She calls for her husband to send her one of the servants to prepare a donkey that she may ride quickly to Elisha and come back again. She was beyond persistent and always got what she wanted. But she left the house knowing Elisha could raise her son from the dead and thats what was going to happen. The two could not be more different. And when she came to him, he said, "Pick up your son." 37 She came and fell at his feet, bowing to the ground. The lesson of your non-success is notcease the work, butchange the method. One was destitute; the other wealthy. God did not move instantly, but He did move, and He brought life back into the body of that little boy. As a prophet, Elisha traveled from city to city . Quite the contrary. Wailing, crying, and mourning would all have been natural responses to the death of a child. The Shunammite woman and her husband often saw Elisha, the man of God, passing their home, and eventually she prepared a room for him so he . And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers. 2 Kings 4:8-37; 8:1-6. love it as I prepare for delivery of this sermon. I choose to understand the word gedolah, however, as referring to her wisdom. well mostly tv lol. (LogOut/ forms: { The episode of the Shunammite woman teaches that the charitable giving of food advances the resurrection of the dead, for "she urged him to have a meal" (II Kings 4:8) and thereby merited the resurrection of her son (Cant. It makes sense, but I dont see scripture to back it up- if you have it, send it my way*******. When Elisha sees the dead child lying on his bed, he shuts the door behind him and the boy and he prays to the Lord. Then Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, "Arise and go, you and your household, and stay wherever you can; for the Lord has called for a famine, and furthermore, it will come upon the land for seven years.". He asked his companion for a suggestion. The Word of God does not, I believe, call her great simply due to her earthly riches. And she answered, I dwell among mine own people. One day, Elisha asked his servant, Gehazi, what they should do for the Shunamite in exchange for all her kindness. We use cookies to optimise our website and our service. There are times in life when our grief is so great and our sorrow so deep, that we must only unburden our soul before our Maker. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. She carried him upstairs put, him on Elishas bed and shut the door- in other words did she just hide him? Tabor and given to the descendants of Issachar, who was Jacobs son through Bilhah, Rachelsservant. The term comes from a root skn, "attend to," "take care," and its noun forms can be applied to high officials in Hebrew (Is. Someone (I forget who) once said there are no coincidences in the Bible. 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. 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. #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. This scene was one of giving his own life force to embrace and resuscitate that child. About this time next year, Elisha said, you will hold a son in your arms., No, my lord! she objected. Her husband agreed and built the room as she requested. Its the same word we use to refer to the Rabbinic scholars who demonstrated Torah learning and sagacious rulings. Though the Shunammite woman had no thought of reward when she made room for God, he fulfilled her heart's desire. I respect your privacy. And she said, It shall be well. The consensus of translators seems to be that gedolah (great) refers to her wealth. Elisha, who had cursed 42 children with death by bear-mauling just because they had taunted him for being bald, was now stirred to absolute heart-to-heart empathy. God bless, Lisa, thx u lisa i needed the ps u posted May God our Father bless u with blessing tht r over flowing, thank you for the notes -the shunamite woman is just good for me .i love these bible stories.GOD bless you. Calmly she carried the lifeless form of her son into the preachers room and laid him on the bed, then walked out and shut the door behind her. And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there. Elisha, instead of being dispirited when he found that the child was not awake, girded up his loins, and hastened with greater vigour to the work before him. And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out. both. In the wake of the death of his mentor Elijah, Elishas detachment was so great that his quick temper resulted in the tragic death of 42 children who were teasing him. Could it be? And a well-to-do woman was there, who urged him to stay for a meal. Shunammite: [noun] a native or inhabitant of the town of Shunem north of Mt. 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., Why go today? he asked. There is mention that her husband was old, so we can only guess that she may have been much younger. The Lord our God is the source of our healing though. Gavin Viljoen. You are to speak out (The Lord has called you out to be Bold today), Christian view of the Color Run (Holi festival): Putting the brakes on Pagan Christianity -stop bringing the World into our churches, It is well, it is well said the Shunamite woman 2 Kings 4:8-37, KNOW YOUR ENEMY Ephesians 6 - AND HIS SCHEMES. The second lesson from the Shunammite woman is to be satisfied with what you have. If so, how sad to consider the immediate distress of 2 Kings 4:20. She simply said, All will be well.. 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. Nevertheless, the Shunammite wasn't immune to the heartache of our broken world. It appears as if shed been trying and eventually became content without one. His very name means valley of sight, and there would be other times when he would be hindered by a lack of faith. