Reflections on 2 Kings 5: The Servant's Heart (1 of 2)
In this passage of scripture, we see four servants: the maidservant of Naaman's wife, the King of Israel (in the service of God), Naaman's soldiers, and finally Gehazi (Elisha's servant). Let's take a look at the first two.
2 Kings 5:1-7
1 Now Naaman, captain of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man [a]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. 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. 3 She said to her mistress, “I wish that my master were [c]with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy.” 4 Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus spoke the girl who is from the land of Israel.” 5 Then the king of Aram said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” He departed and took with him ten talents of silver and six thousand shekels of gold and ten changes of clothes.
6 He brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, “And now as this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” 7When the king of Israel read the letter, (E)he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man is sending word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? But consider now, and see how he is seeking [f]a quarrel against me.”
The Maidservant vs. the King
A true servant draws strength from and has faith in his master's abilities to provide, protect, preserve and accomplish His will through him as he serves.
The maidservant being an Israelite looked to God himself as master or essentially through His representative, the prophet Elijah. That is why when this maidservant saw the condition of Naaman (having leprosy), her natural response was to tell Naaman of Elisha the prophet and his ability to cure—most likely after having experienced this or seen it first-hand. On the other hand, the King, after seeing Naaman, had an altogether different reaction. It was one of despair. I praise God for the contrast He uses not just in this passage but in this book of 2nd kings. In Chapter 6 it was a contrast between the four lepers and the king. But as early as this chapter we find a contrast between a king’s reaction to crisis and that of a mere maidservant. I praise God for the consistency of His word, for was it not said in the book of 1 Corinthians:
26 For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to[b]the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29so that no man may boast before God. 30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”
The thought of the consistency of God’s word blows my mind. But God in His grace has yet to give me insights on the beauty of this thought.
In the meantime, let’s go back and take a look at the King and the maidservant. If we really bring it down to the bottom-line, both of them were looking at the same thing. They were both looking at a man with leprosy. The maidservant’s humble response enabled her to point Naaman to go to Israel and seek Elisha to be healed. On the other hand, the king who was in Israel himself and also had knowledge of Elisha was completely ineffective, he turned and looked at himself and as such became desperate.
Admittedly, I would have loved to have lived in the time of the OT, seeing all these great and mighty miracles come to pass. But as Christians of today, living in the age of grace, we too are being used by God (hopefully like the maidservant and not the king) to bring about and see miracles unfold before our very eyes—the miracle of changed lives. How is this done? Simply by doing what the maidservant did. She pointed. Our (MY) goal as a Christian is not to “save” people but rather to point them to the “Savior”. The moment I start relying on my own craftiness /competence (I become like the king in v.7) I start becoming ineffective. No amount of eloquence, no measure of worldly wisdom can change a man’s heart—only God can do that. I have no strength or wisdom of my own to save men. All I have is knowledge of the savior who by His grace saved a wretched man like me.
As I reflect on this, I am even reminded of that passage in Exodus 3 and 4, when God was giving Moses his mission and Moses looks at himself and realizes all his own inadequacies.
Our duty is to tell other people of the Savior, not to be a savior in their eyes. It will be frustrating at times especially when we don’t see people reacting the way we would want as we share the gospel with them. But let me encourage you with this verse I found in Isaiah 55:10-11
10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; 11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it."
Get to know God by reading His word. Carve His words in your heart that you may act in a manner that is pleasing to Him. Point others to Christ through your words and your actions. Leave the results to God.
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