A captive, captivated by God 

(By Anne Mathew)

 2 Kings 5:1-18 speaks about Naaman, the commander of the army of the King of Aram. Although he was highly regarded as a soldier and was esteemed in the eyes of the king, he was suffering from leprosy which deeply disheartened him and his family. 

Now Naaman had in his household a young Israelite girl who was taken captive by the bands of raiders of Aram during a battle with Israel and she served Naaman’s wife as a slave. Looking at her masters’ dismal state, this slave girl guides Naaman to Prophet Elisha. Eventually he not only gets healed, but also accepts the God of Israel as his only God. 

This slave girl’s name is not mentioned in the Bible. But her love and loyalty to her mistress has made this whole chapter unfold beautifully. 

Imagine, this girl was captured during a battle. She had seen the cruelty of the soldiers from Aram and must have been shattered when her family was enslaved and when she was taken into an Aramite household all alone. She was far away from her home. Perhaps both her parents might have been killed in the war or they might have been living in different captive houses.  

Whatever be the case, emotionally this girl would have been broken - from once living a free life to now being a captive in a faraway enemy land. Any other girl in her place would be revengeful and would have marveled at her perpetrators’ state.

But none of the above deterred her in being an ideal young woman of God. She was selfless - Instead of thinking all about herself and her state, she channeled her attention to be a devout servant to her mistress who is serving a false god in the enemy land. She did her best to be a loyal, empathetic young girl who was sensitive to the needs of her household. That’s probably the reason why her mistress so quickly trusted her.

Instead of complaining to God and worrying about her current state, she must have filled her heart with what she learned and knew about the God of Israel – how mighty yet merciful He was! And out of the overflow of this heart, came her words about God’s healing power to her mistress. 

The most heartfelt moment was when Naaman makes a life time commitment to worship and bow down only to the God of Israel. Not just Naaman, but I believe an entire household and a generation comes to the Lord because of this unnamed slave girl.  

Wow, what a legacy!

Life Application

1. Celebrate the people God has placed in your life no matter how insignificant they may seem.

2. Choose not to grumble, rather be thankful in all situations.