2 Kings 8 (Part 1) Bible Study (The Shunammite's Land Restored) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

If you can meet me please in the book of Second Kings as we

continue in this series in chapter 8 and we will look at

the 1st 6 verses together, Second Kings chapter 8 and I

2 Kings 8 · chapter mention

will wait for you before we begin reading these verses.

Let's read together verse one now, Elijah had said to the

woman whose son he had restored to life.

Arise and depart with your household and sojourn wherever

you can, for the Lord has called for a famine, and it will come

upon the land for seven years. So the woman arose and did

according to the word of the man of God.

She went with her household and sojourned in the land of the

Philistines 7 years. And at the end of the seven

years, when the woman returned from the land of the

Philistines, she went to appeal to the king for her house and

her land. Now the king was talking with

Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me all the

great things that Elijah has done and why he was telling the

king how Elijah had restored the dead to life.

Behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to

the king for her house and her land.

And Gehazi said, My Lord, O King, here is the woman, and

here is her son, whom Elijah restored to life.

And when the king asked the woman, she told him.

So the king appointed an official for her, saying restore

all that was hers, together with all the produce of the fields

from the day she left the land until now.

Righteous Father, we ask that as we come to this final study of

this year that you would meet us in a special way.

Lord, we hunger for you, We long for you.

And we've come, Lord, believing that you have a word for us.

So we ask that you would stir our hearts, You would stimulate

our minds, You would win our affections, You would transform

us. We trust that you're able.

We trust that this word is able. So we ask that even in our

weakness, from the preacher to the listener, that your power

would be made perfect. So we rely on you and we

believe, Lord, that we will meet with you in your word.

At this moment, in Jesus name we pray, Amen.

You know, there is a debate, some debate about this passage

that we just read together, and the discussion surrounds the

timing of this testimony. When did it actually take place?

And the reason for this is not so much determining when this

famine happened, but rather the mention of Gehazi in this.

Text. The last time that we

encountered Gehazi was back in Second Kings chapter 5, when he

2 Kings 5 · chapter mention

was cursed with leprosy and was expelled from the presence of

the prophet and really from society altogether.

At least that's what the law demanded.

And to our surprise, we come to 2nd Kings Chapter 8 and we

discover that. Gehazi is not outside the city

walls. He's in the presence of the

king, conversing with him in his palace.

This is strange. There seems to be something

wrong here. And so this has this has LED

some to believe that what we have in Second Kings Eight One

to Six actually took place before 2nd Kings Chapter 5.

Which is plausible. Why?

Because not every biblical author is concerned about

recording and giving their account in a strict

chronological order. We see that in different places.

We even see that in the Gospels. So again, there's some who say

this happened before 2nd Kings chapter 5.

But I believe that there are other worthy explanations for

why Gehazi is here when he shouldn't be.

And we're going to explore that in this study.

But before we go there, we have to take our time to uncover

other truths that precede it. And that's what we'll be doing

today. Because Ghazi isn't the only one

who makes a surprising reappearance in this narrative.

There's someone else. The Shudamite woman.

You remember her, right? We thought that we learned a lot

from her, and we did. But the Holy Spirit obviously

wants to teach us. Even more things from her

example and that's what we are going to learn as well.

All to say that there is much in store for us tonight including

what we can learn from this famine.

Let's look at verse one again Now Elisha had said to the woman

whose son he had restored to life.

Arise and depart with your household and soldier and

wherever you can, for the Lord has called.

For a famine, and it will come upon the land for seven years.

There are three things that we can draw from verse one about

this famine alone. Now, we've discussed this a few

chapters ago, but it's worth revisiting.

And there's an additional thought that I want to present

to you. How long did this famine endure?

7 years. Now this is under Elisha's

ministry. But this was not the only famine

that this people experienced. We remember that there was a

famine before this and we'll talk about that, but there is

also a lengthy famine during the ministry of Elijah.

And how long did that last? According to James chapter 5,

James 5 · chapter mention

three years. And how long?

Six months, You're right. So three years and six months.

Now here's the second observation.

Elijah declares the one who is behind this famine, What does it

say there in the middle of verse one?

For the Lord has called for a famine.

This drought is orchestrated by God himself.

And why is that important to know?

Because it reminds us that famines were not natural

occurrences under the Old Covenant.

For this people, they weren't part of the cycle of the year or

every few years. Famines were foreign.