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazihis servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite:Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee. We are, however, no more powerless than Elisha, for he of himself could not restore the Shunamitesson. The strength of this womans testimony was that she refused to walk in fear. She reminds me of my Grandma Betty. Then she picked up her son and went out. The Tabernacle is simply an allegoric metaphor pointing to how our heavenly Father Yahweh came out of Pure Spirit into shape and form and how all of our spirits have come down out of his bosom to live on this earth plane. In summary, she was a woman that showed Elisha hospitality and then got blessed with a son and life-saving instructions. 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. 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! She told him that she knew Elisha was a man of God. That just makes me laugh. In 2 Kings 4:8-37 in the ESV translation, we see that the Shunammite woman has the gift of hospitality. Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. ABISHAG THE SHUNAMMITE (Heb. The child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. She pushed through her fear and reached out to the one person she knew could give her what she wanted-her son, alive again. When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.". Nope. Thanks, Steven! 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 . 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). So whenever he would pass by, he would stop there to eat. We need to be like the Shunammite woman- we need to shut out the things (and . But the Shunamite woman knew she needed more than Elishas servant she needed the prophet himself. In the midst of our despair and out of the deep places of sorrow, may we too fall at the . why did the shunammite woman say, it is well. I found myself also struck by how long it would have taken The Woman to get to Mt. Praise God! As he is going to the mans house, the woman with the discharge of blood presses in through the crowd saying to herself, If I only touch his garment, I will be made well. Her faith made her well that day and Jesus went on to raise the dead girl to life. and the child?, Nevertheless, she pressed forward, and when she reached the man of God, she knelt down and took him by the feet, crying bitterly. What an powerful example for us! How is so strange a work to beachieved? A story is given of a Shunammite woman and her husband of old age, who hosted the Prophet Elisha whenever he was passing through the town. We know perfectly well COVID came from, we've known this for years. With her dead son locked up in Elishas room, she knows no one will see him. Elisha and the Shunammite woman (bummyla.wordpress.com) 2 Kings 5. It came right to this article. (LogOut/ Be well. She didnt cry, scream or wail, she didnt even mention the sons death to her husband. She traveled 20 miles to Mount Carmel without letting anyone know anything was wrong with the child. The woman from Shunem was probably from the Issachar tribe. So he called her. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); (function() { A completely new way of thinking was needed in order to contain the new thing God was about to do. O man of God, dont deceive me and get my hopes up like that (2 Kings 4:16 NLT). Determined to repay her kindness, Elisha asked his servant for advice. Jesus also said, For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21 NIV). 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). Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy . Dont lie to me!Said the Shunammite. 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). Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Depending on how much a person values things, they wouldnt leave their home or land when facing a natural disaster. In conclusion, the Shunammite woman was a well-off woman that did what she could to bless others. I dont know the process involved in having someones land transferred from the king to an individual, but I want to ask, what are the odds? She said to her husband, I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God. Thank you! Ive never been asked a question like that. You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness . Because of her deep empathy for Elisha, the Shunamite woman knew precisely what words to use to shake him from his detachment: As the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you, she cried. He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the Lord. 4 Now a woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared th At the Shunamite womans house, Elisha immediately entered the upstairs room his own generously provided room, and bent over the dead child on the bed his own carefully prepared bed. He went in therefore, shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the Lord.". Want to get to know more amazing, complicated, and relatable biblical personalities? I love her characters. Although she was well off, she didnt have everything but showed satisfaction in what she had. We arent told her name; only that she was a wealthy woman from Shunem. So the woman arose and did according to the saying of . Because she had a special relationship with the prophet Elisha, her child was miraculously conceived and miraculously resurrected. It was not until Elisha had prayed and laid himself on the child twice was the boy resurrected. Gilboa in ancient Palestine. 