The Faithful Little Slave Girl

S: 2 Kings 5:1-3, 14-19

Now Naaman, captain of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him Yahweh had given victory to Syria; he was also a mighty man of valour, but he was a leper. ² The Syrians had gone out in bands, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little girl, and she waited on Naaman’s wife. ³ She said to her mistress, “I wish that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would heal him of his leprosy.”

…

¹⁴ Then went he down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. ¹⁵ He returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him; and he said, “See now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel. Now therefore, please take a gift from your servant.”

¹⁶ But he said, “As Yahweh lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none.”

He urged him to take it; but he refused. ¹⁷ Naaman said, “If not, then, please let two mules’ load of earth be given to your servant; for your servant will from now on offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice to other gods, but to Yahweh. ¹⁸ In this thing may Yahweh pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon. When I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, may Yahweh pardon your servant in this thing.”

¹⁹ He said to him, “Go in peace.”

So he departed from him a little way.

O: This is one of my favourite stories in the Bible.

Imagine being a little girl, growing up peacefully with parents who taught you to worship Yahweh, the one true God. They taught you to pray, to trust Him, and to know that He is faithful.

Then disaster strikes.

Syrian raiders invade. Your family is torn apart. Your parents are killed, and you are carried away as a slave into a foreign land.

And not just to any household—you are given to serve in the house of Naaman, commander of the army that may have destroyed your home.

You weep. You grieve. You feel abandoned.

But then you remember Yahweh.

You remember what your parents taught you: that even in calamity, Yahweh has not forsaken you. He still loves you. He still cares for you.

So in a strange land, you remain faithful. You learn the Syrian language. You learn the hard life of a servant. And through it all, you keep praying.

Over time, the household you serve is no longer made up only of strangers. You come to know them.

But they do not know Yahweh.

They worship Rimmon, the god of storm and war—powerful, feared, a god associated with thunder and victory in battle.

Then one day you learn that Naaman, your master, suffers from a terrible disease.

And an extraordinary thought rises in your heart:

The God of Israel can heal him.

His prophet Elisha can be the instrument of that healing.

And so, instead of bitterness, you choose compassion.

Instead of silence, you bear witness.

You tell your mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet in Samaria…”

And wonder of wonders—Naaman listens.

He goes to Israel.

He meets the prophet.

He washes in the Jordan.

And he returns changed.

Not only healed in physically—but healed spiritually.

The conqueror comes home worshiping Yahweh.

The warrior bows before the God of Israel.

And all because a little slave girl, faithful in suffering, spoke one word of hope.

What an awesome epic movie this would make! So I guided AI to make the following movie poster 😁

Naaman was powerful, honoured, and victorious, yet was helpless before leprosy. The little Israelite slave girl was powerless, unnamed, and captive, yet she is the one who speaks the true word that sets healing in motion. God uses the weak to reach the strong, and His mercy extends even to Israel’s enemy.

A: God doesn’t desire the wicked to perish, but that they’d repent and be saved. (Ezekiel 18:23) We are ambassadors for Christ, and we are to be salt and light to the world, sharing His love and salvation with everyone – including those we think of as enemies. (2 Corinthians 5, Matthew 5, Matthew 28, John 13.)

Let the little faithful little slave girl inspire us to go and do likewise!

P: Father, thank You for Your mercy to sinners and enemies through Jesus Christ. Keep me from bitterness, fear, and silence. Make me faithful like this little servant girl, ready to speak one true word at the right time. Use even my weakness to point others to Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.