Well, for a short time, as the Lord enables us, let's reflect on the passage we read from 2 Kings 5.
She said to her mistress, would that my Lord were with the prophet who is Samaria, he would cure him of his leprosy.
Thank you.
We're going to explore two things, her work and her witness.
Now, the following words have been attributed to Francis of Assisi.
Preach the gospel and, if necessary, use words.
Well, let me stress that words do matter.
There are occasions when words are necessary.
Because this young missionary in Syria finds her voice and when she does, she speaks out.
And what she says makes a significant difference.
And her legacy continues to speak to us today.
Now, we know nothing of her name, her background, other than that she was from the land of Israel in verse 2.
Yet, this little girl, this unsung hero makes a significant personal contribution to the life of a Syrian commander battling with leprosy.
She is instrumental in bringing healing to Naaman's leprosy.
Here is a man who is, you might say, without God and without hope.
A dying man.
A man.
A man otherwise without hope of being restored.
And in no small measure, through the timely intervention of this godly, young, Israelite mission worker, he is healed.
She is instrumental.
She plays her part.
And that should not go unnoticed.
You also might say that she fits the description of the nobody of the kingdom.
We alluded to the boy in the context of the feeding of the 5,000 in a similar vein this morning.
And we're going to do the same this evening.
A nobody telling everybody about somebody who can save anybody.
She believes Elisha's God, the God of Israel, can bring complete restoration to Naaman.
Nobody else does, but she does.
So, in verse 3, she tells his wife, whom she serves, that he can be cured if he will but make himself known to the prophet Elisha.
Now, let's stop there because there's much we can glean from this little girl's life, her example, and her witness.
Granted, little is spoken, but much is said.
And what is said carries tremendous weight and substance.
There is also much here that encourages you and I to witness in challenging circumstances.
Not unlike this young girl.
She is up against it.
To speak out carries tremendous risk for an Israelite girl in Syria.
Because a young girl like this is to be seen but not heard.
Look at verse 3.
Her words to her mistress amount to a calculated risk.
Perhaps she thought twice, three times, about suggesting that Naaman should speak to Elisha.
She might be scolded, reprimanded, rebuked, or worse.
She may well be told in no uncertain terms to mind her own business and remain silent.
But here is a young girl who speaks with the wisdom of Solomon.
She knows that there is a time to be silent.
But she's also discerning.
Because in this moment she senses that this is a time to speak.
There are times when you and I are constrained to speak.
The dilemma you and I often have is knowing when to remain silent and when to speak.
Well, this is such a time to speak, and speak she will.
And as we place this young girl under the spotlight tonight, we are left asking ourselves,
what would you and I have done in her circumstances?
How should we witness in such perplexing, pressing circumstances?
It's interesting as you go through the vocabulary of a concordance from time to time.
When you come to the letter W, you will encounter the following.
Words, followed by work, followed by worker, and followed by world.
That's not insignificant.
Words, work, worker, world.
There's a message there.
Because this young woman was a worker in an alien, pagan world.
Work she must, but she will speak.
And her words in this alien world are not without impact.
I want us to notice that her work ethic is commendable.
Now, others may well have resented being in her sandals.
Because, well, look at verse 2.
Let's be clear, she's not in Syria by choice.
She was kidnapped.
Taken by force.
During one of the many raids or skirmishes between Israel and Syria.
We're talking about a long history of tension.
This girl was snatched.
Taken away.
You might say, well, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Taken captive.
But don't the words of the book of Esther resonate with us as we explore her circumstances tonight?
For such a time as this.
Yes.
Taken captive from her parents.
I want you to try and imagine what this must have felt like for a young girl.
It's unimaginable.
Snatched from her parents, her loved ones, her home, her community, her people.
A stranger in a foreign land.
This young girl in 2 Kings 5 has every reason to be bitter when news filters through that Naaman has leprosy.
Can you imagine the day the news breaks and she gets wind of it?
She knows, everyone knows that leprosy is a terminal illness.
It was back then.
And she may well have said, do you know what?
I don't care.
Who cares if Naaman has leprosy?
He deserves it.
So be it.
After all, her abduction from the land of Israel would have been with Naaman's blessing.
