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Speaker 1: Let us pray. Then went he down and dipped himself

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Speaker 1: seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of

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Speaker 1: the Man of God, and his flesh came again like

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Speaker 1: unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

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Speaker 1: Second Kings five fourteen. With a new day upon me

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Speaker 1: and a new opportunity for growth, I turn my attention

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Speaker 1: to you, Lord. I turn to you with a humble

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Speaker 1: heart and a request that cleanse me from any illness

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Speaker 1: and disease that will plague my mind, body, and soul.

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Speaker 1: I denounced the leprosy mindset of mediocrity that desires to

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Speaker 1: eat away at my dreams and desires give me the

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Speaker 1: faith of naem and servant to speak up and to

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Speaker 1: know where I can find life. I release all my

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Speaker 1: pride and ego that may try to under my freedom

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Speaker 1: and breakthrough. As I move with faith, Meet me at

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Speaker 1: my place of action, Meet me at the place of

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Speaker 1: my obedience. No matter how absurd your instruction may seem,

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Speaker 1: I'll dip my life into the living water of your

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Speaker 1: word until I am made whole. Thank you, Lord for

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Speaker 1: my newness and for my healing. I shall live and

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Speaker 1: experience your goodness from this moment on in Jesus name. Amen,

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Speaker 1: thanks for making prayer a priority in your life. To

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Speaker 1: hear the Bible come to life, Stay tuned for the

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Speaker 1: Bible in a Year brought to you by Bible in

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Speaker 1: a Year dot.

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Speaker 2: Com a rotting body made. In our last story, God

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Speaker 2: promised a child to a childless woman to reward her

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Speaker 2: generous spirit. However, when the boy's life was abruptly taken,

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Speaker 2: all hope seemed to disappear. Elishah laid over the child's body,

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Speaker 2: and by the grace of God, his life was restored.

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Speaker 2: Now we learn of a foreign warrior, a commander of

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Speaker 2: the armies of Syria, is plagued with leprosy and his

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Speaker 2: only hope for healing lies in the Jordan River. Inspired

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Speaker 2: by the Book of Second Kings.

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Speaker 3: Hello, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of the

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Speaker 3: Bible in a Year. In our previous episode, Elisha befriended

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Speaker 3: a Shinnemite woman who generously provided food and lodging for

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Speaker 3: the prophet as he traveled through the kingdom doing God's will.

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Speaker 3: The Lord blessed the woman with a son because of

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Speaker 3: her kindness, but one day the boy suddenly died, leaving

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Speaker 3: her heart broken. Of course, she turned to God through

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Speaker 3: Elisha and was given back this son that she had

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Speaker 3: lost because God worked a miracle and brought life back

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Speaker 3: into her son's lifeless body. Today we'll hear how Elisha

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Speaker 3: shows God's power beyond Israel, bringing healing and faith to

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Speaker 3: the home of a Syrian commander. So let's listen now

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Speaker 3: to today's scripture.

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Speaker 2: Deep into the north and the kingdom of Syria, the

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Speaker 2: wind whistled under the blade of Namon. He was a

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Speaker 2: mighty man fighting under the name of the Syrian king.

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Speaker 2: His bravery and skill was unmatched in all the land,

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Speaker 2: and he led his men well. Naman was the crown

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Speaker 2: jewel of his king and the most beloved warrior in

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Speaker 2: his country. For years, Namon fought and led with complete bravery.

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Speaker 2: His men howled like a pack of wolves behind him

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Speaker 2: as they made raids on other nations. No man could

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Speaker 2: defeat Naman. Yet that did not make him invincible. Naman

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Speaker 2: came home from battle and stripped off his armor. His

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Speaker 2: body ached. Yet this pain was not from hours of fighting.

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Speaker 2: Beginning with his finger tips and crawling up his arm

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Speaker 2: like a spider's web, was rotten skin and flesh ulcers

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Speaker 2: laced his midsection, and his ears were slowly deteriorating underneath

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Speaker 2: his helmet. Naeman, for all his might and power, could

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Speaker 2: not escape the deadly grip of leprosy. Soon the disease

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Speaker 2: seeped through his entire body. His skin slowly tore off

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Speaker 2: his body, and he lost all feeling in his fingers

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Speaker 2: and toes. Naeman could no longer grip a sword, let

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Speaker 2: alone march into battle with his men, So from a

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Speaker 2: distance he would command raids and establish battle strategies. One day,

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Speaker 2: the horsemen of Syria came into Israel like a rain cloud.

