Mensa Otabil - An Unusual Messenger
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We’re continuing our study from Second Kings chapter 5, and we look at verses 2 and 3. The Syrians had gone out on raids and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife. Then she said to her mistress, «If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria, for he would heal him of his leprosy.» Naaman is a general in the Syrian army. The Syrians were enemies of Israel and Samaria, and part of what the Syrian army would do was conduct raids in Israel, capturing people and turning them into slaves. In one such raid, they captured this young girl, brought her into Naaman’s home, and she became a maid to Naaman’s wife.
We get the impression from the story that although she is brought in as a captive, they have some kind of good relationship with the girl, because she’s able to speak freely to her mistress in the land of her captivity. So, we see that out of the events of war, bloodshed, and slavery, there is redemption. God uses this girl under these unusual circumstances and unusual lips to speak a prophetic word to Naaman.
It’s amazing how God is able to use circumstances that are not noble for noble purposes. He is able to use all things to work together for our good, and so in the most unlikely place, out of the most unlikely lips, comes light to Naaman’s darkness. He hears a word of hope from a girl, and the thing to learn from this girl is that though she’s been taken as a slave, as a captive, and brought into a foreign land, she hasn’t forgotten her God. She still worships God; her faith in God is intact. She’s still strong in faith; she’s not converted to the religion of the Syrians. She still believes that the God of Israel, Yahweh, is the greatest of all and that His prophets are the greatest of all. She confidently and boldly makes a recommendation to her master.
The other thing to note about this girl is that she’s observant, because although Naaman is a general in the army, this girl is able to discern that the general has a deformity. So, she’s not overwhelmed by the title of the man, and there’s so much certainty in her words. She says, «If only my master would go to the prophet in Samaria, he would be healed.» Now, probably when she was a young girl, she might have heard stories about Elisha and his miracles. Although the Bible does not say that a leper had been healed in Israel by Elisha, this girl believed that, based on what God had done through Elisha, healing a leper would not be a big deal for God. So, we see that sometimes God uses unusual people in unusual places to speak to us, and we have to discern the voice of God even when we are not familiar with the souls.
Here we see that Naaman’s wife believed what the girl was saying. She passed on the message to her husband, and her husband passed it on to the king. Each one is acting because of a little girl, and it shows how a little whisper from a very humble person can reach the corridors of power. You never know where God is going to take your voice, or how God is going to take what you say from that little place and amplify it in the ears of people of power. I pray that like this little girl, God will take your voice and use it in unusual places to bring light, hope, and redemption to many.
Well, if you believe God can use you to do that, let’s share a word of prayer. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, use me wherever I am to make others know about You. Help me to point people to You. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.» May the Lord use you mightily wherever you are for His glory. Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.