Famines were actually something that the people didn't have to

experience, but they were triggered when the people

disobeyed persistently. And we've talked about this from

Deuteronomy. Allow me to quote it in your

presence once more so that we can make this more concrete in

our understanding. In Deuteronomy 11, verse 16, the

Deuteronomy 11:16

Lord already forewarned the people in His law.

The following Deuteronomy 11/16 Take care lest your heart be

deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship

them. Then the anger of the Lord will

be kindled against you, and He will shut up the heavens so that

there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and

you will perish quickly off the good land that the Lord is

giving you. So here's what's interesting.

When we connect the first insight with the second, we can

make this conclusion. It's a disheartening truth about

the people of Israel that under Elijah's ministry, evidently

they did not repent, even though on Mount Carmel the true God

destroyed Baal ISM, and with that miraculous demonstration

that people still returned to their sin in a persistent

manner. And So what did the Lord do?

Because they didn't learn to repent after God showed the

mercy in that way and even after that level of chastisement, He

says, fine, you didn't learn with 3 1/2 years.

I'm going to double it. Here's seven years.

Let's see. You'll learn this time if you'll

learn this time. Because, you see, to go back to

sins that we vowed to never revisit again only invites

greater discipline from a loving Heavenly Father, especially if

we've been disciplined for those sins before.

And unfortunately, many deceive themselves by thinking that the

consequences that they had to endure and they survived will be

the same consequences they will have to face again if they

indulge in those same sins again.

So let this be an example for us.

The Lord will not treat us with such indifference.

He loves us too much. So if we didn't learn the first

time, if we didn't learn the second time, if we didn't learn

the third time, He will change His ways with us every single

time if necessary, in order to win our holiness and to win our

devotion to Him. And so we get a sense, we get an

insight of how God treats His own.

They didn't learn with 3 1/2 years.

So let's prolong it. Let's go with 7 now and see if

you will truly repent and come back to me.

Here's the third observation about this famine.

There is evidence that this particular drought was not

solely because of the idolatry of the people.

Why? Because there's a clue with the

first word of the first verse. What is it now if you have a

different? Word for word.

Translation like the new King James, and I believe the King

James, it will read, it will be rendered.

What then? So that's a word that denotes

sequence, that something happened before this and there's

something now following. So we're meant to connect what

Elijah warns about here with what just happened and what.

Did we learn last week that the people endured another famine?

Some argue man made famine because of the siege or it was

another famine and they just the Syrians just capitalize on it.

Nevertheless, the people were suffering, they were starving,

and the Syrians were bringing them to a point of near

extinction or potential exile. And what did God do?

He intervened with. Supernatural provision and

protection and preservation. And if you read carefully Second

2 Kings 6 · chapter mention

Kings chapter 6 that account, you'll notice that there is a

staggering omission of something.

A staggering omission. You know what it is?

The lack of response from the people after God came through

for them. There is no sign of an

acknowledgement of the goodness of the Lord.

There is no hint of repentance, not even a word of gratitude for

Him coming through for them. I'm persuaded that a major

catalyst to this prolonged famine in Second Kings 8 is a

result of a lack of thankfulness on the part of the people of

Israel. God registers how we respond to

His provision, to His power, to His Providence in our lives,

whether it's common grace or uncommon grace, God looks at how

people respond to His mercy. And if there is a lack of

gratitude to us, that may not seem significant, but it is to

the one who is the source of everything that is good in our

lives. And I believe because there was

silence here on the part of this people, the Lord said, fine,

here's more discipline. You won't acknowledge me.

You won't give me glory, then here's another famine.

But God doesn't just take note of the wrong that sinners or

even His children might do. He takes note of the good that

His servants do as well. How do we know that?

In the very fact that Elijah comes to the Shunamite woman and

gives her this awesome revelation of what's to come,

what's about to come to pass in order to prepare her.

And I think this is God's way of demonstrating the extent of His

reward to those who make the effort and even sacrificially

give to the advancement. Of his purposes on the earth

especially in a day of apostasy like this day so you remember

this is the same woman who when she learned elisha would come

through her town decide to. Give him a meal every single

time, and more than that, decide to make an extension to her home

in order for him to rest there whenever he would like to rest.

And the reward in that immediate context was that she received

what she could not have, and that was a son.

But God went beyond that. He didn't just provide this

woman a child. He provided her insight of the

future in order to preserve her life and her the life of her

household altogether. And so this really shows how God

keeps in mind those who have done good to His people and His

cause. And it reminds me of this New

Testament verse in Hebrews chapter 6, verse 10.

Hebrews 6:10

This is a verse for those who serve God and are tempted to

believe that maybe God has overlooked my sacrifice.

