Her response to Elisha showed how amazing the idea of becoming a mother was to her: No, my lord! she cried. Do you follow him? She rocked the little fellow in her lap until noon, and then he died. Some say he had a sun stroke, but whatever it was, he came in saying my head hurts!my head hurts. She falls at Elisha's feet and takes her living son with her out of the room. But the story of the Shunammite woman did not end when Elisha raised her son from the dead. God will not bless those teachers who do not grasp in their hearts the really fallen estate of their children. Praise God! 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). She was hospitable yet called everything out as it was. . 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. The miracle story central to the novel comes from the Old Testament and it is one I had never known of before. and your husband? 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. This statement shows that the Shunammite woman and Elisha retained their relationship. For her reward, God gave the woman a miracle: a son of her own. We see her speaking what she wants to be true: it will be alright. Whenever Elisha travels through the town of Shunem, him and his servant, Gehazi eat with the Shunammite and her husband. God did not move instantly, but He did move, and He brought life back into the body of that little boy. Second Kings 8 tells us that the Shunammite woman went to the king to ask for him to reinstate her land to her. 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 . (Contrast that to Sarah, the original helicopter mom.). 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. A gedolah, a great woman. My sin, not in part but the whole, We need to be like the Shunammite woman- we need to shut out the things (and . In the story, the prophet Elisha warns this woman to leave her home and travel wherever she could because a famine was coming on the land for seven years. { Both, however, needed a miracle, which the prophet Elisha provided. We use cookies to optimise our website and our service. Meanwhile, Elisha had sent his servant ahead to lay his staff on the child. It may be that the Shunammite woman failed under this test, because she thought that the power to heal was more connected with Elisha himself and she refused to leave his presence ( I will not leave you ). The story unfolds among four principal characters: Elisha, God's prophet; Gehazi, his assistant; the Shunammite woman, a wealthy and pious woman; and her young son, miraculously born. One day the circuit-riding preacher, Elisha, and his traveling companion, Jake, came into the sleepy little town of Shunem. There are no coincidences in the Bible, theres only Providence. It was just what I needed. The detached Elisha was thoughtful enough to reward the Shunamite woman for her hospitality, but didnt do it personally. One day Elisha went to Shunem. You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness . When her husband asked her why, she simply said, "It is well.". In 2 Kings 4:8-37 in the ESV translation, we see that the Shunammite woman has the gift of hospitality. but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul. Elisha quickly sends Gehazi to take his staff and lay it on the face of the child, but the mother of the boy refuses to leave him, and so he goes with her. She was marriedbut had no children. } Not much is revealed of the woman, but we know according to the scripture that it was revealed unto her that Elisha was a man of God and that she and her husband had no children and He was an old man. He delivered this prophecy to her: At this season next year you will be embracing a son., The woman indeed became a mother and then we read of her child wandering in the heat of the day without water, becoming dehydrated, then sick, and ultimately dying. And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there. Its the same word we use to refer to the Rabbinic scholars who demonstrated Torah learning and sagacious rulings. It is well, it is well with my soul. You see, she was persistent, called out the orders, made things happen and tried her best to do what was right. But, this woman from Shunem didn't panic. Elisha feels that there must be something the matter, to account for the Shunammite's coming to him so unexpectedly. If it looked life threatening, you would think the father would go in with him, but whatever was wrong with him, he needed to be carried back home. In fact, he was dead. He saw her eyes, swollen from sobbing. She is most likely called the Shulammite because she came from an unidentified place . In spite of the woman's uncertainties, she conceives and bears a son the following spring (2 Kings 4:17 ). With her dead son locked up in Elishas room, she knows no one will see him. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ hath . This woman talked to her husband and made a request. The Heart Of Faith. I trust we are all of us already aware that the man who lives in the region offaith dwells in the realm of miracles.Elisha was no common man now that Gods Spirit was upon him, calling him to Gods work, and aiding him in it. Come ye children chapter 22:Charles Spurgeon. Her Faith is amazing- All is Well Something she repeats I would imagine- first to herself, then to her husband and then to Elisha. Its not often when unnamed characters in the Bible show up in more than one place. This woman got permission from her husband to set up a guest room for Elisha, acknowledging Elisha as a true prophet and holy man of God. The Shunammite woman had a lot of faith. This latter reason is supported by her further action of shutting . And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man . Well, when one sneezes, one is having an involuntary bodily function occur to cast out virus that has become lodged in the lungswhen one sneezes to remove those virus (demons) it is by the name YAHSHUA as we sneeze that is the sound that is made by the human body to effectively remove or cast out those germs/virusesunderstand? Let me speak to you a few moments today on the Great Woman of Shunem. Good teaching, and timely. I love the marvelous stories from Elijah and Elisha. The Bible very clearly tells us that we need to walk by faith, and not by sight (2 Cor. Does it not rather direct us to our true power by shutting us out from our own fancied might? God Speaks is a beautiful hardcover gift book featuring forty short letters that have been compiled from the promises and affirmations of God in the Bible. The woman believed Elisha when he told her there would be a famine in the land. 1. 2. The Shunammite woman asked for a donkey that she might run to the man of God. I could see her saying the exact words the Shunamitesaid Dont lie to me. He gave her a son. 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. And he arose, and followed her. For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: In the midst of our despair and out of the deep places of sorrow, may we too fall at the feet of the one who turns our mourning into dancing and lovingly clothes us with gladness. A desire fulfilled is a tree of life (Proverbs 13:12)! To say something is well means it is satisfactory, pleasing, or good. Elisha helps a poor widow. 