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Today our text comes from 2 Kings 5:1-14.\xa0
May God bless you as you hear his word.

Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.\xa0

Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman\u2019s wife. She said to her mistress, \u201cIf only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.\u201d

Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. \u201cBy all means, go,\u201d the king of Aram replied. \u201cI will send a letter to the king of Israel.\u201d So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: \u201cWith this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.\u201d
As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, \u201cAm I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!\u201d

When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: \u201cWhy have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.\u201d So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha\u2019s house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, \u201cGo, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.\u201d

But Naaman went away angry and said, \u201cI thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn\u2019t I wash in them and be cleansed?\u201d So he turned and went off in a rage.

Naaman\u2019s servants went to him and said, \u201cMy father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, \u2018Wash and be cleansed\u2019!\u201d So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.

This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: \xa0 \xa0

Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping,
That awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep rest in his peace.
May Almighty God bless, preserve, and keep us, this day and forevermore.\xa0
Amen.