Session 8 2 Kings 5:1-14
listen for Naaman’s desperate situation and how a young servant girl offers him hope.
1 Naaman, commander of the army for the king of Aram,
was a man important to his master and highly regarded
because through him, the LORD had given victory to Aram.
The man was a valiant warrior, but he had a skin disease.2 Aram had gone on raids and brought back from the land of Israel a young girl who served Naaman’s wife. 3
She said to her mistress,
“If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria,
he would cure him of his skin disease.”
4 So Naaman went and told his master
what the girl from the land of Israel had said.
5 Therefore, the king of Aram said,
“Go, and I will send a letter with you to the king of Israel.
So he went and took with him 750 pounds of silver,
150 pounds of gold, and ten sets of clothing.
6 He brought the letter to the king of Israel, and it read:
When this letter comes to you, note that I have sent you
my servant Naaman for you to cure him of his skin disease.
Naaman would have been desperate to find relief,
not only because of the medical challenges,
but also because it caused him to be considered unclean and socially isolated.
How desperate was Naaman for a cure?
He was willing to take the word of someone who was a captured refugee,
a young female servant, and a God-fearing Hebrew.
Under any other circumstance,
even one of these attributes would have caused Naaman to reject her advice.
Naaman believed the female servant, who knew a prophet.
Then he asked King Aram for help.
The king gave Naaman a letter and money to deliver to the king of Israel,
in hopes of enlisting the help of the prophet.
Point out that a servant and a king were both instrumental
in moving Naaman toward the help he needed.
God used a servant girl’s faith, to draw Naaman closer to Himself.