From the Book of 2nd Kings... Voluntary Servitude? Although Naaman was the commander of Arams army and a valiant soldier,he was also a leper.Despite Naamans dreaded illness,however,he was not shunned.In fact,we are told that he was still held in high regard by the king of Aram for his military exploits.Interestinly,the writer of 2nd Kings credited Arams success to God:Naaman was victorious,he stated,because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram (2nd Kings 5:1). Although Israel had negotiated a peace treaty with the Arameans during the reign of Ahab (1st Kings 20:34), minor border sqirmishes continued between the two states in the aftermath of the battle for control of Ramoth Gilead, a battle in which Ahab had been killed.Marauding bands from Aram would apparently swoop down into Israelite territory and take captives as trophies.In one such raid they had captured a young Israelite girl and had carried her into Aram and given her to Naamans wife as a personal slave.We can surmise from this that she was probably a particularly capable and talented young lady. This slave girl was also a true worshiper of God.Far from having become embittered as a result of this tragic turn of events in her life,she retained her sweet spirit and did her best to serve the mistress well.She was apparently distraught because of Naamans illness and made an unsolicited suggestion to her mistress.The opening words of her short statement are revealing:If only carries a suggestion of yearning or pathos.This young slave saw he masters suffering and wanted to do what she could to alleviate his pain,so much that she felt comfortable expressing her proposal: if only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria!He would cure him of his leprosy (2nd Kings 5:2). Our Lord Jesus proposed a radical approach in Mark 10:44-45,one of voluntary servitude: Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.For even the Son of Man did not come to be served,but to serve,and to give his life as a ransom for many. Obviously,the girl from Israel had not offered herself as a slave to the Aramean raiders,but she of her own volition offered faithful service. The apostle Paul expressed a similar sentiment: Though i am free and belong to no man,I make myself a slave to everyone,to win as many as possible... I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.I do this all for the sake of the gospel,that I may share in its blessings> (1st Corinthians 9:19,22-23). Paul had Good News to share,and he was not above following the example of his Master,Jesus Christ.The slave girl in Aram had good news as well- news of a God in Israel who could heal the sick and broken.God calls each of us to the same level of service,no matter what our calling or situation in life.We too have a message to share,and we too can point others to Jesus as the great Physician. Discover: Have you ever been legitimately concerned about the well- being of someone who had not treated you particularly well?If so,how did your attitude change the dynamics of the situation? God Bless You Our next point of study in the Book of 2nd Kings..Horses and Chariots of Fire
Posted on: Sun, 09 Mar 2014 15:24:08 +0000
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