Lot and the Captive Girl

"Oh that my lord were before the prophet...for he would have healed him of his leprosy!" (2 Kings 5:3)

How we marvel at the powerful influence that girl had on a great man like Naaman, who had no qualms about repeating her words to the king (v. 4) as if they were a confirmed truth.

Our admiration for that girl increases when we compare her influence to the negative influence that Lot had on his sons-in-law, for he was like a joker in their eyes. The girl succeeded in bringing blessings to Naaman, not only in healing him from his leprosy, but also in his confession and faith in the God of Israel, and I say with all regret and pain,Lot brought a curse upon his house:

1- The girl’s psyche was not affected by the circumstances around her: she did not bear any feelings of bitterness towards Naaman who caused her to be deprived of her family, but rather she sympathized with his ordeal and wished him recovery. As for Lot, he was not affected by the circumstances around him, for despite being subjected to captivity, after Abraham saved him, we see him return again to live in Sodom!

2- She had motives to do good to others: She could not bear to see the signs of sorrow on Naaman's face while he was suffering from this hateful disease, and she took the initiative to offer him her advice, while Lot was only motivated by duty and necessity, and although we see Lot insisting on the angels to spend the night with him, we are amazed at what he offered them as a guest: "unleavened bread", which did not suit his status and wealth "(Gen. 18:6-8).

3- She had a firm belief in the ability of the prophet: Although she had never seen the prophet heal anyone from leprosy before, she trusted in his ability. Lot also spoke about something he had never seen before (v. 14). If the whole world was destroyed by a flood one day, but no city had ever been burned by fire, his actions revealed that he was not certain of what he was saying, and the evidence for that is his hesitation in fleeing from a city that he said would be burned by fire!

Written by: Atef Ibrahim