And part of that temptation is when people, especially the

people of God, don't recognize. You for your sacrifice.

Or praise you, or reward you. Look what the Holy Spirit has

included in His Word in Hebrews 610.

For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love

that you have shown for His name in serving the Saints, as you

still do. I love that verse.

Someone beautifully commented on it by saying that while God will

never remember our sins, He will never forget our service.

He will never remember our sins, and he will never forget our

sacrifice for him. And I would add that his reward

outweighs whatever contributions we make in this temporal life,

because it is temporal 1 and it is granted, and it is responded

to with eternal reward. Things that people can't steal,

or moths can't eat up, or rust can destroy.

But let me stay here for a while because it's difficult for some

people to remain persistent in their service to the Lord.

And I love what the author says here because he mentions the

love that you have shown for his name in serving the Saints.

If you. Lack the motivation to serve God

with your gifts, to serve God consistently in the House of

God. Do it for His name.

Do it for His name. Not even necessarily for those

who bear His name. Do it for His name and you'll

find greater grace to serve those who bear His name.

So that's an encouragement to me that ultimately I'm doing it for

the Lord. I'm doing it for my Master.

I'm doing it for His smile. Whether people smile at me or

not. Will people recognize me?

It doesn't matter. I'm doing it for His name.

And there's a warning in this passage as well, because only

when we do it in His name and for His name are we rewarded.

If I'm doing it for my name, I lose my reward, right?

So if I'm here preparing Bible studies and preaching every

Sunday for my name, then I will appear before the judgment seat

of Christ and all my works will turn into ash.

That's what Paul teaches in First Corinthians chapter 3.

1 Corinthians 3 · chapter mention

So it must be for his name. That will motivate you to work

and that will also keep you with the right motive in your work.

This woman served this man of God and the Lord did not forget

him. He spoke to Elijah, says you

need to go to that Shunammite woman and tell her that she

needs to flee from here because I'm going to bring a famine.

Not even the king received such a privilege word, but this

widow, I say widow because I believe based on what we read,

her husband was no longer with them.

Remember the husband to this woman We learned there in Second

Kings earlier? In chapter 4 that he was old, he

was much older than she was, and based on how this text reads,

doesn't seem like he's there anymore.

But God is there, watching over, taking care of her, providing

for her. What a wonderful God we serve.

Now I can't move on without bringing up an interesting

detail and Elijah's warning to this woman.

Read it carefully. This really stood out to me when

I was reading it the other day. Now Elisha had said to the woman

whose son he had restored to life.

Arise and depart with your household and sojourn wherever

you can. Highlight those 3 words wherever

you can, for the Lord has called for a famine, and it will come

upon the land for seven years. No doubt.

This is supernatural revelation. God has made this known to the

prophet. He's making it known to this

woman, but within it we find an intensely practical truth.

He tells this woman something's about to happen, you need to

leave. But he gives her liberty where

to go? Go wherever you can.

Do you know why this is encouraging to me?

Well, it should be encouraging to all of us, especially those

who are troubled by the notion that every single decision that

you make in this life, whether it's big or small, must not be

made unless you receive or it is approved by supernatural

disclosure. Have you met people like that?

I have, and those people, as much as they think it's

spiritual to live that way, are actually tormented in many

cases. I'm not saying that you

shouldn't be praying about your plans.

You have to pray about everything.

But to remain completely inactive unless some spectacular

sign is granted to you, it's not only unscriptural, it can be

very harmful. So go wherever you can.

What's the biblical approach to some of these decisions that we

have to make in life? It is to continually seek God's

guidance. Yes, pray without ceasing.

And if it provides clear answer, then you have another reason to

praise Him. But if He doesn't?

Then what the Bible proposes is that you make the most

righteous, wise, God glorifying decision and trust that God is

going to protect you from making the wrong choice as you step out

and obey him. So this woman was told, go

wherever you can. You have options.

And that mindset is found in the New Testament as well.

You might you might be shocked where you're going to find this,

go to 1st Corinthians Chapter 7. Look at verse 39.

In this chapter, Paul gives us insight about marriage, divorce,

singleness, being engaged. In the context of a particular

persecution that the Corinthians were experiencing, if you don't

view it in that light, you can draw some strange conclusions

and give some awful counsel to people.

You have to view First Corinthians 7 in light of a

trouble that the people at this time were experiencing.

Nonetheless, universal truths that can still be applied in any

context, including this one. Notice this in First Corinthians

739. A wife is bound to her husband

as long as he lives, but if her husband dies, she is free to be

married. To who?

