A Muddy River

And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.”

2 Kings 5:10 ESV

Naaman was a great man. Commander of the army of Syria, in favor with the King and the people, the Lord had used him to give military victories to his country. He was a mighty man of courage, and yet, there was one part of his life that threatened to bring his downfall. Like a fly in the ointment, leprosy had invaded his body and ruined his future hopes and dreams. Running sores filled with pus appeared everywhere leaving him to spend his days picking the scabs that covered his arms and legs. The man who conquered nations could do nothing to heal his decaying body. Leprosy caused him to be a social outcast in a land where he should have been embraced for his accomplishments. Instead of a hero’s parade he was relegated to a dark room isolated from those he loved. Fortunately for him there was a little Jewish girl who had been taken captive in one of his conquests. She was his wife's servant and what she was about to suggest changed his life.

There are situations in all of our lives which render us helpless. Over a period of time, they create despair which renders us powerless. Remedy after remedy fails to give us relief and we learn to live in the muddle of misery. However, even though we all walk different paths of difficulty and suffering, there is a common thread of disease that plagues us all. We are all facing eternity and the unknown of our existence after our last breath darkens our brightest moments. “And then he died”, is the last word spoken concerning our lives no matter what we have accomplished. Without question the greatest foe which threatens our happiness is our eternal destiny when we have not made our peace with God. What Naaman needed was cleansing from his leprosy.   

The unnamed Jewish servant girl told Naaman’s wife that there was a Prophet in Israel that could heal her husband. And so, Naaman packed his bags and headed south, but when he got to his destination, Elisah refused to see him. The Prophet told him to dip in the River Jordan seven times, and he would be healed. Insulted and angry, the Commander of Syria, who was used to giving order, march away. The muddy Jordan would not do, for there were cleaner rivers in Damascus.

When a man or woman first hears the gospel, it is a muddy message. It makes no sense to the logical, rational mind. The remedies of this world appear to us as clearer rivers, but in the end, they drown us. Human philosophy and psychology cheer us for a moment, but they cannot solve the great issue of our eternal destiny. Thankfully for Naaman, he bathed in the river Jordan and was made clean. Will you believe the muddy gospel today? Once you do all will be clear.

Dwight L Moody, in describing his salvation moment, wrote this, “I thought the old sun shone a good deal brighter than it had before-- I thought that it was smiling upon me; and as I walked out upon British Common and heard the birds singing in the trees, I thought they were all singing a song to me… it seemed to me that I was in love with all creation.”