Not Famous - but Faithful!
Devotions for Growing Christians
Not Famous - but Faithful!
2 Kings 5:1-5 - “Naaman was commander of the army of Aram [Syria]. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly respected, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. Now bands from Aram had gone out and taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, ‘If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.’
Naaman went to his master and told him all that the girl from Israel had said. ‘By all means, go,’ the king of Aram replied. ‘I will send a letter to the king of Israel.’ So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing.”
For the rest of the story, read all of 2 Kings 5.
The phenomenon of "Christian super-heroes" pervades the church today. Glitzy books by popular preachers or biographies of the latest Christian sports stars and TV personalities are acclaimed on Christian websites and at Christian bookstores. Music of popular Christian musicians surrounds us. These products jump out at us from Christian magazines or TV programs. The "Christian celebrity" mentality may gradually affect our thinking about how God accomplishes His plans and purposes. Does God primarily work through high profile "super-Christians"? Or does He normally use ordinary people? People like you and me?
2 Kings 5 tells the story of Naaman, a Syrian military general. Naaman lived in Syria (also known as Aram) in the 9th century BC. Syria was located northeast of Israel, just as it is today. Naaman was the commander over the entire Syrian army - a prestigious position! He was a great military leader, and he was held in high regard by King Ben Hadad, his commander-in-chief.
But Naaman had a problem. He had contracted leprosy. In those days leprosy was a dreaded and fatal disease. His leprosy was probably in the early stages when it could still be covered up. but before long his condition would become known to others, and he would be ostracized. Naaman would have to step down from his position of honor, become an outcast from society, and eventually die from this awful disease.
At this time Syrian military patrols were conducting raids into Israel. (Attacks on the borders of Israel are nothing new!) During one of the raids a young Israeli girl was taken captive, and forced into slavery. She was a servant for General Naaman’s wife. Most likely this girl was a teen, because she was old enough to know about the ministry of the prophet Elisha before she was captured.
The Lord Jesus mentioned this Old Testament event when He spoke in the synagogue at Nazareth, saying, "There were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed - only Naaman the Syrian" (Luke 4:27). Jesus went on to point out that when Naaman was healed, God was purposely extending His grace to people who were not Jews, who lived beyond the borders of Israel.
The healing of Naaman was part of God's eternal plan and purpose to reveal His character and demonstrate His love and grace to all humankind. But notice the earthly way in which God accomplished His plans. He used a young captive, who was working in the insignificant and mundane job of servant in a foreign land. Who would ever have thought that God would accomplish His eternal plans though the sad earthly events of a young Jewish slave girl ?
Mundane Ways
The word "mundane" means "of this world" - earthly or temporal. It has come to imply anything that is routine, ordinary or even boring! If you look at what's going on in your mundane, ordinary, boring life today, you might think, “There’s no way God is accomplishing eternal plans in my life!” You may think that the events in your everyday life are too ordinary - too mundane. But God's plans are accomplished in earthly and ordinary ways!
2 Kings 5 reveals that God was working out His eternal plans through earthly events in the life of an ordinary Israeli girl - and God works in the same way today. His eternal plans are accomplished in mundane ways, using ordinary people. All of us are involved in everyday earthly activities like unexciting jobs, home and car repairs, paying bills, changing diapers and cleaning bathrooms! Sometimes our everyday activities include dealing with serious illness or disease, or the disabling results of an accident or illness. Sometimes our lives are entangled with sad or sordid worldly circumstances, perhaps through no fault of our own.
How could God ever accomplish anything special though our common and everyday lives, or our tragic and unfortunate situations? We don't know how, but we do know that He does! In fact, in all things God is working for our good. Romans 8:28-30 teaches that God's eternal plan for each believer is to make us more like Jesus. Even the ordinary chores and activities in our everyday lives can be tools in God's hands to accomplish this magnificent purpose! If we’re willing to respond properly, God will use all these events to develop Christ-like qualities in us - qualities like patience, longsuffering, kindness, gentleness and self-control. As God's eternal plan is worked out in our mundane lives, we will become more like Jesus!
Ordinary People
The kidnapping of the Israeli girl had international consequences. The good news about the one true God of Israel made its way into the ranks of the Syrian army - from the top down! And God used an ordinary young girl as a major link in this chain of events. The testimony of a faithful teen affected a nation! And because of the words of this ordinary Jewish girl, the great prophet Elisha had the opportunity to minister to Naaman!
Look around you. Do you see any Christian "super-heroes" in your church or fellowship group? Probably not. Likely they're all just ordinary people. Would you describe yourself as a celebrity Christian? Probably not. Yet God is accomplishing His plans through you, and through the other ordinary Christian around you! How many of you believe that God has plans to minister to people in your neighborhood - at your job - on your campus - in your town? Right now, and in the near future? How will He accomplish His plans? Through a Christian celebrity? Unlikely. Probably through an ordinary person like you!
