat, Lambert Jacobsz: schilder, De Vrije Fries 28 (1928): 71, no. Naaman's wife had a servant girl from Israel who said that a prophet there would be able to heal him. In the past, the edges of the painting appear to have been folded over a smaller stretcher about an inch from the current edge. 9:18.) 3, B. Keil J. Such may have been Elisha's feeling. He is a former scholar-in-residence at Logos Bible Software. He was even used by God to accomplish His will (2 Kings 5:1). 26:29.) When he heard of the ministry of Elisha, Naaman was willing to humble his pride, leave his homeland, and travel to Israel in order to see the prophet of God. Elisha the prophet healed Naaman of his leprosy by the power of the Lord (verse 14), and Naaman praised God and offered Elisha a gift, which Elisha refused to accept (verse 16). the Lord hath forbidden this thing." 1, J.A. When Naaman hears what the servant tells him, he gets quite angry, and decides to go back home unhealed. cat. 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. R. xiv. II Kings v. 2). Did not my heart go when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? It would be simply wrong for Elisha to accept Naamans gift, given the fact the prophet has not performed the healing himself, but God. (The mikveh is a bath used for ritual immersion in Judaism. 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