The Death of the Shunammite Woman's Son

In this part of the sermon: This section examines the timing of the son's death, noting that it occurred when the child was old enough to bring great joy, past infancy's dangers but before teenage…

Martin uses the common experience of young mothers finding infants an 'irksome burden' due to weariness, contrasting it with the joy children bring when they are older but not yet teenagers, to highlight the specific period of happiness the Shunammite woman was experiencing.

The child had gotten into some kind of a schedule that many of you young mothers know is such a welcome period. You wonder if you'll ever have a solid night of sleep. And when the children are in that state to where they are dependent upon mother for nourishment, and when they are susceptible to all of the little childhood diseases, there's a sense in which our children often become an irksome, burden to us. In our happier moments when they're cooing and behaving themselves, they're a great delight.

9:45 - 10:16 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section examines the timing of the son's death, noting that it occurred when the child was old enough to bring great joy, past infancy's dangers but before teenage…

He describes the 'ideal' age for children (7-10 years old) when they are self-sufficient in basic tasks but haven't entered the challenging teenage years, emphasizing that the son's death occurred during this peak period of parental joy.

But the sheer weariness can often make them an irksome burden. Well, when they come through that stage and then enter the difficult teenage years when they don't know who they are and the parents don't know what they are and are trying to struggle through this together, there are the peculiar trials that attend that period of life. Well, this lad, this lad was somewhere in that period when our children generally bring us the greatest measure of joy and cause the least amount of burden. That period when, from the selfish standpoint, it's ideal to be a parent.

10:17 - 10:56 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section examines the timing of the son's death, noting that it occurred when the child was old enough to bring great joy, past infancy's dangers but before teenage…

Martin explains that harvest time in Israel was a period of great joy and delight, often associated with God's blessing, to underscore the 'cloudless sky' of providence before the son's death.

The father has obviously gotten up quite early and gone to the field with his servants because by the time the son goes out to the field and even is afflicted with his illness and comes back home, it's still a considerable time before noon. For we read in verse 20 that the servant brought him to his mother and he sat on her knees until noon and then died. And of course in Israel harvest time was a time of great joy and of great delight. The Bible speaks of God filling the hearts of His people with gladness as in the time of grain and of the new wine.

12:13 - 12:53 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin details the events leading to the son's death: the boy going to the field, complaining of a headache, being carried to his mother, and dying on her lap by noon. He…

He uses the metaphor of a 'dark cloud only the size of a man's hand' forming, referencing 1 Kings 18:44, to describe the initial, seemingly minor headache that quickly escalated into the son's death, obscuring all previous joy.

is the presence of that little boy who goes out to join the father. Well in a short while almost out of nowhere a dark cloud only the size of a man's hand begins to form in this entire picture and the little boy comes running to his dad and says my head, my head and he complains of an intense headache but because the harvest must be reaped and I think it's wrong to read in parental indifference or carelessness there was nothing to indicate a serious malady at this point the father immediately says to one of the servants verse 19 carry him to his mother assured that the mother would be there at...

16:17 - 17:45 Read in full sermon

The point: Seek the Lord while He may be found; remember your Creator in the days of your youth before the evil days come.

Martin compares warnings in Scripture to a state highway commission putting up a yellow sign for a dangerous curve. He argues that only a 'ridiculous' person would be irritated by such a warning, implying that Christians should welcome God's warnings for their preservation.

is celebrated in this language in verse eleven moreover when David says I will keep them is thy servant warned and in the keeping of them there is great reward were you ever irritated when the state highway commission thought enough of your well being to put up a yellow sign warning you that an unexpected and dangerous curve was just ahead in the road did you ever see anyone get out and stomp it and beat on it and say insulting things to it why you laugh you say ridiculous there is something suspect in the Christian experience of one who the moment they hear the word warning sets up defense me...

26:31 - 27:56 Read in full sermon

The point: Seek the Lord while He may be found; remember your Creator in the days of your youth before the evil days come.

He shares the heartbreak of burying infants in the church, contrasting it with the greater grief of burying an older child or teenager, to emphasize the solemnity of the warning to young people about unexpected death.

and the tone of my voice to concern to help me to convey that I speak out of the deepest tearful concern of heart no fear that you may die you who live day after day and week after week unconverted and uncleansed in the presence of the knowledge of the God of your mother and father and have no fear no trembling no sense of awe of what it would mean to have your soul wrenched from your body and to make its flights to that world from which there is no return forever we've had the heartbreak of having to bury some wee little infants and that's been a heartbreaking thing and even speaking of it I ...

32:21 - 33:50 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The crisis of a dark and strange providence creates nothing the condition of the soul existing when the providence comes let me repeat it a dark and strange providence creates nothing it only reveals the true condition o…

Martin uses Abraham's command to slay Isaac as an example of God proving the true condition of the soul, illustrating that dark providences reveal, rather than create, faith.

not the clear shining day and so she becomes an example of this great principle that the dark providences that God brings into our lives create nothing they simply reveal the true condition of the soul that perhaps was undiscovered to ourselves and to others until the dark providence came and this could be demonstrated all the way from Abraham when God gave him that command to slay Isaac why? he says that I might prove to know whether or not you truly love me and are truly merciful But as a promise for the world through and beyond through to the word into the New Testament hope and power any a...

41:12 - 42:37 Read in full sermon

The point: Feed upon the Scriptures, meditate on them, and attend upon the proclamation of the Word so that your minds and hearts are furnished with the record of God's past dealings with His people in crises.

He references the parallel incident in 1 Kings 17 where Elijah raised a widow's son, suggesting the Shunammite woman's knowledge of this event strengthened her faith and informed her actions.

shocking, unexpected providences burst upon him to stop and say, though everything in my physical and temporal circumstances has gone topsy-turvy, nothing in God's character is changed, nothing in His heart is changed. And we reflect upon His past manifestations of love, His faithfulness, and His power, and His love. And we receive strength so that we resist the temptation to push the panic button, to think evil thoughts of God and blasphemous cogitations of mind and of heart. But then there was a second thing that enabled her to react as she did, and it was this. Her knowledge of God's dealin...

44:32 - 45:57 Read in full sermon

The point: Don't despise and treat lightly the ordinary means of grace (regular assembly, prayer, Lord's Table), as they cumulatively prepare you for crises.

Martin describes the hypothetical embarrassment of a Christian who neglects prayer meeting when things are well, but then shows up only when a personal crisis hits, to highlight the importance of consistent participation in the means of grace.

The person who never comes to prayer meeting, not because he's hindered by providential circumstances, but has no felt need, to come and bear the burdens of others is a little bit embarrassed when his dark cloud comes to show up at prayer meeting and share his need. Isn't he? Isn't he? Isn't he?

50:06 - 50:32 Read in full sermon

The point: Don't despise and treat lightly the ordinary means of grace (regular assembly, prayer, Lord's Table), as they cumulatively prepare you for crises.

He shares his pastoral observation that consistent attendance at ordinary means of grace, though seemingly small gains, cumulatively prepares believers for crises, quickening stored truth to remembrance.

And that's why I urge, I urge upon you as the people of God, don't despise and treat lightly the ordinary means of grace. The regular assembly of God's people where you pick up a tidbit here and a little tidbit there and you pick up an experience shared here and a trial born by a child of God there and something in the prayer that sinks a little nugget of truth deep in the recesses of the heart and the cumulative effect of all of that information and the interaction with God, His people, His Word, the prayers of His saints, the gathering to the Lord's table is. You may think you're making no p...

51:53 - 53:19 Read in full sermon

The point: Seek the living God and come to know Him by receiving His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus, so you have recourse beyond yourself in life's trials.

Martin contrasts those who exemplify the Shunammite woman's spirit with others who cause 'heaviness' in crises due to indifference to God's word, greater familiarity with TV or newspapers, and inconsistent attendance at means of grace.

If you're going to be like me today, if you're going to be like me today, it would not be embarrassing, I would love, from a pastoral standpoint to illustrate this from people sitting right before me tonight who have exemplified the very spirit of this woman in the midst of strange and dark providences. But I know it would be embarrassing to them and love would not then put them in that embarrassing situation. But I say with grief there are others of you who've been a cause of heaviness as we've seen you go through your crises because it's been evident that you simply were not prepared to face...

60:14 - 61:24 Read in full sermon