Elisha and the Shunammite Woman

INTRO

If you have a Bible today you can turn to 2 Kings 4 where we have a lengthy story that will give you a roller coaster of emotions. If you don’t have a Bible today you can use one around you or follow on the screens. There is not much to review today which is good because the the length of our text. But the one thing to remind you is that Elisha has been given the mantel/ministry in double portion of Elijah. Elisha has been growing in power and prophetically with kings and nameless widows. He is doing incredible things and that is what we are about to read here today too.

Today we are reminded that what we believe leads to action. Faith is action. And what Elisha believes about who God is will show up in this story yet how he acts in light of who God is will be different two times. So I hope I have given you enough of a teaser but we are going to read the whole story, and I’ll stop at a couple points to hopefully help explain some things, and then we will talk about how it affects us today so that we can live supernaturally in a complacent culture.

BODY

8 One day Elisha went on to Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived, who urged him to eat some food. So whenever he passed that way, he would turn in there to eat food. 9 And she said to her husband, “Behold now, I know that this is a holy man of God who is continually passing our way. 10 Let us make a small room on the roof with walls and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so that whenever he comes to us, he can go in there.”

So locations are important in the Bible even though we might find them boring and want to just breeze past them. But I want to show you were Shunem is for frame of reference and where Elisha was staying at this time was Mount Carmel.

So Elisha would travel from time to time and this lady must have been either mid western or southern grandma and thought this boy needs some food. You know what I’m talking about? The mom or grandma that won’t let you get out of her house before she sees you eat some of her food. That is this sweet lady, she had plenty and was well off and wanted to make sure this desert straggler was getting his share of food.

And apparently, even though she was in Israel, she did not know who this Elisha was but perceived that he was a man of God and a holy man so they build a space for him to stay whenever he passed by. That is really kind of her! And Elisha realizes this and starts pondering this one day.

11 One day he came there, and he turned into the chamber and rested there. 12 And he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite.” When he had called her, she stood before him. 13 And he said to him, “Say now to her, ‘See, you have taken all this trouble for us; what is to be done for you? Would you have a word spoken on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?’ ” She answered, “I dwell among my own people.” 14 And he said, “What then is to be done for her?” Gehazi answered, “Well, she has no son, and her husband is old.” 15 He said, “Call her.” And when he had called her, she stood in the doorway. 16 And he said, “At this season, about this time next year, you shall embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord, O man of God; do not lie to your servant.” 17 But the woman conceived, and she bore a son about that time the following spring, as Elisha had said to her.

So Elisha wants to not just pay back this women for all she has done for him but wants to truly bless her. And she seems to be content and okay with not needing anything but Gehazi pushes on a sore subject. She has no son. Now, we don’t know if they didn’t have any children or they just had girls but having a son in this time was special thing. He would get the inheritance, he would carry on the family name. And Elisha has heard about a couple also that were a little older and past having children before, who could that be? Abram and Sarai. And he remembers that God is supernatural and brought life to them, so why not this widow?

But the widow is apprehensive, almost like, please don’t pull my leg. This would be amazing but I don’t want you to saying this without it actually happening. Yet it happens. They have a son!

And this is important because Elisha is confronting the gods and idols of the day that say they have the power of life. Baal, Mot, and Ashera, and other gods that Isralites continue to worship for their source of life. Thinking that these gods/idols will help them with their infertility, with their lack of life. And yet God, Yaweh once again proves that he is the God over life.

ELISHA’S BELIEF THAT GOD WAS THE TRUE GOD OF LIFE CAUSED HIM TO BLESS OTHERS.

We will talk more about this after we finish the story in how it relates to us, but I think it is important to notice that Elisha’s belief in God as the true God of life caused him to do something about it. He didn’t just preach about it or write about it. It affected the way he treated others. I’m sure you can understand where I am going with that regarding us, but let’s finish the rest of the story first.

18 When the child had grown, he went out one day to his father among the reapers. 19 And he said to his father, “Oh, my head, my head!” The father said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 And when he had lifted him and brought him to his mother, the child sat on her lap till noon, and then he died. 21 And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God and shut the door behind him and went out. 22 Then she called to her husband and said, “Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, that I may quickly go to the man of God and come back again.” 23 And he said, “Why will you go to him today? It is neither new moon nor Sabbath.” She said, “All is well.” 24 Then she saddled the donkey, and she said to her servant, “Urge the animal on; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.” 25 So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.

Okay, pause. Because there is a lot going on here, right? And there is too much to cover but the one thing I want to point out to help us understand this story is the strange responses of the woman and her husband. The boy seems to have a headache or was hit by something and dies. She lays him on the bed and then tells her husband she has to go see the man of God and his reply is, well it’s not new moon or sabbath. Modern day translation would be, “Hey honey, I need to go see the pastor!” Okay, but it isn’t Sunday or a Wednesday so why would you go to church and see him?” “Oh, everything is fine, just need to go see him.” But we know it is not fine, right? So what is happening? It is building the story for us. It is causing tension to say what is she going to do? What is she going to say? What does she think the man of God can do for her? Well lets keep reading so we can see!

