During the time of the kings there was a man from Syria called Naaman. The Bible tells us Naaman was the very successful commander of the Syrian army, adored by his king and countrymen alike. "He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper." (II Kings 5:1)

One of his servants was a girl from Israel who had been captured in a raid. Because she had come to respect Naaman, she suggested he travel to Samaria and meet with Elisha the prophet to be healed. Naaman arrived at Elisha's door. The prophet sent out a messenger who told the great Syrian to dunk himself in the Jordan River seven times and he would be clean of his disease. "But Naaman became furious, and went away and said...He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy." (v. 11)

Naaman pointed out the clean rivers of Damascus were far better than the muddy Jordan for getting clean. He stormed off toward home until his accompanying servants reminded him that he would have done any hard thing to be healed, why not this easy command: "Wash, and you will be clean." And so he did and when he arose the seventh time from the Jordan, his skin was like that of a baby. Returning to the house of the prophet, Naaman declared: "Indeed, now I know there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel." (v. 15)

Boy, aren't we all just a bunch of Naamans, covered with the leprosy of sin? We demand God come and stand and give a wave of His hand; or better yet give us some work to do and in the doing we'll be made whole. Just like Naaman, we want it to be on our terms. Instead, we are told to go "to Him who has loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood." (Rev 1:5) 

The hymn writer, Robert Lowry has it so right: "What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus; What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus."

A few years back I sat in a local restaurant with an old preacher. We discussed a number of things relating to Scripture and our walk in Christ (His being mature and mine on wobbly toddler legs). Playing the part of Naaman, I wanted to know - Did we really have to do this and that like that and this as the Bible says? Why? He told me flat out, yes we do because God says so. The old preacher then declared: "If God told me to roll a peanut down the main street of Greensburg with my nose, then this old preacher will roll a peanut down the main street of Greensburg with my nose."

Do you want to be made clean? Whole? Do you want to be reconciled and right with the Lord God? Come to the One who loves you; the One who washed away your sins with His own blood. Nothing but the blood of Jesus will do so. The Bible flat out says that and an old peanut rolling preacher believed it and so do I.

"Wash, and you will be clean."