The next morning Naaman and Maacah enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in their room. Shortly after they emerged from their private repast, a knock was heard at the gate. Hegai entered the front courtyard leading a pair of mules with bulging bags strapped to their backs.

At Maacah's involuntary cry of, "What in the world?" Naaman soothed, "It's okay, Maacah. Hegai hasn't lost his senses and entered the wrong gate. I instructed him to bring this particular cargo here this morning."

"Tie the mules there by the gate," Naaman instructed Hegai, "and come help me to clear the alcove so we can set up an altar to Yahweh."

Leading the way into the alcove where the family teraphim was housed, Naaman began to take the family gods one by one and throw them into a trash receptacle. As an amazed Maacah watched with her hand over her mouth, Naaman held each reverently for a moment as though saying goodbye and then threw them unceremoniously into the trash with enough force to shatter them into small pieces. Naaman also disposed of the incense that was kept near the shelf of gods and the altar that sat on the floor. When the alcove was completely bare, Naaman bade Hegai bring the mules. Together they unloaded three of the heavy bags, emptying them into the denuded space. Taking a rake, Naaman spread the Israelite soil over the back of the alcove, and then, taking the roof roller, he packed the dirt down firmly. He then removed rocks from the fourth sack and built a small altar by the back wall of the alcove.

After standing back and viewing the handiwork, Naaman told Hegai to take the mules around to the back stable. When Hegai had exited, Naaman turned to Maacah and said, "Tonight, I will induct our household into the worship of Yahweh. A spotless lamb is to be brought from our herds for sacrifice. A special meal to celebrate my cleansing will follow. I want you to instruct the women to prepare a feast fit for a king. Send a message to the herders to select the best lamb for slaughter. I will inform our sons and have them prepare their wives and children for this ceremony. I want all of our slaves present for the ceremony as well."

Staring at Naaman with huge eyes, Maacah whispered, "Are you certain this is advisable?"

Taking her hands and leading Maacah into the alcove, Naaman knelt and picked up a little of the newly laid dirt. Turning Maacah's hand, palm upward, Naaman rubbed the soil in a circular motion between his fingers, allowing the dirt to drift slowly into her hand.

"This is soil from the land of the Prophet Elisha," Naaman told her. "I brought it back because of our superstitious belief that a god's power is linked to geography. The prophet told me that I needed neither soil nor idols to worship Yahweh. He told me Yahweh's power is unlimited. Even though I had experienced that power first hand, I couldn't completely overcome my pagan upbringing, and so I brought this soil here. But I won't allow superstition to chain me to powerless, unworthy gods made of stone. This Yahweh is spirit, and the prophet said we are to worship him in spirit and in truth. You gave up your Amorite deities for my Armenian ones after you married me. That was a voluntary action on your part because you loved me. This time, I'm telling you to forsake those Armenian gods and worship the one true God, Yahweh. No worship of any other deity will be allowed in this house as long as I live. I promised Elisha and Yahweh that I would worship no other god but the God of Israel. I pledged my allegiance and that of my household to the God who chose, in his graciousness, to heal a contrary and prideful man. I know that what I've done here is not only advisable, but also necessary. My allegiance now belongs to Yahweh. Your gratitude for my healing should command you to worship Him as well. You needn't fear retribution from those shards in the trash," Naaman concluded, waving his hand in the direction of the smashed idols. "They have no power, Maacah, none. Their power is the wishful thinking of ignorant men. The power of Yahweh is a proven fact. Now that I've experienced the loving-kindness and grace of Yahweh in my life, I have no choice but to worship Him and lead my family to do the same."

"Very well, Naaman," Maacah responded. "I see you have thought this through, and I have confidence in your wisdom." Then quietly, she added, "I too have experienced Yahweh's presence, although at the time, I was loathe to believe it was Yahweh that brought me comfort. Remember when I had the headache that lasted two days and Baara tended me?"

When Naaman nodded, Maacah continued, "The night my headache was cured, I thought Baara had hummed me to sleep with a haunting melody. When I asked her about the song the next day, she told me she hadn't hummed anything. When I hummed the melody for her, she visibly paled. She said the song was a psalm from her religion, a psalm written by their King David, a king known as a man after Yahweh's own heart. She said she knew she hadn't hummed me the melody because it was her mother's favorite, and she had banished it from her consciousness because it brought painful memories. The psalm compared God to a shepherd and talked of Him providing for all our needs. It talked about a God who comforted you in the valley of the shadow of death and set you a table in the presence of your enemies. She suggested an angel sent from Yahweh had hummed the song to me, to bring me a message. I laughed at the idea and told her the angel must have meant for me to hum her the melody so that her soul could hear the message from her God and be healed. At the time I thought her interpretation to be the fanciful imaginings of a young, impressionable maiden. Now, I'm not so sure."