When the man of God saw her coming, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Look, there is the Shunammite. 26 Run at once to meet her and say to her, ‘Is all well with you? Is all well with your husband? Is all well with the child?’ ” And she answered, “All is well.” 27 And when she came to the mountain to the man of God, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came to push her away. But the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for she is in bitter distress, and the LORD has hidden it from me and has not told me.” 28 Then she said, “Did I ask my lord for a son? Did I not say, ‘Do not deceive me?’ ” 29 He said to Gehazi, “Tie up your garment and take my staff in your hand and go. If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not reply. And lay my staff on the face of the child.” 30 Then the mother of the child said, “As the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So he arose and followed her. 31 Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the face of the child, but there was no sound or sign of life. Therefore he returned to meet him and told him, “The child has not awakened.”

Uh oh. More tension. Elisha said to go lay his staff on the boy probably thinking that it would heal him and it doesn’t. This had to be tense. Mom is probably in great distress, Elisha is feeling pressed, Gehazi is worn out from running around 20 miles to and back to them. What is going to happen next? Let’s keep reading.

32 When Elisha came into the house, he saw the child lying dead on his bed. 33 So he went in and shut the door behind the two of them and prayed to the LORD. 34 Then he went up and lay on the child, putting his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. And as he stretched himself upon him, the flesh of the child became warm. 35 Then he got up again and walked once back and forth in the house, and went up and stretched himself upon him. The child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. 36 Then he summoned Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite.” So he called her. And when she came to him, he said, “Pick up your son.” 37 She came and fell at his feet, bowing to the ground. Then she picked up her son and went out.

Three times Elisha tries to raise this boy and not until the third does it actually work. He tried with a stick. He laid on the child (just like Elijah did when he raised the other boy from the dead). And you know what he didn’t do after the first failure? Well it must have been the will of the Lord. Guess we just give up. No, look at the perseverance in prayer he had. We don’t know how long this took. Sometimes stories say how long they stayed here or there. All we get is, in verse 33, he went in and shut the door behind them and prayed. How long? We don’t know know. And then he tried what he heard his master Elijah tried when he raised a boy, he laid on him as if to say, here is my life, come alive! The boy becomes warm. He prays again, lays on him again and the kid starts sneezing! He’s alive!

So once again we are seeing that Elisha’s belief in God as the true God of life was more than just a theology or a theory. It caused him to act in a way that was different. So what we see here is that

ELISHA’S BELIEF THAT GOD WAS THE TRUE GOD OF LIFE CAUSED HIM TO ACT IN FAITH AND PERSEVERE IN PRAYER.

I’ve read this story a couple times this week but I would encourage you to read it again sometime and soak in the craziness of what Elisha did here. Walked/ran/rode a donkey possible 15 miles, laid on the boy, prayed for who knows how long. Why? Because he cared for the women and the son? Of course he did. But he wouldn’t be praying to God to raise the boy from the dead if he didn’t believe that it was possible. His belief fueled his actions.

CONNECTION

I’m sure you can already see where I am going with this in how it applies to us, right? How we view God affects what we will do. Whether you know it or not, we are all theologians. Theology is simply the study of God. So if you are not studying God and his word, you are a poor theologian. If you are studying God and His word then you most likely are a good theologian. But what I really want us to focus on is this question.

DO YOU BELIEVE THAT GOD IS THE TRUE GOD OF LIFE? IF SO, HOW IS THAT SEEN IN YOUR LIFE?

Don’t worry this is not philosophy class 101. If we are followers of Jesus who said in John 15 that he is the way, the truth and the life. And if we believe God is the one who not only made us in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139) but also will give us life on the last day with resurrected bodies. Is that changing anything in our lives?

Or, are we believing an idea about God but really buying into a lie from the enemy/culture about something else that is really the god of life. And by the word “life” I’m not meaning just breath in our lungs but the point of life itself. Here are some things that people try to find true life in in our culture today.

-Relationships

-Money

-Jobs

-Comfort

-Entertainment

Anyone want to add anything? And while these things are not bad, what happens is that we leech onto these things thinking that we can find our source of joy, comfort, peace, and security from them. Do we not? This is the same thing the Israelites were doing by worshipping false idols. They were thinking that their provision, their blessing, their joy, their way of life would come from these other gods. Even though God already promised that he would provide, bless, and be their joy if they would just follow him. Yet nothing is new under the sun.

This is why the words of Jesus in John 15 should either bring some kind of comfort or clarity if you are looking for life and looking to find true joy.

English Standard Version Chapter 15

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

If you realize that 1. you are trying to find life, joy, and peace from other things that will not satisfy or 2. you have an idea of God that he is the God of life yet your are not seeing the fruit of it in your life, this is your invitation today. Abide in Him. This is what Elisha was doing. He would spend time meditating on scripture and knowing who God was. And when the times came where he wanted to bless someone, he was already connected to the vine. When he needed a miracle, he was already connected. When he needed to act in faith, he was already connected. The same can be for us to live supernatural in today’s culture. When we truly believe that God is the true God of life, that we abide in him and his word, the fruit of our life will change.

-The way you treat people will change.

-The way you act in faith will change

-The way you pray will change

All because of actually abiding in the true vine, Jesus. And I can think of no better way to celebrate this act of faith of abiding by taking communion today. So I am going to invite our worship team up and our elder Jeff to invite us to the table.