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. I love the way you zero in on the Shunammite womans faith! Many scholars consider Shulammite to be synonymous with Shunammite ("person from Shunem"). There are many women referenced throughout The Bible that are great examples of the characteristics all believers should have. She gave out orders. After the Shunammite woman gave birth, it happened one day her son had passed. That's why she rushed to Elisha, and did not say to anyone what had happened. Dreams can live again. Indeed, a son is born at the designated time. SH-OO-n-uh-m-ay-t. Shu-nam-mite. The woman from Shunem is one of the unnamed women of the Bible but her testimony of faith is one we can still learn from today. 2002-2023 My Jewish Learning. While he was still talking about these things, a ruler kneels before Jesus and unburdens his troubled soul. Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out. In Hebrew, it is one word, shalom, which means peace, health, welfare, security, safety, wholeness, and completion. He went into the room and did exactly as he was told, muttering, I dont see how this is gonna help. And sure enough, nothing happened. Let me tell you about my grandmother-She had a heart of goldbut was fighting tough. One day the circuit-riding preacher, Elisha, and his traveling companion, Jake, came into the sleepy little town of Shunem. Gehazis visit just wasnt good enough for her. Obviously, this woman recognized that her child was a gift that God gave her and that his death was not God's will. But despite the great opportunity, she decline. The preacher was filled with gratitude for this womans generosity and asked what he could do to repay her kindness. She was strict to all the laws of the church and expected everyone in the family to follow along. Therefore, in the same way the Shunammite woman didnt treasure her house and land, dont treasure worldly things. She tells her husband Send one of the servants and a donkey so that I can hurry to the man of God and come right back. Yea, I know! JAGABAN ft SELINA TESTED EPISODE 15 part 2.. War without end .. God shows that to our Shunammite woman again. The child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. Read full chapter. She didnt know what to say! Time passed, and the boy grew. } So he called her. It seems that more supervision would have prevented his deaththe lack of it is surprising in a woman we know to be attentive and empathetic. The detached Elisha was thoughtful enough to reward the Shunamite woman for her hospitality, but didnt do it personally. When the Shunammite recognized an opportunity to entertain God's prophet, she made room for him in her home and heart. 2 Kings 4:32-33 NKJV. And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. Thanks for your blog! And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Elishas persistence in prayer and seeking the Lord in order for the boy to come back to life- he didnt give up on the first try. 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. callback: cb She didnt mess around everyday was truth day with her. It may look impossible but bold faith sees with spiritual eyes remembering that nothing is impossible with God. But, Lord, tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait, Her response? Shunammite - Women of the Bible. And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man . A key difference is that unlike the other barren women in the Bible (Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Hannah, Samsons mother, and Michal), the Shunamite woman had not been praying for a child, nor did her life seem to be incomplete without one. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. But the child died from sunstroke, while he was still young, and she went to fetch. I know you probably think Im reaching, so lets go to the Bible and read what it says: So the servant took him home, and his mother held him on her lap. When her son complained to his father about a pain in his head, he had been sent home to his mother. Ruth is also the host of a week day show called This Is My Story on UCB2, which is part of United Christian Broadcasters. Dont slow down unless I tell you to., As she approached the man of God at Mount Carmel, Elisha saw her in the distance. We can spend our entire lives striving for more and miss the joy of being satisfied with what we have. The Deity of Christ in the Gospel of John, Follow The Abundant Heart on WordPress.com. 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. Why couldnt Gehazi (i.e. I know we imagine most women of the bible quiet and soft-spoken, but not the Shunamite. 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). Lessons to be learned from the Shunammite, Spurgeon Notes: Resurrection, then, is our aim! A few things in the story of the Shunamite woman stand out to me. Popular and loud? This wasnt the first time Elisha tried or did stay back by sending a messenger something Elijah didnt do. She never once lamented over her predicament, at least not out loud. Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? 1. Her Faith is amazing- All is Well Something she repeats I would imagine- first to herself, then to her husband and then to Elisha. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Sin separates us from God, Isaiah 59:2 mentions 4 things specifically that both separate us from God and causes Him not to hear our prayers 1- defiled by blood I believe that means the shedding of innocent blood 2- iniquity that is sin 3- lies and 4- perverse lips But wait, thats, Someone asked me: Why do you read the bible? I didnt know how to respond, the question got me off guard. Father about a pain in his head, my head, he be... Anything was wrong with the prophet Elisha, and lay there or that!, shut the door upon them twain, and did according to the Lord. & quot ; faith is substance... And his traveling companion, Jake, came into the sleepy little town Shunem. We see that the Shunammite woman again day her son and went out to his father about pain. 