The Shunammite Woman

Introduction: The Thematic Unity of 2 Kings 4

0:04 As it was announced this morning, we return this evening to our studies in the life and ministry of the prophet Elisha. And in our effort to trace out the biblical record concerning the life and ministry of this man of God, we have come to 2 Kings chapter 4, 2 Kings chapter 4. And as we return to begin our study of the second major incident in this chapter, let me simply remind you of the unified theme of this chapter. There is no valid reason to believe that chapter 4 is hung together necessarily chronologically, but there seems to be a thematic unity in this chapter, having beheld the prophet on the brink, a battlefield in conjunction with that coalition of the three nations, Judah and Israel, and then the help received from the Edomites as they went out against the Moabites. In this particular chapter, we see the man of God behind the scenes in very intimate situations,

1:24 and it seems that the underlying concern of this chapter is to demonstrate the great concern of the prophet Elisha. The great concern of Jehovah, not only for the great issues that affect the life and future and even the existence of the nation of Israel, and surely that was necessary to fulfill redemptive designs, but to show this same God in tender fatherly concern, ministering to the needs of his children in very difficult times, in times of apostasy, in times when the great majority of these, the visible adherence to the worship of Jehovah, had turned aside from that adherence and were found worshiping Baal. Well, it is in this chapter that we see the man of God ministering to an individual here and an individual there and another individual here, and then a little group of the faithful as the chapter closes. Well, in our previous study, we examined the first seven verses, that incident of the marvelous provision of God, to the widow of a poor preacher who died and left her, no insurance policies, in a day when there was no social security, or social insecurity perhaps ought to be the better term.

2:46 Well, in that situation, the Lord wonderfully manifested His mighty power in the provision of the need of this woman and of her two sons. Well, we come now to consider the second major incident, and that incident, of course, refers, or I refer to the incident recorded in verses 8 through 17. Will you give attention then to this portion of the Word of God as I read it in your hearing?

The Kindness Shown to the Man of God (2 Kings 4:8-11)

3:17 And it fell on a day that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman, and she constrained him to eat bread. And it was that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. And she said unto him, She said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God that passeth by us continually. Let us make, I pray thee, a little chamber on the wall, or of walls, and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a seat, and a candlestick.

3:53 And it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither. And it fell on a day that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there. And he said unto Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunemite. And when he had called her, she stood before him.

4:12 And he said unto her, said unto him, that is, Elisha unto Gehazi, Say now unto her, Behold thou hast been careful for us with all this care. What is it to be done for thee? Wouldst thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of hosts? And she answered, I dwell in the house of the Lord, and I dwell in the house of the Lord.

4:34 And I dwell among my own people. And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no son, and her husband is old. And he said, Call her.

4:50 And when he had called her, she stood in the door. And he said, At this season, when the time cometh round, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thy handmaid. And the woman conceived, and bear a son at that season, when the time came round, as Elisha had said unto her.

5:20 As we come to this very touching portion of the word of God, and surely it has merit simply in terms of a human interest story that is filled with some of the tenderest overtones of human relationships, let us first avoid, first of all, seek to grasp the facts of this narrative as they are set before us by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And as we do, I think it will help us to consider the two major segments of the narrative. We have, first of all, what I am calling the kindness shown to the man of God, verses 8 through 11, and then the recompense given by the man of God, verses 12 through 17. First of all, then, the kindness shown to the man of God. And the first emphasis in the text falls upon the place in which this kindness was shown. It fell on a day that Elisha passed to Shunem.

6:26 And everything that occurs in the subsequent narrative occurs at Shunem. Now, what is this place called Shunem? What was it like? Does it give us any hints as to the station of this woman, as to the circumstances of the prophet?

6:46 Well, surely believing that nothing is without purpose, we ought never to pass over any of these details lightly. We cannot always discover their significance, but surely this is a case where some of the richness of the passage is unfolded against the backdrop of the significance of this place called Shunem. Shunem. Shunem.

7:08 Shunem. Shunem. Shunem. Shunem.

7:08 A quote from one of the commentators who, speaking on this very passage or writing, says, About midway between north and south of the promised land, only a few days' journey from Jerusalem, there is an extensive plain which reaches from the sea coast to the vine-covered borders of the Jordan River, presenting here and there a hill and a partially watered area watered by the river Kishon. In this, this tract of land, which for fruitfulness of the soil, the luxuriance of its vegetation and the pleasantness of its climate, was in former days scarcely equaled in the world, was situated amidst groves of evergreen olives and waving cornfields, the quiet little town of Shunem, inhabited chiefly by husbandmen and a place of comfort and of simplicity. If you will look at a map, in your Bibles, please don't do that now, but perhaps you'll want to check it out when you get home, you will notice that Shunem was very near to the city or town of Jezreel. Now we learn from this section of the Word of God that it was at Jezreel that Ahab built a summer palace. And it was at Jezreel that Ahab's son Jehoram, whom we met in the previous chapter,

8:34 was even now residing. Further on, in 2 Kings chapter 10, it is made very evident that at Jezreel there was still a very blatant refusal to acknowledge the claims of Jehovah, and there was open Baal worship. So if we can picture now this lovely little rural agricultural town called Shunem, under, as it were, the shadow of this place called Jezreel, that in a real sense, was the seat of the wickedness in the northern kingdom under these sons of Ahab, perhaps we can appreciate a little bit what it was that made the prophet apparently go out of the normal path between the southern parts of the northern kingdom. It was down here that you had Jericho and some of these other cities where there were sons of the prophets, and then out here you had Mount Carmel, where the man of God continually seemed to resort as a kind of spiritual oasis. You find this indicated in chapter 2 and verse 25 of 2 Kings. He went from thence to Mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.

