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It’s safe to say the king of Aram’s heart was not right be fore God.Thankfully, a merciful messenger stood by to salvage the situation. Enter Elisha, who asked the following when he heard that the king of Israel had thrown a little fit: “Why have you torn your robes? (2 Kings 5:8). He followed that up with some simple directions. Bring me the man- “Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel. So Namaan went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house” (2 Kings 5:8,9). Wash and be cleansed- “Elisha sent a messenger to say to him,‘Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed’” (2 Kings 5:10). Just like the poisonous plants and flour in the last chapter, the leprosy and the river Jordan carry a symbolic meaning as well. Leprosy depicts sin, given its devastating and debilitating effects. The Jordan River represents restoration that can only be found in Jesus.The fact that water is involved reveals the accompanying presence and power of the Spirit. Naaman was instructed to wash seven times, since that is a number of fullness and completion. Creation took seven days.The Isrealites marched around Jericho seven days in a row, seven times on the seventh day. In the process, seven priests carried seven ram horns. Unfortunately, Elisha’s message triggered a rebellious response. Naaman left the messenger angry, an indication of the following: Pride- Namaan was looking for Elisha. Did the fact that the prophet sent an assistant in his place land a blow to his ego? Ignorance- As Naaman said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of leprosy” (2 Kings 5:11) After all, he was an important man. Surely the pagan spiritualists in his home land would have put on an elaborate healing show.

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