NIV 365 / Naaman's Slave Girl

The NIV 365-Day Devotional Reading Plan

Day 282 of 365 Naaman's Slave Girl Offering Words of Hope and Healing She flashed into the story and out again, making a single suggestion. Evidently her words were significant enough that God included them in his Word. Raiders from Aram had ripped a young Israelite girl from her home and family. The resulting anguish and grief were not recorded, but the terror and pain were surely felt. She landed in the household of a highly regarded man named Naaman, the commander of Aram's army, serving Naaman's wife. The king of Aram admired Naaman because "through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy" (2 Kings 5:1). The word leprosy was used for a wide variety of skin diseases, and we don't know which form it took with Naaman. But any kind of "leprosy" was unwelcome and potentially fatal. Even though Naaman was her foreign master, the Hebrew girl felt sorry for him, which may indicate that she was treated well in his home. One day 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 Kings 5:3). That's it! That's all she said. But her mysterious, surprising words of hope prompted Naaman to seek out the prophet Elisha in Israel, and Naaman was healed by the power of God. The fact that Naaman followed her advice may also indicate that she had garnered the admiration of Naaman and his wife by her godly service. You, too, can speak words of hope and healing to others through godly service, in spite of your own pain and anguish. Taken from Fulfilled 2 Kings 5:1-5 2 Kings 5:1-5 KJV 1 Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. 2 And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife. 3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy. 4 And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel. 5 And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.