What did she do? This story is an adaptation of 2 Kings 4:8-37. I love the way you zero in on the Shunammite womans faith! 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. The statement that she was a great woman could have meant that she was older, wealthy, or nobler. She put her son on Elishas bed and made plans. 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. This woman talked to her husband and made a request. This scene was one of giving his own life force to embrace and resuscitate that child. "And the dead in Christ will rise first. The Chosen, a fan fiction phenomenon A christianreview. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to us. Elisha helped him off the bed, opened the door, and delivered him alive into the arms of a beaming mother. She moved her entire family to live among the Philistines at his word. Popular and loud? 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 Excellent! 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. How did the Shunammite woman build her relationship with God? 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. Jake wanted to pull her off of him, but the preacher said, Leave her be. 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. Read the full affiliate disclosure. Im happy you stopped by today. She rocked the little fellow in her lap until noon, and then he died. Let me speak to you a few moments today on the Great Woman of Shunem. The interaction of these four people, each with his or her modern-day counterparts, constructs an intriguing parable with pointed lessons for Christians today. Both, however, needed a miracle, which the prophet Elisha provided. 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 . God did not move instantly, but He did move, and He brought life back into the body of that little boy. 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.. . And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there. The greatest blessings are often, if not always, hidden under rough disguises. but there was neither voice, nor hearing. When sorrows like sea billows roll; That's why she rushed to Elisha, and did not say to anyone what had happened. 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 . But Gehazi was unable to raise the child from the dead. Thus she did not accept that the death of her son was a reality that could not change. And although she experienced miraculous things, she herself was a down-to-earth role model for women in every era, and a model of the power of empathy. 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. Everything is fine. Thank you! 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! Gdwl,(pronounced gaw-dole) means great (in any sense); hence, older, high, long, loud, mighty, more, noble. I can see her personality in these words. At an old age, she had the strength to lift a car and I remember her last words as she fought with her doctor, always said with a Jersey shake:No one ever told me havinga littlesalt was some kind of mortal sin It seems, only she knew of his death. Did I desire a son? Perhaps the Shunamite woman could not allow herself to be totally emotionally involved with an unexpected and un-asked for child conceived as a result of a prophecy in her later years? We all at one point wondered what it would be like to have God grant us a wish. She raced to Elisha, falling at his feet. Let me explain, when we breathe, we naturally breathe in yah and we exhale weh (Psalm 150:6 Let all that hath breathe praise ye Yahweh, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing) How do we pray without ceasing? It is not possible from a carnal minded perspective, however we all do breathe if we are alive, and if we know it or not, we are all praising the name of our creator Yahweh as we all breathe his name. She shows hospitality to the prophet Elisha and his servant, Gehazi as they pass through her village of Shunem on their way to Mt. God told the widow to gather vessels and pour the oil herself ( 2 Kings 4:1-7 ). She is only mentioned once by the title "Shulammite," in Song of Solomon 6:13. I choose to understand the word gedolah, however, as referring to her wisdom. What suppose to be coming out of our mouth is IT IS WELL, we must exhibit the faith of that shunamite woman as a child of God even when the going is not fine, what must be coming out of our mouth is IT IS WELL. 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. 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. We need to be like the Shunammite woman- we need to shut out the things (and . I could see her saying the exact words the Shunamitesaid Dont lie to me. Elisha and the Shunammite woman (bummyla.wordpress.com) 2 Kings 5. Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither. this woman encourage we children of God to increase our faith, even when it seems not to be fine. (Contrast that to Sarah, the original helicopter mom.). We know perfectly well COVID came from, we've known this for years. The woman of Shunem [4] is not named, but her status is indicated. Let this blest assurance control, The chorus of the Isaacs' song brings the . Right away the preacher commanded Jake to go to the womans house, taking his own walking stick, and lay it on the child. To raise the dead is our mission! We have the same opportunity to trust God as the Shunammite woman did. When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, Lyrics courtesy of Timeless Truths. Whats going on? If Jordan above me shall roll, But the Hebrew word used in that sentence had many nuances. It is one of my favorite stories, and how she reappears in chapter 8. Then following year she has a son. A few things in the story of the Shunamite woman stand out to me. The Shunammite woman lifts her dead child and places him on Elishas bed, before shutting the door behind her. All was not well. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. You see, she was persistent, called out the orders, made things happen and tried her best to do what was right. The father told the servants to carry his son home. And when he had called her, she stood before him. In fact, he was dead. There was a married woman from Shunemwho knew in her mind and heart that Elisha was a special man of God. I like the way you retold this familiar Bible story. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. 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. However, we can infer that she trusted him. Menu. So it was, as often as he passed by, he would turn in there to eat some food. 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. The Shunamite woman also was modest, undemanding, and seemingly self-aware. He finds the lifeless child and revives him. 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. Only by imitating the spirit and manner of the Lord Jesus shall we become wise to win souls. We arent told her name; only that she was a wealthy woman from Shunem. In conclusion, the Shunammite woman was a well-off woman that did what she could to bless others. When Jesus was challenged by John the Baptists disciples about why his disciples were not fasting, he spoke to them of new wineskins that are needed for the new wine. . Pointing out the impact of what we consider to be small gift, Jesus said: And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.. Lets look at the passage again to find our proof. And she said, It shall be well. Answer (1 of 4): The shunammite woman. She is describedas a great woman when I looked up the definition ofthis word used in Hebrew, it means bold, prominent, insolent, mighty, noble, loud or older. Im not saying thats bad, just putting things together. Phonetic spelling of shunammite. This Shunammite woman must have accepted a long time ago that it was not God's plan for her to have a child. Quite the contrary. Come ye children chapter 22:Charles Spurgeon. She humbly replied that she had everything she needed, but the preacher was not satisfied. He decided to bless her and said next year at this time, you will have a son. But God, in his mercy, convicted and helped me through his Word, through the story of the Shunammite woman's suffering. Despite the longtime connection between Elisha and the Shunamite woman, the prophet was still so emotionally detached that at first he sent only Gehazi to attend to the child. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The child had died in her arms. She also goes straight the King in a later chapter to regain all her land and possessions after she had left for a time after Elishas warning of a famine. The miracle story central to the novel comes from the Old Testament and it is one I had never known of before. And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers. The sister of Moses and Aaron was an important part of the sibling team that led Israel out of Egypt and through the wilderness. 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). The truth wasnt that she didnt want anything; it was that what she wanted was so big she didnt know how to share it. Her story is found in 2 Kings 4 and 8. After the Shunammite woman gave birth, it happened one day her son had passed. As a prophet, Elisha traveled from city to city . She pushed through her fear and reached out to the one person she knew could give her what she wanted-her son, alive again. 9 And she said to her husband, "Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly. A wealthy woman, who lived there with her husband, invited the preacher and his companion to stay for chicken and dumplins. He went in therefore, shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the Lord.". Tabor and given to the descendants of Issachar, who was Jacobs son through Bilhah, Rachelsservant. One day, the Shunammite's son died. When we fail in one attempt, we must not therefore give up our work. is it well with the child? Isaac's wife and Jacob's mother, the second matriarch survived a difficult pregnancy and engineered the future of the Jewish people. So he called her. What we do know of her has consistently inspires me though and perhaps the fact that we dont know her name suggests we can all find something of our story in hers. 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).. He saw her eyes, swollen from sobbing. 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). Whenever Elisha would come to town she would persuade him to come eat at her home. And he said, What then is to bedone for her? Jake had noticed that the couple had no children and that her husband is old. And the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me. Speaking hope over our situations may seem like the hardest thing we can do when life is hard, but the Shunammite woman reminds us that though it is difficult, its not impossible. Thanks for your blog! Its not often when unnamed characters in the Bible show up in more than one place. 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? Obviously, this woman recognized that her child was a gift that God gave her and that his death was not God's will. She took her family and settled in the land of the Philistines for seven years. And of course, you have included one of my all-time favorite hymns. This latter reason is supported by her further action of shutting . At the sound of hoof beats, Elisha glanced up seeing the Shunammite woman approaching. If so, how sad to consider the immediate distress of 2 Kings 4:20. Surely, her laughter rang out like Sarah's (Genesis 21:5-6). Now what can be done for you? Sign up to receive exclusive offers and Ruths Bible study blogs before they get added to the website. We dont know if Elisha continued to stay at her home when he stopped in Shunem. And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. I laughed when I came to this conclusion. It is well with my soul, 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. In the midst of her despair, the Shunammite woman announces to her closest family and the man who serves the man of God, that all is well, for she knows that on this occasion, she must get to the one who has the power to make things truly well again. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Second Kings 4 records the account of Elisha and the Shunammite woman. She was strict to all the laws of the church and expected everyone in the family to follow along. This page may contain affiliate links. } 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. She didnt mess around everyday was truth day with her. No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life } Sign up for a special email series here. Her Spiritual Perception: "And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. I think this causes one to seek God first and not people. Use whatever resources you have to be a blessing to others. Elisha is passing through Shunem, when he brought into the house of a couple there. She said to her husband, I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God. She was brave, persistent, caring, and full of faith-and maybe a little bit loud or insolent or gasp! We dont even know her name. He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the Lord. But, this woman from Shunem didnt panic. By creating this blog, I took the first baby step toward becoming a published author. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. What an powerful example for us! The Bible calls her a great woman. What must be mentioned is the author's pacing, which masterfully recreates what must have been the pace of life at those times. In the midst of her despair, the Shunammite woman announces to her closest family and the man who serves the man of God, that 'all is well', for she knows that on this occasion, she must get to the one who has the power to make things truly well again. So she went and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. But sure enough, within a year she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy! God has created us for community and I believe passionately in the great healing he brings through people. 2 Kings 4:8 - 37 The Shunammite woman was a wealthy and well respected person in the society. 2 Kings 4:8 One day Elisha went to Shunem, and a prominent woman who lived there persuaded him to have a meal. Reviving the child also revived Elisha to empathy and attachment. 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. When the Shunammite recognized an opportunity to entertain God's prophet, she made room for him in her home and heart. The Shunammite woman had a lot of faith. Celebration (36-37) And he called Gehazi and said, "Call this Shunammite woman.". And when she came in to him, he said, "Pick up your son." 37 So she went in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground; then she picked up her son and went out. 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Your Twitter account way, Lyrics courtesy of Timeless Truths the reapers gather vessels and the... Shalt embrace a son scene was one of my favorite stories, prayed... Our way is a holy man of God to increase our faith, even when seems! Traveled from city to city was a why did the shunammite woman say, it is well woman could have meant that she was to... Church and expected everyone in the Bible show up in more than one....