The Shunammite Woman: All Is Well
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Children’s Bible Page 412
We are going to hear the woman our passage today proclaim, “All is well” as we did in that song.
(Giving)
What do you do when you are genuinely walking with Jesus and life falls apart?
How do you respond to God when you have been seeking to trust and follow Him, and then a crisis occurs?
Many of you know that God called me to the ministry when I was a senior in High School.
And by His grace, I said yes to that call and spent the next seven years of my life in Bible college and seminary training,
And when it was time for me to finally launch out in my first real ministry position,
A series of circumstances led me into such heightened anxiety then down into such a dark depression that I had to resign from that assignment, and start all over again with my wife, two children, and our third baby on the way.
I wonder what crises and difficulties you have encountered in your faith journey while following Jesus.
It could have been anything from financial and career,
to the loss of a loved one,
difficulties in relationships,
to a devastating diagnosis,
to a dream or longing unfulfilled,
to church hurt and conflict,
to mental and emotional health problems,
or a million other things.
You see, there is something about crises and your world caving in that causes something to happen to your faith.
It will either draw you into a closer dependence on God or it could cause you to abandon your faith altogether.
I’m not saying it’s always clear cut.
In some seasons of following Jesus, it seems there is a lot more wrestling than resting.
Yet, we who are in Christ have incredible promises from God to cling to no matter what.
Promises like: nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.
And that the tested genuineness of our faith - once it has gone through fire - will result in praise, and glory, and honor when Christ comes again.
As we continue our series of different women in the Bible, we are going to consider a woman of faith who experiences a crisis.
And we are going to see what she does and how she responds when her world crashes in.
And I pray we will all entrust our hearts to God our Savior and Lord, even in the most difficult of times.
The woman is simply described in the text as the Shunammite Woman, and she lived during the time of the Old Testament ministry of the prophet Elisha.
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.”
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.
1. God Rewards Generous Hospitality
1. God Rewards Generous Hospitality
Now, you might ask me what this has to do with crisis and your world falling apart, and we have not gotten to that part of the text yet,
But the point is: this woman was obviously a worshipper of God, one who honored God’s prophet and showed him hospitality.
And she knew what it was to be blessed by the Lord in the fact that God finally blessed her with a child though she had always been barren.
All that to say: difficulty and crises befall the righteous and God fearing as it does anyone.
But first, let us focus on the call to Christian hospitality.
Elisha the prophet would travel around Israel to do his ministry of speaking God’s word, and we read that when he would come to Shunem,
This wealthy Shunnammite woman would welcome him into her home and show him great hospitality.
She would not only feed him, but she asked her husband to build and furnish a room on the roof that would be his to rest in every time he traveled there.
Recall our Lord Jesus’ words in:
40 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. 41 The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward.
The Shunammite woman had done just that.
Consider Jesus’ words in:
13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”
Consider Pauls words in:
7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
And Peter’s words:
9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.
And the words of the writer of Hebrews:
2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Now, note that we are not called to show hospitality in order to earn the favor of God.
No, we are compelled to show hospitality because God has already shown hospitality to us and welcomed us into his family through the gospel.
And it is the Spirit of God that prompts us and empowers us to do it.
So, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you.
Now, this doesn’t mean that we all have to have homes and make meals that would end up in a Martha Stewart magazine.
And it doesn’t mean there are not times you should not welcome someone into the church or into your home such as a false teacher.
But showing Christian hospitality means that you have a posture of open handed generosity and welcome toward others.
Think about it: the ministry of the prophets, the ministry of Jesus, and the ministry of the first disciples were extremely dependent on God giving other people hospitable hearts.
We see those who were wealthy opening their homes to be church meeting places.
We hear Jesus tell his disciples to not take a staff for long travel, or extra food for eating, or a sword for protection, but instead, to rely on the hospitality that God would place in peoples’ hearts.
For us, hospitality shows itself in everything from how you greet a visitor at church, to how you respond when someone sits in your usual seat,
It shows up in being intentional to get together with a neighbor, a coworker, a church visitor, or member you want to get to know better.
It means offering help and care to missionaries and church planters.
It means making space in your calendar, your budget, and your relationship capacities in order to welcome others into your life and to be a part of theirs.
Notice, because the woman had shown hospitality to Elisha, he wanted to reward and bless her in some way.
So, he asks her what he can offer to her, maybe to speak well of you to the king or the commander of the army.
Elisha was most likely poor and the woman was rich, so he tries to offer something that is not monetary related.
But, she says, “Oh no, that’s not necessary.”
She’s like that church member or family member who is always doing and giving to others but never needs anything herself.
Can I just encourage us that it is good and blessed to give and receive blessings?
It’s not like half of us are called to do all the blessing and the other half do all the receiving.
No, we are to be open hearted and humble enough to both offer and receive the blessings of others.
