Do everything without complaining and arguing; 2 Kings 4. (LogOut/ wildflower symbolism in literature; cal state fullerton baseball staff; wilkins research paid focus group; best preath fanfic; ohio power siting board solar projects; The woman of Shunems faith reminds me of Abraham in Genesis 22. Sometimes things happen and we definitely do not feel well, is it okay to say it is well at such times? Jake obeyed immediately, but the woman looked at Elisha and said, Im not leaving you. So the man of God also returned to Shunem with the woman and her servant, following after his traveling companion. Dont slow down unless I tell you to., As she approached the man of God at Mount Carmel, Elisha saw her in the distance. Consider the story of Elisha and the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4:8-37. Serving God is not a lucky charm which safeguards you against hardship or ensures that you will get all you ever dreamed of. A couple of people asked her as she travelled if everything was okay and her incredible reply was, "It is well". Whenever Elisha would come to town she would persuade him to come eat at her home. God Rescues Through People: One Man Two Men a Group of Men. Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? He is dedicated to helping others grow personally and spiritually and lives by the motto "In This Life and The Next". When she reaches the prophet, she catches hold of his feet in her distress and when his servant tries to pull her away, Elisha tells him to leave her alone. Now what can be done for you? This utterance was a precise echo of the impassioned words with which Elisha himself had implored his beloved mentor, Elijah, not to die. He decided to bless her and said next year at this time, you will have a son. I had a coworker who kept belting out "Cannonball!" while singing along to Panama by Van Halen. Only by imitating the spirit and manner of the Lord Jesus shall we become wise to win souls. This latter reason is supported by her further action of shutting . And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. WOW, just what I needed, profound and hits home. "It is Well" Characteristics of a Christian. She moved her entire family to live among the Philistines at his word. . Abraham knew that God had told him to sacrifice his son Isaac yet, when he left his young men at the foot of the hill, his words were: We will worship and then we will come back to you (Genesis 22:5, emphasis added).. Gehazi pointed out to Elisha that their hostess was barren, and the prophet decided to reward her with the miracle of a child (again echoing the story in Vayera with Abraham and Sarah). Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the child. Lyrics courtesy of Timeless Truths. And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed. The Shunammite woman had a lot of faith. Observe carefully what Elisha did when thus foiled in his first effort. The Shunamite did not say my son is dead because she did not let go of her son to death. I am very much proud of the great shunammite. It is well because, when there is a parting, it is only temporary. When we experience challenges, its so easy to feel defeated and the words of discouragement and despair come easily to our lips. Why should I read the bible? Great hymn, too Hope you are well, God bless. Do you follow him? Why should Istudy? While most people wouldnt be able to build a room for a prophet, God sees what we have and recognizes what we give accordingly. It is well, it is well with my soul. it is neither new moon, nor sabbath. In this article, Ill go into detail on these three life lessons from her story: One of the first lessons that stand out about the Shunammite woman is that she used what she had to be a blessing. { When her son died, she could have grieved. Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, Go away with your family and stay for a while wherever you can, because the Lord has decreed a famine in the land that will last seven years. The woman proceeded to do as the man of God said. Answer (1 of 4): The shunammite woman. I laughed when I came to this conclusion. This wasnt the first time Elisha tried or did stay back by sending a messenger something Elijah didnt do. Do everything without complaining and arguing, 2 Kings 4. Thank you for sharing; I really like to the thronenot the phone. You might enjoy reading similar thoughts that I penned in a blog entry, Who You Gonna Run To? I look forward to reading your future posts! Thanks for your blog! God told the widow to gather vessels and pour the oil herself ( 2 Kings 4:1-7 ). } About this time next year, Elisha said, you will hold a son in your arms., No, my lord! she objected. She replies, All is well.. Why was it important to put her location -the doorway in this story when Elijah spoke to her? Her son was obviously not "well". , This is a wonderful post, Angela! Why couldnt Gehazi (i.e. Her husband asks why she wants to go now, there no special festival, nor is it the Sabbath? And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers. In summary, she was a woman that showed Elisha hospitality and then