Emphasis Preaching Journal

Leprosy in all of its varieties, was the most dreaded disease in biblical days. The first century Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus, wrote: "And as for the lepers he (Moses) suffered them not to come into the city at all, nor live with any others, as if they were in effect dead persons."1

Naaman, the Syrian warrior inflicted with the disease, was fortunate in one sense. The Syrians did not cast out lepers from the community as did the Jews.