Elisha And The Shunammite woman
April 9, 2020
Commentary
God’s concern for women and their special needs can be seen in both the preceding and this incident. In contrast to the poor widow in the previous story, we find Elisha and the Shunammite woman (Near Jezrel and about 15 miles from Mount Carmel). It appears that she had great influence, wealth and hospitality (v 8). Elisha evidently stopped at her house regularly so she and her husband decided to build a profit’s chamber on to their house for him to use whenever he traveled by (vv. 9-10).
In return for their kindness Elisha wanted to do something special (vv. 11-13). Later he learned that her one great desire in life was to have a son, he told her that in about a year she would have a son (vv. 14-16). She did bear a son as God had promised (v. 17). However, one morning while the son was still young and with his father in the fields, he was struck with a violent headache (vv. 18-19). Apparently it was a sun stroke, and he was carried to his mother and died (vv. 20-21).
Her thoughts turned immediately to Elisha and she prepared to seek his help. He was only a few miles away at Mount Carmel so she rode her donkey to find him (vv. 22-24). Elisha spotted her coming. When she came to him, she fell at his feet indicating extreme humility, need, and desperation (vv. 25-28). When Elisha learned that her son was dead, he sent Gehazi, his servant, to lay his staff on the child ( vv. 29-31). Gehazi followed Elisha’s instruction but nothing happened. When Elisha learned this, he went himself and lay across the boy’s body praying he would be restored (vv. 32-37). In a few minutes the child sneezed and was returned to his mother alive.
Application
Elisha’s prayer and method of raising the boy from the dead showed his personal care for hurting people. I need to express genuine concern for others as I carry God’s message to them.
2 Kings 4:18– 37 (NET)
18 The boy grew and one day he went out to see his father who was with the harvest workers. 19 He said to his father, “My head! My head!” His father told a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 So he picked him up and took him to his mother. He sat on her lap until noon and then died. 21 She went up and laid him down on the prophet’s bed. She shut the door behind her and left. 22 She called to her husband, “Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, so I can go see the prophet quickly and then return.” 23 He said, “Why do you want to go see him today? It is not the new moon or the Sabbath.” She said, “Everything’s fine.” 24 She saddled the donkey and told her servant, “Lead on. Do not stop unless I say so.”
25 So she went to visit the prophet at Mount Carmel. When he saw her at a distance, he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, it’s the Shunammite woman. 26 Now, run to meet her and ask her, ‘Are you well? Are your husband and the boy well?’” She told Gehazi, “Everything’s fine.” 27 But when she reached the prophet on the mountain, she grabbed hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to push her away, but the prophet said, “Leave her alone, for she is very upset. The Lord has kept the matter hidden from me; he didn’t tell me about it.” 28 She said, “Did I ask my master for a son? Didn’t I say, ‘Don’t mislead me?’” 29 Elisha told Gehazi, “Tuck your robes into your belt, take my staff, and go! Don’t stop to exchange greetings with anyone! Place my staff on the child’s face.” 30 The mother of the child said, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So Elisha got up and followed her back.
31 Now Gehazi went on ahead of them. He placed the staff on the child’s face, but there was no sound or response. When he came back to Elisha he told him, “The child did not wake up.” 32 When Elisha arrived at the house, there was the child lying dead on his bed. 33 He went in by himself and closed the door. Then he prayed to the Lord. 34 He got up on the bed and spread his body out over the boy; he put his mouth on the boy’s mouth, his eyes over the boy’s eyes, and the palms of his hands against the boy’s palms. As he bent down across him, the boy’s skin grew warm. 35 Elisha went back and walked around in the house. Then he got up on the bed again and bent down over him. The child sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. 36 Elisha called to Gehazi and said, “Get the Shunammite woman.” So he did so and she came to him. He said to her, “Take your son.” 37 She came in, fell at his feet, and bowed down. Then she picked up her son and left.
Illustration: Porter on a Train Fails to Wakeup a Businessman
An important business executive boarded the New-Orleans-to-Washington train. He was a heavy sleeper, and he needed to be awakened in order to get off the train in Atlanta about 5 o’clock in the morning. He found a porter and told him, “I want you to awaken me in order that I might get off the train at five o’clock in the morning. Now I’m a heavy sleeper,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how much I fret and fuss and fume or what I do to you — I have to get off the train in Atlanta. If you have to remove me bodily,” he said, “you get me off that train in Atlanta."Well, the next morning he awakened about 9 o’clock, having slept all night and having missed Atlanta, speeding toward Washington. He located the porter and really poured it on with all sorts of abusive language, almost attacking the poor guy bodily. After he left, someone said to the porter, “Wow! That is the maddest man I ever saw!” The porter said, “That ain’t nothin’! You think he was angry-you should’ve heard that guy I put off in Atlanta this morning!” Ben Franklin once said, “Anger is never without a reason, but seldom a good one.” (Jimmy Chapman – Sermon Central)