The number seven in the Bible is representative of completion, and it usually brings to fruition a cycle of productivity. It is the number most often mentioned in the scriptures, and for good reason, because in the book of Genesis we read that after the earth was created by God, He rested on the seventh day from all His work, thus setting in motion for us the cycle of sevens that continue to this day, and that are to continue into eternity. Let’s read:
Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
Thus throughout sacred history we have the number seven occurring very many times, ever reminding us of that first great cycle which was established by God Himself. Later down in the days of Elisha we observe the same number occurring again, as Elisha is used by God in the healing of Naaman the Syrian, who had heard of the prophet, and in faith had followed the counsel of his little maid, a young Jewish girl who had been taken captive by the invading Syrian army.
Naaman was at this time suffering from the deadly and incurable disease of leprosy, and as his young maid saw her master’s distress, she was moved to tell him about the prophet Elisha who she knew could heal him through the power of God. Upon hearing of the very prospect of a cure, Naaman set out on his journey to seek out the prophet, thus demonstrating that even though he was from a pagan country, he understood the basic concept that faith without works is dead.
After hearing of the good news, he did not just sit there with an intense look of belief on his face
doing nothing, but instead mounted his horse as fast as he could, with his whip in his hand and galloped at lightning speed to where he was told the healing could take place. It is of critical importance for Christians today to understand the relation of faith and works, and how they are inseparably linked together to bring forth the desired results.
Too often our belief is held as a theoretical asset instead of applying it directly to the experiences of life, and because of this the promises of God and His working amongst us is viewed as something of the past, and not directly applicable to us in our personal situation. When instructions from God come to us, we are to act immediately upon them not in a lax manner, but like Naaman we should mount our own proverbial horses and run as fast as we can with the knowledge that God has been pleased to reveal for our benefit. Let’s read:
Job 23:11 My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.
23:12 Neither have I gone back from the
commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary [food].
What is Job talking about when he says that in his estimation, God’s word is of much more value than his necessary food? He is saying that when the word of the Lord comes to him, nothing else is of more importance, and because of this he acts upon God’s commands immediately. This statement by Job is a reflection of the order of his priorities and is also exemplified in other Bible characters such as Cornelius, a Gentile and a centurion of the Italian band of soldiers to whom the word of The Lord came with startling clarity. Let’s read:
Acts 10:1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian [band],
10:2 [A] devout [man], and one that feared God with all his house”….
10:3 He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.
10:4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.
10:5 And now send men to Joppa, and call for [one] Simon, whose surname is Peter:
10:6 He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.
10:7 And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually;
10:8 And when he had declared all [these] things unto them, he sent them to Joppa.
And thus it was with Naaman who hastened to obey the word that his little maid spoke. That’s why our most important asset in these last days of earth’s history is not merely a theoretical or hands off approach to the word of God, but an attitude of living faith that takes hold of unseen realities, and acts immediately upon them, relying on the arm of omnipotence for both victory and deliverance.
But Naaman was confronted with a dilemma, in that he did not agree with the instructions given by the prophet Elisha, and it was soon disclosed to view that he had an attitude, which if left to run riot, would prevent him from being healed. The simple instructions given by the prophet did not make any sense to him, and he argued that there were better and cleaner rivers than the Jordan, in which he could otherwise carry out the instructions given, and because of this he went away in a rage. Let’s read:
2nd Kings 5:10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.
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.
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 and
went away in a rage.
The problem was not with his attitude, although it would be well if obedience to God’s commands can be rendered with a cheerful and humble spirit. The only question that would ultimately determine the outcome is whether he will dip, and thank God there were a few rational thinking persons through whom the Holy Spirit spoke, and thus appealed to Naaman’s intelligence. The servants reasoned that he had nothing to lose, since he was already terminally ill, and furthermore it was a simple instruction given by the prophet, which would be easy to accomplish if he were willing. Let’s read:
2nd 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?
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.
5:15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that [there is] no God in all the earth, but in Israel” ….
Now there are some very important lessons to learn from this experience of Naaman, for it was written and chronicled for our admonition and instruction, upon whom the end of the age is fast approaching. This miracle whereby Naaman was healed occurred only after complete compliance with the instructions given. Nothing happened on the first, second, and third dips, and nothing happened on the sixth dip, because nothing but full compliance with the instructions given will facilitate the miraculous healing.
Question: Why do we conclude that nothing occurred on the first six dips, and only on the seventh?
Answer: We make this conclusion not because of any dream or vision given by God, but rather because of a close observation of His ways as recorded in the scriptures. When Joshua was commanded by God to march around the city of Jericho for seven days, absolutely nothing happened during the first six days. All that took place was complete compliance with the word of the Lord. Let’s read:
Joshua 6:2 And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, [and] the mighty men of valour.
6:3 And ye shall compass the city, all [ye] men of war, [and] go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.
6:4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.
6:5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long [blast] with the ram's horn, [and] when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.
Joshua 6:11 So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about [it] once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.
6:14 And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days.
The Bible says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever and therefore if we were to take the time to study His ways, we will see a pattern of consistency which will lead us to the correct conclusion, that God is very dependable and trustworthy in all His ways. Nothing took place with Joshua and the Israelites as they marched with solemn tread around the walls of that doomed city, and nothing happened with Naaman during the first six dips. The same pattern of consistency on the part of God is again displayed in the experience of Elijah, who had to pray seven times for rain, and again, nothing happens during the first six prayers, for The Lord says of Himself, “I change not”. Let’s read:
1st kings 18:41 And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee
up, eat and drink; for [there is] a sound of abundance of rain.
