This is the story of Naaman, a war hero and captain of the Syrian army who contracted leprosy.
Leprosy was one of the most feared illnesses during this time. A few forms were incredibly infectious and, as a rule, hopeless. In its most obviously awful cases, leprosy prompted death. Numerous lepers were constrained out of the urban areas into isolation camps.
Since Naaman still held his post, he presumably had a lesser type of leprosy, or maybe it was in the beginning phases. Regardless, his life would be disastrously affected by his infection (Luke 4:27).
The young lady's confidence and Naaman's mission appear differently in relation to the obstinacy of the king of Israel (2 Kings 5:7). A powerful Syrian leader looked for the God of Israel, but the king of Israel would not.
We do not know the young lady's name or much about her, yet her concise word to her paramour led to recuperation and confidence in God to a strong Syrian commander. God had put her there for a specific reason, and she was unwavering.
Understanding God’s Will
Where has God put us? Regardless of how modest or little our position might be, God can utilize us to spread his Word. We should search for those amazing chances to let others know what God can do. We may never realize who could be listening to our message.
Ben-hadad, the king of Syria, sent Naaman to Israel’s king, feeling that the ruler could arrange for Elisha to heal Naaman. He believed that God's endowment of mending could be purchased.
The king of Israel was disturbed on the grounds that he realized that he had no influence over the circumstance, and he imagined that the Syrian ruler was attempting to track down a reason to have a battle.
He was totally oblivious to God's capacity to work through Elisha. He did not comprehend that God's power could change even Israel's adversaries.
Naaman, an extraordinary war legend, was accustomed to getting admiration, and he was offended when Elisha dealt with him like a normal individual. He was a proud man, and he anticipated VIP treatment.
For him to wash in an extraordinary river would be a certain something; however, the Jordan river was little and grimy. Naaman felt that to wash in the Jordan river was underneath a man of his stature and position.
Be that as it may, Naaman needed to lower himself and comply with Elisha's orders to obtain healing.
Submission to God starts with humility. We should accept that his way is better compared to our own. We may not generally comprehend his approaches to working, yet by modestly complying, we will get his favors.
We should recall that God's methodologies are best all of the time. God wants our acquiescence more than everything else, and God can utilize anything to achieve his plans and purposes.
Naaman left in a fury on the grounds that the remedy for his sickness appeared to be excessively straightforward. He was a war legend, and he anticipated a grand cure. Being proud of his self-will, he was unable to acknowledge the straightforward path of faith healing.
At times, people respond to God's proposal of absolution similarly. Just to have faith in Jesus Christ does not appear to be sufficiently noteworthy enough to bring everlasting life to us. To comply with God's orders does not appear to be brave to us.
How Naaman needed to have his uncleanliness washed away is like how we should have our wrongdoings washed away, just unassumingly acknowledging God's benevolence. We should not let our response to the method of faith keep us from the healing that we need the most.
What Does it Mean to Be Unclean?
To be physically dirty is to be socially unacceptable. What I mean by that is, that a person that is physically dirty is one whose clothes are stained with dirt, mud, sweat, or numerous other articles.
We can witness this simply by watching people who participate in various sporting events, people that work in the agricultural industry (food, cattle, poultry, etc.), carpentry, automobile mechanics, the list can go on and on.
Or maybe someone has not taken a bath in quite some time, and his body begins to permeate an odor. That might be evident in a homeless person who does not have the choice or opportunity to bathe.
If we remain physically dirty, we could contract a disease via microbes, bacteria, or viruses and become physically unhealthy. Proper hygiene is essential for good health.
There are sweat glands that cover quite a bit of our body, and they produce sweat when we are overheated, hormonal, stressed, or consistently active.
Sweat in itself is scentless until it joins with microorganisms that are ordinarily present on the skin. Inadequate cleanliness or irregular baths can cause the development of dead skin cells, soil, and sweat on our skin.
This can set off an outbreak on the skin and conceivably worse conditions like dermatitis, psoriasis, and skin inflammation.
If we do not bathe, then we would not be allowed to enter our places of work, restaurants, etc., due to health risks.
What a blessing to be able to wash and clean ourselves however we see fit.
What Does it Mean to Be Spiritually Unclean?
Jesus teaches about inner purity in Mark 7:1-23. Mark discussed the Jewish customs of washing before a meal since he was speaking with a non-Jewish crowd. Before every meal, passionate Jews played out a short service, cleaning up their hands and arms in a specific format.
The disciple’s hands were not dirty, so they did not perform this conventional purifying. The Pharisees imagined that this function purified them from any contact that they could have had with something that would be considered unclean.
Jesus said that they were off base in believing that they were admissible to God since they were only outwardly clean.
In Isaiah 1:18, a profound stain is basically difficult to take out of an article of clothing, and the stain of transgression appears to be similarly long-lasting. However, God can eliminate the stain of sin and transgression from our lives as he vowed to accomplish for the Israelites.
We do not need to carry on with life for all time being inwardly dirty. Assuming we are willing and loyal, God's Word guarantees us that Christ has pardoned and eliminated our most permanent stains (Psalm 51:1-7).
What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. O precious is the flow, that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus (Church Hymnal, page 368, “Nothing But the Blood”).
Our humility leads to obedience, and our obedience leads to blessings. Humanity may try to do a touch-up or what they think will make them inwardly clean, but they cannot truly get the spiritual stains or dirt out. Only through the cleansing blood of Christ.
“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool (Isaiah 1:18).
For further reading:
What Does it Mean to Have Clean Hands and a Pure Heart?
Why Do We Ask God to ‘Create in Me a Clean Heart’?
What Is the Origin of the Phrase ‘Cleanliness Is Close to Godliness’?
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