Articles
Learning from a Servant Girl
In this article we are going to look at the story of Naaman, but I bet it’s not in the way you think from reading this first sentence. I want to take applica-tion from someone in this story that isn’t even named, and I want us all to walk away with a greater understand-ing of sharing the good news and in do-ing the best you can in the situation you find yourself in.
2nd Kings 5 opens with acknowledging the character of Naaman. He was a great man in the view of his master, and he was eminent because the Lord had given him victory. He was also a valiant warrior. The next thing that is mentioned is what we probably re-member most about Naaman, that he had leprosy. Verses 2 and 3 are where I want to focus in the article today. Naaman’s people, The Arameans had gone in bands and taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel, and she be-came a servant for Naaman’s wife, waiting on her. Can you imagine what that would be like to be this young la-dy? The Scriptures note that she was taken from her home as a little girl. That’s horrible enough if it were to happen to an adult but to happen to a child makes our feeling of compassion grow even more. She had been taken from her homeland, her people, and away from freedom. How easily that could’ve turned into resentment, bitterness, wrath, revenge, vengeance and more. Especially given the fact that her master’s husband now has leprosy. This servant girl has knowledge that could help Naaman get cured of his leprosy as she knows of a prophet who lives in Samaria. The thing is and I think it’s something we can overlook in this story because of how little she is mentioned in the story, is that she didn’t have to say anything! She could’ve had the attitude of “That’s what the Arameans get for taking me from my homeland.” She could’ve rejoiced and wished that leprosy would fall on more Arameans for what they had done to her.
But that’s not what she did. She comes to her mistress, Naaman’s wife, and tells her in 2nd Kings 5:3 “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy.” This servant girl did not withhold her knowledge but shared it freely! She didn’t try and cut a deal or find some personal way to benefit, she came to her mistress and told her information that could lead to healing for her master. How this servant girl knew of Elisha is something we aren’t told although it certainly makes a lot of sense that she knew him, having lived in Israel for some time. Without this servant girl’s love and compassion, we don’t see the rest of this story play out in the way it does. Of course, God could’ve made it work another way, but it wouldn’t have gone in this way without the servant girl’s actions. Naaman likely would’ve died from leprosy and that would’ve been the end of the story, but it wasn’t because she spoke up and spoke of the saving power that was given to a prophet in Israel from the God of Israel.
From this I want to draw some points of application in how we can imitate this example. First, no role is too small. She easily could’ve had the attitude that she couldn’t make a difference an-ymore due to where she found herself. Yet what we see from her is that she has the knowledge to help her master, and she uses it to do so. As Paul teaches in 1st Corinthians 12:15 “If the foot says, ‘Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,’ it is not for this reason any less a part of the body.” Both the hand
and the body are important to the body, just as this servant girl and Elisha are both important to this story occurring in the way it did even though Elisha is a name we recognize and perhaps we haven’t even given this servant girl any thought until this article!
Secondly and what I think is the strongest point of application is that she had the good news that led to Naaman being saved from his horrible sickness and she shared it. We as Christians today have a much greater cure to a much more deadly illness. We have the gospel that we can share with others in which when obedi-ence to the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ is brought forth, they will be saved from their illness like we were. But what holds us back from doing so? Fear? Resentment? Bitterness? Wrath? Revenge? Vengeance? All things that also could’ve been potential temptations for this servant girl but none of them caught her up from doing what she did, the righteous thing. Do we not share the good news with someone because we are scared? This servant girl certainly could’ve had this kind of fear. What if they didn’t want to hear about her homeland, this prophet or just hear from her in general? Despite any of those possibilities or another po-tentially presenting itself, she shared that good news was in Isra-el for Naaman. Instead of fearing how someone will react to our sharing or living out the good news, how about we shift our fear to what will become of this person if they never hear the good news. I can’t imagine the guilt this servant girl would’ve felt if she kept this news to herself. I would imagine in some way she would grow to feel responsible for what could’ve occurred. Thankfully for Naaman’s sake that did not happen and for our sake as well as we are able to learn from this story. Do we not share the gos-pel with someone because what they have done to us? Remember the words of 1st Peter 3:9 “not returning evil for evil or insult for insult but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you would inherit a blessing.” We are to love our enemies as Christ told us to and to strive to have the attitude displayed in 2nd Peter 3:9: “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient towards you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.”