18:42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,
18:43 And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, [There is] nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.
18:44 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare [thy chariot], and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.
18:45 And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
Genesis 33:3 And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
33:4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.
Leviticus 14:7 And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field.
14:8 And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days.
Leviticus 25:8 And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years.
25:9 Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound on the tenth [day] of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.
2nd Kings 4:32 And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, [and] laid upon his bed.
4:33 He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD.
4:34 And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm.
4:35 Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.
Psalms 12:6 The words of the LORD [are] pure words: [as] silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
12:7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.
Daniel 4:30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?
4:31 While the word [was] in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, [saying], O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.
4:32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling [shall be] with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
4:33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' [feathers], and his nails like birds' [claws].
4:34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion [is] an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom [is] from generation to generation:
Exodus 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
20:10 But the seventh day [is] the sabbath of the LORD thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is] within thy gates:
20:11 For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is], and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
In His first discourse in the temple at Jerusalem, Jesus referred to the experience of Naaman by telling the Jews that there were many lepers living in the days of Elisha, and none of them were healed except Naaman, the Syrian, who was regarded as a foreigner to the privileges and promises of God’s chosen people. After this first sermon, the Jews took Christ to the edge of a cliff to cast Him over, because they took deep offence at the reference He thus made. And many of us living today do not fully understand or grasp what is the full import of Christ’s words. Let’s read:
Luke 4:24 And he said, Verily, I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.
4:25 But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;
4:26 But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, [a city] of Sidon, unto a woman [that was] a widow.
4:27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.
4:28 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
4:29 And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.
What Jesus was saying is that there were many Jewish widows, and many Jewish lepers, living
in the days of the prophets mentioned, and that those families that were dying from starvation could have been eating three square meals. Similarly with the Jewish lepers who were dying without hope, who could have been restored to health and lived for many more years, but who for some reason died prematurely, whilst deliverance was at their very fingertips. In other words, somebody was eating their lunch, and thus it was important for them and also for us to find out why and who.
Now there are certain things we must never ever do. It is a well known fact that satan is permitted at times to eat our lunch, when severe temptations are permitted to come our way for the purposes of purifying. But we should never be found giving him our lunch through those acts of noncompliance he often tempts us with, as was the case with the ancient Hebrews, and for this reason it has now become necessary for us to pinpoint the problem by a close examination of Naaman’s experience and ours, to see why the promises of God do not seem to be fulfilled in due season.
[1] Naaman was a sinner, and we are sinners too, so there is no difference on that point. Let’s read:
Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of God” …
3:22 Even the righteousness of God [which is] by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
1st John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
[2] Naaman had diseases and we have diseases too, so that there is no difference on this point either. Let’s read:
Isaiah 1:5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
1:6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head [there is] no soundness in it; [but] wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.
Matthew 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
4:24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.
[3] Naaman had an attitude and we have an attitude too, so that no difference is revealed here also, as with the former points. Let’s read:
2nd 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.
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 and went away in a rage.
Proverbs 5:12 …. “How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;
5:13 And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!
[4] Naaman had a prophet, and we have a prophet, so again there is no difference on this point either, for The Lord has always given prophets to guide and instruct His people from generation to generation. The promise of prophets to guide His people into full compliance with His will is made with a solemn oath by God Himself. Let’s read:
Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
2nd Kings 5:2 And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife.
5:3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord [were] with the prophet that [is] in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.
Jeremiah 35:15 I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending [them], saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me.
The only issue remaining that set Naaman and the widow apart from the rest of the crowd of lepers and hungry families, was that of complete compliance with what the prophet said. In both instances there was some sort of remonstrance on the part of the human agent seeking help, but because God is not fazed by mixed up moods and
attitudes, He went on to reward their faith, after the prerequisites were met. In other words, nothing but complete compliance will do.
Now it is true that in times of ignorance God winks, but now we owe it to ourselves to find out what the prophets have said on the issues of health and spiritual well- being, because a wealth of information has now been made available at our fingertips, so that we are without excuse. It is important then for us to understand that we are now living in the era of complete compliance, as The Great God of number seven is approaching, and that’s the reason why the thousands of miraculous cures performed by God in ages past have slowed down significantly, because the issue of compliance has been disregarded for too long. Let’s read:
Revelation 10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
10:8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go [and] take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.
10:9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take [it], and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.
10:10 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.
In our day, more and more of God’s people are coming down with diseases of every stripe and description, and the afflictions which plague the non-believer are escalating amongst Christians as well at an alarming rate, so that the casual observer is now questioning if being a Christian actually makes a difference, or even makes sense. The Lord has promised to heal all of our diseases, both physical and spiritual, but this can never be accomplished in our day without the prerequisite of complete compliance, since we are living in the era of number seven.
And it’s for this reason why many of the promises of God to us remain just as theoretical knowledge, and are as an elusive dream belonging to “Never land. Wherever we have available knowledge to facilitate good health and longevity, we should rise to the occasion by hastening to fully comply with all given instructions, and the same God who healed Naaman and provided bread for the widow will again do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
We therefore end with a question which is rhetorical in nature, and because of this, it must be answered within the domain of each and every heart. Let’s read:
Jeremiah 8:21 For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt” ….. “astonishment hath taken hold on me.
8:22 [Is there] no balm in Gilead; [is there] no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?
May God bless His word to every heart!