Excitement shining from his eyes, Naaman said, "I'm sure that Yahweh sent an angel to you just as he sent Michael to me in a dream. He prepared you for this day long before I requested that you abandon these stone gods to worship this God of spirit."

Grabbing Maacah around the waist, Naaman hugged her impulsively and then added, "Your story gives me an idea. Call Baara. We can get her to teach us the psalm you spoke of so it can be a part of our worship experience. She may be only a young woman, but I don't mind debasing myself and asking her advice on how to properly worship Yahweh. Before Yahweh humbled me at the river, I would've never admitted such a weakness and certainly would not have stooped to ask advice from a woman. Go, Maacah, and give instructions to our slaves. Then bring Baara back here."

As news of Naaman's plans and his destruction of the family teraphim spread through the household, the slaves talked in hushed tones. Although all had heard Zipporah's testimony and Baara's stories, they still feared the wanton destruction of Armenian gods. Undertones of fear filled the house and kept the slaves from enjoying preparation of a sumptuous meal to which even they were to be privy.

When Baara joined Maacah and Naaman under the olive tree, Naaman spoke directly to the young girl who stood before him with downcast eyes.

"This time, I want you to look at me while I speak," Naaman told the startled girl. "I know that men and women are not to look at one another unless they are family, but you're like a daughter to Maacah. I want you to feel comfortable in my presence and not hesitate to be frank with me."

When Baara cautiously looked up and met Naaman's eyes, he smiled encouragingly. "Think of me as your adopted father, or at least an uncle," he said. "I want to ask you some questions, but first I wish to thank you for sharing with Maacah the fact that a prophet in Israel could heal leprosy. I was puzzled by that action. I know you told me once that you owe Maacah and I a great debt and credited me with allowing Yahweh to lead me to your rescue. Still, if I were taken as a captive in battle, I would have trouble wishing good things on my captor. I'm afraid you have a more forgiving character than I."

"If I have a forgiving character, it's not of my making," Baara demurred. "I forgive because forgiveness is a characteristic of Yahweh. If he can be gracious to me, then I should be willing to be gracious to others. Besides," she continued with an almost impish smile, "one of our proverbs from the wise King Solomon tells us, 'If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.' (Proverbs 25:21-22) I simply carried the proverb to its logical extension and offered healing to the sick."

Laughing aloud, Naaman replied, "So you seek to heap burning coals on my head, do you? Well, I fear you've been successful. When I was cured, I felt shame at how I'd belittled your beliefs in my mind. Yahweh made it clear in a vision that I was indebted to you. He told the angel Michael that he was to continue to work for my healing because you continued to pray. For that I will be forever in your debt."

Blushing, Baara said, "Thank you, master. I prayed because I knew how badly Maacah wanted you to be whole again. She was concerned that you would lose your pride if the disease caused you to forfeit your position as commander. She didn't want to see you hurting, and I didn't want to see her hurting. Like you said, she is like a mother to me."

"Well, now that that is taken care of," Naaman said, "let's get to the matter for which you were called. Maacah tells me you sang to her a beautiful psalm comparing Yahweh to a shepherd. I would like for you to teach that Psalm to us. I want to teach the slaves to sing it as part of our worship celebration tonight. I would let you lead the song, but it is not customary for women to be worship leaders. Since I am the head of the household, I'll have to suffice as the worship leader, but before the celebration commences, I hope you'll tell me how your family worshipped Yahweh. All the prophet said was to worship Him in spirit and in truth. I assume that meant your God is looking for sincerity in worship, not just ritual."

"I am not really sure what the prophet meant," Baara admitted. "Our religion was a part of our daily lives. My mother and father taught us the stories of our heritage. My father also led our family in special times of worship. Usually there was the sacrifice of an unblemished animal, at our house a lamb from our flocks, in atonement for sin. He would cleanse himself before offering the sacrifice, to symbolize purity, I think. We would sing psalms of praise and sometimes dance. Father might tell a story from our past to remind us of God's goodness. But the highlight was always the sacrifice of the lamb and burning important parts of it on the altar."

"What parts were important?" Naaman questioned. "And what was done with the remaining portion?"

"Well," Baara said, "I remember father placing the heart of the animal on the altar because that was the part of the animal that guaranteed life. I don't know if he used any other organs. I know he would sometimes put the tenderest part of the meat on the altar to show God he wanted to give Him the best. The rest was cooked and eaten as part of a meal, after thanksgiving was offered to Yahweh, of course."

"So was that all there was to worshipping Yahweh?" Naaman asked.

