Faith

The Wrapping Is Not Important Accept Your Gift

by Lakella Davenport 
12/23/20
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The Wrapping Is Not Important Accept Your Gift

2 Kings 5: 1- Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.

2 Kings 5:8-14

2 Kings 5:8-And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard  that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? Let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.

2 Kings 5:9- So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.

2 Kings 5:10- And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.

2 Kings 5:11- But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought he will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place , and recover the leper.

2 Kings 5:12- Are not Abana and Pharpar rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned away in a rage.

2 Kings 5:13- And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?

2 Kings 5:14- Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

2 Kings 5: 2-4

A little maid out of the land of Israel that waited on Naaman’s wife told Naaman’s wife about the prophet Elisha who was in the land of Samaria. The little maid told Naaman’s wife that Elisha could heal Naaman, her husband of his leprosy. In this classic bible story, Naaman’s healing did not come the way he wanted it to come. He envisioned a totally different way in which God would heal him through the prophet Elisha. His healing was not some fancy ceremony he hoped it would be. See 2 Kings 5:10-14. Elisha didn’t heal Naaman according to the traditional ceremonial way of healing someone of Leprosy like the priests in Israel did according to the laws of Moses given to Moses by God. Leviticus 14 describes the ceremony that the priests and the leprous person followed to obtain healing from the plague of leprosy. Healing a leper according to the Mosaic law involved sacrificing a living bird and a dead bird, sacrificing two lambs, for a burnt offering and a sin/trespass offering, bringing fine flour and a log of oil for a meat offering and for the anointing of the leper for cleansing and purification. Leviticus 14:1-9.

Leviticus 14:14-18, 21-22

Leviticus 14:14- And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot:

Leviticus 14:15-And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand:

Leviticus 14:16- And the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his  left hand and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the Lord:

Leviticus 14:17-and to the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right  hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering:

Leviticus 14:18-And the remnant of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall pour upon the head of him that is to be cleansed: and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the Lord.

Leviticus 14:21-And if he be poor, and cannot get so much; then he shall take one lamb for a trespass offering to be waved, to make an atonement for him, and one tenth deal of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering and a log of oil;

Leviticus 14:22-And two turtledoves, or two young pigeons…

Naaman was angry because Elisha did not perform this fancy or a fancy ceremony in healing him of his leprosy. He was upset that he had to go wash in one of the not so great rivers of Israel. The waters of the Jordan river were not the best waters to be cleansed in. 2 Kings 5:12- Are not Abana and Pharpar rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned away in a rage. He wanted God to do something fancy in order to heal him. Elisha telling him to simply go  wash/dip in the Jordan seven times did not seem sufficient enough to heal Naaman of Leprosy. He had almost decided not to go do what Elisha commanded him to do. He was going to miss his healing because of how it would be given to him. How many of us have missed out on opportunities because they were not fancily dressed or what we thought they should be. Similarly, some of the  Jewish people missed out on accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior and missed out on their spiritual, physical, and mental healing and lost the out on the promise of eternal life and the gifting of the holy spirit because Jesus did not come to them fancily dressed like a holy High Priest or King would come dressed. Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not  his mother called Mary? And his brethren, James, Joses, and Simon, and Judas? (Matthew 13: 55-57). He came riding on an ass or donkey instead of in a chariot pulled by white horses (Mark 11:7-10). Mark 11:7-And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him.

Mark 11:8-And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way.

Mark 11:9-And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:

Mark 11-10-Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.

Our healing can come in the dirtiest of rivers or places. The healer of the Earth or the world came wrapped in swaddling clothes. He was born in a lowly manager and not in a palace because there was no room for them in the inn (Luke 2:7). According to Oxford languages dictionary online a manger is a long open box or trough for horses or cattle to eat from. There was no fancy crib for Jesus to lay his most holy head. He came dressed in a coat without seam, woven from the top throughout (John 19:23)-Then the soldiers when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.) Exodus 28: 31-35, Exodus 28:39-describes the way priests and the way a high priest would dress. Jesus is the ultimate High Priest, The savior and king of all mankind and humanity. The high priest/priests robes were all of blue, and upon the hem of the robe there were embroidery of  pomegranates of blue and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem and bells of gold between them round about. The hem of Jesus’ coat did not have fancy embroidery of pomegranates and golden bells. Jesus’ coat did not have binding. According to Oxford languages online dictionary binding consists of material with a decorative strip. The hem of Jesus’ garment had no decorative strip. Because his garment was without seam and woven throughout it was much less labor intensive to make (according to www.fibre2fashion.com). Seamless garments take 30 percent to 40 percent less time to make than a cut-and sew version (www.fibre2fashion.com). It minimizes the traditional labour intensive step of cutting and sewing (www.fibre2fashion.com). His yoke is easy and less laboring (Matthew 11:28-30). Come to Jesus and learn of him for you will find rest from your labors and burdens in life. Jesus minimizes and lessens our labor in the Lord God. We don’t have to sacrifice animals anymore for the remission of sins and for healing of our bodies. Jesus is the ultimate healer of our minds, bodies, souls, and spirits. Jesus’ life, his bloodshed on the cross is the Ultimate sacrifice for the remission/forgiveness of sins and the inheritance of eternal life and the gifting of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was like the gift wrapped in Newspaper. If somebody gave you a gift wrapped in newspaper, would you throw it away, give it away, or refuse to open it before you know what is waiting for you inside. We don’t want to be like the Jews that threw it away (they crucified Christ, they didn’t accept him as the promised savior/healer of the world). However, because they rejected him, they gave him away to the Gentiles and now those us who are Gentiles now, have the gift of eternal life, and God’s holy spirit through our acceptance of the Ultimate Gift for mankind, Jesus Christ. Jesus like the Jordan river for Naaman, Jesus is our Jordan River, he washed away all our sins and cleansed us from all unrighteousness(1 John 1:7). Will you accept him as your Lord and Savior? Will you accept him as your King? For Christmas we should always remember that Jesus is the reason for all that we do during this holiday season. The best gift in the world Jesus Christ is sufficient enough to heal us as (spiritual lepers) of our iniquities/sins, (like the Jordan river was sufficient enough to heal Naaman of his leprosy).