To whom she wishes. Only in the.

Lord, I think this dispels a lot of Christian teaching about what

to look for in a candidate in the spouse.

It really demystifies it, doesn't it?

What did he tell them? He says if your husband dies,

you are free to be married to who?

Whoever you desire to be married to.

One condition, they have to be Christian.

They have to be in the Lord. So what does this mean?

Doesn't mean that you don't pray about your spouse.

No, you better be praying about your spouse.

But it also means. That it's OK to be drawn to

somebody based on their personality and who they are and

compatibility and their vision and their character.

You can assess things in such a way.

I've talked to people who have told me, should I consider so

and so And I say, well, are you attracted to so and so?

No, I'm not attracted to them whatsoever, but I'm just

wondering. They might be God's will.

No, probably not. Actually, no, but they're godly.

OK, great, they're godly, but you're not attractive.

So keep them in the category of sister in Christ, for your sake

and hers to whom she wishes. It's not as mystical as people

like it to be. Can God make wonderful stories

and testimonies of how people come together?

Absolutely, yes. But if you're waiting to meet

somebody on that premise alone, and if it doesn't come in the

way you think it should happen in the spectacular,

supernatural, undeniable way, you might be waiting for a

while. To whom she wishes.

Only in the Lord. So you don't have total liberty.

So what we see in the Scripture is that in moments where we may

not understand, there may not be a chapter or verse on it.

What do we do? Well, you take God's righteous

precepts and His wisdom and you see the examples and you receive

people who have biblical insight, and you make the most

guided, wise decision that you can with the options that you

have and trust that the Lord will lead you.

So go wherever you can. And how does she answer it?

Look at verse 2. So the woman arose and did

according to the word of the man of God.

She went with her household and soldier into the land of the

Philistines. 7 years. This is wonderful.

Number one. She obeyed in faith.

She obeyed without delay. There is no resistance, there is

no protest. She went when she heard the

word. And here's why.

This going to inspire us because the land of Israel was in plenty

at this time, wasn't it? If we're connecting Chapter 8

with what we read in Chapter 7 last week, then we understand

that the economy in the land of Israel this time knew a radical

shift in the favor of of the people.

And so just when things were beginning to look.

Good God tells us, women, get up, you need to move for several

years. So all she had to really work

with was the word from the Prophet.

But everything that she's seeing, businesses are opening

up again, people are remodeling their homes, the stock market is

looking great. Just when things are are looking

wonderful, she's told pack up your bags.

Things are going to change course very quickly.

And so she had to trust that. Moreover, consider the

difficulty of leading the promised land in general.

God gave him this land. This was his promise to the

people. And though they were generally

apostate at this time, to choose to be among the Philistines was

no better in terms of your surroundings and your influence.

And we've seen many times in the Scriptures how when people stray

from the place that God had determined for them.

It it doesn't turn out good, they don't benefit much from

such a decision. However, this is a unique case,

isn't it? So this woman is not like

Abraham back in Genesis 12 where the famine came to the land of

Canaan and out of his fear he moves to Egypt.

He didn't get a word from the Lord and what happened?

Lying and all this craziness, and he ended up bringing Hagar

back. And we know what happened with

Hagar. Nor is this like David, who who

thought and his exhaustion and his weariness.

The best way to deal with Saul chasing me is to go beyond the

border and to live among the Philistines.

And we saw the trouble that he got himself there too.

This is a woman who received permission from the Lord like

other instances where others have received permission from

the Lord to go to a foreign land and to sojourn there for a

while. And that's an important word

here. What does it say here in verse

two? Look at the last few words.

She sojourned and sojourn in the land of the Philistines 7 years.

You know what the word sojourn means?

To temporarily stay somewhere. So she intentionally, she was

mindful reminding herself in her household, we are not here for

the long haul. Seven years the Lord gave us

seven years and year after year they were reminded of that, I'm

sure day by day. So even in this the Holy Spirit

is telling us that she soldiers, she obeyed the Lord those seven

years faithfully. And I couldn't help but compare

this with another couple. A couple also fled the promised

land due to a famine. But they didn't receive a word

from the Lord, and they experience a very different

outcome. Go to Ruth chapter 1 and I want

Ruth 1 · chapter mention

us to look at Lemonlec and Naomi briefly, who made a similar move

to a different country but didn't have the confidence of

God's permission. Look at Ruth chapter 1 beginning

Ruth 1 · chapter mention

in verse one. Let's read the first 2 verses

together. In the days when the judges

ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem and

Judah went to sojourn in the country of Mohab, he and his

wife and his two sons. The name of the man was

Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of the

two sons were Mahlon and Helion. They were Ephrathites from

Bethlehem and Judah. They went into the country of

Moab and remained there. Can you compare verse one and

verse 2 in terms of their travelling plans and see if

there's a difference? What do they?

