For those, like myself, who need a refresher on details about Naaman. So many good teaches there it is easy to rabbit trail.
2 Kings 5
1 Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man in his master’s sight and highly esteemed, because through him
Adonai had given victory to Aram. Though the man was a mighty man of valor, he had
tza’arat. (leprosy)
2 Aram had gone out in bands, and had taken captive a young girl from the land of Israel. So she served Naaman’s wife. 3 Then she said to her mistress, “If only my lord went before the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his
tza’arat.”
4 So Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus spoke the girl who is from the land of Israel.” 5 The king of Aram said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, 6,000 pieces of gold, and ten changes of clothes.
6 He brought the letter to the king of Israel saying, “When this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent my servant Naaman to you, so you may cure him of his
tza’arat.”
7 Now when the king of Israel read the letter, he ripped his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man is sending to me to cure a man of his
tza’arat? But please consider, and see how he is seeking a pretext against me.”
8 Now when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, he sent word to the king saying, “Why have you rent your clothes? Please, let him come to me, and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.”
9 So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots, and stood at the doorway of the house of Elisha. 10 So Elisha sent him a messenger, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored, and you will be clean.”
11 But Naaman was angered and walked away, saying, “I thought he would surely come out to me, stand and call on the Name of
Adonai his God, and wave his hand over the spot and cure the
tza’arat. 12 Aren’t Amanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage.
13 But his servants approached him and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he told you only to ‘Wash and be clean’?” 14 So, he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God. Then his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
15 When he returned with his entire retinue to the man of God, and came and stood before him, he said, “Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. Now please, accept a present from your servant.”
16 But Elisha said, “As
Adonai before whom I stand lives, I will accept nothing.” Naaman pressed him to accept, but Elisha refused.
17 So Naaman said, “If not, then please, let your servant be given two mule loads of soil, for your servant will no longer offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any other god, except
Adonai. 18 In this matter, may
Adonai pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, leaning on my hand, and I prostrate myself in the house of Rimmon—when I prostrate myself in the house of Rimmon, may
Adonai pardon your servant in this matter.”
19 Elisha said to him, “Go in peace.” So Naaman departed from him some distance.
20 But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, thought, “Behold, my master held back from accepting what this Naaman the Aramean brought. As
Adonai lives, I will surely run after him and get something from him.”
21 So Gehazi pursued Naaman. Now when Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and asked, “Is everything all right?”
22 “It’s all right, he replied. “My master sent me saying: ‘Behold, two young men of the sons of the prophets have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothes.’”
23 Naaman said, “Please, take two talents.” He even urged him, and packed two talents of silver in two bags with two changes of clothes, and gave them to two of his servants; and they carried them ahead of him. 24 Now when he arrived at the fortified hill, he took them from their hand and deposited them in the house, and let the men go, so they departed.
25 When he entered and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?”
So he replied, “Your servant has gone nowhere.”
26 Then Elisha said to him, “Didn’t my heart go, when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to accept money and accept clothes, or olive groves and vineyards, or sheep and oxen, or male and female servants? 27 Therefore, the
tza’arat of Naaman will cling to you and to your offspring forever.” Then he went out from his presence with
tza’arat as white as snow.
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So Elisha does not condemn him for these things but he doesn't say Adonai pardons him or gives permission. He says "Go in peace." Some say this does give the permission which Naaman craves. Insert cultural context. It is a geographical and era common cultural form of leave-taking. Sometimes in Scripture, "Go in Peace" means something more than "Farewell," . I don't see the context of Hassem saying its ok to worship and bow in the temple of the Syrian deity Rimmon here. If so then the martyrs who died for refusing to bow before self proclaimed god emperors of Rome were foolish and prideful.
I'm taking the path of less resistance here that doesn't permit Idolatry.
