Elisha and the Woman from Shunem
Life lessons from Elisha • Sermon • Submitted
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2 Kings 4:8-37
8 One day Elisha went to the town of Shunem. A wealthy woman lived there, and she urged him to come to her home for a meal. After that, whenever he passed that way, he would stop there for something to eat.
9 She said to her husband, “I am sure this man who stops in from time to time is a holy man of God.
10 Let’s build a small room for him on the roof and furnish it with a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp. Then he will have a place to stay whenever he comes by.”
11 One day Elisha returned to Shunem, and he went up to this upper room to rest.
12 He said to his servant Gehazi, “Tell the woman from Shunem I want to speak to her.” When she appeared,
13 Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tell her, ‘We appreciate the kind concern you have shown us. What can we do for you? Can we put in a good word for you to the king or to the commander of the army?’ ” “No,” she replied, “my family takes good care of me.”
14 Later Elisha asked Gehazi, “What can we do for her?” Gehazi replied, “She doesn’t have a son, and her husband is an old man.”
15 “Call her back again,” Elisha told him. When the woman returned, Elisha said to her as she stood in the doorway,
16 “Next year at this time you will be holding a son in your arms!” “No, my lord!” she cried. “O man of God, don’t deceive me and get my hopes up like that.”
17 But sure enough, the woman soon became pregnant. And at that time the following year she had a son, just as Elisha had said.
18 One day when her child was older, he went out to help his father, who was working with the harvesters.
19 Suddenly he cried out, “My head hurts! My head hurts!” His father said to one of the servants, “Carry him home to his mother.”
20 So the servant took him home, and his mother held him on her lap. But around noontime he died.
21 She carried him up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and left him there.
22 She sent a message to her husband: “Send one of the servants and a donkey so that I can hurry to the man of God and come right back.”
23 “Why go today?” he asked. “It is neither a new moon festival nor a Sabbath.” But she said, “It will be all right.”
24 So she saddled the donkey and said to the servant, “Hurry! Don’t slow down unless I tell you to.”
25 As she approached the man of God at Mount Carmel, Elisha saw her in the distance. He said to Gehazi, “Look, the woman from Shunem is coming.
26 Run out to meet her and ask her, ‘Is everything all right with you, your husband, and your child?’ ” “Yes,” the woman told Gehazi, “everything is fine.”
27 But when she came to the man of God at the mountain, she fell to the ground before him and caught hold of his feet. Gehazi began to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone. She is deeply troubled, but the Lord has not told me what it is.”
28 Then she said, “Did I ask you for a son, my lord? And didn’t I say, ‘Don’t deceive me and get my hopes up’?”
29 Then Elisha said to Gehazi, “Get ready to travel; take my staff and go! Don’t talk to anyone along the way. Go quickly and lay the staff on the child’s face.”
30 But the boy’s mother said, “As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I won’t go home unless you go with me.” So Elisha returned with her.
31 Gehazi hurried on ahead and laid the staff on the child’s face, but nothing happened. There was no sign of life. He returned to meet Elisha and told him, “The child is still dead.”
32 When Elisha arrived, the child was indeed dead, lying there on the prophet’s bed.
33 He went in alone and shut the door behind him and prayed to the Lord.
34 Then he lay down on the child’s body, placing his mouth on the child’s mouth, his eyes on the child’s eyes, and his hands on the child’s hands. And as he stretched out on him, the child’s body began to grow warm again!
35 Elisha got up, walked back and forth across the room once, and then stretched himself out again on the child. This time the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes!
36 Then Elisha summoned Gehazi. “Call the child’s mother!” he said. And when she came in, Elisha said, “Here, take your son!”
37 She fell at his feet and bowed before him, overwhelmed with gratitude. Then she took her son in her arms and carried him downstairs.
INTRODUCTION:
I- MINISTRY TO THE NEEDS OF OTHERS PLEASES GOD. (2 Kings 4:8-10)
I- MINISTRY TO THE NEEDS OF OTHERS PLEASES GOD. (2 Kings 4:8-10)
8 One day Elisha went to the town of Shunem. A wealthy woman lived there, and she urged him to come to her home for a meal. After that, whenever he passed that way, he would stop there for something to eat.
9 She said to her husband, “I am sure this man who stops in from time to time is a holy man of God.
10 Let’s build a small room for him on the roof and furnish it with a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp. Then he will have a place to stay whenever he comes by.”