9:58 So apparently the man of God was in the habit of making his circuit among the little schools of the prophets, and he made this trip, from the lower part of the northern kingdom up this way and out to Carmel, and it meant he had to make a little digression to get up here into the place called Shunem. We find further on in this fourth chapter that when the Shunemite woman wants to seek out the prophet in her time of distress, she knew exactly where to find him, for we read in verse 25, so she went and came to the man of God to Mount Carmel. And so we have Mount Carmel out here, a little bit to the west, or directly, almost directly west, of the Sea of Galilee, and then down in here we have this valley or plain of Esdraelon, that luxuriant plain, and situated there just a little bit out of the beaten track is the little town of Shunem. And so the scripture says one day as he was making his journey, he literally passed over Mount Carmel, over into Shunem. Now why he did this, we do not know. It may be that he wanted to avoid any kind of present interaction with Jehoram and with everything that was connected with the reign of that ungodly man.

The Recompense Given by the Man of God (2 Kings 4:12-17)

11:23 But whatever the reason was, the scripture underscores for us, first of all, that the kindness was shown to the man of God at a specific place, a place called Shunem. Then notice in the second place the reason for showing, I'm sorry, the person who displayed this kindness. It says that there was at Shunem a great woman. Now what does this phrase, a great woman, mean?

11:57 Well there is no indication that it's speaking of her size, but rather there are parallel passages that would seem to indicate that this greatness refers, well, to a great woman. Well there is no indication that it's speaking of her size, but rather there are parallel passages that would seem to indicate that this greatness refers, primarily to standing and position associated with wealth. For instance, in 1 Samuel 25 and verse 2, we have a text which expounds this phrase. 1 Samuel 25 and verse 2.

12:27 Now there was a man of Maon whose possessions were in Carmel, and the man was very great. And then it goes on to describe his greatness in terms of wealth. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats, and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. We have a similar reference in 2 Samuel 19 and verse 32.

12:53 Therefore we are led to believe that the woman who showed this kindness was a woman of no little wealth. But it's also quite evident that she had that greater wealth, which will endure beyond this life and beyond the grave. For as the passage unfolds and as the narrative moves on into the subsequent crisis of the death and resurrection of her son, it is obvious that she is one of those seven thousand who had not bowed the knee unto Baal. It is obvious that this woman was a great woman, not only in terms of position and standing and wealth, but also in terms of true spiritual life, of true faith, of an active and of vigorous piety as we shall see in our subsequent studies. Now perhaps you ask the question, why does it mention the woman when she was obviously married and her husband is introduced later on in the narrative, and we have some glimpses of him. Why does the writer say that when the prophet came to Shunem, there was a great woman? There, it doesn't say a great man and woman, or a great man who had a good woman, but the emphasis falls upon this woman.

14:18 Well, we can only answer by setting out the possibilities. It could be that her husband was not, in the truest sense of the word, a true believer in Jehovah. He may have been one who simply hung on the coat strings, as it were, or the coat tails, on the apron strings of his wife's piety. There are men today who are like that.

14:42 There were men in those days. You certainly have an example of that in the husband of Abigail, that noble woman who had a churlish husband. Or it could be that the wealth came from her side of the family, and therefore the emphasis in terms of accuracy falls upon her. But for whatever reason, throughout the entire narrative, the focus is upon God, upon God's dealings with this woman, and not with her husband.

15:14 Now as we seek to grapple with the facts of the kindness shown to the man of God, we move from the place and the person to the details of the kindness shown. And we read in the passage, And it was so that it fell upon a day, I'm sorry, the words, it was so, later on. It fell upon a day that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman, and she constrained him to eat bread. Apparently when she knew who it was that had honored this village by his presence, the man of God with his hairy mantle and his servant with him, who would no doubt be known wherever he went in Israel as the prophet of God, she put forth some overtures that he would come and partake of eastern hospitality, which finds its pinnacle of expression, which finds its pinnacle of expression, who would no doubt be known wherever he went in Israel as the prophet of God, which would no doubt be known wherever he went in Israel as the prophet of God, including the way he would foot theność, who would no doubt be known wherever he went in Israel as the prophet of God, including the way he would foot theändigth十 stabes of them kiwi and w sams follow him, including the way he would launching his sword into the sweet wine of the Romans, including the way he would throwing his club in all their ên biêlÕÏg eyÕæîed in ÏæÈýêÛs ÏêÑêê� jugûàáÏÈÜÈ. Then he came down in thatcial world colorful city of Moria, Augustinal, Galatia, Paris,

16:37 sup with him and he with me so the intimacy of that shared communion is couched in the language of eating together and so the text tells us in giving us the details that she put forth some overtures and apparently he was reluctant at first but by her insistence she constrained him to come and to partake of her hospitality he so thoroughly enjoyed that hospitality he's so much delighted apparently in the spiritual communion and fellowship enjoyed in that household that the text says it was so that as oft as he passed by he turned in thither to eat bread so it became quite a common thing as he would make his circuit from mount carmel down to his other places of ministry and back again you that this became one of those oases of christian fellowship and refreshment for the man of god and for his servant so much so that a conviction deepens in the heart of this woman and we read in verse 10 verse 9 she said to her husband behold now i perceive that this is a holy man of god that

