2 Kings 4 (Part 2) Bible Study (Elisha and the Shunammite Woman) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for this

time. We do lift up this nation to

you. We know that between now and

November 5th and beyond, there can be many plot twists.

But we pray for your supernatural hand to be upon

this nation, that your favorable hand would be upon this nation.

That especially at this election, Lord, that

righteousness would prevail, that evil would be subdued, that

it would be set back, that whatever Satan has in mind to

destroy this country, this generation, this culture would

be kept at Bay. And instead, Lord, your church

would thrive and take advantage of the freedoms that you would

provide to be effective, to be busy, to be zealous with the

gospel of Jesus Christ. So, Lord, we pray for our

politics because our politics comes into affecting people,

policies that will affect people and, and Lord, we want

righteousness. We want the reflection of your

goodness to to shine and to be known in every sphere of this

nation. So we pray, Lord, intervene,

intervene, Lord, and let goodness and kindness and mercy

and justice rule and reign longer in this land and

strengthen your church in the midst of it.

May we not fall asleep Should you give us four more years of

peace and tranquility, at least a little bit more peace and

tranquility than not. Your church be asleep and her

plenty. We pray, Lord, that this would

be a wake up call for not just us, but the church at large to

again see what we have ahead of us and to make use of it to work

while it is day, for night is coming when no man can work.

We ask these things in the precious name of the ruling,

reigning living name of Jesus Christ, Amen and Amen Amen.

Preach the word in season and out of season, even an election

year. So let's come to 2nd Kings

chapter 4. As we read from verse 8 down to

verse 17. This chapter is absolutely

filled with the miraculous. We studied a miracle in the 1st

7 verses of this chapter, and miracles will only continue as

we advance with this particular section of God's Word.

So let us do this. If you're there with me, follow

with me with your eyes, more importantly, with your heart.

And let's read from verse 8 down to verse 17 before we unfold

these things together. Verse eight.

One day Elisha went on to Shunam, where a wealthy woman

lived who urged him to eat some food.

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, a table, a chair,

and a lamp, so that whenever he comes to us he can go in there.

One day he came there and he turned into the chamber and

rested there. And he said to Gehazi his

servant called the Shunamite. When he had called her, she

stood before him. And he said to him, 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 commander of the army?

She answered, I dwell among my own people.

And he said, What then is to be done for her?

Ghazi answered, Well, she has no son, and her husband is old.

He said call her, and when he had called her, she stood in the

doorway. And he said, at this season,

about this time next year, you shall embrace a son.

And she said, no, my Lord, oh man of God, do not lie to your

servant. But the woman conceived, she

bore a son about that time, the following spring.

As Elijah has said to her, it is a good habit in your study of

God's Word and whenever you come across a reference of a village,

the name of a city or a town, that you meditate on that and do

a little bit of exploration to see the significance of that

city or the history of that city or the cross references

concerning that city. If you make that a discipline,

you will indeed enrich your study of the very passage that

you are confronted with, and I believe that to be the case with

what we have in this passage today.

We are told that Elijah went on to a place called Shunam.

Now Shunam is only mentioned a total of three times and all of

the Old Testament one time here, another time in First Samuel

1 Samuel 28 · chapter mention

chapter 28 and verse four, and for the very first time in the

book of Joshua. And it is in the book of Joshua

where we are told which tribe Shunam belong to, where it was

located in terms of the sons of Israel and their allotted land.

Can anybody guess where Shunam is found?

Somebody I think said it but is nervous to say it louder.

If you know it, say it. If you don't know it and you

want to know it, you have to turn to Joshua chapter 19 and

Joshua 19 · chapter mention

look at verse 17 and 18. And if you get there 1st and you

find the tribe, say it out loud for us to hear it.

It's a car. Not a very well known tribe, but

here it is. It's a car according to verse

1718 of Joshua chapter 19 had Shunam in its boundaries.

