Ps. 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. But he said, As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. Elisha's servant, Gehazi, was not happy. When the painting first appeared on the market in 2005, it was given to Pieter de Grebber.8 As Albert Blankert rightly recognized, however, this attribution is not tenable for stylistic reasons, despite the fact that Jacobsz knew De Grebbers work.9 Blankert also pointed out that the way in which the old Elisha and young Naaman face each other is comparable to the confrontation between Elisha and Gehazi in the Hannover painting.10 Other arguments reinforce the attribution of the Leiden Collection painting to Lambert Jacobsz. And he said, Did not my spirit go with thee, [when you received] when you went out to their chariot and stopped them and you received the money, and you received the garments, and the oliveyards, and the vineyards, and the sheep, and the oxen, and menservants, and maidservants? 3238 and 3913. After Naaman departed, Gehazi ran after him and asked him for gifts. Naaman was angry and would have left, but his servant asked him to try it and he was healed. Find a vector in the null space of a large dense matrix, where elements in the matrix are not directly accessible. Gehazi's Greed and Leprosy 15 Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God, stood before him, and declared, "Now I know for sure that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. His painting does not focus on Naamans recovery from leprosy or on Elishas refusal to be rewarded, but rather on Naamans conversion to the true faith.13. Naaman hears that Elisha, the prophet of Israel, can heal him, so he makes the trip. 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? . . 2 Kings 5:20,26 But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the LORD liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him, Genesis 14:22,23 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, . Naaman then takes his bath in the Jordan river (as a mikveh) and is healed. When he discovered that he was stricken with leprosy, he searched for a cure -- and of course, at that time, there was no cure. In which circumstances are we allowed to reject a gift? Acts 8:20.) He has a dozen years of classroom teaching experience on the college level and another ten in distance education. Jacobsz acted as an art dealer in Leeuwarden, which allowed him to have close ties with artists and dealers in other cities. He did not want sin to come between him and the Lord or to hinder the Lord's work through his life because of his greed. Jacob de Wet, Elisha Refusing Naamans Gifts (present whereabouts unknown); Werner Sumowski, Gemlde der Rembrandt-Schler, vol. 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.. The man was also a valiant warrior, but he was a leper. This phrase is used when Moses is in the presence of the Angel of the Lord and the God of Israel at the burning bush (Exod 3:15) and when Joshua meets the Angel of the Lord (Josh 5:15). Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. Didn't go anywhere. They also receive 3 DVD's of each new Superbook episode.If you are already a Superbook DVD Club member and have enabled streaming access, please login to access full-length Superbook episodes. He wanted to always remember the true God who healed him. After Naaman departed, Gehazi ran after him and asked him for gifts. God is the one who gives, not Elisha. Elisha repeatedly refuses. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. A4. For Parents Only: CBN Animation Club & DVDs, login to access full-length Superbook episodes, FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE SUPERBOOK DVD CLUB. Michael S. Heiser is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (M.A., Ancient History) and the University of Wisconsin- Madison (M.A., Ph.D., Hebrew Bible and Semitic Studies). When Naaman hears what the servant tells him, he gets quite angry, and decides to go back home unhealed. But Elisha said, As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing. 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). Naaman traveled to Samaria, where Elisha told him to take seven dips in the river Jordan. 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 ). We have rules about when one may accept charity from an idol worshipper. He said, "That guy didn't even have the graciousness to come out and meet me himself. Naaman was a Syrian warlord, who suffered from a nasty skin condition, probably leprosy. Why does Jesus turn to the Father to forgive in Luke 23:34? This biblical passage is full of stark contrasts. In De Grebbers painting, the patrons assume the roles of Naaman and three of his servants. cat. 