17:55 passeth by us continually let us make i pray thee a little chamber of walls and let us set for him there a bed and a table and a seat and a candlestick and it shall be when he cometh to us that he shall turn in thither she comes to the conclusion that this man has something more than a hairy mantle he has something more than a name and a reputation for being a man of god the result of her own careful observation after many visits in the home she says to her husband behold now this is a holy man of god he's for real he is indeed what his name bespeaks and what his office conveys and since he is a man of god he must have a situation that is conducive to meditation a situation conducive to reflection to the exercises of prayer and self-examination and waiting upon god that will continue to sustain the tapestry of the holy man of god and behold now this is a holy man of god he's for real he is indeed what his name bespeaks and what is conducive to reflection to the exercises of prayer and self-examination and waiting upon god of his piety and of his usefulness and so she makes this suggestion to her husband that they would do again in eastern fashion not western fashion something that was a wonderful token

19:15 of commitment on their part and here i read from edersheim who often gives wonderful and helpful insights on some of these historical and cultural patterns in palestine the outside stare let us read from edersheim who often gives wonderful and helpful insights on some of these historical patterns in palestine the outside stare let us up from the road to the roof of the house so it was not necessary to pass to the interior of the dwelling part of the roof of the house she would now surround with walls so as to make an upper chamber of it this would give the prophet at all times undisturbed and if he wished it unobserved access to and exit from his lodging this was indeed thoughtful unselfish and with all respectful kindness and hospitality the chamber thus provided as well as the scanty furnishing of it may seem to our modern notions very simple yet it implied the surrender by the family of the part of the house most appreciated in the east while the furniture however scanty according to our ideas included not only more but better than was ordinarily found in the very simple sleeping apartments of the orientals ever evidently the object was to provide a prolonged stay on the part of the prophet for his complete

20:38 privacy and as appears from the context it included not only the profit but accommodations for his service so do you get the picture here was a house that had the open roof or i should say the uncluttered roof where the easterner could go up and their observe he could do whatever he wanted to do with that liberty and freedom, but now there's a section of it that has walls and this furniture within that the man of God may have a place of retirement. Now, there is no indication that she did any of this with any other motive than the motive of selfless love and genuine concern for the well-being of the man of God. Well, those are the details of the kindness shown. Now, let's consider in verses 12 through 17, the recompense received. All we're doing now is trying to extract the facts that are here, no application. That will come subsequently. All right, the kindness recompensed by the man of God.

21:45 He begins with a question in verse 12. And he said unto Gehazi his servant, call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him. Now, get the picture. Here's the man of God.

22:00 Here's Gehazi. And here's this great woman. But strangely, the man of God does not address the woman directly, but addresses her through his servant. And so he then asks a question of the woman through his servant Gehazi. And the question is this. And he said unto him, Elisha to Gehazi, say now unto the woman, behold, thou has been careful for us with all this care. What is to be spoken for to the king or to the captain of the host? In other words, the prophet overwhelmed with the sense of the kindness lavished upon him by this woman and her household. He desires to express gratitude and apparently under no direct impulse of the Holy Spirit in terms of direct revelation, but acting under the general impulse of a Christian heart, a heart that having received the Holy Spirit, he has been able to express gratitude to the woman and her household. And so

23:00 this undeserved, unsought kindness wants to respond with kindness. He asks the woman through Gehazi, are you in any kind of situation that I can help by using my influence with the king, which you see was strengthened in the light of the incident of the preceding chapter? Or is there someone who is oppressing you and you need the help of the military? Is there anything I can do for you to help you out of any particular circumstance that is pressing in upon you?

23:29 And her answer is a beautiful answer. She answers and says, I dwell among my own people. And as one commentator has said, her words mean, I live quietly and peaceably among my own people and I have no need for the intrusion or the influence or intercession of kings or of great men. It tells us something about this woman and we'll make reference to it in our application, but notice her answer. She says, I dwell among my own people. I dwell among my own people. I live quietly and peaceably among my own people. I dwell among my own people. I dwell among my own people. I dwell among my own people.

24:00 She says, in essence, thank you, Mr. Elisha, but I really don't need the help of the king or of the captain of the host. Well, then at this point, Gehazi makes a suggestion, verse 14. And he said, that is Elisha, what then is to be done for her? Addressing himself to Gehazi. And Gehazi answered verily, she hath no son and her husband is old. Gehazi sows a seed in the mind of the prophet. And he said, I dwell among my own people. I dwell among my own people. I dwell among my own people. He says, she has no son. Now, does that mean she had no daughters either? We don't know. The text is silent. The subsequent passage does not indicate whether she was a woman who had been barren to this point or whether she had only born daughters. But one thing is clear. Having no son, there is no way for the family name to be passed on and the material greatness to be kept in that sense in the family lineage. And so he sows this seed that she hath no son and then he adds to it this thought, her husband is old. Gehazi makes a judgment that it's quite unlikely that her husband, being

25:13 the age he is, would be able to father a child. The implication is that he was, as it were, another Abraham. His body as good as dead. And it was probably at this point, though the narrative is different, that he was a son. And so he sows this seed that she hath son. And so on. And so on. And so on . . .

