Servant and Princess

​"Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.
"Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and 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.’
"So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s [the prophet] 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.’
"But Naaman went away angry and said, 'I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.'
"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.'
"The prophet answered, 'As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.'
After Naaman had traveled some distance, Gehazi, said to himself, "My master was too easy on Naaman by not accepting from him what he brought. I will run after him and get something from him.'
"So Gehazi hurried after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from the chariot to meet him. 'Is everything all right?' he asked.
"'Everything is all right,' Gehazi answered. 'My master sent me to say, "Two young men from the company of the prophets have just come to me. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.'"
"'By all means, take two talents,' said Naaman… He gave them to two of his servants, and they carried them ahead of Gehazi. When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the things from the servants and put them away in the house. He sent the men away and they left.
When he went in and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, 'Where have you been, Gehazi?'
"'Your servant didn’t go anywhere,' Gehazi answered.
"But Elisha said to him, 'Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money or to accept clothes? Naaman’s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever.' Then Gehazi went from Elisha’s presence and his skin was leprous." 2 Kings 5:1-3, 9-16, 19-27, NIV

A few months back, I read a short devotional on the above passage. The devotional was a character study on the three main people of this story: Naaman, Elisha and Gehazi. It looked at the pride of Naaman and the need for it to be broken for him to accept cleansing, the godliness of Elisha the prophet, and the greed of the servant Gehazi.

But there was another character that intrigued me who is a key to the development of this story: the servant girl of Naaman’s wife. When I looked a bit closer at this girl and her role in this event, I was challenged and encouraged.

This girl had been taken captive from her home, yet she still spoke up to help her master. She says, “If only my master would see the prophet!” Other versions read, “I wish…” And there is an exclamation point at the end of this wish! She longs to see her master well, for him to experience the healing power of God.  

She also has confidence. She doesn’t say, “Maybe he will be well.” No, she says, “He will be cured.” 

In these two sentences spoken by the servant girl, we see care and compassion for her master and great faith and trust in God.

Sometimes we can get so focused on the imperfections of our surroundings and positions that we fail to see others’ needs or speak up to help. We focus on our failings, what we can’t do, and so don’t offer even a little help and hope. 

This girl was simply a servant. She wasn’t a prophet like Elisha. She wasn’t the commander of an army like Naaman. But she also wasn’t selfish like Gehazi. We don’t know her name and she isn’t heard of again after this event, but if it wasn’t for her selflessness, would Naaman have encountered the one true God?

As servants of the King of kings, we should be like this servant girl, caring and compassionate, trusting and faithful. 

Along with being servants of the King, we are children of the King. Princesses who can walk with confidence in their Father’s love and the power of His Spirit. We don’t have to have all the right answers or eloquent words or perfect lives. Just care, confidence, compassion, and courage. Care in our words to and about others. Confidence in our identity in Christ. Compassion in our actions and interactions with others. Courage in pursuing God's dreams for us. With those, we can reveal Jesus’ love to the world.

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