Ready for a little Bible study? To refresh your memory about the hostility between Israel and Aram, read I Kings 20. Then turn with me to II Kings 5:1-15.
"Now Naaman, captain of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man with his master, and highly respected, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man was also a valiant warrior, but he was a leper."
Ok, I could really dissect this verse because of everything it implies, but let me only state it all briefly:
1. He's a leper and his occupation is what?!
2. Why didn't he hole up and become a beggar like most other people with leprosy?
3. Was he compensating for his life of emotional pain by inflicting physical pain on others? He won the respect of nations, yet the most personal battle he could not conquer. What does that do to a person?
4. Notice he was identified by his disease that inflicted deep seated emotional pain by having no sense of physical pain. Do we refer to people by their afflictions or color of skin or do we call them by their given name? "He's ADD." "He's Downs Syndrome." "She's breast cancer." "She's retarded." This man Naaman felt like he WAS leprosy rather than his accomplishments. His accomplishments did not take away the hole in his heart and deep yearning for healing and affection.
Moving on. Verse 2: "Now the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel; and she waited on Naaman's wife."
How many images come into your mind when you read that? Here you have a band of soldiers from an enemy land that slaughtered innocent people, violent, Godless, big, scary men who go into Israel to steal a little girl! I was in church service last Sunday when I read this and I nearly wept for her. I know my heart was pouring tears. I can only imagine what else they may have done to her and the thought is torture to my soul. A nameless little girl. Girls assumed the roles of women around the age of 13-14. They were only little girls in preteen years. She was indeed a little girl. I wanted to pray for the little girl's family as though I were reading a Yahoo news headline, but this was nearly 3,000 years ago. Don't think it didn't hurt then like it would hurt now. It has been happening since the Fall and it's never gotten easier.
So here was this little girl with dreams and a family and a productive life, probably working the family farm with her siblings when she was abducted only to be made a slave to her abductor's wife. I could not help but think of Jaycee Dugard, the girl who was abducted from her life in Utah at 11 years old to be made a slave of every kind and to bear children for her abductor's wife in California. Maybe that was not your image when you read this verse two but my morbidity took me there.
Now, this little girl had every reason to grow up hating these people she was forced to live with. What's more is that her father figure was repulsive! But this little girl was amazing. When she needed a light in her dark, dark world, she became the very light she needed. She held onto hope (similar to Jaycee Dugard actually). The nameless girl kept her heart and thoughts on home and the teachings of her Jewish faith. How do I know this? Because of verse 3:
She said to her mistress, "I wish that my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy."
Excuse me!!?? Does she know what she wished for? She wished him to be well. She wished his self-esteem to be made new. She wished the hand of God to touch this valiant warrior of an army that had slain her people. She wished he wouldn't stink or have bloody bandages dripping off of him. She wished he could feel physical pain so his emotional pain might wash away. She probably also wished he wouldn't be so scary when he approached her. She may have also wished the mistress would spend more time with her healed husband rather than him spending time with the servant who was obligated to stay. She wished the light of her past life would shine in on the darkness of her world now and the people in it.
All this from a little girl.
Verse 4: Naaman went in and told his master, saying, "Thus and thus spoke the girl who is from the land of Israel."
Let's review each person's status here. Naaman = captain of the army of the king of Aram, high ranking official, highly respected, valiant warrior. Little girl = Israelite.
Suddenly, the wish of a little girl made its way to the throne of Aram! I thought he was a highly respected man. What's he doing listening to a little Israelite girl anyway? He risked everything to believe her. The minute she spoke the words of good wishes towards her master was when he started to see the light of hope.
Go on now, and read the rest of the story, even to the end of the chapter. It's amazing what transpires and how many lives are affected. It's a total chain reaction from the day the Arameans stole a little girl to the day Naaman got saved and baptized and his leprosy passed to a greedy servant of Elisha on the way home. All because a little girl chose to let her light shine and not be snuffed out by the darkness.
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill
cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket,
but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let
your light shine before men in such a way that they see your good works, and
glorify your Father who is in heaven. ~Matthew 5:13-16
As a Hanukkah observing Christian, these few verses summarize the heart with which we celebrate. In fact, it is the heart of many Jewish families who celebrate Hanukkah also. It's not just a historical event we remember, it is also the history of our own faith-building experiences that we honor and by which we take 8 days to glorify God in a special way. So go light your world oh saints of the Lord. Carry your candle to the darkness and by it many will be healed.
Go Light Your World
by Kathy Troccoli
Carry your candle, run to the darkness