Decide to do in verse one. They went to do what in the

country of Moab sojourn? How did that turn out?

Good. Look at the last two words of

verse 2. They went into the country of

Moab and what sojourn there? They remained there.

They didn't sojourn there. They remained there.

This is a strong reminder for us that if we choose to step

outside of the will of God for any reason, you were in danger

of staying there much longer than you planned.

Always. You may plan it, you may plan

the timing of it, you may plan the resources you'll spend in

that season, but you can never determine it.

Here they are deciding to sojourn, but they ended up

moving permanently. They remain there and eliminate

and his family quickly became comfortable in Moab.

See the the Shudamite woman refused to remain comfortable in

the land of the Philistines. But they did.

And what happened here is that this people group had a rich

history of being enemies of the people of God, and because they

worship the false God eventually.

What happened in Mohab began to affect what happened in this

family, and this often happens with people who profess God is

king. Do you know what the name Elimek

means? God is king.

God is king. So he had the name, but he

wasn't living it right? So God is king, But I'm going

to. Tell myself where I'm going to

go and how long I'm going to be there for, though this is

clearly against God's will. So who's really king here?

This man who was the man of the house made this decision and

when he sojourned and even planned to return.

He remained there long enough to make decisions that would

permanently alter his future and the future of his family.

How do we know that? Look at verse 3.

But alumni like the husband and Naomi died and she was left with

her two sons. Verse 4.

These took Moabite wives. So you stay there long enough

for your children to do something that was clearly

against God's Word. God is not against different

ethnic groups marrying, but He is against different faith

groups coming together. And this was true even in the

Old Covenant. These took Moabite wives.

The name of the one was Orpan, the name of the other, Ruth.

They lived there about 10 years. This is the very thing that God

warned about, and they made themselves more vulnerable and

susceptible by going into the land that they shouldn't have

gone to in the in the first place.

And this is what we're supposed to learn from this, that even a

single deliberate step of disobedience.

Will often lead to a deeper descent into sin.

It started out as a just a little vacation in Moab and

ended up becoming something that would have generational effects.

Now, thankfully, God redeemed it through Ruth.

We know that story. But that's not always the case

for people. And the longer you and I remain

outside of God's will, the more likely are to make decisions

that can do such things to our futures.

And I think it's very possible that the sons were just

imitating the relaxed attitude that their father had concerning

God's word. They saw it in dad.

So, yeah, should be a problem for us.

And let me just say this before we move on.

Elimelech is a picture of a father who really has the the

interests of his family in mind, but only in the physical realm.

So he leaves the promised land because there's a famine that

was induced because of the people's sins, right?

It was in the day of the Judges and he wants to provide for his

family bread, physical bread and not spiritual bread.

And I want to speak to the men here.

And maybe it's possible that some, some of the men here grew

up with a dad like that, where he expressed his love primarily

and exclusively in his provision for you.

He worked hard, he paid the bills, he got you wonderful

gifts, He helped you pay for your school.

And those are wonderful things. And I believe that's part of

being a godly man. But if that's all you're

providing your children without the instruction and the

admonition and the fear of the Lord, then you're not completely

walking in your purpose as a man, as a father.

Here's a lemon. Like he's, he's providing in one

sense. But what ended up becoming more

detrimental, the lack of food or the lack of the spiritual

nourishment? The lack of the spiritual

nourishment. Trust God.

You have to take him at His Word.

And that's what the Shunammite woman does.

She was much different. Look here at verse three of

Second Kings chapter 8. And at the end.

2 Kings 8 · chapter mention

Of the seven years when the woman returned from the land of

the Philistines, she went to appeal to the King for her house

and her land. So here's what I see in this

woman. She acted in faith when she left

the Promised Land she acted in. Faith when she remained in the

land of the Philistines and she acted in faith when she returned

to her home. Every step of the way she was in

tune with obedience. Obedience and reliance on the

Lord. How do I know that?

Because she didn't leave midway. She didn't leave.

After a few years, she waited until the seven years was

complete. Additionally, she didn't delay

when the seven years were complete.

I mean, you stay somewhere for. Seven years, you would think,

OK, you're adjusted to a new way of life, a new routine.

And so maybe I'll stay here a little bit longer.

