2 Kings 5:1-3, 13 (NKJV) Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honourable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valour, but a leper. And the Syrians had gone out onraids, 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.” ….And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”
In the above passage, the young servant girl from Israel learned about God’s use of His prophets to help people. The Old Testament describes the saints of the old who knew God as El Shaddai, Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Rapha, Jehovah Tsikenu, and many others. He is known as the Great I AM, the Almighty God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the God who helped Joshua and Caleb conquer the land’s inhabitants after Moses died.
God used Moses to perform signs and wonders as he led the people out of Egypt to the Promised Land. Nobody has seen God with their naked eyes, and nobody has seen God in the Old Testament. Therefore, she most likely would have heard about God’s works from her forefathers and their experiences. This knowledge must have been passed down to her.
The young servant girl was a timely help for Naaman because she reminded him that it was wise to do just as Elisha had instructed. Naaman was blessed to have a servant girl who knew God and His power. She showed respect for Naaman by explaining that the instructions were straightforward and easy to follow if he didn’t take offence at their simplicity. She reminded him that the purpose of the trip was to get instruction from the prophet!
We also need faithful friends who know God to remind us, speak into our lives, and point us back to Jesus. We need faith-filled friends who can direct us towards the will of our Lord and remind us that we must humble ourselves and our will to obey God in order to be saved. We can also serve as such friends to others.
Sermon Series：We Need to Have Simple Faith
忠心的朋友
列王纪下5:1–3, 13 “亚兰王的元帅乃缦在他主人眼前为尊为大，因为耶和华曾借他使亚兰人得胜。他又是大能的勇士，只是长了大麻风。先前亚兰人成群出去，掳了一个以色列国的小女子；她就服事乃缦的妻子。她对主母说：‘巴不得我主人去见撒玛利亚的先知，必能治好他的大麻风。’…… 乃缦的仆人进前来，对他说：‘我父啊，先知若吩咐你行一件大事，你岂不行吗？何况说：你去沐浴，就得洁净呢？’”
在以上经文中，这位从以色列被掳来的小使女，认识到神会使用祂的先知来帮助人。在旧约中，那些认识神的圣徒称祂为全能的神（El Shaddai）、耶和华以勒、耶和华拉法、耶和华齐根努等。祂是“自有永有”的那一位，是亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各的全能之神，也是帮助约书亚和迦勒在摩西死后攻取那地居民的神。
神使用摩西施行神迹奇事，带领百姓从埃及进入应许之地。没有人曾亲眼见过神，旧约里也没有人见过神，因此，这位小使女很可能是从她的祖先和他们的经历中听到神的作为。这些认识必定是被传承给她的。
这位年轻的使女在关键时刻帮助了乃缦，因为她提醒乃缦，按着以利沙的指示去做是明智的。乃缦很有福，因为身边有一位认识神、也认识神大能的使女。她尊重乃缦，并向他说明先知的吩咐其实简单易行，只要他不因其简单而觉得反感。她提醒乃缦，此行的目的就是来寻求先知的指示！
我们同样需要这样忠心的朋友——认识神的朋友——来提醒我们、向我们的生命说话、并引导我们回到耶稣面前。我们需要充满信心的朋友，指引我们行在主的旨意中，并提醒我们要谦卑顺服神的旨意，才能得着救恩。而我们也可以成为别人生命中这样的朋友。
讲章系列：我们需要简单的信心