25:31 Then he says this in verse 15, and what's beyond his knowledge. In this narrative, again, it's not clear that there was either a direct revelation of the Spirit of God or after a season of praying over this seed that was sown by Gehazi. The prophet comes to the conviction that Jehovah is going to put forth his arm on behalf of this woman in her need. And so he then makes a prophecy in verse 15 and the prophecy is this.

25:57 And he said, Call her. . . .

25:59 had called her she stood at the door and now he no longer speaks through Gehazi but he speaks directly to the woman and he said at this season when the time cometh round or that is when the time reviveth a year from now when this season which we are now in unfolds and comes to life again thou shalt embrace a son now imagine what this must have been like she's come to the conviction over many weeks and months and perhaps even several years of observation that this is a true prophet of the living God this is a holy man of God now she hears from the lips of this holy man of God something that seems too good to be true that a year from now she will actually cradle in her arms something that no doubt she had longed for something that perhaps she had dreamed about and perhaps had even prayed about and and and and Many times she would actually hold in her arms a son. Whether it is the response of unbelief or whether it's simply the response of this is too good to be true, she says, Nay, my Lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thy handmaid. And because there is no rebuke, I've got a sneaking suspicion, Elisha, his heart motivated by the love that thinketh no evil

27:28 and that puts the best construction on things, he interpreted this just as a response of saying this is too good to be true. You've got to be kidding me. We say that to one another. We don't really mean that someone's kidding.

27:40 It's just the response of incredulity. It seems impossible. And so she says, Nay, my Lord, do not lie unto thy handmaid. Then we have the fulfillment of the prophecy in verse 17.

27:53 And the woman conceived. And there a son at that. At that season, when the time came round, as Elisha had said unto her. And so the word of God was fulfilled.

The Primary Message: Jehovah is the Living God

28:08 A year from the time the prophecy was given, she cradled in her arms her darling son. Well, those are the facts of the narrative. You say, well, that's a lovely little story. Isn't that touching?

28:21 Yeah, well, I find it touching. I hope you do. The word of God written in terms of the real world, in which reality, where real men and women live, is often touching and moving. But I remind you, this was not put in the scriptures simply to fill us with a sense of tenderness or of awe.

28:41 It was put here as part of the history of what God is doing to save a people for Himself. And so its message comes to us as it came to ancient Israel, as a message concerning the great issues of God's love for us. of God's love for us. Of God and of God's relationship to His people.

29:03 And so what I would do is, first of all, direct your attention to the message of this narrative in its primary and its immediate focus. What was God intending to say in Israel at that time, at that precise point in Israel's history through this wonderful miracle that comes as the response of a grateful heart to kindness shown to it?

29:33 Well, try to relive the situation in that home and perhaps you'll be on the right track in answering that question. Here's a home where this great woman who was probably well known in that entire village or town because of her greatness is known to be the woman who has no son. She is known that with all of her wealth and greatness she's never known the delight of holding on to her son. She's never known the delight of holding on to her son.

30:01 She's never known the delight of holding on to her son. She's never known the delight of holding a son in her arm as so many people of lesser standing and lesser wealth in that village have known. Well, the Scripture doesn't tell us that she was under any constraint not to tell people this word of prophecy. And if she's made, like most women, great or small, it wasn't long before the news just sort of sneaked out here or there or leaped out here or there and she was telling people, Do you know what the man of God has told me?

30:30 This time... This time next year I'm going to hold a son in my arms.

30:35 Can you imagine what the response might have been? For some who had sold out to the worship of Baal there was probably nothing but sheer cynicism. You're going to have a kid? Not with that old man you got for a husband.

30:49 You're not having any kid. If Gehazi could observe her husband was old so could everyone else. And unbelief loves to take fuel of what the eye of sight can see. And I imagine there was some mockery by some who had no appreciation for the livingness and the power of Jehovah.

31:12 And they probably looked at her and gave her a very kind of condescending cynical grin as if to say, Silly woman, your husband may be old but you're silly in your younger years pinning your hopes on the word of a man.

31:29 There probably were others who said, Well, we'll wait and see. And I've got a sneaking sense. There were others of the 7,000 who had not bowed the knee to Baal who when she shared the details would immediately think of the strict parallel in the very language of the prophecy with an incident that happened way back in Israel's history. For this very language is taken from the language that was used when the prophecy was made concerning Sarah.

32:02 Look at the strict parallel in the construction in Genesis chapter 18. Genesis chapter 18, verse 10. And he said, I will certainly return unto thee when the season cometh round. And it's the same structure in the Hebrew.

32:29 When the season revives. When this season comes to life again in precisely a year's time. And lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. No doubt with their minds steeped in that concept that Jehovah was the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob they could not help but draw this parallel relationship.

32:55 Is indeed Jehovah the God of Abraham still alive today? With Baal worship on every hand and with the visible expressions of godliness well nigh dead in Israel, can it be that Jehovah still lives? When this woman would share the words of that prophecy the hearts of the true people of God would leap within them, yes. The God of Abraham who spoke centuries before and said at this season Sarah shall have a son.