And now she must work for his wife.
How despicable can one's circumstances get?
Let him die, she might have said under her breath.
But she doesn't in any way.
She's working for Naaman's wife for good reason.
Her diligence and responsible attitude have not gone unnoticed.
Her work ethic is not unlike Daniel in Babylon.
Her conduct, her behavior, her manner, all of the above,
have brought her into higher service within the Syrian corridors of power.
And she's there for good reason.
God has a plan.
God has a purpose for this young girl.
There's a wonderful line as you're reading through Paul's letter to the Philippians.
In chapter 1, Paul is in prison.
He's no longer able to actively minister.
His mission work is on hold.
Does he resent being in prison?
No, he doesn't.
Does he resent being in chains?
Does he ask the question, why?
Or how did it get to this?
Questions this young girl may well have asked,
but there's nothing to indicate that she did.
Instead, if we come back to the Apostle Paul,
as he writes to the church at Philippi,
he says,
I want you to know that what has happened to me
has really served to advance the gospel.
Isn't that remarkable?
Coming from someone who is chained,
a prisoner, under guard,
and yet God's work goes on,
and Paul is instrumental in that work,
not least because there are those
within the prison environment.
The guards, he mentions,
at the close of his letter,
some are coming to faith
through the ministry of the Apostle Paul.
Don't the words of Romans 8, 28,
resonate too,
that God is at work,
working all things together
for the good of this young girl?
And for the greater good
of the Israel of God,
and the glory of his name, of course.
The reformer John Calvin,
as he grappled with the mystery of providence
at a difficult time in his personal life,
said,
God still reigns,
though it is after a dark manner.
There are times
when perhaps we lack clarity.
Why is this happening to me?
This young girl may well have asked
during these long nights,
robbed of her sleep,
thinking of her loved ones,
the family she was taken from.
And then we have the words
of Samuel Rutherford,
who once said,
God can make one web of contraries.
In other words,
God is in the business
of taking opposites
and perplexities
and complexities
and obscurities
and working all these things together
for the greater good
and for the extension of his kingdom
and the advancement of the gospel.
Well, this girl
that we meet here,
she leads by example.
Her witness,
her testimony
is powerful.
Yes,
little is said,
but much
is conveyed.
And
her
appearance here
on the stage of Scripture
speaks to us
tonight.
Well,
what more can we say?
We've explored a little
of her work situation,
but there's overlap
between her work
and her witness.
So let's focus a little
on her witness.
Her consistent,
reliable,
and dependable
manner,
all of these things
speak volumes.
The workplace matters.
Our conduct
and our attitude
to others,
particularly in the workplace
where we are to be
salt and light
and lead by example,
it matters,
particularly when it comes
to those who are
in authority
over us.
Remember the words
of the Apostle Paul
to Timothy
in 1 Timothy 6,
1.
He reminds young Timothy
that conduct matters.
Conduct yourself,
Paul says,
doesn't he?
Again,
in Philippians 1,
conduct yourselves
in a manner worthy
of the gospel.
One must regard,
Paul says,
one's master
as worthy
of full honor
and respect
so that the name
of God
may not be slandered.
Be submissive,
Paul says,
to Titus,
to rulers
and authorities.
Be obedient,
ready to do
whatever is good.
and as you scan
the landscape
of the Bible,
you will find
individuals like
Joseph
and Daniel
and Esther,
they all worked
in different contexts
with integrity,
with due diligence,
in very challenging
circumstances at times.
and as they worked,
they witnessed,
they spoke
as appropriate
and necessary
and their words,
their words
made a difference.
Words matter.
All of which encourages
you and I
as followers
of Jesus Christ
to do the same.
Now,
some of us
may not relish
going to work
on a Monday morning,
but we are all
reminded that
out there,
and you're reminded
of that every time
you walk out of church
as you look above the door,
it is a mission field
out there.
You may not have thought
of your workplace
as a mission field,
but believe me,
it is.
The windows of opportunity
we have to serve,
to make a difference,
more often than not,
are found
in the workplace,
where we're encouraged
to be beacons for goods.
We work to witness,
we strive to serve,
and to walk
the talk.
