This is the first person we come to. This is where the whole chapter and the story begins. The girl who was a slave was working for the wife of Naaman. She was a prisoner (a band of aramite raiders had captured her - possibly killing the entire village) with most of her family either killed or held captive and enslaved across the land of Syria. She had lost everything. Reading her story from the new testament makes the most impact on our spiritual life. We could say that she was never going to reach her full potential or her calling. But she remembered one thing which most Jewish children of that age and we should remember. We are not called to a task or a profession but rather to a God. This meant that she risked her life when she had to raise her voice. Slaves in general do not have a voice. They are not asked for their opinion. But deep within, maybe because she was treated well, I believe there is a working of the Holy Spirit in this girl that moves her to care and love her enemies, even the ones who enslave her.
She reminds me of the verse that Paul, the apostle of Jesus writes in Philippians 1:12-14, stating that it was good that he was in chains as through them he was able to preach the gospel. I don’t say that slavery is good but rather I am stating the fact that though she was a slave she chose to forgive and love her captors. She puts the words of Jesus to love one's enemies into practice although she lived before.
She is basing the love on the fact that she is one who knows God, the God of Israel, the true God. Did she worry that her faith was putting her life into more trouble? What if Naaman did not get healed? She could have had a million thoughts that could tell her to keep quiet. Maybe if Naaman left the army due to his illness she could be set free. Maybe the wise thing would have been to keep quiet and wait for Naaman to die? But this is where her faith, love, and truth overprovers the wisdom of the world. She cannot keep quiet. Was God able to save her from the advances of Naaman’s army? No. Was she a free woman? No. In all these things, she knew the truth. God is able to heal if God wants. This was not her choice to keep the message hidden. She knew two things about her land. Her God can heal, and there was a man called Elisha who loved God and he would be able to pray for Naaman. This was all that mattered. She saw God as Sovereign in healing Naaman as much as she saw God sovereign in her being captive.
Can I challenge you to ask God to speak to your heart to help you win over the fears of seeing the people who hate you being blessed by God? We can be like Jonah at most times, hoping to tell the message just so that we can watch those who hate us suffer the wrath of God than be forgiven and come to repentance and be blessed by God. See this first verse of this chapter. It says Naaman won because God - the word used is the word to say it is the God of Israel here, God was with Naaman.
She reminds me of Philip who introduced Jesus to Nathaniel. All Philip had to say was “come and see”. Sometimes, the invitation to the gospel, to God is just a word - “come”. For her, she had to just tell what she saw or heard. 1 John 1:1-6 says this in the following manner.
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life (NIV)
We cannot give the gospel in any manner to anyone other than what we know and believe. It is true that apologetics and logic and debates play a huge role in telling the truth. We as Christians do not believe in just random information or baseless religion. We have evidence that makes ancient history a footnote when compared to the life of Christ. There are manuscripts, records, scholarly articles, artefacts and much more that bring the reason of our faith to solid scholarly accounts. We must heed to what Peter says in 1 Peter 3:15 to give an account for our faith. However, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:1, our approach should be not to present a lofty idea but rather a solid act of conversion. The simplest means of coming is this, i was this way and not i am not and the reason is not human effort but rather the work of God.
As for this girl, she knew the truth and that is what she heard and may have seen with her eyes and may have even touched another person who has been healed. This is what she did then. She proclaimed the Word of life. This was indeed at the cost of her life. But the truth that touches you cannot be hidden. It must be proclaimed. What does it take for us to do this?
Paul says in Romans 8 that Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? What separates us from telling about this love? We must be willing to, for the sake of loving like Christ, be able to take such risks. Church history tells us that Philip may have travelled from Israel to modern day Turkey where Nathaniel may have travelled to Armenia, Azerbaijan and even more eastward before they were martyred for their faith.
As for this little girl, we know nothing of her, except that she knew the truth and the truth saved her master and possibly his household and the people associated with him. She is not remembered for her miracles but for her faith - and the courage to love her captors and tell them about the living God despite living in a world that stood against everything she believed in.
Can I challenge you to come to such a place to love and worship God despite being in the worst situation possible?
Can I challenge you here to come to God and ask for forgiveness and strength and resilience to love those who hate you or have hurt you and show them the cross of Christ and the forgiveness of Jesus and the healing power of His Name?
Can I challenge you to seek and hold God as Sovereign and Holy when you are at your worst?
Can I challenge you to ask God to speak to your heart to help you win over the fears of seeing the people who hate you being blessed by God?
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