The Abducted Girl

The king of Aram had great admiration for Naaman, the commander of his army, because through him the lord had given Aram great victories. But though Naaman was a mighty warrior, he suffered from leprosy. At this time Aramean raiders had invaded the land of Israel, and among their captives was a young girl who had been given to Naaman’s wife as a maid. One day the girl said to her mistress, “I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy.” So Naaman told the king what the young girl from Israel had said. “Go and visit the prophet,” the king of Aram told him. “I will send a letter of introduction for you to take to the king of Israel.” So Naaman started out, carrying as gifts 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and ten sets of clothing. The letter to the king of Israel said: “With this letter I present my servant Naaman. I want you to heal him of his leprosy.” When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in dismay and said, “This man sends me a leper to heal! Am I God, that I can give life and take it away? I can see that he’s just trying to pick a fight with me.” But when Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes in dismay, he sent this message to him: “Why are you so upset? Send Naaman to me, and he will learn that there is a true prophet here in Israel.” So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and waited at the door of Elisha’s house. But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy.” But Naaman became angry and stalked away. “I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!” he said. “I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the lord his God and heal me! Aren’t the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than any of the rivers of Israel? Why shouldn’t I wash in them and be healed?” So Naaman turned and went away in a rage. But his officers tried to reason with him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be cured!’” So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child, and he was healed! (2 Kings 5:1-14 NLT)

We usually fear the worse when we hear of a child abduction.  And rightfully so as it rarely ends well.  But here we have a story of a victim of war where God was very much involved.  The Arameans and the Israelites were on again, off again enemies.  At worst they were meeting on the battle field and at best they were keeping an uneasy peace.  Either side might conduct the odd raid just to keep animosity alive and well.  Israel had the upper hand when they were faithful to God.  Not so much when they did not trust the Lord.  And Aram was actually related to Israel.  Laban the father of Leah and Rachel was an Aramean.  And they were not without a faith in God as it says the Aramean king recognized that God used his army commander Namaan to bring victory.

And so we read of a young Israelite girl that was captured in a raid.  We are not given her name.  She would probably have been between nine and twelve as much older she would have been considered wife material.  We are not told of the fate of her parents or other family members.  Maybe they died in the raid or were simply separated from their daughter.  Assuming they were alive they would have no way of knowing what happened to her anymore than she would have known what happened to them.  But the goodness of God  had made her part of a household where, though described as a maid, she appears to have been treated more like a daughter.  There is a good chance that the leprous Naaman and his wife had no children.  Extreme skin conditions do not make for physical intimacy.  And the girl was obviously not living in fear of speaking her mind.  She had a genuine love for her mistress and her husband.  Otherwise she would not have spoken of a way for her master to be healed.  She would have just remained silent cursing him, along with all of Aram, in her heart.  But rather we see revealed a compassionate heart of faith.  I can only imagine her parents had instilled this faith from her earliest remembrance.  Her new Aramean home was probably not big into family devotions.  But her parents had probably told her,

"We are the people of the living God with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as our fore fathers.  Israel went down to Egypt to survive a famine but ended up enslaved.  Through Moses God did many miracles delivering us from Egypt and bringing us into this land.  Our king is not living for God as he should but your mother and I trust The Lord even so.  And God has not abandoned his people as there is still a prophet in Samaria whom God works through.  No matter what happens you can trust our God."

And in simple child-like faith she must have accepted those words.  Her parent's faith became hers.  And so she said, "I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy.”  This word of faith set in motion a series of events that brought God's blessing involving an army general, two kings and a prophet.

"So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child, and he was healed!"

So if God can work through the faith of an abducted child of war, what would he do through us if we would trust Him?  He remains the God of endless possibilities.

The Shepherds and a Criminal

Both at the very beginning and the very end of his life Jesus had a significant influence on ordinary people.  The wise men followed a star but the angels came to the shepherds.  I would think they were God fearing Israelites simply going about their business, as it were.  They certainly were not centers of influence.  Had the angels missed their coordinates?  I think not.  God in His wisdom decided that the most ordinary unnoticed people would be the first to hear of the Messiah's birth.

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” (Luke 2:8-15 NLT)

At the end of his life Jesus hung dying between two criminals.  We don't know the crime but one confessed that they were getting what they deserved.  So I have to think the deed was more than stealing a loaf of bread.  Perhaps they were highwaymen that robbed and killed travelers - as those who left the victim for dead in the story of the Good Samaritan.  And it is highly unlikely they had previously encountered Jesus.  Maybe they had been his disciples for a time and then fallen away - highly doubtful.  But they had just spent the last hours of there lives walking up the same road and now hanging on a similar cross as Jesus.  They would have heard his words.  Words that gave his mother into the care of another.  Words that prayed, "forgive them for they don't know what they are doing".  Words that admonished the daughters of Jerusalem to pity themselves and not him for what would soon come upon them. In any case, for one of them, Jesus become more than just another man suffering a common fate.  In the matter of a couple of hours, the one criminal,

• Acknowledged his own guilt
• Recognized that Jesus was guiltless 
• Was aware that Jesus could help him after death
• Appealed to Jesus to remember him in His kingdom
• Received assurance that he would be with Jesus

Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” A sign was fastened above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.” One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:32-43 NLT)

Jesus, first helpless as a baby and second helpless as a condemned man, impacted the lives of ordinary men for time and eternity.  He entered life making a difference and left it doing the same.