So take encouragement,
if you will,
tonight from this
anonymous young woman,
this young girl
who had the courage
to speak
when it really,
really mattered.
But what of the significance
of what she actually said?
How does all of this end?
Well, notice that she
respectfully commends
Elisha to Naaman.
She does so
with caution,
perhaps.
Because what she says
may not be
without implications,
but we believe
that any confidence
she has
is fueled
by prayer.
This young girl
is confident
that Elisha's God,
the God of Israel,
will cure
Naaman.
And should Naaman
have the humility
to bring himself
to go to Elisha
with the faith
to respond
to this girl's counsel,
then he
will be
provided
with
a
cure.
Again,
she says little,
but the little she says
carries much weight.
Perhaps she thought
over several days
about saying something,
but held back.
But then the acid test
comes.
That point
at which
she is constrained
to speak.
She can't hold back
any longer,
and her words
are not in vain.
This is her time
and window
of opportunity,
and she makes
the most
of this moment.
And you and I
are encouraged
to do likewise.
And there is so much
to encourage us
here,
an unassuming,
self-effacing,
unassertive,
ordinary,
but godly
young woman
making a
significant
contribution.
And so can
you and I.
She's no Hudson
Taylor,
but she is
exercising
faith.
And the other
lesson,
of course,
for us tonight
is that
we need
not
say
much.
Sometimes
we get
tied in knots.
what will I say?
How will I say it?
How will I engineer
this sentence,
this paragraph?
And we
rehearse,
and we
pull back.
We need not
say much.
A few
words
of encouragement
and
intentional
kindness
go some
distance,
and here
these words
are not
without
irony
because,
again,
2 Kings
chapter 5
tells us,
doesn't it in
own certain
terms,
that Naaman
is a Syrian,
much despised
by your average
Israelite,
no love lost,
yet she
leads
by example.
There is a
pivotal moment
in the Sermon on the
Mount on the pages
of Matthew's
Gospel,
chapter 5,
verse 44.
Jesus breaks
with convention,
you might say.
There's much
that is
unconventional
about the
Sermon on the
Mount,
not least
this line,
love your
enemies,
in Matthew
5,
44,
and pray
for those
who persecute
you.
Love your
enemies.
Pray for those
who persecute
you.
She does
so.
She does
precisely
this.
And her
words matter
as ultimately
Naaman
takes her
at her
word,
and through
his
interaction
with
Elisha,
his
leprosy
is healed.
Now,
if we just
fast forward
here to
verse 13,
notice that
it takes
Naaman's
servants
some
time,
it seems,
to persuade
Naaman
to immerse
himself
in the
said river
as prescribed
by Elisha,
the man of
God,
the Jordan.
But isn't
this an
interesting
question?
The servants,
who were
they?
After all,
they seem to be
behaving like
evangelists in
their own
right.
Could they
have been
of Israelite
descent,
like this
little girl
serving
Naaman's
wife?
It's clear
that they
have been
eavesdropping,
listening
attentively,
a lot more
than their
indecisive
and dithering
master has,
and they
respectfully
urge him,
Naaman,
will you
not just
do it?
Will you
not do
it?
You have
been
promised,
with all
due respect,
they are
saying to
him,
you have
been
promised
restoration
and cleansing.
Now,
in as many
words,
they are
saying to
Naaman,
swallow
your pride.
Let go
of your
pomp and
your self-importance
and your
superiority.
Do not
despise the
prophet,
the man of
God.
Instead,
act on
his words.
And then we
come to
verse 14,
with more
than a
little
gentle
persuasion,
this broken
leper,
Naaman,
in humility,
he does
so.
He
eventually
responds
in obedience
to what
Elisha
has
prescribed.
There is
no
alternative.
So he
dips
himself
seven
times
in the
Jordan
as the
man of
God
had told
him,
we read.
And he's
healed.
He's
cleansed.
He
emerges
from the
Jordan
a new
man
with his
skin
likened to
that of
a little
child,
whiter
than the
snow
of
Psalm
51.
He
is
cleansed,
not even
so much
as a
speck
of
leprosy
to be
seen
anywhere
on his
body.
Now let's
go back
to verse
three.
