The
story of this little child is narrated in 2 Kings 5:1-19. Sadly her name is not
recorded. She was raised in a family in Israel in a Godly manner. In the same
time in history there was Naaman, a commander of the army of the king living
in Syria. The Lord had given him victory for an implicit reason (v.1). It was
not Naaman, but God who brought this little girl as a captive and maid into the
house of Naaman for a divine purpose. She was forcibly brought to live among a
people of a different faith. Just like Sarah who was brought before Pharaoh,
Esther who was brought into the palace of the Persian king, this little girl was
brought to the house of this influential man, Naaman. As a maid, her choices
would have been curtailed to the core. She probably lived in a dark room, yet
lit light in the house of her master. She was an object, a spoil of war, yet
became a powerful personality. She was stolen and taken across the borders, yet
God used her across the borders. She would have shed lots of tears in private,
but her story got recorded in the pages of the Holy Bible. Here are some
powerful pointers for us to ponder from her life.
She Models Forgiveness:
In
this world where wars rip apart human lives, where ego clashes and bitterness
tear relationships, the life of this little maid stands tall as a model of
forgiveness. How could she ever forgive a family who has separated her, from
her loving parents and her own place of living? It was possible only because of
her knowledge about Yahweh, a forgiving God. His power in her life helped her
to forgive her captors. We see a reversal story in the letter of Paul to
Philemon, where Philemon, a master forgave Onesimus, his slave. Love keeps no
record of wrongs (1 Cor 13:5). An epitome of forgiveness is seen in Jesus, who
said, “Father forgive them. For they do not know what they are doing.” He
forgives our sins even today. Bitterness prohibits blessings. Forgiveness
releases blessings. Let us be gripped by the power of our forgiving God who
only can help us to forgive serious offenders in our lives. Only then we can
pray the Lord’s Prayer: “Forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those
who have sinned against us.” (Matthew 6:12, NLT)
She Models Strategic Mission:
Her
master through he was great and rich was seriously suffering from leprosy. Her
compassion in a crisis situation enabled her to react constructively. The
Syrian God, Rimmon who was the god of thunder was an angry, frightening God.
She therefore introduced to her master about her God who could heal, save and
forgive. She had heard of Jehovah’s power through the life and ministry of
Prophet Elisha in her land in Israel. Though she was a refugee, she was a missionary. God’s plan has always been to glorify His name through displaced
people in the history of the world. There were other godly captives in the
history of the Bible like Joseph, Esther, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abed Nego,
Ezra and Nehemiah. They sang the song of the Lord in strange lands (Psalm 137).
The little girl’s life spoke. Her words were respected. Her captor’s family
obliged to her suggestion to go and meet prophet Elisha. Praise God. Naaman
came healed both in his soul and his body. His powerful testimony echoed
through the lands of the then world: “Now I know that there is no God in all
the world except in Israel!” (2 kings 5:15)
She Models a Godly Family:
We
do not know when life’s situation might separate parents and children. The
little girl was forcibly taken away from her parents when she was young. But
her Godly parents had trained her in the ways of Yahweh before that. We have to
inculcate Godly values in children before they fly off from our nest. John
Wesley said, “I learned more about Christianity from my mother than from all
the theologians in England.” And it is equally important to reach out to all
children in our influence, in our wider family out in the world. Ministry to
children yields multiple dividends. D L Moody said, “If I could relive my life,
I would devote my entire ministry to reaching children for God!” Let us therefore join with the Psalmist in saying: we will tell the next generation the
praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. (Psalm
78:4). Eternity would reveal the parents of this little girl how many lives she
has influenced beginning with the influential Naaman. But it all started in
nurturing of a young life in a Godly home.
“Let the little
children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs
to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14) -Jesus