The apostle Paul told the believers in the city of Corinth, "Think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth...He chose the lowly things of this world ..." (1 Corinthians 1:26-27). God accomplishes His plans through ordinary people!
We don't often think about who will notice the quiet, ordinary qualities of our lifestyles, or where our ordinary testimonies will be heard, or how we may actually be important "links in God's chain.” Bur our integrity on the job will be noticed by fellow-employees. Our godly commitment to care for our families and teach our children will be observed by friends and neighbors. Faithful service in teaching a Sunday school class, counseling at summer camp, or helping with a youth ministry may influence a young person who may be greatly used by God in the future!
Most of the ordinary Christians that God will use in the future have ordinary Christian parents and ordinary camp counselors and ordinary Sunday school teachers right now!
Misunderstood Message
The Israeli girl was misunderstood, even though she was faithful. Naaman was eventually cured, but there were misunderstandings along the way. When Naaman went to King Ben Hadad to ask permission to visit the prophet Elisha, the Syrian king offered to write a letter to the king of Israel! Ben Hadad had no idea that the God of Israel would heal Naaman through Elisha the prophet! The God of Israel wasn’t going to work through the wicked king of Israel!
So Naaman set off on his journey with silver, gold and fine clothing to offer as a gift for his healing. He didn’t understand that God responds to faith, not money, gifts or bribes! These misunderstandings were not the fault of the young girl whom God used as His messenger. She had given a faithful account of the work of God through the prophet Elisha. But God worked in spite of the misunderstandings, and Naaman was healed.
Be aware that you will be misunderstood and misinterpreted when you're trying to be faithful. Remember - Satan is always doing his best to destroy the work of God. Unbelievers, for example, may get the distorted idea that we think "our religion" is better than "their religion." They may misunderstand when we try to share what Christ has done for us. Some unbelievers may misunderstand why Christians attend church regularly, and get the wrong idea that church attendance is the way to make points with God. Other unbelievers get the wrong idea that giving time or money to church or charities is the key to God's favor. They miss the whole point of why we're involved in helping less fortunate people. In their spiritual blindness, unbelievers many times misinterpret what we’re trying to communicate.
When people misunderstand us, what should we do? Don't become discouraged and give up! Expect to be misunderstood! Continue to share your faith and live for the Lord, even when your words and actions are misunderstood.
Tragic Events
Humanly speaking, the everyday life of the young Israeli girl was a horrible tragedy! She was kidnapped. Possibly she saw the murder of her parents. She may have been abused by the soldiers who captured her. She was taken from her homeland to a foreign, pagan culture. Enslaved, she was forced to serve in a menial job in the home of the commander of her captors! Yet in spite of the cruel and unfair treatment she had endured, this young Jewish girl remained faithful to the Lord. She even reached out to help her "enemy" - the commander of the men who had kidnapped her! (See Matthew 5:44.) She told him about the God of Israel, and she told him how he could receive help and healing for his fatal disease!
The faith of this young Israeli girl reminds us of Joseph, who remained true to the Lord in spite of all the evil, vicious and unfair events of his early life (Genesis 37-40). Joseph was sold to slave traders by his own brothers. He was forced to work as a slave in a foreign land. He was unjustly accused and imprisoned. But in spite of all these tragic events and circumstances, Joseph was faithful to God, and witnessed for God.
Suppose an unfair, life-shattering event were to occur in your life, and you couldn't understand why. Suppose God were to permit a serious accident in which a loved one was killed instantly? Or through no fault of your own, you were left paralyzed for life from a car accident? Suppose God allowed you to be convicted and imprisoned for a crime that you did not commit? Or suppose God were to allow you to work all your life in a frustrating, boring, low-paying, dead-end job, surrounded by non-Christians who were hostile to your attempts at friendship and your attempts to share your faith?
If God allowed any of these difficult things to happen to you, would you remain faithful to Him? Or would you become angry with God and filled with bitterness or hatred, rage and despair? Are you in one of these situations right now? Whatever your situation - be faithful!
Amazingly, Joseph and the young Israeli girl were willing to trust God, and they were willing be used by Him in spite of the desperate, tragic events of their lives. Not only that, they even demonstrated the love of God to those who had mistreated and enslaved them! Because these "ordinary" people were willing to trust God, even in very difficult situations, His great eternal plans were worked out! God was glorified through their lives.
Speaking to his brothers who had brutally and cruelly mistreated him, Joseph summed up the way God worked out His plans: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" (Genesis 50:20). This was also the unspoken attitude of Naaman's servant girl. God weaves together even tragic events in the lives of ordinary people to accomplish His eternal purposes - for them, and for others.
Although Joseph went on to be famous, the Israeli servant girl never achieved fame - but both of them remained faithful to God. Famous or not famous - let's be faithful to God in all the events of our lives!
- Dave Reid