According to the Word of God, to the influence of sin in the form of negative speech or slander is related leprosy. Miriam, the sister of Moses, who was also a prophetess and under the leadership of Moses, was struck with leprosy by God because of her wrong behavior against Moses (cf. Numbers 12:10).

 

Numbers 12:10:
10 When the cloud lifted from above the tent, Miriam’s skin was leprous – it became as white as snow. Aaron turned towards her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease, …

 

 

Speaking in a prophetic context, leprosy has a spiritual root that is expressed in arrogance or proud heart attitude.

 

Prophets possess a high spiritual responsibility in the communication of God’s words. They are in a certain way a vehicle of God’s communication when He desires them to speak. Therefore, it is of high importance that their communication is pure.

 

In this, it is no coincidence that Miriam was to be treated as a person spit in the face by her father. The result for Miriam was having to stay outside the camp for seven days (cf. Numbers 12:14).

 

Numbers 12:14:
14 The Lord replied to Moses, ‘If her father had spat in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back.’

 

Based on this, it shows us clearly that God’s standard of pure or holy communication is like the sound of many waters (cf. Ezekiel 1:24a i.c.w. Revelation 1:15b).

 

Ezekiel 1:24a:
24a When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty, …

 

Revelation 1:15b:
…, 15b and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters.

 

However, when we move out of this divine standard, it does not fail that we are separated from the mouth of the LORD by His ‘spitting’ in order to come to repentance through godly sorrow (cf. Revelation 3:16 i.c.w. 2 Corinthians 7:10a).

 

Revelation 3:16:
16 So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

 

2 Corinthians 7:10a:
10a Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, …

 

It is the uncompromised communication of God that includes right sight, right hearing, and right communication (cf. Mark 7:33-35; Mark 8:23-25).

 

Mark 7:33-35:
33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spat and touched the man’s tongue.
34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, ‘Ephphatha!’ (which means ‘Be opened!’).
35 At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosed and he began to speak plainly.

 

Mark 8:23-25:
23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spat on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, ‘Do you see anything?’
24 He looked up and said, ‘I see people; they look like trees walking around.’
25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.

 

As we walk in it, we recognize His prophetic revelations, hear the words of God breathed into us to pass them on unadulterated at God’s right time.

 

 

Using the captain Naaman of the king of Aram, who had many soldiers under his command and was sick with leprosy, we can see the cause of arrogance and lacking self-control in communication.

 

This can only be remedied by humility because Naaman listened to the young Israeli girl who served in captivity in the house of Naaman. She drew his attention to the pure divine communication in Israel represented by the prophet Elisha (cf. 2 Kings 5:1-3).

 

2 Kings 5:1-3:
1 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.
2 Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife.
3 She said to her mistress, ‘If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.’

 

The young Israelite maid’s instruction resulted in king Aram sending Naaman and his retinue with a letter and blessings to the king of Israel requesting healing, whereupon the king of Israel tore his clothes, indicating a humble heart attitude.

 

2 Kings 5:4-7:
4 Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said.
5 ‘By all means, go,’ the king of Aram replied. ‘I will send a letter to the king of Israel.’ So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing.
6 The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: ‘With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.’
7 As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, ‘Am 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!’

 

Hearing of this conversation and the tearing of the king of Israel’s garments, the prophet Elisha asked the king of Israel to have Naaman come to him to reveal to him the realm of divine and pure communication (cf. 2 Kings 5:8).

 

2 Kings 5:8:
8 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: ‘Why have you torn your robes? Make the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.’

 

Naaman set out with his retinue at the prophet’s command and stopped at the door of Elisha the prophet, who sent his servant out to him with instructions on healing to wash or immerse himself seven times in the Jordan.

 

2 Kings 5:9-10:
9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house.
10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, ‘Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.’

 

 

At this moment Naaman was again tested in humility to break with arrogance and anger in his life, as Elisha sent his servant out to Naaman and told him to wash in the waters of the Jordan.

 

Praise be to God that Naaman’s servants acted positively on him, so that he did not act from his own expectation and conclusion, but listened to the advice of his servants, so that he was healed (cf. 2 Kings 5:11-14).