Since she can’t come up with anything, Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, decided to fill Elisha in on the fact that the woman had no son, and very likely never would because her husband is old.
So, Elisha calls her to come, and tells her that this time next year, she will be embracing a son.
It’s telling that she responds saying, “No, oh man of God, do not lie to me.”
She’s calling him man of God, so she knows he is not a liar, but it is a reminder to all of us that no matter how wealthy, or successful, or put together someone seems, we all have hidden vulnerabilities, griefs, and pain points.
No doubt, having no children was one for her.
Yet, even so, God rewarded her with a child just like Elisha had spoken.
I must admit that in my Reformed Baptist mindset that I have, I do not often enough consider the promised rewards of righteous deeds.
In my desire to make so clear that 100% of our righteousness is a gift of God’s grace, and we can do nothing to deserve or earn it, I have many times failed to also teach the biblical truth that righteous deeds are rewarded.
Your reward may not be God giving you a child.
Your reward may not ever be clearly perceived on this side of Heaven.
But, Jesus said a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward and the final full and glorious repayment will come at the resurrection of the just.
You have real, tangible, and glorious rewards in store for the righteous deeds God empowers you to perform in this life.
Deeds like showing gracious hospitality.
God rewards generous hospitality.
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.
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.
2. Take Your Concerns To God First
2. Take Your Concerns To God First
In verse 18, some years have past and the woman’s son is now a young man.
And one day, he complains of a headache and ends up dying in his mother’s arms.
In an instant, this godly woman’s world has fallen apart.
What do you do when you are genuinely walking with God and a crisis occurs and your world falls apart?
This woman immediately prepares to go to the man of God.
Her husband seeks to discourage her since it’s not a holy day.
But she sets out nonetheless.
Elisha was God’s prophet meaning he represented God to the people, so it is as if she went straight to God.
I don’t know about you, but so oftentimes I am tempted to run to despair, or run to escape, or run to talk to other people in the midst of a crisis instead of running first to God.
In a way, I am tempted to blame God due to the mystery of his sovereignty and strange providence over the most difficult situations in our lives.
But, this woman, though devastated ran to God in faith.
Now, notice, the woman has to answer questions from two other men before she makes it to Elisha.
First, her husband asking why she is going, and second, Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, whom he sent out to ask her if she and her family are well.
And she gives an answer that seems strange and out of place to us the readers.
Why would you travel to see Elisha today? She simply answers, “All is well.”
Is all well with you? Your husband? Your child? She answers again, “All is well.”
What do you mean all is well lady? Aren’t you in the midst of a crisis where your child just died?
How in the world can you say, “All is well?”
Is she just one of those annoyingly outwardly super spiritual kind of people who is going to plaster a fake smile and say, “God is good” no matter what nightmare she is facing?
I don’t believe that is what’s happening here.
Instead, I believe her statement of “all is well” is a statement of faith in God.
All is not right in my world, far from it, but all is well in my soul, because I can run to God.
Like the old hymn inspires us:
Have faith in God.
He’s on the throne.
Have faith in God.
He watches over his own.
He cannot fail.
He must prevail.
So, have faith in God.
Have faith in God.
Now, when she gets to the man of God, and He asks, she doesn’t answer him “all is well” but instead, she pours out her heart in the depth of her pain.
Verse 28 - Did I ask my Lord for a son? Did I not say, “Do not deceive me?”
It’s as if the woman is saying, “I will not take up my complaint first with man, not with my husband or Elisha’s servant, but with God himself through his prophet.”
God is the one who gives and takes away!
I will cling to Him and first seek His face in the midst of my despair!
A lot of times we don’t take these things first to God because we think prayers to God always have to sound nice and pretty and tied up in a bow,
But we didn’t learn that from reading prayers in the Bible.
This woman’s prayer is not neat and tidy: Did I even ask you for a son? Didn’t I ask you not to get my hopes up?
You see, we tend to save the most raw emotions and thoughts to share with friends and family when all the while praying neat and trite prayers to God.
The Shunammite woman would instruct us that the opposite is necessary.
You ought to take the most difficult questions and the most raw emotions to the one who can hold it, handle it, and do something with it and about it.
Notice, when she comes to Elisha, she falls and grabs hold of his feet.
Gehazi would have pushed her away from being so irreverent as to grab hold of the man of God,
But Elisha stops him, and recognizes her bitter distress, and invites her to speak, confessing God has not told him what has happened.
And as soon as she speaks, Elisha quickly responds by sending his servant to the boy,
But, it’s amazing, for the second week in a row as we look at these stories of different women, someone in the story says, “I’m not going unless you go with me.”
I mentioned last week that when God told Moses to take his people to the promised land, Moses replied, “I’m not going unless you go with me.”
In last week’s story, Deborah spoke for God and told Barak to go muster an army to fight Sisera, and Barak says, “I’m not going unless you go with me.”
