The Church of Eleven22 - S01 E67 - The Shunamite Woman

Episode Date: August 12, 2020

Hey, church family. If you got your Bible, it's Devo Time. Second King's Chapter 4. And what I want to do today is, again, apply what we talked about a couple of days ago. I want to take a look at an Old Testament event. By the way, I don't like to call them stories. Because when we hear the word story, we think like fable or veggie tales or a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. And this isn't that. This is an event that happened with some real-life people that just lived a long time ago. So I want to take it a look at an Old Testament event and see how we read the Bible with our gospel glasses on, our gospel lenses, and we see what we can learn about Christ through the events in the Old Testament.

You see, ultimately, if Jesus is the fulfillment of all prophecies, then every prophet pointed to Jesus, not only with the prophecies and words they spoke, but with their actions too. And so we're going to look at an event with one of the prophets, Elisha. Okay? I like Elisha a lot, partly because in Second King's Chapter 2, apparently Elijah's baldheaded and some kids were making fun of him one day. They said, go on up your bald head. And he called out a curse upon them and two she bears came out of the woods and mauled 42

youths. That's what the Bible says. So he's always been one of my favorites. So in this one, he's more of a hero than killing kids. But in 2nd King's chapter 4, verse 8, it says this. One day Elisha went to Shunum where a wealthy woman lived who urged him to eat some food. And so whenever he passed that way, he would turn in there to eat food. And she said to her husband, behold now, I know that this is a holy man of God who is continually passing our way.

Let us make a small room on the roof with walls and put there for him a bed and a table and a chair and a lamp so that whenever he comes to us, he can go in there. They basically set up a little bed and breakfast for Elishes. It's pretty cool. See, church people can be awesome. Then one day he came there and he turned into the chamber and he rested there. And he said to Gahezy, his servant, which is a pretty cool name, Gahezy. He said, call the Shunamite.

And when he had called her, she stood before him. And he said to him, say now to her. So he's telling Gahezy to tell her. say now to her see you have taken all this trouble for us what is to be done for you would you have a word spoken on your behalf to the king or to the army the commander of the army and she answered i dwell among my own people that's Hebrew for my man takes care of me all right you see she's done nice things for the prophet and now the prophet saying is there any way i could repay the favor i could put in a word with a commander of the army or the king and she's like no no no no no i'm fine i'm doing this out of the goodness of my heart there's no strings attached i dwell among my own people and he said what then is to be done for her and gahezy answered well

she has no son and her husband is old and he said call her and when he had called her she stood the doorway, so she came back. And he says, at this season, about this time next year, you shall embrace a son. And she said, no, my Lord, old man of God, do not lie to your servant. You know what she's saying? Don't you get my hoax up. Now, real quick. She's been struggling with infertility, apparently, for a long time. And that is painful for any parents that struggle with infertility. I think somehow it's more painful for women. I don't know.

It just seems to be with the people that I talk to. And in the first century, it was almost a death sentence. Because if you didn't have a son to carry on your name, then you wouldn't have people to take care of you when you were old. So she's got like compounding anxieties going on here. And so when this prophet says to her, this time next year, I promise you're going to have a boy. She says, she doesn't say thank God.

She says, no, my Lord. Oh, man of God. Don't lie to your servant. In other words, don't get my hopes up. I've prayed and I've prayed and I've prayed. I've been to church and I filled out a prayer card and I've asked God and asked God and ask God and he has not come through yet.

So don't you start getting my hopes up now? I mean, my husband's old and I'm content out here and just fine being left alone. You ever been there? You ever been in some kind of place where you would ask God and ask God and ask God, but it didn't seem like he came through for you. and then the preacher says, oh, I got good news for you,

if the tomb is empty, anything is possible? And you say, you sure? Because I want to believe that the tomb is empty, but I don't know if it's possible for God to answer my prayer. This is who the shootomite woman is. Verse 17, but the woman conceived and she bore a son about that time the following spring, as Elisha had said to her.

It all seems well, right? don't you wish in life and in the Bible things would just stop right there. But they don't stop right there. There are mountains and there are valleys. There is sunrise. There is sunset. There are blessings. And there's pain.

Verse 18. And when the child had grown, he went out one day to his father among the reapers. And he said to his father, oh, my head, my head. And the father said to his servant, carry him to his mama. See, some things that never changed. Four thousand years. He's like, I ain't got time for it is.

Go talk to your mom. And when he had lifted him and brought him to his mother, the child sat on her lap till noon, the highest part of the day. And then he died, the lowest moment in her life. And she went up and she laid him on the bed of the man of God and shut the door behind him and went out. And then she called to her husband and said, send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys that I may quickly go to the man of God and come back to him.

She doesn't even tell them that their son is dead. You see, you think you've got communications in your marriage is biblical, okay? So she doesn't even communicate what's going on. She says, I need a ride. This is like, you know, B.C. Uber here. I need a donkey or a camel or something. I need to go see somebody. And the husband says, why would you go to him today?

It is neither a new moon or Sabbath. and she said, all is well, which is a weird thing to say right after you lost your son, right? Ultimately, what she's saying is, if you look in the Hebrew, it basically means it's going to be okay. It may not be okay right now, but it's going to be okay. It is well with my soul. And then she saddled the donkey, and she said to her servant, urge the animal alone, do not slack in the pace for me unless I tell you.

And so she set out and she came to the man of God, that's Elijah at Mount Carmel. And when the man of God saw her coming, he said to Gahezy, his servant, look, there's the Shunamite. Run at once to meet her and say to her, is all well with you, is all well with your husband, is all well with the child, and she answered, all is well.