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Speaker 2: Their swords and arrows flew through the city like locusts.

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Speaker 2: Naeman's men were excellent raiders, the best in all the East.

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Speaker 2: They raided a border city in Israel, then left with

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Speaker 2: many spoils and slaves. One captive from this raid was

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Speaker 2: a young Israelite girl. She was carried off from her

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Speaker 2: family and forced into service in Naman's household. The newly

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Speaker 2: captured girl worked under Namon's wife. She kept quiet, as

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Speaker 2: all slaves did. However, even though her mouth remained shut,

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Speaker 2: her eyes and ears were open. She watched as Namon

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Speaker 2: limped through the house. She listened in the night as

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Speaker 2: he cried out in anguish. Naman's plight was no secret

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Speaker 2: to the slave girl. She knew he had leprosy. She

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Speaker 2: knew he was dying. One morning, after lying awake to

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Speaker 2: the sound of Naman's screams, the girl was tending to

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Speaker 2: her mistress. She looked at her mistress carefully. There was

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Speaker 2: deep pain behind her false mask of nobility. The girl

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Speaker 2: knew that the woman worried over her husband's illness. The

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Speaker 2: girl worked up the courage to speak. If only Namon

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Speaker 2: was with the Prophet of Israel, he would surely cure him.

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Speaker 2: The wife of Naeman perked up immediately. Her eyes widened,

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Speaker 2: and even though there was no visible smile, there was

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Speaker 2: a glimmer of hope. For the first time in years,

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Speaker 2: Naeman's wife spoke to her husband about the Prophet of Israel.

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Speaker 2: Naemon felt a small sliver of hope, a small chance,

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Speaker 2: was the only thing some one in his situation needed.

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Speaker 2: Naemon had been counting the days until his demise for years. Now,

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Speaker 2: for the first time in what seemed like a lifetime,

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Speaker 2: he could place his faith in something. Naemon sent word

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Speaker 2: to his king for permission to depart for Israel. The

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Speaker 2: king loved Naemon and sent word to the King of Israel. Immediately,

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Speaker 2: he sent over gifts of gold, silver, and fine clothing

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Speaker 2: as a sign of good will. The letter wrote, when

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Speaker 2: you receive this letter, it will be with my servant Naeman.

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Speaker 2: I have sent him so that you may cure him

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Speaker 2: of leprosy. The King of Israel at that time was Jerome.

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Speaker 2: Naemon stood before Yerom. He watched as the King of

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Speaker 2: Israel scanned over the letter. Jerome looked up from the

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Speaker 2: letter towards the gifts of gold and silver, then back

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Speaker 2: at the letter. Audible scoffs could be heard from the king.

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Speaker 2: They made Naemon uneasy. The King of Israel was silent

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Speaker 2: for a long time. Then, in a fit of rage,

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Speaker 2: he ripped up the letter and tore his robe. The

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Speaker 2: king stood to his feet and yelled, who am I

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Speaker 2: to you God? His anger was palpable. Naemon's heart began

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Speaker 2: to sink as he heard the words fling from Yurom's mouth.

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Speaker 2: Am I God, to just kill and make live with

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Speaker 2: my words? The King of Syria must be laying a

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Speaker 2: trap for me, for certainly he does not believe I

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Speaker 2: can just cure a man of leprosy. The king continued

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Speaker 2: his fit in front of Naemon, then sent him away.

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Speaker 2: Namon left humiliated. His hope had been quenched like water

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Speaker 2: to a camp fire. Now all that remained was a

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Speaker 2: long and painful journey back home. What Naemon did not

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Speaker 2: know was that the king was not the man of God.

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Speaker 2: The girl spoke of Elisha was the prophet. Elishah had

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Speaker 2: heard the king tore his clothes in front of nobles

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Speaker 2: from Syria. He heard of Naemon and the king of

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Speaker 2: Syria's letter. Elisha pondered what God may be doing, and

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Speaker 2: then sent word to the king. He said, why do

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Speaker 2: you tear your clothes over nothing? Send the man to

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Speaker 2: me so that he may know there is a prophet

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Speaker 2: in Israel. So word was sent to Naemon, and he

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Speaker 2: reluctantly came to the house of Elisha. Namon knocked on

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Speaker 2: the door. To his surprise, Elisha did not answer. Instead,

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Speaker 2: it was one of Elisha's servants. Go to the Jordan

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Speaker 2: river and wash yourself seven times. The servant said, your

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Speaker 2: flesh shall be healed and your body shall be made new.