"On rare occasions, the whole family would undergo a ritual sort of cleansing and prepare for worship by fasting from sundown to sundown," Baara said. "Fasting was an opportunity to focus on God and seek his will. A fast usually preceded a momentous occasion or repentance for a grave sin against God. Families would also sometimes make pilgrimages to the temple in Jerusalem. The wealthier families went every year, but the poorer families could only afford to make the pilgrimage once or twice in a lifetime. Ours was a poorer family, and I have never been to the temple," she admitted.

After Baara had exhausted her limited knowledge of formal religion, she taught Naaman the shepherd psalm and several other psalms of praise. She agreed to meet with Naaman and Maacah each evening and tell them the stories of her heritage so Naaman could share them during household worship. She also agreed to teach him any psalms and proverbs she had committed to memory.

That evening the household gathered in the front courtyard outside the alcove where the altar was housed. Naaman stood in the opening to the alcove and addressed those gathered.

"I have called you together to introduce you to the worship of Yahweh, the God of Israel, the God of Baara, and the God who cured me of leprosy. From this day forward, no other god will be worshipped under this roof. Before we begin, I want all of you to go to your sleeping places and bring out any religious objects you have hoarded for private worship. As you can see," he said, gesturing to the trash container which now stood to the left of the alcove, "I have thrown away our family teraphim. These are merely stone idols with no power. Only Yahweh has divine power. Now, go and bring back your religious paraphernalia."

Many of the slaves, as well as Naaman's daughters-in-law left the gathering and returned. Some brought small hand-held idols; others brought items of jewelry made in the likeness of gods. All silently walked to the front and tossed their religious symbols into the trash where the broken teraphim lay. Some were crying quietly as they brought their treasures.

"I know this is a very wrenching time for many of you," Naaman said. "I know I cannot purge these gods from your hearts as easily as from your abode. I hope that as I teach you some of the psalms and stories of Yahweh, you will recognize him as God of the Universe and cease to mourn the loss of familiar, but powerless deities."

Behind him on a pedestal stood a blue basin filled with water. Baara recognized the pottery that had been bought as a baby's bath. It had become a part of the new religious tradition for Naaman's household. Since an Israelite potter made the basin, Naaman felt it was a fitting addition to the worship area. Naaman dipped his hands in the water in the bowl and then waved them in the air to dry. Raising his hands heavenward, he began to pray.

"Yahweh, I come to You tonight with clean hands, symbolizing my desire to have a pure heart and life in Your presence. I admit I am ignorant of Your ways and have much to learn. I ask You to accept our worship tonight as a sincere desire to acknowledge You as the only true God. You are truly a great and mighty God. You cured me of the disfiguring disease of leprosy, despite my pride and unworthiness. I thank You, Yahweh, for that cleansing."

Turning to the gathered household, Naaman told them he wanted to teach them a psalm to Yahweh. He asked them to repeat each phrase after him. He then began, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. . ."

As the psalm was sung a peaceful, loving presence seemed to envelop the crowd. By the time the psalm was complete, all stood in unity and awe. Spontaneously, they began to sing the psalm a second time. This time the men sang a phrase and the women echoed. As the sweet tones of the last phrase died out, Naaman reached out and pulled Maacah to his side. The two began to sing the psalm again in unison. Soon the voices of all those present joined in joyful adoration. When the psalm ended, Naaman took a live coal and lit a fire in the small altar he had made from the stones he had brought from Dothan. Laying the heart and a chop from the lamb on the small altar, he said, "May the sweet smell of the sacrificed blood of this unblemished lamb be pleasing to You, Yahweh. Accept this sacrifice for our sins."

Turning back to the gathered household, Naaman said, "I am going to teach you another psalm. There are some tambourines lying around. If they're near you, pick them up and make music. The rest of you can clap and dance. As the psalmist said, 'This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.'"

Following the singing and dancing, the food was brought into the front courtyard. Slave and master, male and female, young and old, all ate side by side in celebration of Naaman's healing and the goodness of Yahweh. For a brief time the artificial walls imposed by society were torn down and all were united as worshippers of the Most High God.

When the feast had ended and the courtyard had been cleared, all retired to their sleeping couches for the night. Naaman and Maacah stood together in front of their window with the shutters open revealing the night sky. With a sigh, Maacah leaned back on Naaman who stood with his arms around her. Pointing to their star at the top of the brightly-lit constellation, Maacah said, "Since Yahweh is both God and Creator of the Universe, then He made our star and hung it in the sky where we could both see it, even when we were miles apart. We didn't know it, but even before we became worshippers of Yahweh, He allowed our souls to meet at night and bring reassurance to one other."

"True," Naaman said. "Even though I have been privy to visions sent by Yahweh, have been cleansed by Him, and have been the recipient of His loving-kindness, I still find it hard to comprehend the God of the Universe caring about one insignificant individual. Yet, He saw fit to cure me, and surprisingly enough, He did it because of the fervent prayers of a girl who has just barely attained her womanhood. His ways are definitely unfathomable."