I'll linger here. She doesn't do that either.

So she doesn't abort it early, nor does she prolong it

unnecessarily. The moment the seven years were

up, she went back. She went back.

So this is precise obedience. This isn't flimsy.

This is in general. This isn't circumstantial.

This is calculated. This is OK.

The Lord told us this amount of time, no sooner, no later.

That's wonderful, and I'll tell you why that level of obedience

is important, because it secures God's blessings in our lives,

that kind of righteous stubbornness, in a way.

And how do I know that it secures?

God's blessings in our lives, because look what happens next.

I want us to read here. The.

Next few verses beginning. In verse 4.

Now the king was talking. With Gehazi, the servant of the

man of God, saying, tell me all the great things that Elisha had

done. And while he was telling the

king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, behold, we've seen

that that word over and over in many verses of this study.

Behold, I pause and see what's about to happen.

Behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to

the King for our house and our land.

And Ghazi said my. Lord, O King, here's the woman,

here's her son, whom Elijah restored to life.

It was at the time. Out of all the things that

Elijah had done, it came to the point where he was explaining to

the testimony of this boy being resurrected from the dead.

And while he is sharing that testimony, the woman who is part

of that testimony walks in the room.

And confirms the story. And her presence?

In light of that testimony being shared, I believe was necessary

for this unrighteous king to be willing to give her back what

she lost. Now here's what I thought about.

What if she had left the land of the Philistines before the seven

years? What about out of her

frustration? It's been three years.

Enough of this, I'm going to go back and she goes back.

What if she delayed? What if she had not trusted the

Lord to wait seven years? I wonder if it would have messed

up the timing of all of this. But because she trusted the Lord

and she walked according. To his ways.

According to his desire, she stumbled upon the right

circumstance to unlock the blessing of her property being

brought back to her. Just trust God, would you just

take him at His word? Believe Him, believe Him every

step of the way. You and I are going to be held

accountable on one thing, what His word said and how you

responded to it. Even though things look

different, even even though if your obedience looks very

costly, if it is costly, notice she obeys the Lord.

And what happens when she returns?

Somebody takes her land, somebody takes her home.

Is this what I get for trusting the Lord?

Going to the land of the Philistines for seven years and

I come back and instead of coming back to an empty home, I

come back to somebody occupying it, my produce, my fields.

Remember, she was a wealthy woman.

She had a lot. Is God still worthy?

To be trusted and obeyed when it's costly.

She doesn't complain. Oh, you see this consistency in

her character. Whether it was her son who was

prematurely sick and dies because of that sickness, all is

well. All is well to her husband.

All is well before the Prophet, and now she comes.

Back to. The land, her land, and it's

taken from her. And though she doesn't say, she

demonstrates this. You go, OK, I'm going to go to

the king and I'm going to make an appeal.

She doesn't raise her fist to the heavens.

This is a remarkable woman. So as challenging as waiting on

God may be, or as inconvenient as his commands might seem, you

can't afford to rely on your human wisdom.

Especially when it contradicts God's word.

Because you have no idea what. Blessings await the other side

of your obedience. You have no idea.

Speaking on relying on our own. Wisdom.

Let's talk about Gehazi a little bit, shall we?

This rebel, how do you explain his?

Presence in the palace of the king.

How is he here of all places? Well, you heard it earlier that

A. Common explanation is that this

took. Place before 2nd Kings chapter

5. But I think there are

challenges. With that.

So there are some other. Possibilities and people will

claim that. He must have repented, he must

have confessed his sin, and God was merciful to him by reversing

the curse. And as much as we would love to

believe that he had a change of heart, there is no shred of

evidence that Gehazi got right with God.

So you have others who would say.

Well, OK, yes, he did receive this indictment, this judgement

of leprosy, but it didn't develop right away.

It was a slow process and so. For a period of time he was

still fine and he was able to function in society, which

enabled him to engage with the king in this manner.

OK, but that. Really contradicts this verse

where we read in Second Kings 527 that.

He went out from Elijah's. Presence a leper like snow.

So this is advanced leprosy immediately.

So what is the answer? I think we're left with only one

conclusion, that Gehazi had a unique relationship with the

prophet Elijah, and because of that, he was.

Granted, special, though limited access to the King who wanted to

satisfy his curiosity, who had inquiries about Elijah's life,

his story, his abilities. And so he summons Ghazi, who had

a front row seat, to it all. And how that worked?

Practically, we're not told, but that seems to make to make the

most sense that he calls for this man, though he's a leper,

so that he can inquire of him in order to to know more about the

Prophet. And if that is true.

