You are on page 1of 2

Collecting Dirt

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,
butdirtcertainly isnt one of them. The request is so odd that its hard to avoid
wondering if Naaman needed some other kind of therapy. Why would he ask for dirt?
But Naaman was completely in his right mind. In2 Kgs5:17, 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 (ESV). Thedirt and Naamans new
allegiance to the God of Israel are related. Naaman was a man with significant
duties in his home country. He couldnt stay in Israel, but he could take Israel
with him. Why would he wantto? Naamans unusual request stems from the ancientand
biblicalconception that the earth is the locale for a cosmic turf
(2Ki 5:17) So Naaman said, "If you won't accept my gift, then let me have two
mule-loads of earth to take home with me, because from now on I will not offer
sacrifices or burnt offerings to any god except the LORD.
(2Ki 5:18) So I hope that the LORD will forgive me when I accompany my king to the
temple of Rimmon, the god of Syria, and worship him. Surely the LORD will forgive
me!"
(2Ki 5:19) "Go in peace," Elisha said. And Naaman left. He had gone only a short
distance,

God Made Man From Earth | Hospitals | Dolls


(Gen 2:7) Then the LORD God took some soil from the ground and formed a man out of
it; he breathed life-giving breath into his nostrils and the man began to live.
Cursing and Hexing with Dirt | Graveyards
(2Sa 16:13) So David and his men continued along the road. Shimei kept up with
them, walking on the hillside; he was cursing and throwing stones and dirt at them
as he went.
Curing and Healing with Dirt
(Joh 9:6) When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the
spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,
Holy Places | Sacred Shrine | Church Dirt
(Exo 3:5) And He said, Do not come near here. Pull off your sandals from your
feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.
(Jos 5:15) And the commander of the LORD's army told him, "Take your sandals off;
you are standing on holy ground." And Joshua did as he was told.

Connection to Spirits | Spirits of the Place


This view would understand that Naaman considered Yahweh, the God of the
Israelites, to be the god of that specific land. He could not worship Yahweh in his
land of Aram unless he had a piece of Yahweh 's land on which to worship.Whether
he stood on it or fashioned it into an altar, the dirt had to come from Yahweh 's
land to make his worship acceptable
The passage in Deuteronomy 32:8-9 (as one among many) lends support to the
acceptance of the territorial aspect of Yahweh and the gods of the nations.

(Deu 32:8) The Most High assigned nations their lands; he determined where peoples
should live. He assigned to each nation a heavenly being,
(Exo 20:24) 'An altar of earth thou dost make for Me, and thou hast sacrificed on
it thy burnt-offerings and thy peace-offerings, thy flock and thy herd; in every
place where I cause My name to be remembered I come in unto thee, and have blessed
thee.
Dirt from Sacred Trees or Groves
(Gen 12:6) Abram traveled through the land until he came to the sacred tree of
Moreh, the holy place at Shechem. (At that time the Canaanites were still living in
the land.)
Dirt from Rocks or Mountains
(Gen 28:18) And Jacob started up early in the morning and took the stone which he
had placed at his head, and he placed it as a pillar; and he poured oil on the top
of it.

You might also like