Naaman Body Come Clean

One big general stand for inside muddy river, water reach im waist. E don enter under di water six times. Nothing change. E draw breath, and e go under for di seventh time.

Naaman na di commander of di army of Aram, di strong neighbour wey dey for Israel north side. E be brave soldier and great man, and im king respect am well well, because na through am Di Lord give Aram victory. But Naaman get one serious skin disease, di kind wey di Bible call leprosy, and all im power and all im money no fit cure am. For im house, one small girl dey, wey dem capture from Israel when dem attack di land. She dey serve Naaman wife. And one day she talk, If only my master go see di prophet wey dey Samaria! Di prophet go cure am from dis disease.

Di matter reach di king of Aram ear, and e send Naaman go with letter for di king of Israel, plus plenty plenty gift: ten talents of silver, six thousand pieces of gold, and ten sets of fine clothes. Di letter talk say, I dey send my servant Naaman come meet you, make you cure am. Di king of Israel read am, and fear make am tear im clothes. Na me be God, wey fit kill and fit bring person back to life? Dis man just dey find quarrel with me! But Elisha hear about am, and e send message. Make di man come meet me, and e go know say prophet dey for Israel.

So Naaman arrive with im horses and im chariots, and e stop for Elisha door. Elisha no even come outside. E send messenger. Go wash yourself seven times for di Jordan, and your skin go come back as e be, and you go dey clean. Vex catch Naaman. I bin think say e go surely come out meet me, stand, call di name of Di Lord im God, wave im hand over di place and cure me. Abana and Pharpar, di rivers of Damascus, dem no better pass all di water for Israel? I no fit wash for dem come clean? And e turn back, comot with vex.

But im servants follow am. Our papa, dem talk, if di prophet bin tell you make you do one big thing, you for no do am? How much more now, wey e just tell you say, wash and be clean? Naaman stop. E think about am. Then e go down to di Jordan, and e dip imself inside seven times, exactly as di man of God talk. And when e come up di seventh time, im skin don come back, clean and healthy, like di skin of small pikin.

Naaman go back meet Elisha, and dis time e stand for im front. Now I know say no God dey for di whole world except for Israel. E beg Elisha make e collect gift. Elisha refuse. As Di Lord wey I dey serve dey alive, I no go collect anything. Naaman ask for two mule-load of sand to carry go house, so dat e fit worship Di Lord on top am, and Elisha send am go: Go for peace. But Elisha servant Gehazi no fit let di treasure pass am. E run follow Naaman, cook up one story, and ask for silver and clothes. Then e hide dem and lie to im master. Elisha talk, My spirit no follow you go? And Naaman disease come on top Gehazi. Di stranger wey humble imself go house clean. Di person wey dey inside wey grab, carry di disease go.

Why Naaman go wan carry sand go house? For di old world, plenty people believe say every god belong to one particular land, and na only on top dat god own soil person fit worship am well. So Naaman ask for Israel sand to carry go Aram, so dat e fit worship Di Lord for foreign land. One more thing dey good to know. Di Hebrew word wey dem translate as leprosy cover plenty different skin sickness, as di law for Leviticus show, no be only di sickness wey we dey call leprosy today.

Naaman body come clean. You go find am for Second Kings, chapter five. One great man must stop to dey expect big things, listen to one small servant girl and im own servants, and do one simple, humble thing. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Any simple thing dey wey God dey ask you make you do, but pride dey hold you back?