Then it also. Provides an insight about the

human heart. That the King's.

Curiosity about the things of God and Gehazi's ability to

recount them accurately does not signify a right relationship

with the Lord. So we might be excited.

That the king of Israel is finding some thrill and

discovering. What Elijah is all.

About what he's able to do in the testimonies that are

associated with him. But that doesn't mean that he.

He wants God. There are many people who have

an. Interest in the Bible.

I've met people like that. I've met people who've come on

Friday night Bible studies who after the study will come up and

they have, they just have this curiosity about the things of of

the of the word, the historicity of it, the revelation of it, the

prophecies about it. But they have zero interests of

the God of the Bible. They don't want a relationship

with him. They're just curious.

They're just. Fascinated.

Maybe. It's just an intellectual.

Kind of stimuli mental. Gymnastics and you have others

like Ghazi. Who can, who can rehearse?

Church history with a PhD level of knowledge.

Memorized it. Can explain any doctrine, any

theological concept. In our lepers.

Unrepentant, still filled with greed and operate in deception.

So you have this pair. One is.

Interested in the things of God, but is wicked Another who can

explain the things of God, but is wicked in his own way?

This is interesting. And it's quite telling of the

human condition. It's not what you.

Know it's what you do with what you know, Yeah.

And it's not how fascinating you.

Are with the truth it's if it's one your devotion.

So no matter how. Excited you are about these

things or how well you can articulate them that.

Won't save you only when that truth has won your heart.

Does it mean something? To you and to others.

So what shall we do? We have to make a conclusion

about Gehazi. I don't think the author is too

interested in trying to explain to us how he is here, I think.

There's a greater truth to be learned.

And it's about Providence. And.

That's what we're going to conclude.

On there are a couple of thoughts about.

Providence that I want to bring to your attention.

Let's look at verse 6 again. And when the king asked the.

Woman, she told him. So the king appointed an

official for her, saying restore all that was hers, together with

all the produce of the fields from the day that she left the

land until now. Let me mention to you.

The brilliance of God's Providence, the.

Brilliance of God's. Providence in how it

accomplishes more than one redemptive purpose at a time.

Because the obvious. Conclusion here is that.

God orchestrated all of this so that the woman would arrive at

this particular moment, so that the King would hear the

testimony, see the evidence of it, and be moved to get behind

supporting this woman and the way God supported this woman or

whatever was going through his mind to actually accept her

appeal. But it's more than that.

As much as God had the woman in mind right to reward her and to

preserve her, I believe that God had the King in view as well.

What do you mean? Because Gehazi's testifying.

Of what the Lord had done through Elijah and at the same

time there's a double witness you.

Have the woman and her son appearing before the king of

Israel, confirming that this was true.

With what end in mind to? Entertain the king you know to

hopefully cause him to see this is the true God.

He's real. The gods that I worship.

They can't do this. There's no testimonies like

this. And so I'm persuaded that the

Lord orchestrating this was also to cause the king to reconsider

his lack of faith in the true God.

He gave this king a chance. Another chance with this

testimony is a brilliant testimony.

And so I love the way God. Moves because you see one

testimony. And there are hundreds of other.

Testimonies attached to that one.

God is doing something in your. Life, which is wonderful, but.

There are other things that he's doing in that.

There are all these different subplots in God's work.

It's it's wonderful. And I think in eternity we're

going to spend thousands upon thousands of years connecting

all the dots. And so we just see two things.

At least that's what I see. The woman being provided for and

also the king being provided for In what way?

Yes, the woman, her property, but this man under the chance to

witness the truth so that he can come to the truth.

So the brilliance of God. 'S wisdom in his providential

work, but also the purpose of pain in his providential work.

Who would have? Thought that the Lord.

Bringing this woman a child and allowing that child to die.

Would be the necessary. Testimony for years to come that

when this woman would lose everything, it would be that

testimony that would win everything back.

At least 7A. Minimum of seven years has has

transpired between this woman and her son.

And this encounter with the. King, Surely it's more than.

That. So who would have thought?

That the trauma of this boy's dead death.

And the glorious testimony of His resurrection had something

greater in mind that would take years upon years before it was

realized. So you and I have scars.

And we wonder the purpose of these scars.

You might not know it for another decade.

You might not know it for another. 30 years?

You have no clue. But we have stories like.

This to comfort us in those moments of waiting and wondering

that this is not in vain. My my turmoil is not pointless.

There's something to this. I may not be able to see it.

