One Torah for All

back

Wash and Be Clean

Malakim Bet (2nd Kings) 5:13 
And his servants came near, and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had bid you do some great thing, would you not have done it?  How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”

The Arameans had a valiant warrior who was the head of the army.  His name was Na’aman.  The problem Na’aman had was that he was a leper.  There came a time when Aram had gone to war against Israel and had taken some captives.  One of those captives was a young girl.  She became the servant of Na’aman’s wife.  This young slave girl felt pity for Na’aman and desired for him to be healed and told Na’aman’s wife about the prophet Elisha.  The young slave girl told her that if Na’aman went to Israel, then he could be made well by Elisha.

When Na’aman’s wife told him about this, he went to the king and requested an audience with this prophet.  Therefore, the king of Aram then sent Na’aman to the king of Israel with the message requesting that he heal his servant of leprosy. 

This upset the king of Israel greatly, as he perceived this request as a means of provocation against him, and he became very distressed and tore his clothes.  Elisha heard about this and sent a message to the king asking him why he had torn his clothes over such a simple request.  All the king needed to do was to send Na’aman to him and he would take care of the situation.  Therefore, the king sent Na’aman to Elisha.

When Na’aman arrived at the house of Elisha, the prophet sent out his servant to tell Na’aman to go and wash in the Yarden seven times.  This made the commander of the Aramean army very angry and he stormed off.  After a while, the servants of Na’aman entreated him and pointed out that he should do as he was told, in order to be cleansed of this dreaded disease.

What the servants pointed out was that if Elisha had asked Na’aman to go and do some great feat to prove his worthiness, he immediately would have set out to do the requested task.  His servants then pointed out how much more willing he should be to do such a simple request.  Therefore, Na’aman went and washed in the Yarden River seven times and was cleansed.

This is the same question that we are being asked today.  We have been given a request to wash and be clean.  However, it is such a simple request that few seem to heed the request and therefore are not cleansed.

Ma’aseh (Acts) 22:16 
“And now why do you tarry?  Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.”

Shaul, in giving his testimony, related a question posed by Ananias to him as to why he, Shaul, delayed in immersing him in water, but that he should be immersed and call upon His name without delay, washing away his sins.

Likewise, we also need to be immersed in water, calling upon the name of Yeshua and confessing Him as our Mashiach in order to be cleansed of all that makes us unclean.

Yeshayah (Isaiah) 1:16 
“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes; cease to do evil!”

YHWH, through the prophet Yeshayah, tells us that we should wash ourselves so we can be clean.  Part of the washing process is to stop doing evil.  If one does not stop doing evil, then the immersion in water means nothing.

Kepha Bet (2nd Peter) 2:21-22
21 For it were better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.
22 It has happened to them according to the true proverb,
The dog returning to his own vomit again,
And the sow that had washed to wallowing in the mire.

The whole point in washing is to be clean.  There is no point in washing and then going right back to the filth out of which one came and from which he was cleansed.

Tehillim (Psalm) 51:7 
Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

It should be the plea of each and every one of us to our heavenly Father that He cleanse us and purify us, for we cannot do it ourselves.  However, with His strength and power delivered to us through Yeshua our Mashiach, we can be cleansed by and through His Blood.

Yochanan Aleph (1st John) 1:9 
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The Blood of Mashiach Yeshua is able both to bring forgiveness of our sins and to cleanse us from all our unrighteousness.  All we need to do is to agree with Him that we are in need of these things and ask Him to do it.  Then He will come to us in the Ruach Qodesh (Holy Spirit) and do the work of that of which we are in need.  However, if we do not ask, we will not receive.

Ya’aqov (James) 4:3 
You ask, and receive not, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it in your pleasures.

Before we come to Yeshua, we are all in need of being washed in the Blood of the Lamb to remove all our sins and unrighteousness.  Have you done this today?

Wash and be clean!

ABBA YHWH, forgive us of all our sins and cleanse us from all our unrighteousness; in the name of Yeshua our Mashiach.  Amein.

Shabbat Shalom
Zerubbabel ben Emunah
www.onetorahforall.com
zerubbabel@onetorahforall.com

© All material is copyrighted and no part may be changed, added to, shortened or edited; however, the entirety of the article may be reproduced as long as the author’s name remains attached to the article.  It is encouraged and a blessing for others to forward these teachings to others, and permission is hereby granted for this as long as the teaching is kept wholly intact, which includes the author’s name and contact information, the “One Torah For All” header, and this copyright paragraph.  Furthermore, it must be passed on without any cost whatsoever to those who receive it.  The act of forwarding or sharing this teaching in any way constitutes agreement by the party forwarding it that he agrees to the terms and conditions of this paragraph.

back