How shameful it was for a top military official to be stricken with leprosy. But God…
In the book of second Kings, it was recorded in chapter five, the miraculous healing of a top military official who had leprosy.
Hello dear reader. A blessed New Calendar Year to you. Thank you for coming to read from me. I pray you’ll be blessed as always.
I’d like to use the story of Naaman the leper as an allegory to pass a message to your hearts.
Naaman, a ranking military official who suffered leprosy went to be healed by the Prophet Elisha. He expected something dramatic and immediate.
His expectation of a dramatic and immediate change in his condition was expressed when he talked about his disappointment in 2 Kings 5:11, saying that he expected Elisha to come out and wave his hand calling on God and healing him.
Let me just point to you dear Christian that “dramatic and immediate” happens but doesn’t define a miracle. It is fair to regard a miracle as the possibility of an impossible situation no matter how or when.
Elisha disappointed this great man. Elisha didn’t even make an appearance. He said the man should be told to go and wash himself seven times in the river Jordan and he would be clean.
That was very ludicrous in Naaman’s opinion. So much that he left angrily but was talked into it by his servant.
Before I go into my verse of interest today, I want to also point out a statement the servant made that will be needed in my explanation today. The servant said to Naaman that Naaman would have readily carried out any physically strenuous and strength demanding task Elisha had instructed him to do.
Ephesians 5:26 (KJV)
“That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,”
Listen brethren, your strength cannot save you. Your purification and sanctification cannot be achieved by any act you decide to carry out. It has to be by the washing of water by the word.
My focus however is not just on the washing. I want to make you understand the importance of washing each time until you enter the seventh day… The rest of God.
A preacher once explained Naaman’s experience in Jordan in a way I’d never seen it before… That Naaman would walk into the water, use the water as though trying to bathe, walk out to the river bank and walk in again and repeat until he had done it up to seven times.
Listen adelphoi, the word of God is the same water you’ll have to keep walking into. You have to! You must!
Washing three times will not cleanse your leprosy and keep you sanctified. Washing six times is as though you never washed at all. You have to wash until you are made complete in Christ (The seventh time).
He’s not asking you to try many tactics, He’s not asking you to be strong, He’s asking you to keep coming foolishly to the gospel that is foolish to many. Naaman did not make the water heal him. Naaman didn’t even put the water there. All he was asked to do was wash in it every single time until completion and he would be sanctified and cleansed from the leprosy.
I know you washed the first day and you still have the leprosy of pride.
I saw you wash the second day my friend but you seem to still have the leprosy of lust, oh! Do not stop washing.
Oh! Do not say “maybe I didn’t wash well”
You can not wash well enough you just have to keep dipping. It is the word that will wash you.
You do not go to this Jordan to fish for any kind of seafood, you go to be washed.
Adelphoi, I can tell you this, everything will fight your dipping the seventh time, forces will fight your consistence in hearing the word of truth but I say to you, by all means, come as you are to the word of truth. Come with your heart and dip until the sixth time but most importantly dip until the seventh. For when the new day dawns and Christ appears, you will look like Him.
I pray that the Lord our God strengthens us all to come daily until the seventh day, the sabbath, in Jesus name. Amen.
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Ancient Word 