I may not be able to explain it. And I'm sure you've tossed in

bed back and forth trying to wonder what, why this, why, and

I. Wonder what the reaction of

this? Woman was she was a woman of

faith. She was, she was a smart woman.

I wonder what she thought when she went back home and realized

it was this testimony that would win the King's temporary

affection to allow me to have everything that I lost.

This is no ordinary king, by the way.

The context suggests that he is Jeho Ram.

And who is he? The son of?

Remind me? Good.

Ahab. And his mother was Jezebel.

Did Ahab have a reputation of being kind with people's

property or No, No, no, no. You remember Nabit's vineyard,

right? And so this is.

This is a king whose. Dad was very manipulative,

right? And it makes you wonder.

What are the chances? That this king is not going to

take advantage of the situation and.

Manipulate it so that he. Can come out with something very

low, very low if we see his. History and his upbringing, and

yet it would be Ghazi's word and this woman's appearance at that

time and that particular story out of all of Elijah's

testimonies that would soften his heart and say you can have

it back. And not just have it back.

Read verse 6 carefully again. So the king.

Appointed an official for her saying restore all that was

hers, together with all the produce of the fields from the

day that she left the land until now.

So not just your house and. Your land, but whatever produce

that might have been developed in your absence, all of that is

being brought to you. As though you were here.

Everything that was. Taken from you.

Is going to be given back to you.

I'm sure she would have been happy if you just got the keys

back to her front door. But no, we're going to, we're

going to work this out and figure out what was, what was

developed and what was produced. And we're going to, we're going

to put that into your account as well.

Because the Lord goes above and beyond for those who serve him,

He goes. Above and beyond.

For those who serve him, that's really the lesson of this

testimony in this study, that you will never go wrong serving

the Lord sacrificially never go wrong and though you serve him

and. Things happen in your.

Life that don't make sense. Treatment that doesn't seem to

align with faithfulness. There's a reason for it.

There's a reason for it. It's developing a wisdom in you.

It's developing a character. In you, it's developing a story

in you that when it's shared, might win people to the Savior.

They say, I've read this in many, many accounts of

ministers, that their messages and that their counsel and that

their interactions with their members radically change when a

chapter of suffering comes their way.

God's curriculum in his school is very fascinating to me, very

interesting. And all that requires of.

Us is just to trust him, believe him, let him lead and let him

write this story and as he's writing that story, as we learn

that doesn't necessarily mean that you don't have some liberty

to make choice as you were informed by the word of God.

Go wherever you can. And so I want us to end here

tonight, asking us for both of those things, for His perfect

leadership so that we wouldn't miss 1 testimony.

And at the same time for the wisdom and the balance to know

when to move, how to act, what to decide, and to believe that

He will guide us even though we don't get supernatural guidance

in it. Shall we pray?

Can we take our time? I think this is a very fitting

study for the last study of our year of this year as we prepare

for a new year. And the praise team can.

Join me on the platform as we are ready to sing to the Lord.

Thank you, Lord. We bless your holy name.

You are beyond good to us. Lord, Oh God, we thank you for

2024. We thank you for every

testimony. We even thank you for the tests,

the trials, Lord, that you were able to bring us through.

Thank you, Lord, that these things occurred, not because we

have something to prove to you, but.

So that we can confirm. The faith that we have in you

and realize I do trust him, I do believe in him, I do love him.

So Lord, we, we honor you, we crown you with our praise for

everything. Oh God.

And we, we ask even now, Lord, if there is a crossroads that

some are standing at, not knowing where to go, that this

study would be the nudge to push them in the right direction.

And for those who have done all that they can to obey you and it

and it just seems to cost them more than anything else.

May they believe you and may they rest in you knowing that

they will never go wrong, obeying what your word has to

say, even if it encourages delay, even if it causes

inconvenience. Lord, we believe you that you

only have good in mind for us. So help us be patient.

In our obedience, help us be patient as we wait on You.

Lord, Tonight we pray that You would deposit in our hearts the

ability to retain these truths. When they matter, the.

Most when we are faced with similar things that might

challenge us to distress you, Lord, bring these things to

mind. Help us remember.

We will not, O Lord, divert from your way.

We will not be like Elimelech and Naomi and choose to be the

kings of our own lives, the queen of our own decisions.

We trust in You, even in famine. Even in discomfort.

We'll wait on you. In Jesus name, Amen.

Let's stand and worship the Lord.

Just worship Him with the heart that He has taught us so much in

2024 and that He has more for us should He tarry in 2025.