 

2 Kings 5:11-14:
11 But Naaman went away angry and said, ‘I 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.
12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?’ So he turned and went off in a rage.
13 Naaman’s servants went to him and said, ‘My 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, “Wash and be cleansed”!’
14 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.

 

Through Naaman’s dipping seven times, his skin began to renew itself, which included sanctified, pure, and humble communication.
At this, Naaman entered the following different spiritual levels:

 

 

The reasoning is because the seven spiritual attributes in the context of God’s communication are the following seven Hebrew letters:

 

 

When Naaman emerged from the water for the seventh time, his skin was completely renewed, namely like that of a child. Moreover, by doing so, he established a spirit-filled atmosphere of the Word of God from heaven, much like when the Father’s voice was heard at Jesus’ baptism while the Holy Spirit revealed himself as a dove (cf. Matthew 3:16-17).

 

Matthew 3:16-17:
16 As soon as Jesus was baptised, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.
17 And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’

 

 

From this it is clear that the captain Naaman was enwrapped by the pure communication of God when he emerged from the waters of the Jordan for the seventh time. The result of this was that Elisha met him personally face to face and talked with him. Through the healing, which at the same time involved a renewal of Naaman’s mind, he recognized the only true God of Israel and renounced his idolatry toward Rimmon.

 

In addition, Naaman received an understanding of the spiritual inheritance in the ground, as shown by his taking it in the form of the double burden from the earth of the place (cf. 2 Kings 5:15-19a).

 

2 Kings 5:15-19a:
15 Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, ‘Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.’
16 The prophet answered, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.’ And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.
17 ‘If you will not,’ said Naaman, ‘please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord.
18 But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: when my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I have to bow there also – when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.’
19a ‘Go in peace,’ Elisha said. …

 

Naaman’s compliance to the prophetic instruction, as well as his bowing in humility before God, resulted in complete renewal in his life and walk in childlike faith. The childlike faith in the form of the renewed skin of the captain provides the framework for the Holy Spirit to work effectively in us (cf. Mark 2:22).

 

Mark 2:22:
22 And no-one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.’

 

Moreover, God intervened in the house of Elisha by revealing the heart of his servant Gehazi, who was regrettably corrupt or arrogant, so that he ended up as a leper (cf. 2 Kings 5:19b-27).

 

2 Kings 5:19b-27:
… 19b After Naaman had travelled some distance, 20 Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, ‘My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.’
21 So Gehazi hurried after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running towards him, he got down from the chariot to meet him. ‘Is everything all right?’ he asked.
22 ‘Everything is all right,’ Gehazi answered. ‘My master sent me to say, “Two young men from the company of the prophets have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.” ’
23 ‘By all means, take two talents,’ said Naaman. He urged Gehazi to accept them, and then tied up the two talents of silver in two bags, with two sets of clothing. He gave them to two of his servants, and they carried them ahead of Gehazi.
24 When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the things from the servants and put them away in the house. He sent the men away and they left.
25 When he went in and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, ‘Where have you been, Gehazi?’ ‘Your servant didn’t go anywhere,’ Gehazi answered.
26 But Elisha said to him, ‘Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money or to accept clothes – or olive groves and vineyards, or flocks and herds, or male and female slaves?
27 Naaman’s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants for ever.’ Then Gehazi went from Elisha’s presence and his skin was leprous – it had become as white as snow.

 

Let us go forward in humility and purity of heart in Christ Jesus, doing His will on earth (cf. Proverbs 22:11 i.c.w. Matthew 5:8).

 

Proverbs 22:11:
11 One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace will have the king for a friend.

 

Matthew 5:8:
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

 

This message is especially directed to all ministering saints in the body of Christ who, especially in prophetic ministry, can get provoked by some events associated with news or reports, which can quickly lead to judgmental or negative communication.

 

Only when we gain a biblical understanding of God’s holy nature will we be able to lead ourselves and others in reverence to refrain from using words that are not beneficial or sanctified. God wants to reveal Himself to us as His people, but this will always require our own devotion and humility, which we are called to watch over.

 

Amen and Amen.

 

In His Wisdom,

 

Daniel Glimm