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. Need this fact discourage us? Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Jake) revive the boy? The miracle story central to the novel comes from the Old Testament and it is one I had never known of before. How could she have said It is well when it wasnt?!? She is only mentioned once by the title "Shulammite," in Song of Solomon 6:13. When all was not well the Shunammite, on two occasions said, all is well.. It is one of my favorite stories, and how she reappears in chapter 8. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. But she did none of those things. Each of these four miraclesmultiplying the widow's oil ( II Kings 4:1-7 ), raising the Shunammite's son ( II Kings 4:8-37 ), purifying the pot of stew ( II Kings 4:38-41) and feeding a hundred men ( II Kings 4:42-44 . Her persistence in keeping Elisha at her house and persistence again in refusing to return home without Elisha going with her, Her boldness before Elisha, the king and in her words, Her authority in her orders and her words. Although she would be leaving her house and land, she did just that. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.. 9 And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.. 10 Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall . In conclusion, the Shunammite woman was a well-off woman that did what she could to bless others. So she saddled the donkey and told the servant, Ride like the devils after us, and dont stop unless I say so. The servant obeyed, and they covered the distance, roughly twenty miles, in record time. 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. It was not until Elisha had prayed and laid himself on the child twice was the boy resurrected. 21. Jesus also said, For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21 NIV). Use whatever resources you have to be a blessing to others. This teaches us to hold on to things loosely so they dont keep us back. Gehazi arrives ahead of them and places the staff on the face of the child, but he returns to tell Elisha there is still no sign of life in the boy. A wealthy woman lived there, and she urged him to come to her home for a meal. And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. As a representative of God, having a prophet ask you what you desire is a great opportunity. Her son is dead. The Shunamite womans capacity for empathy, her ability to grow spiritually and facilitate the spiritual growth of others, her willingness to be proactive, and her humility are all qualities that I cherish and seek to emulate. She didnt cry, scream or wail, she didnt even mention the sons death to her husband. So the woman did as the man of God instructed. love it as I prepare for delivery of this sermon. The woman is described as a wealthy married woman in the village of Shunem. And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers. 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 truth wasnt that she didnt want anything; it was that what she wanted was so big she didnt know how to share it. Though the Shunammite woman had no thought of reward when she made room for God, he fulfilled her heart's desire. Tabor and given to the descendants of Issachar, who was Jacobs son through Bilhah, Rachelsservant. Can we speak on your behalf to the king or the commander of the army?, She replied, I have a home among my own people.. She replies, All is well.. As teachers, we imitate the modes and methods of our glorified Master, and learn at His feet the art of winning souls. She was beyond persistent and always got what she wanted. May we all be inspired by the healing power of radical empathy. The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); (function() { And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight, Her soul is bitter within her, and the Lord has hidden it from me., Then the woman spoke, tears streaming down her face. The Shunamite did not say my son is dead because she did not let go of her son to death. She never once lamented over her predicament, at least not out loud. Do everything without complaining and arguing, 2 Kings 4. Gehazi lays the staff upon the face of the child but he doesn't awake. (LogOut/ "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.". The prophet can tell shes upset, but the Lord had kept the reason from him and so she unburdens her sorrow before the man of God. Even though the Shunammite woman could have asked for a child, she didnt although it was clearly something she desired. Ruth O'Reilly-Smith is the author of 'God Speaks - 40 Letters from the Father's Heart'. I first encountered her during the global recession of 2008, when my husband had been offered a job in Dubai. Im not saying thats bad, just putting things together. She was generous and hospitable, she was a wealthy and capable woman who showed great kindness to one of God's prophets. I know we imagine most women of the bible quiet and soft-spoken, but not the Shunamite. Oh, trump of the angel! 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. Second Kings 8 begins with these words. Although she was well off, she didn't have everything but showed satisfaction in what she had. 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. And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? His mother held him on her lap, but thenthe boydied. it is neither new moon, nor sabbath. I was silent, but in my mind were millions of reasons I read, Instructions on how to watch the series ( from the producer) You dont understand everything yet, you wont know its in the bible, dont say I dont recognize this from the bible or ask where did they get that from? window.mc4wp.listeners.push( JAGABAN ft SELINA TESTED EPISODE 15 part 2.. War without end .. In other words when we breathe we inhale-Yah, we exhale Wehwhen we sneeze we involuntarily say YAHSHUA, It is good as a man of God also to know what you are doing in faith we must have the true faith and know that all power and authority has been given to us and we have power to raise the dead,heal the sick,to set free those who are oppressed by the devil and to preach the gospel news and Elisha must be a good example to us. 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. He is dedicated to helping others grow personally and spiritually and lives by the motto "In This Life and The Next". Whats going on? Why does the Shunammite woman insist that all is well when her beloved child has just died? She said to her husband, " I know that this man who often comes our way is a . One thing is certain, that whether you live or die, if you live in Christ or die in Christ, all is well. And hath shed His own blood for my soul. 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). Out of the Bible quiet and soft-spoken, but he doesn & # x27 ; t have everything but satisfaction., Gehazi eat with the Shunammite woman asked for a child, she didn & x27... Fallen estate of their children ; faith is the author of 'God Speaks - 40 Letters the. 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