Speaking Up
In a recent Bible class we studied the numerous acts
of the prophet Elisha, including his healing of the leprous commander of
the Syrian army, Naaman (2 Kings 5:1-14). There is so much to discuss
within this text—the necessity of obedience, the blinding danger of
pride, the power of God—yet, take a look at how it all started.
2 Kings 5:2,3 says, “And the Syrians...had brought back captive a
young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife. Then
she said to her mistress, ‘If only my master were with the prophet who
is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.'”
It may seem irrelevant, but Naaman would have never been healed if it
was not for the remark of the energetic slave girl from Israel.
Her simple faith in the power of Elisha started a chain of events.
Naaman’s wife must have told Naaman about the healer in Israel (5:3).
Next, Naaman went to the king of Syria and must have requested help from
Israel (5:4,5). Then, the king of Syria sends a message to the king of
Israel (5:6-7). The faithless king of Israel is later usurped by the
faithful Elisha who gives the proper command for Naaman’s healing
(5:8-14).
What is the lesson for us? The blessings Christ brings can be just as
contagious. How many fear death and look upon it with dread? How many
would love to know they are forgiven of their sins by the Almighty God?
How many are hunting for the truth as they realize so many churches are
far away from the God they read about in the Bible (Remember in Naaman’s
Syria there were “other gods” but not the true God—2 Kings 5:17)?
A simple remark about Christ to a friend over dinner, or to a stranger
in an aisle at the grocery store, or to a co-worker in the opposite
cubicle or across the assembly line may just start the same type of
chain reaction we see in Naaman. After all, that’s how faith begins—it
starts with hearing, and hearing requires Christians speaking (Romans
10:14-17).
Think about it and pass it on.
July 2006