But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”
2 kings 5:13
Naaman took offence at the command to go and wash. But did he hear the promise? Elisha said, “Wash, and be clean.”
Perhaps this is your position. There is something that God calls you to do and you don’t want to do it. Something God calls you to give up and you don’t want to give it up. You are offended at God’s command, but have you heard His promise? You shall be clean.
Naaman listened to his servants. He believed and obeyed what God had commanded: “He… dipped himself seven times in the Jordan… and his flesh was restored… and he was clean” (5:14).
Here is what God can do for you in Jesus Christ. You can be clean. You will never be able to cleanse yourself. No prophet, no king, no philosophy or religion, no effort you make to put things right will cleanse you either. But the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse you from all sin.
When Naaman was washed and made clean, he became a worshipper of the living God. “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel… From now on your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the LORD” (5:15, 17).
Here we have the story of a man who knew nothing of the God of the Bible, but he is wonderfully converted. How did it happen? He heard that there was hope for him. He humbled himself. He believed the promise of God. He acted in faith and obedience.
Are you so focused on how offensive one of God’s commands is to you that you have tuned out His promise?