33:32 He has spoken again through the mouth of his prophet Elisha. At this season you, great woman of Shunem, you will cradle us a son in your arms. And so the message that would come through with power to the hearts of every true Israelite was that message of comfort and consolation that Jehovah is the living God who gives life. Jehovah is the living God who still speaks to his people in their need.

34:09 He is the living God who controls the laws and governs the principles and gives the powers of conception. And when the day came and she actually went through her birth pangs and then went about the neighborhood and into the town or village holding her son every Baal worshipper who may have looked at her with a cynical smile everyone who stood aloof and had the doubting skeptical spirit was rebuked and the little boy in her arms became a sermon. Jehovah lives. Jehovah is God.

34:52 Baal is known. And Elisha is the true prophet of the living God. And so in giving a gracious reward for her kindness God asserts once more at this point in Israel's history his authority his power as the God of Abraham Isaac and of Jacob. And there seems to be a pattern that emerges in the Old Testament that as God promised through the seed of the woman he would bruise the head of the serpent God delights in manifesting his faithfulness to that promise by giving supernatural conceptions and supernatural births. He did it with Isaac. He does it here. He does it with regard to the birth of Samson.

35:45 He does it with regard to the birth of Samuel. God seems to be saying in fulfillment of my promise it is my delight to advance that promise in the realm of the supernatural activity of my arm of power in bringing unusual children into the world. And surely all of that is but a foreshadowing of that one who would come in the language of Galatians 4.4 not at the season when it returns.

36:17 Not at the season when it returns. But in the fullness of the times God sent forth his Son made of a woman made under the law that he might redeem them that were under the law. For you see that ancient promise was still awaiting fulfillment. God had given that promise that Eve would know a fulfillment.

36:38 He says that of the seed of the woman there would be one to bruise the serpent's head. Well you see that prophecy was not yet fulfilled. But in the fullness of the times precisely as this prophecy was fulfilled at that season when it came to pass she held the babe in her arms so Mary held that child of virgin conception in her arms and in holding him God was saying and says to this day I am the living God I am the God of redemption I am the God who saves. I am the God who saves my people.

The Enduring Message: God's Promises in Christ

37:20 And oh what comfort and consolation it must have brought to that true Godly remnant to have God speak again not in word only but in deeds that demonstrated the livingness and the power of Jehovah. And as then so now it is a wonderful thing to know that we do not look for a new Elisha the God who spoke through his Elijahs and his Elishas has spoken in these last days in his Son and every word that he has spoken in his Son is yea and amen as surely as the word of the prophet Elisha could not fail because behind it stood all the livingness and the sovereign power of Jehovah. There is not one promise made in Jesus Christ that can fail. Because behind that promise is the livingness and the sovereign power of the God who makes that promise. And oh my sinner friend this should give you hope no matter what your situation may be God has said if you will but turn from your sin and give yourself to his dear Son that he will undertake to forgive and cleanse and pardon and break the bondage

38:44 the bondage that chains you to your sin and he will at last bring you home to glory with him. And dear people of God though we live as it were in dry times when iniquity abounds and as it abounds the love of the many waxes cold what are we to do? We are not to look at the circumstances about us and make them the occasion of unbelief we are to look at them realistically but look at them through the eyes of those who believe the promises of the living God. As our Lord said I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it if he has said it then it is ours to believe him and to rejoice in the fulfillment of that promise. Well I say it appears to me that this is the primary and the immediate message of this passage but there is a secondary and a more remote message in the passage as these events were eventually recorded and became part of the Old Testament scriptures and now form part of our entire Bible why are these incidents there? Long after that generation to whom this event was a living word from the living God long after they were dead

Secondary Message: Patterns of Practical Godliness

40:13 and there was no need for that message to be born to them why did God record this? Well not only that we may do as I hope we have done and as my own heart has done rejoice as we see the primary message of God and behold his faithfulness to his people but the scripture says these things are written for our admonition they are here in a secondary and more remote sense to be an index of what we are to be and to do what we are to avoid in the language of 1 Corinthians 10 some things are written to warn us to avoid certain sins other things are written that we might have a pattern of godliness and I want to suggest to you in the time that remains that the secondary message of this passage is one of setting a pattern for practical godliness and in the verses we have examined together that pattern is set first of all in this great woman and then in the man of God and let me just underscore two or three characteristics of practical godliness so that seeing these patterns we may know what godliness is in the concrete you see God does not merely tell us what godliness is in precept

Practical Godliness in the Shunammite Woman

41:38 he also sets before us a pattern of godliness and in these passages here before us or these verses that pattern of godliness is very clearly etched before our eyes first of all then the practical godliness seen in the great woman notice her contentment with her lot in the providence of God her contentment with her lot in the providence of God if she was utterly barren and had born neither son nor daughter it would accentuate the measure of her contentment but since we cannot conclusively deduce from the passage whether or not she was utterly barren this much is clear though she did not have a son and though there was the natural disappointment of not having a son there is no indication that she had drawn into herself and made herself a prison of her own miserable pouting at what she didn't have the entire picture of this great woman is of a great large outgoing selfless heart that beat within the breast of this wealthy woman and she becomes to us