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Speaker 2: Then the servant shut the door, leaving Naemon to stew

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Speaker 2: in his anger. Naman was flustered and offended at the interaction.

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Speaker 2: He did not even come out to see me. He yelled,

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Speaker 2: I thought a man of such power would have stood

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Speaker 2: up and called upon the Lord for me. Isn't he

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Speaker 2: supposed to wave his hand and make something happen. Naman's

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Speaker 2: blood was boiling. The warrior in him was showing as

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Speaker 2: he swung his fists in the air. He could not

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Speaker 2: help but storm away in a rage. And why the

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Speaker 2: Jordan river, he asked, aren't all the rivers in Syria

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Speaker 2: cleaner and more immaculate than any river in Israel? So

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Speaker 2: Namon left heart broken that he had been humiliated twice

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Speaker 2: in one day, once by a king and a second

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Speaker 2: time by a prophet. As he was walking away, one

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Speaker 2: of his servants came in close and whispered, Father, the

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Speaker 2: prophet has spoken a word over you to wash and

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Speaker 2: be clean. Why not do it? The servant spoke with

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Speaker 2: a great amount of care. He loved his master dearly

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Speaker 2: and hated to see him suffer. He did not realize it,

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Speaker 2: but God was using him to soften Nayman's heart. For

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Speaker 2: God did not only want Namon to be healed. He

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Speaker 2: desired for his pride to be washed away with well.

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Speaker 2: Nayemon approached the Jordan River. He had heard ancient stories

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Speaker 2: of the Israelite people crossing this river. He had heard

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Speaker 2: whispers of God parting the sea for them to cross

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Speaker 2: over safely. Even though he did not pay much attention

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Speaker 2: to those stories, there was something mysterious as he dipped

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Speaker 2: his feet into the river. Naeman waded into the water slowly.

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Speaker 1: The water was cold, the.

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Speaker 2: Sun was setting, giving way to a gentle evening breeze.

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Speaker 2: Naeman carefully removed his clothes and began to wash his

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Speaker 2: brittle skin. Naemon was always fearful going into the water.

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Speaker 2: His skin was so thin and fragile that he was

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Speaker 2: afraid he might just dissolve into the water and drift

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Speaker 2: away with the current. He softly touched his skin with

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Speaker 2: the water and scrubbed himself gently. He took handfuls of

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Speaker 2: water and washed his body. The sun was kissing the

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Speaker 2: horizon now, and the evening breeze drifted over the water.

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Speaker 2: An intoxicating peace came over Naeman. He closed his eyes.

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Speaker 2: The coolness of the water with the fresh air filled

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Speaker 2: his heart with gladness. He opened his eyes slowly, watching

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Speaker 2: the last light illuminate his skin. It was once gray

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Speaker 2: and rotting, but now it was vibrant and smooth. His

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Speaker 2: limbs were filled with renewed strength, and his face no

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Speaker 2: longer needed to be held together by cloths. Naemon was

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Speaker 2: a new man in the place where he once brought

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Speaker 2: his people out of slavery. God brought Naeman out of sickness.

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Speaker 2: His dirtiness was washed away with the tides of the

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Speaker 2: Jordan River. All that plagued him drifted away as though

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Speaker 2: it never existed. Naman was given a new body in

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Speaker 2: one day. God would do this for all of mankind.

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Speaker 2: One day God would wash away all that plagued humanity, sin, sickness, death,

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Speaker 2: and destruction would be washed away by the cleansing power

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Speaker 2: of a loving God.

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Speaker 3: To day we are in introduced to a man named Nayemon.

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Speaker 3: He is a commander in the Syrian army, a powerful

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Speaker 3: and successful leader in battle. And yet despite his military prowess,

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Speaker 3: his wealth, and his standing in society, Naeman had a problem,

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Speaker 3: a problem that he couldn't solve. He was a leper.

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Speaker 3: Naeman was no friend to Israel and had led raids

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Speaker 3: into the Northern Kingdom, often carrying Israelites back to Syria

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Speaker 3: as slaves. One of those slaves was a young girl

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Speaker 3: whom Naeman had placed in the household to serve his wife.

