Back in the day, when your face would breakout in hormonal acne, it was embarrassing! A little, tiny zit could destroy self-confidence. Think how much more so a man with a skin condition like leprosy felt! It was no surprise to God because it’s all in the details; God is in the small things and works through the small people.
Listen Up
It was no small thing to be diagnosed with a skin disease, after all, Moses had given strict regulations and laws to anyone who had them.
(The Hebrew word ‘leprosy’ was used for various diseases affecting the skin, not necessarily leprosy, but we will call it that for simplicity’s sake.)
Naaman, himself, was a great man and highly regarded in his country of Aram. In a battle with the bordering Israelites, he acquired a young Israelite servant girl for his wife.
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Not only did this young girl speak up, but she spoke boldly to point her mistress to a true prophet but ultimately to the One behind the prophet. Think if you were taken captive and forced to work at a young age… and she not only speaks up but tries to help them.
With provisions and the King’s blessing, Naaman heads out to meet Elisha only to find a messenger. Elijah didn’t even meet him. Not to mention, the advice given was rather asinine. Go to a river and wash seven times. Was this a cruel joke?
Sometimes, it’s all in the details, the little things.
He listened to the little servant girl but this messenger was too ridiculous! Until, of course, his own servants suggest otherwise. He listens to them and his flesh was not only restored but became like that of a little child.
So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
2 Kings 5:14
Sometimes, the advice we receive will come from the most unlikely sources. To Naaman and his wife’s credit, they listened to those in low positions. The key to the whole story comes in verse 15 when he goes to meet Elisha face to face.
Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and he came and stood before him. And he said, “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; so accept now a present from your servant.”
2 Kings 5:15
God will use those around us, are we listening? .
What matters to us…
In the following chapter, a short blip is included to tell the story of some prophets building a structure, during which one loses an axhead in the river. Now, the Jordan River was not a trickling brook or a temporary creek… it was a RIVER! Remember the significance when Joshua parted it to cross on dry land? It signified the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea to this new generation for their new home. It was a big river!
The small act of Elisha throwing a twig in the same place it dropped in which the iron axhead floated was miraculous. The prophet who dropped it in was deeply concerned because he had borrowed it and it was all but gone. Yet, God saw his earthly trouble and helped.
Do we attribute these examples in our own life to God? We ought to.
Sometimes, it’s all in the details, the little things.
Our limited vision…
Our vision is extremely limited. Elisha took the opportunity to show a scared servant the true sight around them. When his eyes were opened, it was a sight to behold!
Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
2 Kings 6:17
Pause for just a second. Too often we can read a story like this and not take it in. Let’s ponder that for just a moment. Imagine, if you will, that you were that young man and picture what it would have looked like to see the reality of what was surrounding them. Powerful!
Not only that, but we see a picture of comfort also given to Elisha.
“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.”
As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more.
2 Kings 2:9b-12a
This was no small matter, yet the limit of our vision is.
Our limited hearing…
In chapter 7, God uses the heavenly chariots and horses again, but this time to showcase our limited hearing.
At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp, no one was there, for the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us!” So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives.
2 Kings 7:5-7
Okay, so not only is our sight limited, but also our hearing! Yet again, we are seeing how the Lord uses the Heavenly things to point us to our small reality around us. No matter how great we are on earth or how great our army, there is MORE beyond this earth, and we are small in comparison.
Small details…
Remember the Shunammite lady whose son died in chapter 4? We meet her again in God’s recovering of her land this time. An important thing to note is that God values land and considers it a gift… to the point that He will bless it or curse it.
Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, just so happens to be talking the king about all the great things Elisha has done. And he just so happens to be telling the story about how Elisha brought the Shunammite lady’s son back to life as the Shunammite lady just so happens to walk in.
There. are. no. coincidences.
God clearly planned out the timing of those events. What better imagery for us to see and consider in our own lives. How often do things fall into place seemingly coincidentally with us not properly attributing them to God’s sovereign hand? These stories can be used to apply to our own lives by recognizing the Truth in them and choosing to see those same Truths in our own lives.
Sometimes, it’s all in the details…
What great reminders for us that this world is not our home. It is not the end all, be all. There is something much greater after this life, yet it can often take the majesty of God to bring us back to reality. We are the small people doing the small things, but with God’s power can be used for great things.
Let not your status in life nor the things you do for the kingdom be hindered by a small, earthly viewpoint. God asks us time and time again in the Bible to be faithful to Him in all we do and say, this includes the things the world would deem small but lead to eternal results.
The next time you reach out in encouragement for another, remind yourself of the little servant girl who dared speak up. She ultimately pointed her masters to God’s glory.
The next time you speak up and share the gospel, remind yourself of the servants who told Naaman sometimes it is the little things that can make a difference.
The next time you question your place in this world, remember that God can use everybody. You might want to ask yourself, are you willing to be used by Him?
It’s all in the details, and God is in the details.
Last Week
1 Kings 20 – 2 Kings 4
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Oh, that my eyes and ears would be open always. God’s plans are perfect and He uses the least of these! Thank you for great reminder and for continually offering this linkup each week.
Thanks for coming back to participate! Becca