Because
this little
girl's
plea,
her
counsel,
it
continues
to speak
as we
said.
It
resonates
with us
generations
later.
thousands
of years
later,
you might
say.
Because
the
gospel
resonates,
doesn't it,
through 2 Kings
chapter 5.
How?
Well,
2 Kings
chapter 5
commends
to you
and I
one much
greater
than
Elisha.
His name
is Jesus.
And he
is the
ultimate
prophet.
And the
question the
servants
ask,
their
master
name,
and
hasn't
changed.
For
his is a
great word
spoken,
and so it
is.
The good
news of the
gospel resonates
here.
The symbolism
is powerful.
leprosy is a
symbol of sin
on the pages
of the
Bible.
This
points us
to sin
cleansed
through
Calvary's
atoning
sacrifice.
And his
discipleship
directive
resonates with
us through
the timeless
words of
Scripture
that we
find as a
recurring
emphasis in the
pages of the
gospels of
Matthew,
Mark,
Luke,
and John.
Two words,
follow me.
And the
question remains
the same that
the servants
asked.
Will you
not do
it?
Will you
not just
do it?
Will you
not just
follow the
prophet?
Do what he
says.
You are
assured of
being
cleansed.
Wash
and be
clean.
Doesn't
John say
if we
confess our
sins,
he is
faithful and
just to
forgive us
our sins
and to
purify us
from all
unrighteousness?
Well,
like David,
will we
cry out
tonight,
cleanse me,
purify me,
so that I
too might be
whiter than
the snow?
She was
incredibly
instrumental.
She
brought
Naaman
to the
man of
God.
It was
the
American
evangelist
Billy Graham
who once
said,
and we
see it
here,
don't we,
in 2 Kings
5,
sin is
the great
clogger
and the
blood of
Christ
is the
great
cleanser.
This
passage
points us
to
Calvary
and that
is where
we end
tonight.
But the
words of
this
girl
speak
to us
so
powerfully,
would
that
my
Lord
were with
the
prophet
who
is
in
Samaria,
would
that he
would
listen
to
him.
He
would
cure
him
of his
leprosy.
Wonderful
words,
the
gospel
in
summary.
Amen.
heavenly
father,
we give
you
thanks
and
praise
for
this
passage
of
scripture.
We
thank you
for the
words
we
have
reflected
on
tonight.
We
thank you
for the
witness
of this
young
girl
and
the
young
boy
of
John
6,
both
of
which
have
left
such
a
lasting
impression.
And
we
thank you
for
the
many
characters
who
led
by
example
on
the
pages
of
the
Bible.
And
we
too
are
encouraged
to
follow
their
example
and
place
our
hope
in
you
the
God
of
our
salvation.
So
may
we
tonight
if
we
have
not
as
yet
done
so
place
our
trust
in
the
one
who
is
our
prophet
our
priest
and
our
king
the
author
the
perfecter
of
our
faith
Jesus
Christ
the
Son
of
God
our
Savior
Amen.
We're
going to
conclude
our
service
by
singing
Psalm
130
it's
the
Scottish
Psalter
rendering
on
page
421
Lord
from the
depths
to thee
I
cried
my
voice
Lord
do thou
hear
unto my
supplications
voice
give
an
attentive
ear
the
great
redemption
song
of
the
Psalter
concluding
with
that
great
verse
and
plenteous
or
full
redemption
is ever
found
with him
and from
all his
iniquities
he
Israel
shall
redeem
to the
praise
of
God
Lord
from
the
death
to
thee
I
cried
my
voice
Lord
to
thou
hear
unto
my
supplications
voice
give
an
attentive
ear
Lord
who
shall
stand
if
thou
O
Lord
hear
smirk
in
equity
but
yet
with
thee
forgiveness
that
fear
thou
mayest
be
I
wait
for
God
my
soul
doth
wait
my
hope
is
in
his
word
more
than
they
had
fought
more
day
you
watch
my
soul
waits
for
the
Lord
I
say
more
than
they
had
to
watch
the
morning
I
to
see
let
Israel
!
open
the
Lord
for
with
him
mercy
!
and
plenty
!
and
plenty
of
redemption
is
ever
found
with
him
and
from
all
his
voy