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Word of the Day: 2 Kings 5:2

Word of the Day

“Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman's wife.” 2 Kings 5:2

In 2 Kings 5 we are introduced to Naaman the captain of the army of the king of Aram. He was the supreme commander of the army, even second in command to the King of Syria. Naaman was a great man, had high social standing and was highly respected. If that wasn’t enough, he also is referred to as a valiant warrior, some translations say “mighty man of valor.” That puts him in some pretty amazing company. Gideon (Judges 6:12), Jephthah (Judges 11:1), David (1 Samuel 16:18), Jeroboam (1 Kings 11:28) and Eliada (2 Chronicles 17:17) etc. It seems like he had everything going for him, but one huge circumstance, he had leprosy, an incurable disease.

It would be easy to quickly gloss over verse 2 as just another statement about war. Most likely his army had taken many prisoners of war during his many campaigns and capturing a little girl to be used as a servant was not out of the ordinary. However, in God’s sovereign plan He used this unknown and unexpected prisoner, to bring Naaman to belief in the one true God. “Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel….” (vs 15).

It makes me think back on a time in my life when God used an insignificant means to bring about His will. Several years ago I received a small card in the mail regarding a new job opportunity. At the time, I believed the card to be quite insignificant, but through the information on the card and a phone call it turned our life upside down in a great way. Within a few months we had sold our home in California, I had changed jobs, and we began an amazing adventure in the Phoenix area. God used that “unexpected” card to change our lives. We got to know our God in a way we had never before!

Whatever situation you are now in, the Lord can use unexpected things to lead you through it to bring glory and honor to Him (Rom 8:28).

Father I praise You that You are a Sovereign God. Thank you that You use every circumstance in our life to bring us to the knowledge of who You are.

Dave

Dedicated to Prayer

Heb 4:16