A- Ministering to the needs of others begins with dialing-in our senses beyond self. (2 Kings 4:8)
A- Ministering to the needs of others begins with dialing-in our senses beyond self. (2 Kings 4:8)
8 One day Elisha went to the town of Shunem. A wealthy woman lived there, and she urged him to come to her home for a meal. After that, whenever he passed that way, he would stop there for something to eat.
1- The Shunammite woman dialed-in her senses to the needs of people around her.
2- She was perceptive to Elisha and his assistant and their need for food.
3- You and I are to tune in beyond our own needs.
(Philippians 2:4)
4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
B- Ministering to the needs of others causes us to seek to meet the greater needs of people around us. (2 Kings 4:9-10)
B- Ministering to the needs of others causes us to seek to meet the greater needs of people around us. (2 Kings 4:9-10)
9 She said to her husband, “I am sure this man who stops in from time to time is a holy man of God.
10 Let’s build a small room for him on the roof and furnish it with a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp. Then he will have a place to stay whenever he comes by.”
1- The Shunammite woman spent time with Elisha and his assistant.
2- She sought to find ways to minister to Elisha and his assistant.
3- She was willing to personally invest in ministering to Elisha and his assistant.
a- Even to the point of building him a place to stay on their own house with a private entrance and furnishing it comfortably.
4- We are to seek to go the extra mile to minister to the needs of people.
a- This means seeking to find ways to serve others.
(Matthew 25:33-40)
33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.
35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.
36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink?
38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing?
39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
(James 2:14-20)
14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?
15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing,
16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?
17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”
19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.
20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?
II- GOD REWARDS THE FAITHFULNESS OF HIS PEOPLE. (2 Kings 4:11-17)
II- GOD REWARDS THE FAITHFULNESS OF HIS PEOPLE. (2 Kings 4:11-17)
11 One day Elisha returned to Shunem, and he went up to this upper room to rest.
12 He said to his servant Gehazi, “Tell the woman from Shunem I want to speak to her.” When she appeared,
13 Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tell her, ‘We appreciate the kind concern you have shown us. What can we do for you? Can we put in a good word for you to the king or to the commander of the army?’ ” “No,” she replied, “my family takes good care of me.”
14 Later Elisha asked Gehazi, “What can we do for her?” Gehazi replied, “She doesn’t have a son, and her husband is an old man.”
15 “Call her back again,” Elisha told him. When the woman returned, Elisha said to her as she stood in the doorway,
16 “Next year at this time you will be holding a son in your arms!” “No, my lord!” she cried. “O man of God, don’t deceive me and get my hopes up like that.”
17 But sure enough, the woman soon became pregnant. And at that time the following year she had a son, just as Elisha had said.
A- Faithfulness in ministering to others and doing God’s work does not go unnoticed. (2 Kings 4:11-13)
A- Faithfulness in ministering to others and doing God’s work does not go unnoticed. (2 Kings 4:11-13)
11 One day Elisha returned to Shunem, and he went up to this upper room to rest.
12 He said to his servant Gehazi, “Tell the woman from Shunem I want to speak to her.” When she appeared,
13 Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tell her, ‘We appreciate the kind concern you have shown us. What can we do for you? Can we put in a good word for you to the king or to the commander of the army?’ ” “No,” she replied, “my family takes good care of me.”
1- The good deeds of the Shunammite woman in ministering to Elisha and his assistant did not go unnoticed by God nor His man.
2- Our work for God is never in vain.
(1 Corinthians 15:58)
58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
B- God rewards our work for Him. (2 Kings 4:14-17)
B- God rewards our work for Him. (2 Kings 4:14-17)
14 Later Elisha asked Gehazi, “What can we do for her?” Gehazi replied, “She doesn’t have a son, and her husband is an old man.”
15 “Call her back again,” Elisha told him. When the woman returned, Elisha said to her as she stood in the doorway,
16 “Next year at this time you will be holding a son in your arms!” “No, my lord!” she cried. “O man of God, don’t deceive me and get my hopes up like that.”
17 But sure enough, the woman soon became pregnant. And at that time the following year she had a son, just as Elisha had said.
1- The Shunammite displayed the right attitude in what she did. (2 Kings 4:13b)
13 Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tell her, ‘We appreciate the kind concern you have shown us. What can we do for you? Can we put in a good word for you to the king or to the commander of the army?’ ” “No,” she replied, “my family takes good care of me.”
2- Her motive was one of pure ministry service. She was not acting for the purpose of reward.
3- God blessed her for her service and investment in His work.
a- God blessed her with a son when it was not likely to happen.
Her husband was old.
