Letters From Grandpa #406

LETTERS FROM GRANDPA

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Dearest grandchild,

Today’s letter will challenge you to take a risk for God. This challenge is based on what a slave girl did over 2,500 years ago. Her story is found in 2 Kings 5. We do not even know her name, and yet her courage changed the course of history and merited being mentioned in the Bible.

Her master was a very powerful man by the name of Naaman. He was the commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a valiant soldier and a great man in the eyes of his master. Through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The problem was that Naaman was a leper!

The Scriptures explain: “Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, ‘If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy’” (2 Ki. 5:2-3).

Without doubt this was a courageous thing to do! This girl was a slave! She was a nameless and faceless nobody. Furthermore she was a female. Why should anyone lister to her? Her words to her mistress, however, came at exactly the right time. At this time Naaman was so desperate that he was willing to investigate this child’s rumor.

Aram was a vast kingdom covering much of present-day Syria, southeastern Turkey, and parts of Lebanon and Iraq. For their own security they obviously had spies throughout the entire area. It would be a simple thing for these spies to gather information on Elisha. It was easy for them to document that some very unusual things had happened in Israel associated with the prophets of Jehovah. For example:

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The prophet Elijah started and stopped a drought that lasted 3 ½ years (1 Ki. 17 ff.)

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Elijah’s victorious confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel would be common knowledge (1 Ki. 18).

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The fact that 100 soldiers died trying to arrest Elijah would also be known (2 Ki. 1:1-18). •

The prophet Elisha, about whom the slave girl was speaking, demonstrated miraculous powers that enabled the king of Samaria to defeat the armies of Moab (2 Ki. 3:1-27).

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Elisha had also raised the son of a Shunammite woman from the dead (2 Ki 4:8-37).

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At any rate, there was ample evidence to indicate that Elisha was a person of interest worth talking to.

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There was, however, still a risk involved and this young slave deserves credit for her courage.

“Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.” (2 Ki. 5:4-6).

“As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!” When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the

man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” (2 Ki. 5:7-10).

At this, Naaman became angry. Elisha not only didn’t respect him enough to meet with him in person but merely sent messengers to tell him to dip seven times in a Jordan River. Dr. George Adam Smith describes the Jordan as a "rapid, muddy water with a zigzag current”. In the eyes of Naaman the rivers of Damascus were better than any of the waters of Israel (2 Ki. 5:12). This command of Elisha therefore didn’t make sense to Naaman. Remember however, God’s commands don’t have to make sense to us! We are commanded to trust in God with all of our heart and not to lean on our own understanding (Prov. 3:5)

“Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.” (2 Ki. 5:13-15).

As we have said, Naaman had with him 10 talents of silver, 6,000 shekels of gold, and 10 sets of clothing. To his credit “The prophet answered, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.’ Even though Naaman urged him, he refused” (2 Ki. 5:16). It is encouraging to find men like Elisha who love God more than they love money!

While there are many lessons in this story, let us return to the courage of the slave girl. Solomon said: “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver” (Prov. 25:11). This beautifully describes her words to her mistress. But what about you and me? If we have courage perhaps God will use us as he did the slave girl. We probably meet people every day who are as desperate as Naaman. There is a risk, however, in suggesting that they seek the help of God. God may not do what we hope He will do. There is also the possibility that we will be laughed at and scorned, but let us prayerfully take that risk. Let us have the courage to risk rejection and put in a good word for Jesus! Perhaps our words will come at just the right time as they did to Naaman. Perhaps our words will also be like apples of gold in a settings of silver!

I love you,

Grandpa Boyce