Wash and Be Clean

“And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.” II Kings 5:13-14

Leprosy in Bible days was a terrible, contagious disease. It spread slowly throughout the body and would eventually cause death. There was no known treatment for the illness, so the people who suffered from it were often quarantined to keep them from spreading the disease to others. Leprosy is often used in the Bible as a picture of sin. Thus, the healing of Naaman can be seen as a picture of salvation. Naaman came to Elisha in need of healing. Elisha told Naaman to wash in the Jordan River seven times and he would be clean. Naaman was disappointed that Elisha did not come out and perform an impressive ceremony, and he was angered by the idea of traveling such a long distance to Israel just to wash in the river. Naaman had to lay aside his pride and submit to the instructions that were given to him. When Naaman came up out of the Jordan River that seventh time, he was completely healed! Because Jesus paid for our sins by dying on the cross, we can be cleansed of all of our sins by placing our faith in Him. In I Corinthians 6:11 (speaking to believers) Paul said that through Christ we are washed, sanctified, and justified.