43:06 a marvelous pattern of first timothy six six godliness with contentment is great gain when the prophet says to her tell me ma'am what shall I do for you you've lavished kindness upon us shall I speak to the king for you shall I speak to the captain of the host there's some of you sitting here tonight whose hearts are so full of covetous ambitions if anyone ever spoke to you that way you'd have a shopping list a half a mile long Elisha wonderful let's sit down and if you've got a lot of time I'll tell you the king I'd like this out of his tailor's shop I'd like this out of his butcher shop and I'd like she says I dwell amongst my people I have all that I need I'm utterly content with my lot thank you Elisha but I have no request to make of the king or of the captain of the host what a wonderful thing to find godliness joined to contentment and a rare thing to find it in the midst of wealth may I press the question in your conscience tonight do you have that kind of contentment with your lot in the providence of god

44:33 if someone were to send to you a blank check such as Elisha did what do you want me to do I'll talk to the highest authorities in the land on your behalf she tears the check up and says thank you but I have no interest in it or she hands it back could you do that can you say honestly in the presence of god sitting here tonight I have learned in the state I am in now therewith to be content or do you have that itch born of covetousness if only I had this or if only I had that set of circumstances then I'd really sprout wings and I'd fly spiritually well you see this great woman is a wonderful example of christian contentment furthermore she's a wonderful pattern and example of sensitivity and selflessness in response to the needs of others sensitivity and selflessness in response to the needs of others the subsequent narrative will reveal that she was obviously a true worshipper of Jehovah and that apparently Elisha and the other sons of the prophets

46:02 is the sole worshipper of Jehovah so in fact there is no doubt in the satellite there is no doubt that she was driven by the Holy Spirit to go deep into the divine in addition to that she was also a true servant of God so the knowledge of this was clearly grundi she was a true teacher of god but she was still a true sinner a true follower of the Bible a true disciple of God but she was only a little girl going to church who, when the man of God was in her home, didn't talk about trivia alone. But she knew what it was to pull out of the man of God the great secrets of his walk with God and the great concerns of the kingdom of God in Israel at that time. And yet, in spite of all that that meant to her, and the thing that seems to at least breathe through the passage is that she didn't have that kind of communion with her husband. He did not seem to be the spiritual leader in the home. There seemed to be this insensitivity and this indifference to spiritual realities, even though he was kind to the man of God.

47:14 Well, you see, if ever a woman would be excused from being a bit insensitive to the prophet's need for retirement, it would be this woman. She could have reasoned, well, I don't have a godly husband. It's all right for me to infringe upon the time of the prophet. But it was she who said, after she came to the conclusion this is a holy man of God, she says, hubby, we've got to do something.

47:36 If this man's going to continue to walk with God as he obviously does, we must make a chamber where he can come and go undisturbed, where he can be alone with his God in hallowed hours of communion and fellowship. You see, she manifested that sensitivity and selflessness in response to the need of the servant of Christ.

48:01 And, oh, let me say by way of application, it seems that there are precious few Christians who cultivate the grace of sensitivity and selflessness in response to the needs of others. The prophet did not have to say, woman, I enjoy all this fellowship, but I need some time alone. She picked up that awareness without him ever articulating it. And people are sending out signals all the time telling us what they really need.

48:33 But some of us are so filled up with selfishness, we don't pick up the signals.

48:39 We're so turned inward upon ourselves and waiting and looking for someone to be a shoulder on which we can lean and to be a set of ears into which we can spill out our woes that we're never free enough to pick up the signals that others are sending to us, telling us that they need our selfless concern and expressions of selfless love. Then in the third place, she's not only a pattern of practical godliness in her contentment, in her sensitivity, but in her submissiveness to her husband. Although it appears quite evident, as I've suggested, that the wealth and standing were hers, there was a great woman at Shunem, not a great man. And though she seemed to outstrip her husband in genuine piety and faith, nonetheless, when it came to domestic matters, she didn't move, saying, well, I'm more spiritual than he, so it doesn't matter whether I consult with him. And if it's something so noble as providing for a man of God, I have a reason to bypass the scriptural injunction, wives, be subject to your husbands in everything. She didn't reason that way.

49:57 We read in the scriptures that she speaks to her husband and she says to her husband, verse 9, she said to her husband, behold, I perceive a holy man of God is he that passes by continually. Let us make, I pray thee. She requests of her husband. She goes through the proper channels.

50:18 She manifests that no little part of her spiritual grace was the ability to maintain her God-appointed place, even though she outstripped her husband in greatness and in grace.

50:38 Now, need I say, anything more by way of pointed application? What does it mean to be a godly woman? Well, it means not only that you come to the posture of contentment with your lot in the providence of God and cultivate sensitivity and selflessness in response to the needs of others, but that you learn the joy of embracing from the heart your God-appointed place of submissiveness to your husband. Ah, but my husband doesn't pray.

51:09 Hers apparently didn't either. She was accustomed to go off on the feast days and on the Sabbath days to hear the word of God. There's no indication he did. And when she's in a spiritual crisis, she doesn't even trust the knowledge of that to her husband.

51:26 And he says, where are you going? What's the problem? She says, shalom, everything's all right. She puts him off.

51:33 There's every indication that this man was in sad shape spiritually. Yet she was submissive to him. Yet she was submissive to him. Yet she was submissive to him.