Unless God intervened, a child was not likely to come.
To have a son would be a big blessing to this couple.
4- God will reward us in the way we respond to the needs of others.
(Luke 6:38)
38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”
(Galatians 6:9)
9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.
III- HOW WE RESPOND IN CRISIS IS CRITICAL. (2 Kings 4:18-37)
III- HOW WE RESPOND IN CRISIS IS CRITICAL. (2 Kings 4:18-37)
A- Refuse to give in to despair. (2 Kings 4:18-21)
A- Refuse to give in to despair. (2 Kings 4:18-21)
18 One day when her child was older, he went out to help his father, who was working with the harvesters.
19 Suddenly he cried out, “My head hurts! My head hurts!” His father said to one of the servants, “Carry him home to his mother.”
20 So the servant took him home, and his mother held him on her lap. But around noontime he died.
21 She carried him up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and left him there.
1- The Shunammite soon had a crisis come her way.
a- Her son got sick and died.
b- she refused to despair. She held on to hope. (2 Kings 4:21)
21 She carried him up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and left him there.
2- Times of crisis will come to us all.
a- We are not promised a care-free life.
(Job 14:1)
1 “How frail is humanity! How short is life, how full of trouble!
b- When troubles come our way, we are not to give in to despair.
(2 Corinthians 4:8)
8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.
B- Determine to seek God for the answer. (2 Kings 4:22-28)
B- Determine to seek God for the answer. (2 Kings 4:22-28)
22 She sent a message to her husband: “Send one of the servants and a donkey so that I can hurry to the man of God and come right back.”
23 “Why go today?” he asked. “It is neither a new moon festival nor a Sabbath.” But she said, “It will be all right.”
24 So she saddled the donkey and said to the servant, “Hurry! Don’t slow down unless I tell you to.”
25 As she approached the man of God at Mount Carmel, Elisha saw her in the distance. He said to Gehazi, “Look, the woman from Shunem is coming.
26 Run out to meet her and ask her, ‘Is everything all right with you, your husband, and your child?’ ” “Yes,” the woman told Gehazi, “everything is fine.”
27 But when she came to the man of God at the mountain, she fell to the ground before him and caught hold of his feet. Gehazi began to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone. She is deeply troubled, but the Lord has not told me what it is.”
28 Then she said, “Did I ask you for a son, my lord? And didn’t I say, ‘Don’t deceive me and get my hopes up’?”
1- The Shunammite woman determined that she was going to go immediately seek God for her answer.
a- It was not an easy task.
She had to get transportation and assistance to make her trip to find Elisha.
She had to invest the time to make the trip to Elisha. (From Shunam to Mount Carmel was about 15 miles)
She openly and honestly sought God’s help through His prophet.
2- You and I are to boldly seek God for his help.
(Hebrews 4:16)
16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
a- This means we must be willing to do what is necessary to seek Him.
(Matthew 7:7-8)
7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
C- Trust God to take care of your need. (2 Kings 4:29-37)
C- Trust God to take care of your need. (2 Kings 4:29-37)
29 Then Elisha said to Gehazi, “Get ready to travel; take my staff and go! Don’t talk to anyone along the way. Go quickly and lay the staff on the child’s face.”
30 But the boy’s mother said, “As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I won’t go home unless you go with me.” So Elisha returned with her.
31 Gehazi hurried on ahead and laid the staff on the child’s face, but nothing happened. There was no sign of life. He returned to meet Elisha and told him, “The child is still dead.”
32 When Elisha arrived, the child was indeed dead, lying there on the prophet’s bed.
33 He went in alone and shut the door behind him and prayed to the Lord.
34 Then he lay down on the child’s body, placing his mouth on the child’s mouth, his eyes on the child’s eyes, and his hands on the child’s hands. And as he stretched out on him, the child’s body began to grow warm again!
35 Elisha got up, walked back and forth across the room once, and then stretched himself out again on the child. This time the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes!
36 Then Elisha summoned Gehazi. “Call the child’s mother!” he said. And when she came in, Elisha said, “Here, take your son!”
37 She fell at his feet and bowed before him, overwhelmed with gratitude. Then she took her son in her arms and carried him downstairs.
1- They Shunammite woman Trusted God for the answer.
2- The Shunammite displayed her gratitude for the answer.
3- We are to trust God for our answer.
(Psalm 115:11)
11 All you who fear the Lord, trust the Lord! He is your helper and your shield.
4- We are to give thanks for the answer.
(Colossians 4:2)
2 Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.
CONCLUSION: