WISHING EVERYONE A MERRY CHRISTMAS                                                                                                                                                                  AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR     

A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES: AN INSTRUMENT FOR HEALING P/9

 

                                   

A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES 

     AN INSTRUMENT FOR HEALING

                          PART IX 

"I, Naaman, the commander of the army of Aram, went to the river Jordan.... I was not expecting a miracle... But I went there to please my servants.... Once I got to the river Jordan, I got into the water.... I wanted it to be over quickly... If this prophet was a prophet of God, as he claimed....Then something should have begun to happen after I first dipped in the water.... But I was as leprous as before when I came out of the water after the first time....At least it seemed to prove my point that this man was a false prophet...Anyway, I should have another dip in the water....So I did.... Still no change in my leprous condition... I then had another dip... Then another dip....I really wanted to give up dipping into the water after the fourth time since there was still no change... However, my servants encouraged me to carry on.... Only three more times, they said... So I put myself under the water for the fifth time...Then the sixth time... Still no change.... Anyway this humiliating experience was nearly over.... I had to dip into the water only one more time.... So I did.... When I came up out of the water I did not recognise my skin condition....It was no longer leprous....It was healthy looking!!....And I was not dreaming.... It was true... I really had been healed of leprosy!!... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn what happens to Naaman after his visit to the river Jordan.....

 

                ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                                  AN INSTRUMENT FOR HEALING

                                                                         PART IX 

When Naaman gets to the river Jordan he begins to dip himself into the water. It is true, he has been told he has to do it seven times. However, he hopes that he will be healed after the first dip already. But that does not happen for, when he comes out of the water after the first time, he is still as leprous as ever. So he dips into the water for the second time. But still there is no change. He dips into the water for the third time. Still nothing has happened to his skin condition. He is about to give up but his servants encourage him to go on for, after all, he is supposed to dip into the water seven times. For their sake, he dips into the water for the fourth time. Again, no change. The fifth time, still no change. Even after the sixth time, there is no change to his skin condition. He really would like to give up but, it is true, he only needs to take one more dip and so he goes under the water one more time. But this time when he comes up out of the water everything is different.For this time his skin is as smooth and beautiful as that of a young boy as you can read in II Kings 5:14

So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.

The miracle has happened. Naaman has been healed just as the prophet told him would happen. 

A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES: AN INSTRUMENT FOR HEALING P/8

 

                                 

A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

        AN INSTRUMENT FOR HEALING

                           PART VIII 

"I, Naaman, the commander of the army of Aram, was about to tell my servants that we are going back home... I was so upset about the rude treatment of the prophet Elisha... I did not think I could stay another moment in this nation Israel....First of all, I had the king of Israel tear his robes in my presence.... Then I had the experience of a prophet refusing to perform his healing over me.... Only to be told by his servant to wash myself in his river seven times... Seven times!!....How ridiculous....Why would I have to dip myself seven times?... Can I not be healed after I have dipped into the water just one time?.... But then my servants spoke to me...They called me their father.... All of them consider me their father...And I feel I am their father....So I calmed down.... They asked me to go to the river Jordan... And to wash myself there...May be I should go there after all." Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn that Naaman's servants are able to persuade him to go to the river Jordan....

 

                   ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                                AN INSTRUMENT FOR HEALING

                                                               PART VIII 

Naaman is about to leave when his servants begin to speak to him. Their care for him is very obvious from the way they address him as " my father." They are able to calm him down and have him go to the river Jordan as you can read in II Kings 5:13

Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then when he tells you, "Wash and be cleansed?"

Naaman is still not convinced that going to the river Jordan is of any use but he is willing to give it a try for the sake of his servants. 

 

 

A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES: AN INSTRUMENT FOR HEALING P/7

A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES 

      AN INSTRUMENT FOR HEALING 

                          PART VII 

"I, Naaman, the commander of the armies of Aram, am furious..... I have just arrived at the home of the prophet Elisha... I expect him to know who I am... That I am a very important soldier in the army of my nation.... That I am greatly respected by the king of my nation... The prophet should have come out of his home in person and perform his magic over me to heal me of my leprosy.... After all, he claims to be a prophet who can heal me of my condition....But all he has done is to send his servant to me... And the servant told me to wash myself seven times in his river, the river Jordan... How ridiculous.... This prophet is obviously a false prophet... I will go home and wash myself in one of the rivers in my own country... At least I will be clean then.".....Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn of Naaman's frustration with the prophet Elisha's treatment of him....

