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Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy
Welcome to Day 911 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
Sanctified Dirt - Wisdom Wednesday


Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 911 of our Trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday.  Creating a Biblical Worldview is important to have a proper perspective on today’s current events.  To establish a Biblical Worldview, it is required that you also have a proper understanding of God’s Word.  Especially in our western cultures, we do not fully understand the Scriptures from the mindset and culture of the authors.  In order help us all have a better understanding of some of the more obscure passages in Gods Word, we are investing Wisdom Wednesday reviewing a series of essays from one of today’s most prominent Hebrew Scholars Dr. Micheal S. Heiser.  He has compiled these essays into a book titled  ’I Dare You Not to Bore Me With the Bible.’

We are broadcasting from our studio at ‘The Big House’ in Marietta, OH.  When I was young, I used to love playing in the dirt.   Many times it was very evident as I did not hold to the staying that ‘Cleanliness is next to godliness.’  Even today, I love to dig in the soil, to plant trees, and a few vegetables that we grow.   There is something about nature and digging in the soil that brings me closer to God.  Today’s essay explores an interesting topic which is:
Sanctified Dirt
Elisha's healing of Naaman the leper, commander of the army of the king of Syria, is a familiar story’ to many which is found in 2 Kings 5:1-27.  Naaman hears that Elisha, the prophet of Israel, can heal him, so he makes the trip. When the two meet, Elisha tells him rather dismissively through his servant that he needs to dip himself in the Jordan River seven times. Naaman who is used to ordering his army around doesn’t take this well and prepares to go home. At the bidding of some servants, he consents to dip himself in the Jordan. He is miraculously healed by the simple act after the seventh dip. The display of power, so transparently without sacrifice or incantation, awakens Naaman to the fact that Yahweh of Israel is the true God. Here's where the story usually ends in our telling, but that would result in the omission of one very odd detail, what Naaman asks to take back home.

The core of this portion of the story is located in 2 Kings 5:15-19 so let me read that portion.  Then Naaman and his entire party went back to find the man of God. They stood before him, and Naaman said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”

But Elisha replied, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept any gifts.” And though Naaman urged him to take the gift, Elisha refused.

Then Naaman said, “All right, but please allow me to load two of my mules with earth from this place, and I will take it back home with me. From now on I will never again offer burnt offerings or sacrifices to any other god except the Lord.  However, may the Lord pardon me in this one thing: When my master the king goes into the temple of the god Rimmon to worship there and leans on my arm, may the Lord pardon me when I bow, too.”

“Go in peace,” Elisha said. So Naaman started home again.As we see in this passage, the elated Naaman returns to Elisha and begs him to take payment for healing him. Elisha repeatedly refuses. Finally, before embarking for Syria, Naaman makes a strange request: to load two mules with dirt to take back with him.

Dirt? I can think of a few favors I would ask of a prophet in a receptive mood, but dirt certainly isn't one of them. The request is so odd that it's hard to avoid wondering if Naaman needed some other kind of therapy. Why would he ask for dirt?