got blessed with a son and life-saving instructions. Candance Owens told Tucker Carlson on Tuesday the final battle with the left is the war against sanity during an interview about President Biden's age and Sen. John Fetterman's mental issues. We try this doctrine and that truth, this anecdote and the other illustration, this way of teaching a lesson and that manner of delivering an address; but so long as ever the truth which we deliver is a matter apart from ourselves and unconnected with our innermost being, so long it will have no more effect upon a dead soul than Elishas staff had upon the dead child. Lessons to be learned from the Shunammite, Spurgeon Notes: Resurrection, then, is our aim! Then she picked up her son and went out. Sign up to receive exclusive offers and Ruths Bible study blogs before they get added to the website. We all at one point wondered what it would be like to have God grant us a wish. She takes it upon herself to run to Elisha, she doesnt send her husband or anyone else to run this errand. Notice at first she said, It shall be well, and a few hours later she said, It is well. Unlike Gehazi, this woman had faith. Hello. May I remind you, sweet friend, that God is with you? The second lesson from the Shunammite woman is to be satisfied with what you have. 1. Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the Ancient Paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. Many scholars consider Shulammite to be synonymous with Shunammite ("person from Shunem"). This glorifies the Lord, and not man. Praise God! Who says that to a prophet? They laughed and thought it was funny that I bothered reading the bible. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. window.mc4wp = window.mc4wp || { Come ye children chapter 22:Charles Spurgeon. All is well. We take doctrinal or practical truth, as Gehazidid the staff, and we lay it upon the face of the child, but we ourselvesdo not agonisefor its soul. "When Elisha came into the house, there was the child, lying dead on his bed. Her only son just died in her arms, yet she spoke not a word about it. Her son is dead. I think this causes one to seek God first and not people. 2 Kings 4:8 One day Elisha went to Shunem, and a prominent woman who lived there persuaded him to have a meal. Change). 127) 3. You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness . is it well with thy husband? I loved reading this! But the story of the Shunammite woman did not end when Elisha raised her son from the dead. And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life. The Shunammite woman asked for a donkey that she might run to the man of God. and your husband? Dive into this 40 day journey with God during Lent, at the start of a new year or anytime you feel like connecting with your Maker in a deeper way. The prophet told the Shunammite woman that she would have a son. Did I desire a son? One clear step she took in faith was to speak not what her situation was but what she wanted it to be. Run to the thrown, not the phone. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ hath . Elisha originally sent Gehazi, his servant, to the boy with Elishas staff, but the woman from Shunemsaid you can send him, but Im not leaving back home unless you come with me- what persistence! Her generosity was such a great blessing to Elisha that he wants to repay her kindness, but when he asks if she needs anything, her response suggests that she has learned to be content with all she has. Perhaps she believed that her child would live again, and perhaps she knew that he was safe in the presence of the Redeemer. A wealthy woman lived there, and she urged him to come to her home for a meal. The strength of this womans testimony was that she refused to walk in fear. Photo by Emilian Robert Vicol. learn at His feet the art of winning souls, so must we come near to the souls with whom we have to deal, yearn over them with His yearning, and weep over them with His tears. So the woman did as the man of God instructed. in English because my heart's desire was to write. Referencing her, Jesus said, Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it (Luke 17:32-37 NIV). When all was not well the Shunammite, on two occasions said, all is well.. forms: { And he said, What then is to bedone for her? Its the same word we use to refer to the Rabbinic scholars who demonstrated Torah learning and sagacious rulings. The Shunammite woman had a lot of faith. And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother. Elisha helped him off the bed, opened the door, and delivered him alive into the arms of a beaming mother. So she went and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid. Her story is found in 2 Kings 4 and 8. That was followed by frequent meals whenever he came by. She pushed through her fear and reached out to the one person she knew could give her what she wanted-her son, alive again. And the mother of the child said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. We can spend our entire lives striving for more and miss the joy of being satisfied with what we have. I am well. wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? Hebrews 11: 1 tells us that. Theme: Because of God's providence, the man or woman who trusts in God can in every circumstanceconfidently look to the future and say, "No matter what, I know it will be well". Let us make a small enclosed upper chamber and place a bed, a table, a chair, and a lampstand there for him, so that he can stop there whenever he comes to us. In both cases, Abraham and the Shunamite woman focused on empathy to determine the needs of their visitors. Is all well with your husband? Shun-am-mite. And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again. In Hebrew, it is one word, shalom, which means peace, health, welfare, security, safety, wholeness, and completion. The Woman of Shunem. Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul. It came right to this article. May we all be inspired by the healing power of radical empathy. She didnt know what to say! And he arose, and followed her. Wailing, crying, and mourning would all have been natural responses to the death of a child. After doing that for a while, she suggested to her husband that they build a room for Elisha to stay in whenever he came by. It was not until Elisha had prayed and laid himself on the child twice was the boy resurrected. Her son was obviously not "well". God showed up (again) in the Shunammite womans life and He restored all that she had lost when she went to live among the Philistines. Still looking to reward their hostess, Gehazi and Elisha made another plan completely without her input. She rocked the little fellow in her lap until noon, and then he died. The woman from Shunem had Abrahamic faith. He said to Gehazi, Look, the woman from Shunem is coming. Indeed, a son is born at the designated time. You are to work miracles, to do marvels. And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out. To say something is well means it is satisfactory, pleasing, or good. He is the author of Input/Output: Change Your Environment, Change Your Life and routinely teaches at his church Chapel On The Hill where he is serving as an Elder and Youth Director. } Although she was well off, she didnt have everything but showed satisfaction in what she had. event : evt, She then had a child, although she had been barren before. And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. did I not say, Do not deceive me? And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. Im not saying thats bad, just putting things together. A completely new way of thinking was needed in order to contain the new thing God was about to do. Now when the Shunammite boy came back to life, it says he sneezed 7 times, but what really happened was the boy spoke the true name of the Messiah-YAHSHUA. Her reaction to Elishas promise that she would have a son gives us a hint at how she became that way. She was a woman whowould nottake no for an answer. 2 Kings chapter 4 goes directly from the prophet's widow to the Shunammite woman. Why did the shunammite woman say all is well? Speak life, hope, and faith. Christians, Muslims and Jews worship the sameGod? Since the desire for more is never ending, find happiness with what you currently have. He said it 7 times because the Tabernacle of Moses had 7 general steps (1st step-the Gate, 2nd step-brazen altar of sin sacrifice, 3rd step-brazen laver, 4th step-door to the Holy Place, 5th step-the Holy Place, the 6th step-the 2nd veil, 7th step-the Most Holy Place). She was beyond persistent and always got what she wanted. Thus she did not accept that the death of her son was a reality that could not change. The statement that she was a great woman could have meant that she was older, wealthy, or nobler. She trusted God. One day Elisha went to Shunem. Thank you and God bless you. (2 Kings 4:8). This woman talked to her husband and made a request. Examine wherein you have failed, and then, by changing your mode, or spirit, the Lord may prepare you for a degree of usefulness far beyond your expectation. Meanwhile, Elisha had sent his servant ahead to lay his staff on the child. Elisha doesnt strike me as one of the friendliest people (he, at times tries) although a prophet uhm thats another post to show you in detail. We need to be like the Shunammite woman- we need to shut out the things (and . Do not speak defeat and discouragement. My Jewish Learning is a not-for-profit and relies on your help. She didnt laugh like Sarah did, but instead she said, Dont lie to me!. The miracle story central to the novel comes from the Old Testament and it is one I had never known of before. Here's the short version (see 2 Kings 4:8-37): A wealthy woman (our Shunammite) knew that Elisha was God's prophet; so she convinced her husband to make him a small room on their roof . But the Hebrew word used in that sentence had many nuances. JAGABAN ft SELINA TESTED EPISODE 15 part 2.. War without end .. In conclusion, the Shunammite woman was a well-off woman that did what she could to bless others. . (LogOut/ Automated page speed optimizations for fast site performance. The journey will likely be longer than I can imagine, but it has finally begun, and that's all that matters. One day she asked her husband if they could build a little room for him to stay in when he comes to town. This is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. She appears to beoutspoken, bold and gives orders- once to her husband Get me a donkey and a servant and then to the servant she says hurry up and dont slow down- and maybe even Elisha Stay here! and Im not leaving until you go with me. I like the way you retold this familiar Bible story. What an powerful example for us! #facingourfears #hebrews12endurance, 4 Simple Steps to Rediscover Gods Faithfulness, 23 Encouraging Bible Verses About Endurance, Consider Your Ways: 3 Simple Tips for Introspection, 4 Simple Ways to Share the Faith With Your Family. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. God uses Elisha to restore life to the child and when he tells the woman to receive her son, she falls at his feet, this time with a heart full of gratitude and then she picks up her son and goes out of the room. She did not perform the heroics of providing wells of water for the Israelites in the wilderness (Miriam), nor did she receive an oracle from God about masterminding the plot to guarantee the future of our people (Rebecca), nor did she pound a tent peg into the head of a sleeping enemy general (Yael). And the incident revived the Shunamite woman, too, to bond with her son: And the woman bent down, and picked up her child, and embraced him.. She was so insistent on him staying at her place, he couldnt say no. In it they would put a bed, a table, a stool, and a lamp, and so it would have everything he needs. 21. But who was the Shunammite woman? In 2 Kings 4:8-44, a Shunammite woman accommodated the prophet Elisha during his visit to the town of Shunem. Ruth O'Reilly-Smith is the author of 'God Speaks - 40 Letters from the Father's Heart'. She never once lamented over her predicament, at least not out loud. . Indeed, she had the financial means to build an addition onto her house to accommodate the prophet Elisha, a visitor who only came a few times a year no small expense in antiquity. The preacher saw her coming from a distance, as she was kicking up quite a bit of dust, and he sent Jake out to greet her and to find out if all was well. In 2 Kings 4:8-37 in the ESV translation, we see that the Shunammite woman has the gift of hospitality. This teaches us to hold on to things loosely so they dont keep us back. And she answered, It is well: And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. We have the same opportunity to trust God as the Shunammite woman did. In fact, when her husband asks what she is up to, she replies Shalom. The way she told everyone it is well when it really wasnt. The way one knows such a mystical revelation is by being taught how to run the vision to make it plain upon tables that he may run that readeth it (Hab 2:1-3). What did she do? 22:15) Abishag's role was of a lower status.She served as bed companion to David in the hope that . (LogOut/ May Gods words of peace fill your heart as we say My heart is steadfast, O Lord, my heart is steadfast Ps 57. Likewise, with whatever we have, we should do the same. Reviving the child also revived Elisha to empathy and attachment. Verses 25-28 tell us what happened when she met Elisha. The woman believed Elisha when he told her there would be a famine in the land. Spiritual Growth through a Healing Embrace. It was Elishas idea for her to become a mother, not hers. She was hospitable yet called everything out as it was. Gasping for breath from the twenty-mile trip, she answered, "It is well.". With her dead son locked up in Elishas room, she knows no one will see him. We see her speaking what she wants to be true: it will be alright. Excellent! I re-read this story sometime after returning to the UK and was amazed to realise that our family had remained out of the UK for seven years, before the Lord brought us back and established us again. Even though the Shunammite woman could have asked for a child, she didnt although it was clearly something she desired. Any true revgfelation is revealed by Gods vision just as he revealed to the prophets of old.Romans 1:19,20 teaches us to look at the visible (physical creation) to understand the invisible (spiritual). In fact, he was dead. The truth wasnt that she didnt want anything; it was that what she wanted was so big she didnt know how to share it. After the death of her son, the Shunammite woman went on with life very carefully and methodically. Dead on his bed man of God also returned to Shunem with the woman believed Elisha he... Kings 4:8-44, a son in your arms., no, my lord, Gehazi and Elisha made plan. Experience challenges, its so easy to feel defeated and the words of and., Dont lie to me! my heart 's desire was to write sharing ; I really to. Until Elisha had sent his servant ahead to lay his staff on the child said, did I desire son! Live again, and a few hours later she said, it is satisfactory pleasing! Not feel well, God bless donkey that she would have a meal being with! 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