 

                  ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                                 AN INSTRUMENT FOR HEALING 

                                                                     PART VII 

The words of the prophet Elisha hurt the pride of Naaman so much that he flies into a rage and declares that he may as well go home and wash in one of the rivers in his own country for they are much better than the river Jordan as you can read in II Kings 5:11-12

But Naaman went away angry and 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 my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters in Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage.

As far as Naaman is concerned, there is no reason to stay in Israel any longer. 

 

 

  

 

             

A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES: AN INSTRUMENT FOR HEALING P/6

 

                                       

A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

       AN INSTRUMENT FOR HEALING

                              PART VI

 "I, Naaman, the commander of the army of Aram, have now gone to the home of the prophet Elisha... I have already been to the palace of the king of Israel... The visit went well.... The king received my gifts.... I could see that these gifts put him in a good mood....However, things changed very quickly after he opened the letter I had taken with me from my king, the king of Aram....It became soon clear that this letter greatly disturbed him.... Because he tore his robes as soon as he had  read it....I did not know what to do..... So I just waited.... I knew too that the king would not be able to cure me of my leprosy.... Did that mean I have wasted my time coming over here?.... The king eventually calmed down....But that only happened after he had received a note...The note came from a prophet named Elisha... And Elisha invited me to go to his home...So I did.... However, when I arrived, I expected the prophet to come out....And to receive me personally into his home as an honoured guest....But that did not happen....The prophet just sent his servant to me with a message.... I have been told to wash myself in the river Jordan seven times... Such rude behaviour.... Does the prophet not know who I am?... That I am the commander of the army of Aram and greatly respected by the king of Aram himself?"....Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn of Naaman's visit to the home of the prophet Elisha...

 

                 ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                              AN INSTRUMENT FOR HEALING

                                                                       PART VI 

However, no magic takes place when Naaman arrives at the door of Elisha's house. In fact, the prophet does not even come out but sends his servant with a message as you can read in II Kings 5:9

So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's home. 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."

The message states that Naaman is to wash himself in the river Jordan and to do it not just once or twice but to do it seven times. 

 

                           

A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES: AN INSTRUMENT FOR HEALING P/5

 

                               

A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES 

        AN INSTRUMENT FOR HEALING

                            PART V  

I, Elisha, the prophet of God, had heard that the king had torn his robes... That could only mean one thing... He was greatly distressed about a situation.....I knew that I needed to find out the cause behind the distress...Was the nation in danger of being drawn into war?.... I had heard a visitor from Aram had arrived at the court.... The commander of the army....But this visitor had arrived with many gifts....He could, therefore, not have spoken of starting a war between our two countries....I then learned that the visitor had brought a letter with him from the king of Aram....And in that letter the king of Aram had asked the king of Israel to cure the commander of his leprosy... I realised the solution to the king's problem was not complicated....He simply needed to send the leprous commander to me, the prophet of God.... So I sent the king a message."... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn how Elijah, the prophet of God, responds to the king of Israel's act of tearing his robes...

 

                  ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES 

                                                  AN INSTRUMENT FOR HEALING

                                                                        PART V                                                                                      

Thankfully, someone does know what God intends to do for this important soldier of Aram and his name is Elisha, the prophet. As soon as he hears about the distress of the king, he sends a message to him telling the king to have Naaman come to him instead. Very relieved, the king sends Naaman to the true man of God, the prophet Elisha. Let him deal with this very sick person.Perhaps he can do something for him as you can read in II Kings 5:8

When Elisha, the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him a message, "Why have you torn your robes? Make the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel."

As instructed by the king, Naaman travels down to Elisha's home expecting a special welcome from the prophet. No doubt, the prophet will meet him at the moment he arrives and will perform his special brand of magic to bring about his healing.