God Uses the Unlikely: Naaman’s wife’s maid

6.12.22 – Pastor Will’s sermon notes

2 Kings 5:1 - 14 (ESV)

1 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.

2 Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman’s wife.

3 She said to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”

4 So Naaman went in and told his lord, “Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel.”

14 So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

“And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.” (NIV) LUKE 4:27

Background: 9 Century BC

Facts about her:

• She was an Israelite who had been captured by Syria during war (2 Kings 5:2);
• She was living in Syria as the servant of Naaman’s wife (2 Kings 5:2);
• She was young (2 Kings 5:2);
• She told her mistress that there was a prophet in Israel that could heal Naaman of his leprosy (2 Kings 5:3) ;
• Someone told Naaman about what she had said about a prophet who could heal (2 Kings 5:4);

Naaman believed her ;

As a result of her testimony Naaman traveled to Israel and was healed by the prophet Elisha by bathing in the Jordan river seven times. Because of this event, Naaman and many of his household gained a testimony of the one true God ( 2 King 5:5-15).“

Speculations about her:

• She was probably all alone, having been separated from her family during the war and her captivity.

My Thoughts:

• She was girl in a strange country, among people who didn’t believe God was probably torn away from her home.
• She is an example to me of forgiveness, of compassion, of faith and great courage. Think about the great risk she took in opening her mouth and offering advice.
• Remember Esther? What if no one listened to her?
• What if the prophet (God didn’t) hadn’t been able to heal Naaman?
• Jesus tells the crowd in the synagogue of Nazareth, “There were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only

Naaman the Syrian.”

• The lepers of Israel overlooked the healing that could have been theirs through Elisha, so God healed a Syrian instead. In the same way, the Israelites of Jesus’ day were missing the Power right in front of their eyes.
• The amazing faith of the young slave girl, who knew of Elisha and believed in God’s power; and the distress of Israel’s king, who did not even think of Elisha.
• Although a displaced slave girl, she did not allow bitterness and resentment to prevent God from using her to bring about a life changing miracle and salvation.

Monday Morning Moment: Sometimes bad things happen for good reasons. Gen. 50:20; Rom. 8:28.