“Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”
2 Kings 5:2-3 (NAB)
A young girl was taken captive by a band of raiders. She was removed from her homeland, her family and her way of life, to become a servant to the wife of a high ranking Syrian military officer. The nameless little girl was raised in the faith of the one true God of her people, the Israelites. She believed in the God who did many miracles for her people.
Now she was far away from her family, her freedom and her home, but she managed to keep her faith through the calamity of war, human slavery, and adjusting to a new culture of people who did not know her God. In her new life as a servant, she had no choice but to make the best out of where she was living.
Instead of pining away in loneliness, thinking of her past and her family, as a captive in a strange land, she sought the heart of God, believing He was with her wherever she went. The little girl developed compassion for the people in her present life and circumstances. She told her mistress about God and all the signs, wonders and miracles He has done through their prophet, Elisha.
The husband of the girl’s mistress was the high ranking Syrian officer, Naaman, but his life drastically changed on the day he found out he had leprosy. Naaman heard his wife’s servant girl speak about their prophet Elisha, who raised the dead and called fire down from heaven. Naaman went to his king and asked him to arrange for a meeting with the renown prophet.
The meeting was arranged and when Naaman arrived at the house of Elisha, with an entourage of servants, horses, chariots, and payments of gold and silver, Elisha was asked to heal Naaman’s leprosy, but he did something that no one expected. Elisha told Naaman to go plunge himself seven times in the Jordan river. That’s all the prophet said and then went back into his house.
A man of power, pride, and prestige doesn’t take well to the advice of
“Go jump in the river seven times.” Naaman wondered if it was all a joke, an act of vengeance or a payback for conquering their nation. Driven by his ego, he was about to give up and walk away, but he had a humble Hebrew servant, who pleaded with him to do exactly as Elisha advised. The people of Israel knew the power of their God and how He worked through the prophet, so the servant finally persuaded Naaman to obey Elisha.
In this story the servants were the true heroes of the faith. It started with the young girl as a messenger of hope and then with Naaman’s servant, who persuaded him to put faith into action and obey. It all culminated with Naaman plunging in the river seven times, and on the seventh plunge, his body came out of the water, completely healed of leprosy. It was a happy ending for all, and Naaman and his household believed in the God of the Israelites.
The servants were both in the places they were, not by their own choice, but as captives, being conquered by the Syrian people. By faith, they found a way to adapt to a new culture, yet retain their faith, and live out their captivity as servants of God.
Everyone, at some time in their life, finds themselves in a place that isn’t what they would ever choose. Like those servants, we need to find a way to adapt right where we are. It’s easy to become discouraged when things don’t go as planned, but God is still working His divine purpose through us.
The servants in the story looked for the heart of God in their calamity. The more they searched for God’s heart, the more compassion they had for the people in their present circumstances. As they permitted God to renew their minds, the more He used them to help others to have faith. God works in unexpected ways, but it usually starts right where we are, instead of where we wished to be. We all tend to ask God to change our circumstances, but He is trying to change something in us through our circumstances.
This story reminds us to be more like those two servants, to embrace our faith in the place where we are at, and allow God’s truth to transform us during any calamity that feels like captivity. Both servants in this story are nameless, but their examples have shined throughout the centuries, teaching generations after them.
Lord, help us to live by faith during any calamity so that we may bring praise and glory to your name, in the places and circumstances you lead us into. Amen
