Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honourable man in the eyes of his master because, by him, the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valour but a leper. (2 Kings 5:1)
Look at how the bible describes Naaman
• Commander of the Army of Syria
• A great and honourable man
• A mighty man of valour
But a leper
There were so many good things happening in Naaman’s life, but one thing was literally overshadowing everything else in his life.
It never ceases to amaze me to see how God uses people whom the world perceives as flawed, failures, weak and lowly. In this case, though Naaman was a leper, God used him, and by him, the Lord had given victory to Syria.
And the Syrians had gone out on raids and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife. (2 Kings 5:2)
If you have read the bible, you will understand that Joseph was a captive. Daniel was a captive. This little girl was a captive. Being in captivity is not a pleasant thing.
Their physical freedom was compromised, yet remarkably, their spiritual resilience was unbroken. Understandably, captivity is a daunting experience. Yet, the profound commonality between Joseph, Daniel, and the little maid was their unfaltering trust in God, even amidst the crushing weight of their chains.
They never harboured resentment against God. Instead, their faith thrived even in adversity, demonstrating an enduring trust that transcended their physical circumstances.
Then she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.” (2 Kings 5:3)
This little girl in Naaman’s house, working as a slave in Naaman's house far away from family and friends, all alone in a strange country. She could have easily harboured bitter and hurt feelings towards Naaman and his family. After all, she was there against her will. She could have easily been offended at God and said, “I want nothing to do with God. How could the Lord allow me to come into such a mess?”
There are some that keep nursing and rehearsing the things that happened to them in the past. They are captives of their past. Being in captivity is not good, but having a mind and attitude of a captive is far worse.
On the contrary, this girl was thoughtful and sympathetic towards her master Naaman. She thought good about the person in whose house she was a slave. Look at how she responds.
“If only my master were with the prophet (Elisha) who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.”
Though she was a little girl, she knew much about God and God's prophet Elisha. This means that she was a girl trained in the things of God, even at a young age. I believe God can use even little children to impact the rich and the influential and bring them into His Kingdom.
This is why you must bring your children to the Kid's Ministry, which runs simultaneously with our main service. They are trained in God’s word and worship. Postponing this vital aspect of their development might lead to regret in the future when we might wish they had known God earlier. Please start today. Make a decision; I am going to bring my little children to God’s house and train them in the things of God even at a young age.
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)
We have a lesson here on the treatment of those who have wronged us, hurt us or rejected us. We should always try to do them good.
And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel.” (2 Kings 5:4)
The most interesting thing is that what this little girl spoke was heard in the King's palace. Her voice was heard in the King's palace.
I heard the Spirit of God say to me, “They that refuse to allow offence and hurt and unforgiveness to overpower them - their voice will be heard in places of influence. Their voice will surely be heard before the KING.”
Had this little child carried bitterness and unforgiveness in her heart, she would have probably said, “This man Naaman separated me from my family. Now he has leprosy, good. God has vindicated me. Praise God” However, she refused to carry offence, hurt and unforgiveness. This is the reason Naaman was healed and turned to the LORD.
9Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house. 10And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” 11But Naaman became furious and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ 12Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. (2 Kings 5:9-12)
Now Naaman was offended because Elisha did not act in the way Naaman thought he should have. Naaman was so close to his miracle, and yet he could have lost it because of hin carrying offence.
There are many Christians that come so close to their miracle and lose it because they allow offence and hurt to overpower them.
One day we had a service, and the whole place was packed out. There was literally no room even near the door. The volunteers tried to accommodate people on the aisles. A family came and told our volunteers. We did not come to sit down on the floor. If there was no place, why did you call us? People who were highly educated and holding top positions in society were sitting on the floor. That day the Spirit of God moved mightily. That family lost their blessing because of offence.
When you go to the hospital because of an emergency, does it matter if they give you a soft cushion to sit on? No, all it matters is that a life must be saved, healing must come - that’s all. People stand for hours outside the operation theatre, without food and without water - all in the hope that their loved one will be saved.
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