Lessons on the Servant Girl of Naaman's Wife Part 2/3

The Plan

Part 2/3

2 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. 

Here we are introduced to the heroine of the story. Hip hip, hooray! 

This girl was taken captive from her home, family, and all that was familiar to her. She must have been really bitter toward those that had taken her away, right? Nope! Just the opposite. 

2 Kings 5:3

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. 

The servant girl was apparently bright and sensitive to the sorrowful heart of Naaman's wife, who perhaps wore a solemn countenance as she thought of her husbands plight. 

Not only do we not know the name of this girl, but we also don't know how old she was in this account. She was certainly old enough to have taken notice of the prophet Elisha, or at least old enough to pay attention to the stories her parents, relatives, or friends related to her of the prophet. Let's take a look at the events Elisha partook in leading up to this account. The first two would only be known to Elisha and God, but others saw the remainders:

1. Elisha saw the prophet, Elijah, whom he learned much from, taken up in a whirlwind. (2 Kings 2:11).
2. Just before Elijah was taken in a whirlwind, he asked Elisha what he most wanted. Elisha responded that he wanted a double portion of the Spirit of the Lord that empowered Elijah and it was granted to him (2 Kings 2:9,14,15).
3. God enabled Elisha to give the people of Jericho good drinking water (2 Kings 2:19-22).
4. God chastised forty-two children for making fun of Elisha after he cursed them in the name of the Lord (2 Kings 2:23-24). 
5. Elisha was known by and inquired after for help by Jehosaphat, king of Judah, when there was no water to be found in the wilderness of Edom. Elisha was known by his service to Elijah, and would have learned much from his teacher. Surely we are known for who we hang out with. (2 Kings 3:11-12).
6. Elisha prophesied that the Moabites would be delivered into the hands of the Israelites (2 Kings 3:18).
7. God performed a miracle through Elisha where a poor widow woman in danger of losing her sons to slavery for the payment of a debt was able to sell oil that was miraculously multiplied (2 Kings 4:1-7).
8. Elisha played a big part in the life of a Shunammite woman. She was very kind to Elisha and set up his very own bedroom in her home to allow him rest when he was in her neighborhood (4:10). To thank her, Elisha told this childless woman that she would have a son in a years time (4:16). She did have a son, but when some years had passed, he fell ill and died (4:20). The Shunammite woman sought after Elisha who went to the lad and God allowed life to return to the boy through Elisha (4:32-35).
9. When the people of Gilgal were hungry and tried eating of an unknown gourd provided by one of Gilgal's inhabitants, Elisha helped to make the food edible (4:41).

I'm sure word got around rather quickly about the prophet when others witnessed these things. Somehow, the servant girl also knew about the prophet, and she was quick to tell Naaman's wife, the woman she served, how her husband might find healing from his ailment. 

2 Kings 5:4

And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.

Sounds a bit like witnessing! There's a quote that says, "Evangelism is just one beggar telling another where to find bread." That's what happened when the servant girl, who rightly could have been angry with her captors, chose to tell how her master might be saved from his leprosy!  The rest of the story has a lot of facts that we'll go through quickly to get to the end result, The Product, Part 3.