A Little Girl With No Name

We are called to overcome evil with good (Rom 12:21).

Scripture tells the story of an unnamed little girl, born into the ancient kingdom of northern Israel during its decline. She had been taken from her home by a raiding party from the kingdom of Aram to the north. The leader of Aram’s army was Naaman.

“At this time the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken a young girl from the land of Israel, and she was serving Naaman’s wife” (2 Kings 5:2).

We can guess she once had a mom and dad. Perhaps they told her stories about the brave shepherd boy who killed the giant, or the prophet Moses who saved their people from Pharaoh. But one day, she saw things no little girl should ever see and big a man with an evil grin came up to her and said, “I’ll take this one.” No one saved her, not her parents and not even her parent’s God.

In her new place, she finds out the lord she now serves had ordered the raid that day. Why was she taken? Because Naaman’s god was stronger than hers. That’s why.

Now she has no name except, perhaps this one.

“Hey you. Pick that up or you know what will happen to you.”

“Hey you. There’s a sink full of dishes in the kitchen with your name on it.”

“Hey you. Eat when I am done, IF there is something left.”

“Hey you. . .”

But the strong man of the house had leprosy and was growing weak. She saw that too.

“She said to her mistress, if only my master would go to the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his leprosy.” 2 Kings 5: 3

Why did she speak up? Why did they listen? Because among all those who were taller and stronger, she stood out as better.

So Naaman is given leave to travel to Israel with a letter telling their king to cure him. Israel’s king fears this is a pretext for war. The prophet Elisha hears about it, sends a message for Naaman, insults him by not greeting him when he arrives and issues a command through his servant for Naaman to wash himself seven times. Naaman refuses, then consents, is healed and returns to his home as a servant to Israel’s God.

Now who in the household knows something about this new God of his?

A wise man once wrote, “A wise servant . . . shall have part of the inheritance among the brothers (as one of the family), (Proverbs 17:2).”

This applies to little girls too.