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Speaker 3: This young Israelite girl had every reason to hate this

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Speaker 3: man and want him to suffer for what he had

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Speaker 3: done to her, and yet she saw his pain and

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Speaker 3: had compassion upon him. She spoke to her mistress and said,

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Speaker 3: the Prophet of Israel could cure his disease. If you

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Speaker 3: want an example of someone who loved her enemy and

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Speaker 3: blessed those who persecuted her, looked no further than this

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Speaker 3: young lady. Naeman went to the Syrian king and to

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Speaker 3: go to Israel. The king, eager to see his faithful

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Speaker 3: general restored to health, sent him with a personal letter

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Speaker 3: in hopes that he would be healed. Naeman went to

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Speaker 3: the palace of the king, where he presented the letter

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Speaker 3: and his request to Jehoram. Jehoram, who was king at

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Speaker 3: that time, thought this was a trap being set by

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Speaker 3: the King of Syria, and tore his clothes in distress. Sadly,

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Speaker 3: he did not think of the prophet Elishah. But God's

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Speaker 3: plan would not be changed. When Elishah heard what had happened.

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Speaker 3: He told the king to send Naem in his way.

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Speaker 3: Naemon quickly went to Elishah, expecting the prophet to come

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Speaker 3: out to him and perform a miracle in front of

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Speaker 3: all who watched. Elisha did not even go outside to

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Speaker 3: receive him. He sent a messenger with instructions for the

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Speaker 3: commander to dip himself in the Jordan rivers seven times.

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Speaker 3: Naeman was offended. He was offended for two reasons. First,

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Speaker 3: Naeman was used to being given honor and prestige, and

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Speaker 3: he expected nothing less from this Israelite prophet. But at

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Speaker 3: the end of the day, Naeman was no more special

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Speaker 3: than anyone else. He was a sick person in need

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Speaker 3: of healing. Elisha's decision not to go out to meet

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Speaker 3: him personally was a first step in humbling Naeman before God. Secondly,

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Speaker 3: why would Naeman, a proud Syrian, want to bathe in

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Speaker 3: a Jordan river an Israeli river. He couldn't imagine why

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Speaker 3: he should dip himself in such a dirty river when

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Speaker 3: he had much cleaner choices back home. But as Naeman

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Speaker 3: would soon discover, this was God's chosen land and he

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Speaker 3: was seeking healing from the God of Israel, and so

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Speaker 3: he would have to humble himself before God. How many

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Speaker 3: times do we seek healing or blessing or favors from God,

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Speaker 3: and we put conditions on how we receive it. Like Naeman,

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Speaker 3: we are unwilling to surrender ourselves to know and do

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Speaker 3: God's will as an act of surrender. Naeman was about

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Speaker 3: to go home angry and disappointed. Then in Second Kings

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Speaker 3: fifteen thirteen we read these words, but his servants came

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Speaker 3: near and said to him, my father, it is a

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Speaker 3: great word. The prophet has spoken to you. Will you

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Speaker 3: not do it? Has he actually said to you? Wash

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Speaker 3: and be clean? To his credit, Naeman listened to his servants.

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Speaker 3: Perhaps he was still doubtful, but he did exactly as

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Speaker 3: Elisha told him to do. And as he came out

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Speaker 3: of the Jordan the seventh time, his skin became smooth

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Speaker 3: and clean, like that of a baby. There was no

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Speaker 3: mistaking it. This was a miracle. He was healed, and

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Speaker 3: it was God who did it. Through Naeman. God demonstrated

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Speaker 3: his heart to heal not only his own people, but

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Speaker 3: to bring healing and hope to the gentiles as well.

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Speaker 3: And one day God would send one who would bring

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Speaker 3: healing to the whole world and turn hearts to the

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Speaker 3: God of all the earth. Dear God, thank you that

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Speaker 3: even when we are unsure and have doubts about your

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Speaker 3: plan and our willingness to follow it, we know that

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Speaker 3: when we trust you and surrender our wills to do

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Speaker 3: your will, that you will heal our hearts and our hurts,

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Speaker 3: and you will demonstrate your love for us over and

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Speaker 3: over again. We know you did this at the cross

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Speaker 3: when Jesus died, and in the promise of the Resurrection

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Speaker 3: that he lives forever. So thank you, Lord Jesus Christ,

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Speaker 3: that you are our healer and you are our hope,

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Speaker 3: and that you wash us clean and give us new

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Speaker 3: hearts and an abundant life. In Jesus' name. Amen, Thank

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Speaker 3: you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.

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Speaker 3: I'm pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download Theprey dot

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Speaker 3: com app and make prayer and Bible study a priority

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Speaker 3: in your life. And if you enjoyed this podcast, tell

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Speaker 3: someone else about it. We would love to connect with

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Speaker 3: you at Jack Graham dot Org for their resources has

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Speaker 3: an opportunities for you to continue to grow in your

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Speaker 3: faith through this Ministry, God bless you.