And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and 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.” (2 Kings 5:2-3)

A young girl grew up in ancient Israel. Her family taught her well. She believed in the God of Israel, and she knew that Elisha was God’s prophet. She also knew that God could use Elisha to heal the incurable.

A young Israeli girl was kidnapped from her family and taken as a slave to Syria. It was, no doubt, the worst day of her life. She was soon made to serve in the household of a Syrian general named Naaman, and she waited on Naaman’s wife. But God was greater than all the girl’s tragedy and misery, and was about to use her in a remarkable way.

Taking the courage to speak, she told Naaman’s wife that God’s prophet did more than speak words; he was God’s messenger. God used the girl’s courage and faith, and it wasn’t the last time God used the faith of a little girl.

In the late 1800’s in Wooster, South Africa, a group of young people in a Reformed Church gatheredon a Pentecost Sunday. In that meeting a black girl asked if she might give her testimony. She gave such a sweet testimony that it brought a hush of the sense of the presence of God over the meeting. The leader of the meeting said that he heard what he described as the sound of an approaching tornado, and he thought he felt the whole prayer hall shaking. Then all the young people sprang to their feet and started praying – and revival came to South Africa, sparked by the prayer of a young girl.

A young girl was an important spark for the amazing Welsh Revival. In February of 1904 at New Quay, there was a morning prayer meeting for young people. The pastor asked for testimonies of spiritual experience. After several insincere responses, a young girl spoke. Florrie Evans just became a Christian a few days before. Florrie rose and spoke with a tremor in her voice, saying, ‘I love Jesus Christ with all my heart.’ This sincere word made a deep impression on the Young People’s Society, sparking something significant. That on-fire youth group, ignited by the young girl’s moving word, in a few months became a revival fire over all Wales, spreading all over the world.

Some people think it’s unlikely that God could use young girls to spark such important works. But God loves to use unlikely people – people like me and you.

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Kings 5

Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. (2 Kings 5:1)

2 Kings 5:1 introduces us to an important, powerful man – a general named Naaman. We read that he was a great and an honorable man, and that God had blessed him with victory for the Syrian army. We also learn that he was a mighty man of valor, just like Gideon (Judges 6:12), Jephthah (Judges 11:1), David (1 Samuel 16:18), Jeroboam (1 Kings 11:28), and several others. In fact, it seems that Naaman was the only Gentile the Bible says was a mighty man of valor.

General Naaman had a lot going for him, but the last three words of 2 Kings 5:1 change his story completely. With his power, status, and influence, Naaman was a great man – but a leper.

Leprosy often began with the loss of sensation in some part of the body. Because of the nerve damage, the muscles started to waste away. The hands and feet became disfigured, and often deteriorated so much that fingers and toes were lost. Over the span of 20 or 30 years a leper might lose hands and feet; it was, as William Barclay wrote, “a kind of terrible progressive death in which a man dies by inches.”

The leprosy described in the Bible was a contagious, debilitating disease that corrupted its victim and makes him essentially dead while alive. Most people thought that lepers were under the special judgment of God, deserving no pity or mercy. For all these reasons, the condition of leprosy is a picture of sin and its effects.

Remember the tragic words about Naaman: but a leper. Those words speak to us today. The effects of leprosy run deep, but by appearance, the leper is “skin-sick.” All humanity is “sin-sick.” Spiritually speaking, we are all lepers until Jesus heals us.

– No matter what we accomplish in life, we still have to deal with sin.
– Our sin-sickness makes us dead while still alive.
– We can’t heal our own sin-sickness.
– Our sin-sickness often follows a slow progression.
– Left to itself, our sin-sickness will grow worse and worse.
– Our sin-sickness will lead to death without what only God can do.

The story of General Naaman has a happy ending. That isn’t true of every sin-sick person. But Jesus knows how to heal both the leper (Matthew 8:1-3) and the sinner. Jesus rescues both the skin-sick and the sin-sick.

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Kings 5