Raising of the Shunammite Woman's Son

In this part of the sermon: Martin meticulously recounts the events of the passage: Gehazi's failed attempt, Elisha's arrival and assessment of the dead child, his prayer, his intimate physical…

Martin explains that Elisha's act of touching a dead body would have rendered him ceremonially unclean for seven days according to Jewish law, highlighting the self-denial involved in his actions.

It simply tells us that he prayed unto Jehovah. Then after a season of prayer, again, whether short or lengthy, the text is silent, the prophet begins to do a very strange but not an unprecedented thing. We read in verse 34 that he went up and lay upon the child and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands, and he stretched himself upon him. Now imagine how naturally offensive this would be to a well-instructed Jew.

7:38 - 8:17 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin meticulously recounts the events of the passage: Gehazi's failed attempt, Elisha's arrival and assessment of the dead child, his prayer, his intimate physical…

Martin speculates that Elisha's stretching himself on the child was an argument with God, recalling Elijah's similar action and pleading for God to manifest Himself as the God of Elijah, thereby attesting Elisha's prophetic office.

And it was no doubt out of the context of this intimate association with Elijah that Elisha recalled in his season of earnest prayer in that room shut up with the dead lad and with his God this incident recorded in 1 Kings 17. And probably, though I would not dogmatize, there must be a rationale for this, I would suggest that this is, at least to my mind, a satisfactory rationale for what he does. That if he has a precedent set by his predecessor that in pleading for the life of the child he actually stretched himself upon the child, that he would argue with the Lord and say, O living God, who...

10:37 - 12:06 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin meticulously recounts the events of the passage: Gehazi's failed attempt, Elisha's arrival and assessment of the dead child, his prayer, his intimate physical…

Martin suggests Elisha's pacing 'to and fro' was a physical necessity to relax the tension of intense, agonizing prayer, a common experience for those engaged in such spiritual wrestling.

Verse 35. Then he returned, apparently, leaving the room, going down into the main part of the house, and walked in the house once to and fro. And again there seems to be no explanation for this activity, but to find it in two things. As anyone who knows who is engaged in the intensity of earnest and agonizing prayer, there often comes a point where there must be, as it were, a relaxation of the tension of that intensity in prayer.

13:44 - 14:20 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin meticulously recounts the events of the passage: Gehazi's failed attempt, Elisha's arrival and assessment of the dead child, his prayer, his intimate physical…

When Elisha leaves the room, the Shunammite woman and Gehazi likely wonder if he brings good news, but the child is still dead. Martin describes this as God 'slaying their expectations' to prevent carnal confidence.

And the change of physical posture is almost a necessity to maintain one's equilibrium. And it could well be that this is what we have in this incident, that the feverish intensity of prayer, that the feverish intensity of prayer, that the feverish intensity of prayer, that the feverish intensity of prayer, that the feverish intensity of prayer, that the feverish intensity of prayer, all regulated, all under control, but rising to such a high pitch, demanded that the man of God leave the room with his mind and spirit obviously still taken up with the concerns of seeing the lad return to life. ...

14:20 - 15:03 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin meticulously recounts the events of the passage: Gehazi's failed attempt, Elisha's arrival and assessment of the dead child, his prayer, his intimate physical…

Martin vividly imagines the Shunammite woman's overwhelming joy and relief upon taking her living son into her arms, contrasting it with the lifeless weight she last felt, and suggesting it was a moment she would wish to bottle and keep forever.

to know something of what she said. We can only imagine something of what she felt. The last time she had felt the pressure of that form in her arms, it was the lifeless, dead weight of his lifeless form. She had felt the chill of death as he died upon her knees at noon. Who can imagine what she must have felt when those same arms felt the warmth of the flesh of that land? The eyes that had looked into his lifeless face, now looking into eyes that communicate love and appreciation and warmth and all of those overtones of filial affection. Who can begin to imagine what this dear woman must have...

18:32 - 19:34 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize that God's claim to exclusive worship is buttressed by evidences like the resurrection, and respond with exclusive love, adoration, and worship.

Martin suggests that skeptics in Shunem might have dismissed the miraculous birth of the son, but his resurrection would be undeniable proof of Jehovah's power, making him a 'resurrection boy' and a monumental testimony.

He was conceived in unusual circumstances as far as the age of her husband when she had given up hope of ever having a son. No doubt there were skeptics in that day who put a different interpretation upon those facts, who could say, well, it always happens once in a while that people in old age have a child. And there were no doubt some who perhaps were quite comfortable in convincing themselves that that boy that they were, that this great woman says, was given as the result of the direct intervention of Jehovah, what would they now say? When his death can be attested by witnesses, when at le...

22:58 - 24:26 Read in full sermon

The point: As Christian parents, truly believe your children are spiritually dead and cry to God who alone can give them life.

Martin uses the analogy of children not being merely 'sick' or 'out of joint' spiritually, but truly 'dead,' to emphasize the gravity of their spiritual condition and the necessity of crying to God for life.

In a very real sense, the measure of our conviction that men are really dead is in direct proportion to the earnestness of our crying to God to give them life. Do you as a Christian parent really believe that your children are spiritually dead? They're not just sick. It's not just that they've got a few perspectives out of joint and need to have them reset by some good spiritual bone setter.

48:07 - 48:38 Read in full sermon

The point: Engage in intimate, self-denying identification with needy individuals for whom you pray, even when they are 'obnoxious' due to their sin.

Martin describes how some unconverted people can be 'obnoxious' to believers, especially with the erosion of common grace, and that drawing close to help them requires 'great measures of self-denying love,' mirroring Elisha's intimate identification with the dead child.

And I know not what else to see in this, but something of that genuine concern that will always result in intimate, self-denying identification with those needy individuals, for whom we pray. There's something revolting about most sinners still dead in trespasses and sins. Some of them, because of God's common grace, are relatively well-perfumed. There's nothing very obnoxious about them.

50:15 - 50:48 Read in full sermon

The point: Wrestle with the question of whether a lack of self-denying love and willingness to risk reputation is a reason for not seeing more sinners brought to the Savior.

Martin recounts Jesus' willingness to attend Levi's banquet with 'publicans and sinners,' risking His reputation and being called a 'friend of publicans and sinners' by the Pharisees, as an example of self-denying love in pursuit of souls.

You remember what happened when He gave life to a man named Levi? Levi in his newfound life throws a big bash, a big party, a big banquet. The Lord is there with all of Levi's old cronies.

53:56 - 54:08 Read in full sermon

The point: Pay the price of self-discipline necessary to be mighty in prayer in the ordinary days, not just in crisis.

Martin critiques the pervasive 'please-yourself-do-your-own-thing' mentality in society, which he says curses the nation and makes it hard for believers to cultivate prayer discipline in ordinary days when the flesh cries for ease.

And most of us are just too soft. We've succumbed too much to the please-yourself-do-your-own-thing mentality that has cursed our nation and is sending it quickly into hell. Do your own thing. Make your own mark.

58:32 - 58:54 Read in full sermon