2 Kings 5:2-3 (ESV)
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.”
The Bible’s main characters are almost all adults. Almost.
But there are some amazing children in the narrative of God’s plan of
salvation. One of them is a little Israelite girl (name, alas, unknown) who had
been taken captive by raiders from Aram (Syria). What of her parents? Were they
killed? captives also? safe back home grieving over their lost daughter? We are
not told.
What kind of mind-set would you expect the girl to have?
Brooding over the injustice of her forced servitude? Seeking to sabotage operations
in a military household? Crafting plans for an escape as soon as the
opportunity presented itself? Plotting to assassinate the Syrian general as an
act of patriotism? None of the above. Hearing that her master was plagued with
leprosy, she offered information to help him: “Now bands of raiders 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 Kings 5:2,3).
It could not have gone better for General Naaman the Leper.
He met the great Israelite prophet Elisha, who put him in touch with Israel’s
God. He was healed completely, and in gratitude he exclaimed, “Now I know that
there is no God in all the world except in Israel” (verse 15).
Amazing! Never say, “Only a child.”
Dear Lord, we thank You for the children. Help us to look
at the children around us with Your eyes. Help us to take the time to nurture
them and bring their potential out. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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