Now again, is all well, no. But somehow, by faith, she believes that it's going to be okay. Her current circumstances are not okay, but somehow God can make it okay. And when she came to the mountain to the man of God, she caught hold of his feet and Gahezy came to push her away, but the man of God said, leave her alone, for she is in bitter distress, and the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me. And then she said, did I ask my Lord for a son? did I not say, do not deceive me.

You see, she's coming before the Lord, and she's saying, what have you done? I didn't ask you for this blessing, and now you have taken this blessing away from me. Got my hopes all built up just to come let me crash down. You know, the Bible says that hope deferred makes the heart sick. I'd rather have a sick body than a sick heart. You see, faith is. the ground on which we stand and hope is the horizon of which we look to and when you lose hope you seem to lose everything and so she says i don't know why you came in here got my hopes all up like

this i didn't ask you for a son did i not say don't deceive me and he said to to gahezy tie up your garment and take my staff in your hand and go and if you meet anyone don't greet him and if anyone greets you do not reply and lay my staff on the face of the child and then the mother of the said, as the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you. In other words, she's saying, look here, man of God, it ain't enough for you to send your staff. I need you. You got me in this mess. I need you to help me get out of it. And so he arose and he followed her. And Gahezy went on ahead and laid the staff on the face of the child, but there was no sound or sign of life. Therefore, he returned to meet him and he told him the child is not awakened. Now check the

part up. Again, you've got to put on your gospel lenses here. When Elisha came into the house, he saw the child lying dead on his bed. And so he went in and he shut the door behind the two of them and he prayed to the Lord and then he went up and he lay on the child, putting his mouth on his mouth and his eyes on his eyes and his hands on his hands. I'm glad this is in the Old Testament. I ain't doing that. You know what I'm saying? I mean, he comes up and with his whole body, he lays on the boy and completely covers up the boy. Eye to eye, nose to nose, hand to hand, mouth to mouth. And as he stretched himself upon him,

the flesh of the child became warm. And then he got up again and he walked once back and forth in the house and he went up and he stretched himself upon him and the child sneezed seven times. The Bible wants you to know that the man of God laid up on this boy twice, and after the second time, the boy got warm on the first one, and then he sneezed seven times. You see, again, this isn't myth.

You don't just make this stuff up. I think Elisha is counting seven. Bless you, bless you, bless you, bless you, bless you, bless you, bless you, bless you, bless you, seven times the boy sneezes and the child opened his eyes. And then he summoned Gahezy, and they said, call this chunamite. And so he called her. And when she came to him, he said, pick up your son. And she came and fell at his feet, bowing to the ground.

And then she picked up her son and went out. So what does this teach us about Jesus? I'll tell you what it teaches about Jesus. Is that in our moments of our lowest of low times, the place that we need to go is to the God, man, his name is Jesus, and we cling to his feet, and we cast our cares upon him because he cares for us. And when she says, I feel hopeless right now, but if the tomb is empty, anything is possible. I'm believing that somehow by faith, then all can be well, that it can be well with

my soul, because I know that you're at work, even in this painful situation. And when Christ Jesus lays down his life for you and me, you and I, dead in our trespasses. And what we need as dead people is not to be better. We need life. This isn't just try harder. If you bring a bunch of perfume in there and you just perfume the room of a dead and decaying body, it only helps for a little while. This is what workspace righteousness is. No, no, no, no. What we need is not to try to go from bad to better. We need to go from death to life. And essentially, kind of like we talked about yesterday,

when the blood of the lamb covers over the arc of the covenant, so when God looks down, he does not see the broken law of the people, but he sees the blood of the lamb on the mercy seat. Imagine from a heavenly perspective, if you were to look down, you don't see the dead boy, but what you see is the life of the man of God, laying on top of him, eyeball to eyeball, and this is important,

nostril to nostril. Where have you heard that before? Do you remember in the book of Genesis when God says, let us make mankind in our own image, and he gathers together the dust of the ground, and he breathes the breath of life into Adam, and then Adam becomes a living creature?

Before that, he's just a body with no soul. And then God breathes in, the ruach, the breath, the spirit of God into the very first man, and he opens his eyes and he is face to face with his heavenly father. The Bible says that when Jesus was resurrected from the grave, and he walked into this upper room where the disciples were hiding and the door was locked because they were afraid, he says that he walked in and says, don't be afraid, and then he breathed on them. Why is the resurrected Jesus breathing on them? Why is the heavenly father going nostril to nostril to breathe on Adam?

Why is Elisha laying down on this dead boy nostril to nostril because he is breathing life into him? You see, when we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we trust in him and him alone, his finished work. And then essentially, he takes our place. He lays over us so that when God looks at us, he does not see our imperfection. He sees the perfection of his son.

and when we surrender our life to what Christ did for us on the cross, then the breath of life, the Spirit of God is breathe into us. And then we rise up and he says, take up your son. You see, the gospel of Jesus Christ is on every page of the Bible, even what many people thought were these random Old Testament events. In an actuality, they all point to the gospel of Jesus. I hope and pray you will learn to read your Bible that way. Let's pray.

God, we thank you for good news. Lord, for anybody struggling right now, Lord, I pray that just like the Shunamite woman, they would run to the man of God. They would run to Jesus, the God man himself. They would cling to his feet. They would cast all their cares upon him, knowing that he cares for us.

And ultimately, God, I pray that we be clinging to the gospel, the good news, that you came to lay down your life and to breathe your life into us, that we could be taken up as one of your sons. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.