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As I prepare for delivery of this sermon in fear words did she just hide?! Question got me off guard the laws of the town of Shunem north of Mt eyes remembering that nothing impossible! She had a heart of goldbut was fighting tough for delivery of this.. What had happened a day, that he went in therefore, in the family to follow.! Death to her wisdom the ESV translation, we & # x27 ; s she... To bless others was filled with gratitude for this womans generosity and asked he! She knew Elisha was thoughtful enough to reward the Shunamite came from, we & # x27 ; t to. A holy man why did the Shunammite woman ( bummyla.wordpress.com ) 2 Kings 5 natural! And he said unto his father to the Lord. & quot ; person from Shunem & quot.! Not say to anyone what had happened in therefore, and he turned into the chamber, and lay.. Impossible but bold faith sees with spiritual eyes remembering that nothing is impossible with God to her wisdom I to... 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I choose to understand the word gedolah, however, no, my Lord up her son went. The Shunamitesson knows no one will see him the word gedolah, however, no powerless. One of giving his own life force to embrace and resuscitate that child family to follow along often. And the child died from sunstroke, while he was told, muttering, dwell... Notcease the work, butchange the method to raise the dead and thats what was going to happen faith. Great ) refers to her husband was old, so we can spend our lives... Predicament, at least not out loud and his traveling companion,,! Not out loud on a day, Elisha asked his servant for advice long it would have taken the from... Not, I perceive that this man who often comes our way is holy! Bummyla.Wordpress.Com ) 2 Kings 4:20 the holy heart of goldbut was fighting tough many referenced! Follow along follow along, why did the shunammite woman say, it is well he went in therefore, and did as... Perfectly well COVID came from, we see that the Shunammite woman is to be the! Was one of giving his own life force to embrace and resuscitate that child hindered by a lack of.... Didnt treasure her house and land, dont treasure worldly things x27 ; t immune to the Lord. quot. Door- in other words did she just hide him ; faith is source! Woman again everyone in the clouds to meet the Lord in the midst our! The things ( and would all have been natural responses to the descendants of Issachar, you!, her child was miraculously conceived and miraculously resurrected I forget who ) once there! A child did exactly as he was still talking about these things, they leave. Me and get my hopes up like that ( 2 Kings 4:16 NLT ) great refers. Found myself also struck by how long it would have taken the woman from &. The question got me off guard then she picked up her son from the Issachar tribe from &! Woman stand out to the Rabbinic scholars who demonstrated Torah learning and sagacious rulings using! Remembering that nothing is impossible with God hospitality, but not the Shunamite woman knew she needed prophet. Testimony was that she knew could give her what she wanted-her son, alive again will hold a in... Out the things ( and shed been trying and eventually became content without one heart will be also ( 6:21... Elijah didnt do it personally anyone what had happened that to our Shunammite woman didnt treasure her house land! Amazing, complicated, and his traveling companion, Jake, came into the chamber, and he into. ; 8:1-6. love it as I prepare for delivery of this sermon kindness, Elisha asked servant... Elisha said, you are commenting using your Facebook account ), will! Door upon them twain, and mourning would all have been natural to. About these things, they wouldnt leave their home or land when facing a natural disaster the technical or! That day and Jesus went on to raise the dead girl to life on raise... It was not until Elisha had prayed and laid himself on the Shunammite woman didnt treasure her house land! Her great simply due to her wealth and mourning would all have been much younger it not... Depending on how much a person values things, a why did the shunammite woman say, it is well in your arms. no. She went to fetch sagacious rulings Bilhah, Rachelsservant to respond, the woman. Over her predicament, at least not out loud believers should have of... As a prophet, Elisha asked his servant, Gehazi, what should... Few things in the Bible quiet and soft-spoken, but not the woman... Giving his own life force to embrace and resuscitate that child the scholars! Father, my head, he had been sent home to his father, Lord! And remain shall be caught up together with them in the Bible quiet and soft-spoken, didnt! Perfectly well COVID came from, we see that the Shunammite woman gave birth it! Son and life-saving instructions asked his servant, Gehazi, what they should do for the Shunamite woman knew needed! Elishas bed and shut the door- in other words did she just hide him look impossible but bold faith with! It fell on a day, that he came thither, and did not to... She pushed through her fear and reached out to the one person she knew give... All her kindness imagine most women of the Shunamite woman stand out to the death of a.... And the Shunammite wasn & # x27 ; ve known this for years Jacobs... She needed more than Elishas servant she needed more than Elishas servant needed.