And today, Elisha wants to send his servant to help the woman’s son, but the woman replies, “I’m not going unless you go with me.”
Listen, it is easier for us to acknowledge God’s presence and activity in our lives when things are going well, but God is reminding us loud and clear that when crisis comes and your world falls apart, He has never been nearer to you.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
God is slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and compassion.
It’s like when you sit with someone who is hurting and grieving.
It’s not the time to have all your questions answered.
It’s simply the time to sit in the power of presence.
God is with you. Don’t even think about going through this darkness without him.
Take your concerns first to God.
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.”
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.
3. Believe In Your Heart That God Raises The Dead
3. Believe In Your Heart That God Raises The Dead
Let’s be honest: the Shunammite woman gets the outcome we all want when we pray to God.
God brought her son back from the dead.
Did you notice that when the son was brought back to life, the text tells us that he sneezed seven times?
I did everything I could to find deep theological meaning in the seven sneezes.
Did you know, this is the only place in all of Scripture where someone sneezes?
Which is hard because a lot of times when you are trying to make sense out of a detail in Scripture, you look how that same detail is used in other places.
So, that was no help.
My guess is, if you were Elisha in that moment, mouth to mouth with this dead boy, and all of a sudden he sneezes on you seven times, you’re just going to make sure that detail gets in the story.
You see, the truth is: we pray for healing and for help, and sometimes, God chooses to grant the healing and help exactly as we asked for it.
But let’s be honest, many times he doesn’t.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t know anyone brought back to physical life from physical death because of my prayers.
Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
When God miraculously heals and provides, he is displaying a piece of his kingdom come to earth.
But we must always understand that our prayers for his kingdom come must always be linked to the prayer: your will be done.
Because the truth is that only God in his wisdom knows what is truly best in showing off His glory and working for our ultimate good.
Our Lord Jesus states clearly that the Old Testament Scriptures have as their main goal to bear witness about himself.
Did you notice that Elisha’s plan in sending his staff with his servant to awaken the boy didn’t work?
And even when Elisha came into see the dead body, all he could do was pray to the Lord.
Why? Because Elisha cannot be the hero of the story.
All glory goes to God alone.
Elisha points us forward to a better and greater prophet, the Lord Jesus, who not only spoke on God’s behalf but is God in flesh, the second person of the trinity.
In Luke 7, Jesus and his disciples come across a man’s dead body being carried out to be buried.
And we learn that the dead man was the only son of his mother, a widow.
And when he saw his mother, he spoke to the dead son’s body, and said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!”
And the man sat up and Jesus offered him back to his mother.
And the people proclaimed, “A great prophet has risen among us! God has visited his people!”
Whereas Elisha prayed to God for God to awake the boy.
Jesus simply commanded the boy to rise, for Jesus is God himself.
And what are we to make of Elisha’s posture in prayer?
Verse 34 says Elisha laid on the child’s body, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands, and as he prayed, the boy came back to life.
You see, Jesus came for so much more than to heal some select people and prove to people that He was a prophet of God.
Jesus came down, the son of God, to save us from the very thing that led to death in the first place, our sin and separation from God.
Because we have sinned against God, we deserve the punishment of God and separation from God.
So, God, in love, sent His son Jesus, and Jesus loved us enough that he put himself in our place.
On the cross, Jesus completely covered us, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands, so that the great blow of punishment that we deserved would land on himself instead.
Jesus died in our place for our sin.
Three days later, God raised Jesus from the dead proving that His sacrifice for our sin was fully satisfied.
And if we would trust in Jesus’ work, he would forgive us our sin, and give eternal life to our spirit, so that though we physically die, we will be raised to new life in Christ for eternity.
While we celebrate it when God chooses to let his kingdom break into earth and heal, it is far better to know that we will all finally be perfectly healed, and the reward awaiting us in eternity will not be worth comparing the pains and sufferings we experience in this fallen world.
A saving response to the gospel includes believing in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, and trusting in his resurrection leads us to look forward to and anticipate our final resurrection to be with him.
After the boy came back to life, Elisha has his mother called in, and tells her, “Pick up your son.”
And she responds to this miracle of life by falling to his feet, bowing to the ground.
And receiving the reward of her son alive and well.
The only proper response to God upon hearing and understanding the gospel is bowing your knee to Jesus in worship, receiving the gift of salvation, and looking forward to the promise of eternal rewards and eternal life.
Are you in the midst of a crisis? Has your world fallen apart?
Run to Jesus, he has made it possible to give you full access to your loving Father God.
Share the raw emotions and questions with him.
Don’t worry about making it nice and pretty.
Make you requests known to him.
Then trust that fact that no matter how he responds, the fullness of healing, help, and joy is secure and will be rewarded to you when this fleeting life is over.
Let’s pray.
(Parents, go get kids)
(Elder at couch)