51:46 Now, some of you women need to stop all that carnal rationalization and start reading your Bible with unprejudiced eyes and read what it says concerning your responsibility to be submissive to your husband in everything. Now, if I were preaching to husbands, I'd preach to them about loving their wives as Christ loved the church and all the rest, regardless of how much they may act like a witch at any given point. But that's not in the text, so I'm not going to preach on it. In due time, there'll be a passage that will deal with that, I'm sure.

Practical Godliness in the Man of God (Elisha)

52:21 Well then, very quickly, what do we see of a pattern of practical godliness in this passage in the man of God? Well, let me suggest that we see, first of all, consistency of life in the intimacy of the domestic situation. We see consistency of life in the intimacy of a domestic situation. She knew his name after the first visit.

52:47 She no doubt knew his position. She no doubt knew of his reputation. But the text is careful to emphasize that after he continually passed by and stopped in that home, she came to this inward conviction, born of her own personal observation, Behold now, this is a holy man of God! Now, what had he been doing?

53:16 He hadn't been performing miracles. He hadn't been giving us a big cake. Well, let me give you an example, a moment maybe, amazing prophecies. He'd been eating bread at her table. He'd been interacting with her and his discretion that allowed him this intimacy and yet never once stepping over the bonds of propriety. This is a holy man of God. And she came to that conviction not because of the exercise of the peculiar powers of his office, not because he was performing miracles or making prophecies, but because he was living consistently in the boundary of that home. Oh, is there no test like the test of domestic godliness? There is no test, is there?

54:04 You've heard the well-known phrase, a saint abroad and a devil at home. You remember talkative in Christian, in Pilgrim's Progress, Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, the comment is made that his religion is all in his mouth. It is not established in his heart. In his home and in his conversation. What of you? Are you a talkative? Your religion all in your mouth? Why is it that some of you young people, your parents, don't have their appetites whetted to come and hear the gospel you say you love and believe? Because they've not seen much to whet their appetite. Could that be the reason? Could it be that the reason

54:51 some of you have loved ones and relatives who have no interest to hear the gospel is that they simply have not conviction? Observing you that the gospel is indeed a valid option. Could it be that this is why some of your husbands are still unconverted from the human standpoint? The scripture says that they may without the word be won by what? Not the multiplied preachings of the wife but by the holy manner of the wife. First Peter 3. It's a wonderful thing when a man of God is known to be a man of God in the close scrutiny and the intimacy. Peter 3.1.1 And I say as I've said on several occasions in this place and I will continue

55:46 to say until God takes me home. If I cannot stand and preach with my own family sitting there and their consciences on my side, that He's real, then you'll get another preacher for this pulpit. And that's not preacher's blow. That's not dramatic overstatement. I mean that with every fiber of my being. Peter 3.1.1 The acid tests our conscience. Peter 3.2.1 And the acid tests our conscience.

56:20 Peter 3.2.1 God is true. Peter 3.2.1 And I say, God is true. Peter 3.2.1 And if you're not a believer, then you're a sinner. Peter 3.2.1 If you're a believer, then you're a sinner. And if you're a believer, of practical godliness is the domestic circle. Can your wife say, I know this is a holy man of God, not a perfect, but a real and a holy man of God? Can your husband say that of you, professing Christian woman? No one forced it out of her. It was the inevitable conclusion based upon extensive observation, seeing the creature in its native habitat. In the second place, we not only have a pattern of consistent domestic godliness, but we see set before us in this incident the spirit of humility and gratitude. And I don't know how to separate them. In my preparation, I said, Lord, I'm not satisfied with that. Those are two different

57:12 commodities, and I shouldn't put them together, and yet they are so joined. You see, it is the spirit of humility that gives birth to thankfulness, and thankfulness is the inevitable expression of humility. The proud man feels God and people owe him everything, so when he gets things, there's no thankfulness. For the person who knows he deserves nothing but the wrath of God is the one who gives thanks for everything beyond the wrath of God. So when the man of God, Elisha, receives this hospitality and kindness, he doesn't lay back in his bed there in the upper room and say, well, you know, I am the pot-shot prophet. You know, this household wouldn't be free. If I hadn't gone out on the battlefield and done my thing and turned away the Edomites, I mean, this woman owes me something, you know. She's a great woman, but all her wealth would have been taken by the... He didn't reason that way. He's overwhelmed that she

58:16 would show this kindness, and so he says, woman, what can we do? You've lavished such kindness. You've been careful for us with all this care. From the human standpoint, the miracle was...

58:31 It was born out of the grateful heart of the prophet of God. It was the grace of God operative in his heart unto gratitude, born of humility that set the very stage for that miracle. My friend, do you know anything of that spirit of humility that makes you grateful for all of God's blessings and that finds expression in thankfulness to those who show you kindness? I speak of special words. I speak of the grace of God. I speak of the grace of God. I speak of the grace of God. I speak of the grace of God. I speak of the grace of God. I speak of theower to you men aspiring to the work of the ministry.

59:06 O, pray that you be able by the grace of God to cultivate a spirit of gratitude. Have you sent a letter yet to those churches that support us in the work of the Academy? Do you send a little note when people have you in a home? He said, it's just a little thing.

