There are always those who are at the forefront of a situation and gain attention, but most of the time, there is an unnamed, unnoticed hero that we never hear about. A little maid in II Kings chapter 5 is one of those heroes.
II Kings 5:2 “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. She wanted him to see the prophet”
In Verse 1 of chapter 5, we learn about Naaman. He was a captain of the host. This was a large mass of people, probably an army. He was honorable and had great status with the King of Syria. Even though he did not know the one true God, God gave him victory over Israel. He was a mighty man of valor. He had been honored by his King. He had prestige and honor and was very successful in gaining victory in battles, yet all of the honors could not keep him from getting the dreaded disease of leprosy.
II Kings 5:1 “Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honorable because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valor, but he was a leper.”
Those with leprosy in other countries were not as strictly segregated from others as they were in Israel. In Israel, they were separated and had to yell unclean if there was anyone coming within a set distance. In Israel, if a person had a sore that looked suspicious, they must go before the priest for him to determine if it was leprosy. If they were healed they must go back to the priest to be pronounced healed. This had to be done before they could see their families again.
I am sure this young maid had heard about the painful disease of leprosy. As an Israelite, she would have known all the ways that leprosy limited a person’s ability. She was concerned about her Master and shared with her master’s wife how he could be healed. In verse 3, we see her request: “Would God my lord be with the prophet that is in Samaria! For he would recover him of his leprosy.” Naaman must have been a good man and good master because he had won the affection of this young girl. It also speaks to her character that she cared about others. These people had stolen her away from her homeland and family, yet she extended kindness to them. She wanted Naaman to visit this man of God so that he would be healed. It also speaks of her faith that he believed with all her heart that he would be healed. When this information reaches the King of Syria, he tells Naaman to go and take care of the business of being healed. This reaction shows us that the King also believed in this young girl. She had impressed the King at some point; otherwise, he would not have paid any attention to her request for Naaman to go to the man of God in Samaria.
Naaman takes a letter from the King of Syria to the King of Israel requesting that Naaman see the prophet, Elisha. In II Kings 5:9-10 we see Naaman going with horses and chariots and standing at Elisha’s door. Elisha tells him to go wash in the Jordan River seven times, and he will be healed. His pride gets in the way, and he leaves mad. He was insulted that he would be required to wash in the dirty Jordan rather than the fresh flowing waters in Syria. He leaves insulted and prideful, but his servants come to him and convince him to follow the instructions of Elisha, and he is healed.
II Kings 5:13-14 “And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. 5 is our unnamed hero for today.”
We never learn this young girl’s name, but she will go down in history as a hero. She stepped up and spoke her mind on the issue of Naaman’s health. Servants were usually seen and not heard. They were to do their job. Her faith was strong, and her captivity in a land of false gods did not change her faith. She not only maintained her faith, she spoke of her God to the Syrians. If she had been fearful of standing for the truth, her Master would probably have died from the leprosy. We never hear anything more from this young maid, but I am sure she gained an audience with her Naaman and his wife. Maybe one day we will see Naaman in Heaven as a result of the testimony of this young girl. She did not know if they would listen to her, but she spoke the truth anyway.
How well do you share the truths of God’s word with those who don’t know Him? The greatest sickness that anyone can have is a sin sick soul. Unless they hear and accept the one who can heal their soul with the blood of Christ, they will spend eternity in Hell. God wants them to experience the redemption of their souls, but He commissioned us to tell them