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 returns to Elisha with lavish gifts, which Elisha flatly refuses to accept. Small sections of the ground have been left visible between some of the brushstrokes. Although opinion varies as to how much a talent weighed (maybe 25-35kg), it was certainly a lot of money. R. xiv. cat. You can discuss this post and others in the Faithlife Today group. New versions are added only when a substantive change to the narrative occurs. How to react to a students panic attack in an oral exam? And when Gehazi came up, he said, "Is everything fine?" Nephi taught, " . lxi.). There are some old damages to the canvas support with associated paint losses, as in the two figures immediately to the left of Naaman. Jack Kilgore & Co., Inc., New York, 2006. Anyone who is stricken with this disease knows that they will endure years of pain and ultimately death. For an extensive discussion of this work, see Neeltje Khler, ed., Painting in Haarlem 15001850: The Collection of the Frans Hals Museum (Ghent, 2006), 46869. [4], According to Rabbinic teaching, Naaman was the archer who drew his bow at a venture and mortally wounded Ahab, King of Israel (I Kings xxii. Elisha is one of the most powerful prophets in the Old Testament. And came whistling in. Jacobsz also painted original compositions, of which his assistants made copies and variations. The pictorial source for this confrontation scheme may be Peter Paul Rubenss The Tribute Money (Fine Arts Museum, San Francisco), which was known in the Northern Netherlands from a print by Lucas Vorsterman. Amsterdam, Hermitage Amsterdam, Rembrandt and his Contemporaries: History Paintings from The Leiden Collection, 4 February27 August 2023, no. ; Arama, "'Aedat Yia," ch. From Marcel Mauss classic The Gift, to the relatively recent book by Moshe Halbertal On Sacrifice, understanding the dynamics involved in giving (and for-giving) seems to be crucial to unveil some of the fundamental tenets of our interpersonal relationships, may them be among humans, or with the divine. Now the servant Gehazi, when he saw Elisha turning down these gifts, he began to think, "Wow, what I could do with just a little bit of that loot. 1800 (Stockholm 2005), 59, no. And unfortunately, some people who have had a ministry of healing or whatever have been guilty of using that to enrich themselves. 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. The paint layers are generally in good condition. (Comp. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. For example, Halbertals book On Sacrifice presents us with the possibility of having ones offering being rejected. In general, he painted directly onto the canvas, working both wet into wet and over dried paint layers. R. vii. 16001652/3), who executed the biblical narrative as a portrait histori for the regents of the Haarlem Leprozenhuis (Leper Asylum) in 1637 (fig 1).1 De Grebbers work shows some affinities with Jacobszs painting in its compositional format and half-length depiction of elaborately dressed figures, but the two paintings differ greatly in character and in their treatment of the biblical subject. I can only receive by grace the goodness of God. When Naaman offered Elisha money and clothes, why did Elisha refuse? The paintings present restoration integrates these condition issues and unifies the composition well. The baths cured Naaman. 1800 (Stockholm, 2005), 59, no. Man, I could be set up if I just had a little bit of that loot." In the same way, each one of us needs to be careful to check our heart and our motives in pursuing wealth, especially when it has to do with the kingdom of God or ministry to others. Amsterdam, Museum Het Rembrandthuis; Aachen, Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum) (Zwolle, 2008), 44, fig. To his amazement, Elisha's cure worked"His flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy" (verse 14). In 2 Kings 5:1519, the elated Naaman returns to Elisha and begs him to take payment for healing him. 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. I speculate that God seeing a true turning of Naaman to Himself did not want Naaman to say that he contributed toward his conversion, especially not with material and perishable things Share Improve this answer In Elisha Refusing Naamans Gifts, Jacobsz, a devout Mennonite teacher and biblical expert, was more interested in conveying the conversion of a great leader to the Christian faith than in portraying physical drama.14 With the painting in The Leiden Collection, Jacobsz showed himself to be both a talented painter and an earnest Mennonite teacher. Tanuma, Tazria' (end), however, says that Naaman was stricken with leprosy for taking an Israelitish maiden and making her his wife's servant (comp. And in certain dire situations, one is permitted to accept presents openly.) When the two meet, Elisha tells him rather dismissively that he needs to take a bath in the Jordan River. By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. 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. From whom acquired by the present owner in 2006. Want to see fewer ads on Aleteia? This painting was first attributed to Lambert Jacobsz (and dated around 1630) by Jasper Hillegers; see Jasper Hillegers, Lambert Jacobsz (15981636) en zijn werkplaats: Atelierpraktijk in Leeuwarden omstreeks 1630, De Vrije Fries 89 (2009): 6792. BRILL's mainly English language publications include book series, individual monographs and encyclopaedias as well as journals. I speculate that God seeing a true turning of Naaman to Himself did not want Naaman to say that he contributed toward his conversion, especially not with material and perishable things. Edited by Arthur K. Wheelock Jr. and Lara Yeager-Crasselt. 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