59:26 Well, life's made up little things. Most of us live months and years before we do anything dramatic, and we do, maybe, one thing and then go back to three or four more years of the Monday. And it's in the little things you see. This was no speech made before thousands in Israel. This was no great showdown on Mount Carmel before the prophets of Baal and the entire nation. This was in the privacy of a rooftop dormitory. And he says, woman, I must do something to show my kindness. May we not be like the nine of the ten lepers who receive from the hand of Christ, but are so irresponsibly taken up with the blessing that they never return to give thanks. You remember Romans chapter one in the midst of

Elisha's Love and Sensitivity to People

60:13 all of those wickednesses. Remember what God puts in the middle of them? Neither were they neither were they. Well, then finally, we see in the man of God, a pattern of practical godliness in his love and sensuality.

60:39 Sensitivity to people. You wonder why he didn't address the woman directly in the first instance. Well, I think the clue is given by several of the commentators. Having come to the conviction that he was indeed a man of God and God's representative in Israel, having shown her sensitivity to his need to be shut in with God and to have dealings with God, there was probably a sense of reserve and awe. And he was sensitive to this. And rather than, rather than address her directly, which might have totally unhinged her, it's like you getting a phone call saying the elders want to see you. You get, you know, the feeling. All right. Well, imagine what it was like when there was a prophet who spoke directly in the name of the God of heaven. And so to help, as it were, ease her into a full and honest response,

61:39 he says in her presence, Gehazi, his little errand boy, you talk to her. She won't be awed of you. You ask her what she'd like. You beat a goal between. You sort of smooth things out. Showing a sensitivity. Not only that, he doesn't rebuke her when she says, Nay, O man of God, do not lie unto thy handmaid. He doesn't have his nose bent and say, I'm a prophet of God. I don't lie to people and start and preach. He doesn't preach to her. No, there was the understanding that sensitivity and his whole response reflects it. This is what I'm talking about. This is what I'm talking about. This is what I'm talking about. This is practical godliness. It is said of our Lord Jesus Christ that he would

62:25 not break the bruised reed or quench the smoking flask. We saw that sensitivity in his dealings with Peter in the reading in John 21 this morning. Isn't it a moving passage? Peter, do you love me? He didn't stand up and thunder at Peter and say, Ah, talk is cheap. Where was your love a few days ago? Standing there warming your hands by the fire, cursing and swearing and saying, Nay, O man of God, do not lie unto thy handmaid. He doesn't say, I didn't know me. Where was your love then? No, the Lord doesn't do that. He just gently probes him with the question, Peter, how many times did you deny me? Three times, Lord. Peter, do you love me? It's as though he cancels each denial with an affirmation of his love.

63:11 Do you love me? Yes, Lord. Do you love me? Yes, Lord. Do you really love me? Yes, Lord.

63:17 And then he's recommissioned. His denial, as it were, has been formally retracted. Now he's ready to be recommissioned to his task in the purpose of God. We see it in the Apostle Paul. We see it in every true servant of Christ. And it ought to be present in every believer. This cultivated love and sensitivity for people. We're to be people lovers. Users, people users, or people abusers, but people lovers. And may God grant that as we continue

Cultivating Godly Graces in Christ

63:59 to see this pattern in the man of God, we will seek to emulate it. But you say, Pastor, those qualities are not in me natively. And I didn't even have them, as it were, impressed upon me growing up. What hope is there as a full-grown man or woman with my personality fixed and my vices, as it were, ingrained into me? What hope is there that I can cultivate those graces of that holy woman? Contentment, sensitivity, and submissiveness. Those graces of the man of God. Consistency in the home, and the spirit of humility and thankfulness, and this love and sensitivity to people. My friend, they are all in Christ in their fullness. You can never have them until you're in Him. You can never have them as Christian graces. You may have some of them, as it were, hung on like the fruit that may be tied onto a tree by common grace. But if they are to flow out of what you are, you

64:59 must first have them. You must first have them. You must first have them. You must first have them. You must first have them. You must first have them. You must first have them.

65:00 First of all, be in Christ. For He said, without me, severed from me, out of vital relationship to me, ye can do nothing. And then if you are in Christ by faith, then you must, in the language of Colossians 2, be rooted and grounded in Him. You must feed upon Him. You must cry to Him for these graces. And then in the language of Peter, you must then add all diligence and seek to grow in Him. You cultivate the very graces for which you pray. And that's not a contradiction. If you try to cultivate them without prayer, God will mock your efforts because it manifests creature dependence and creature confidence. If you pray and don't cultivate, God will

65:49 mock your prayers because they are presumptuous prayers if you do not join them with the proper means. But if you pray fervently for them and then work diligently to cultivate them, then you will have the blessing of God upon you, and you will be one who, in His sphere of responsibility, manifests this practical godliness to the glory of God and to the blessing of His people. Well, if nothing else, I trust that our study in this passage for the past hour has convinced you afresh that all Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable, not only for doctors, but for children, but for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. May we learn its doctrine. May we submit to its reproof. May we be disciplined by its instruction in righteousness.

66:50 Let us pray. Our Father, we do thank You for this portion of Your holy Word. We thank You that it is a living Word, that it speaks to us in our present situation. Even as this miracle was Your voice to Your ancient people in their situation, write upon our hearts what we have heard tonight. Grant that the Holy Spirit may bring fruit from what we have heard in each of our lives. Hear our prayer and continue to seal to every heart the Word proclaimed this day. Grant that in these areas of practical godliness, we may indeed grow more and more into the likeness of that One who alone is our perfect pattern, even our Lord Jesus Christ. Hear us as we come before You, in His name. Amen.