Joshua 19 · chapter mention

It's a car now. Do you remember that in Genesis

49, when Jacob was still alive, and his twelve sons, who later

became the tribes of Israel, before his departure into glory,

he brought them in and he prophesied over each of them

concerning not just their own lives, but the destiny of their

descendants. And I want you to see with your

own eyes what Jacob said to his son Issachar.

So go to the very beginning, the first book of this divine

library, Genesis 49. Look at 2 verses with me in

Genesis 4914 and 15 of that chapter.

Notice what Israel says to Issachar.

Issachar is a strong donkey. Now that might be an insult in

our day, but it wasn't in this context.

Issachar is a strong donkey. Crouching between the

sheepfolds, he saw that a resting place was good and that

the land was pleasant, so he bowed his shoulder to bear and

became a servant at forced labor.

So remember, Jacob and his sons are still in Egypt.

They haven't arrived to the Promised Land just yet, but he

tells Issachar that your descendants, when they come to

that promised land, are going to find a good resting place, and

they're going to find a piece of property that will be pleasant.

But above that, he says that the people of Issachar would be an

industrious people, right? Diligent to work, willing to

embrace the burden of the soil. That's what he says.

It says that he bowed his shoulder to bear and became a

servant at forced labor. Now, you can either interpret

that in a positive way or in a negative way.

The positive way, in the way that I just explained, that they

would be hard workers. The negative that because they

were in such a prosperous place, they would often be the object

of foreign oppression, trying to take advantage of what they have

and at a cost, they would be forced to be servants.

If we look at it from the positive lens, this people would

be hard working. And when you trace the people of

Issachar specifically in the book of Judges and Chronicles,

what you discover is that many warriors arose from this tribe.

Many of them, in times of oppression and war, did not

hesitate to come to the aid of the people as a whole, their

brethren. So not only did they carry their

own burdens, but they also were willing to carry the load of

others. All that to say that we are

introduced to a woman who comes from Shunam and she will prove

that she was not distracted by the rich opportunities of the

land, but that she made the most important investment that you

can make in this life, a spiritual one.

She will prove to be a hard working servant, but not just

for agriculture and gain and business before the advancement

of the purposes of God. Let me add this.

Does anybody have an idea what the name Shunna means in the

Hebrew? I know one person here who would

know it. Double resting place.

So remember Jacob told Issachar, you're going to find a good

resting place. And within the resting place,

the allotment of the land given to Issachar, there was a town

that was not just the resting place.

Double resting place. And so you get the impression

from this that Shunam was perhaps a very picturesque,

broad, tranquil, relaxing, beautiful place.

And what we learned is that Elijah and his frequent travels

in the ministry would often pass through that place.

But what we're going to discover is that Shunam double resting

place will offer something to Elijah through a person who had

the gift of hospitality and who cared enough for a man of God

and the ministry of God to bring rest and help.

And I want to investigate further to see what we can learn

about this woman. Let's come back to 2nd Kings 48.

From that one verse. What do you learn about her?

What stands out to you about this woman?

She was wealthy. She was a wealthy woman.

Now, you should not be inspired by the fact that she was rich,

but what she did with her riches, her prosperity, listen,

it did not do what material fortune often does to people,

especially those who grew up in the church or who are connected

to the faith. It did not overtake her to the

point of becoming spiritually debilitated.

Instead. What do you read when you when

you read about her in this introduction, you see that she's

eager to serve, looking for opportunities to do so.

And she found one. And then she used her resources

to contribute to the cause of the truth.

That's what you find in this woman.

And when she saw and learned that Elijah, this man of God who

is gaining notoriety, when when she learned that he frequently

traveled through her neighborhood, she saw an

opportunity right there. And she said, I want to do

something for this man of God. I want to come to his aid.

I want to support him. And listen, she was not

reluctant. She was not coerced.

In fact, if there's anybody that was hesitating with this

interaction of receiving help, it was Elijah.

Look back here. What do we read?

Verse 8A, wealthy woman lived who urged him to eat some food.

She wouldn't take no for an answer.

Like, no, no, you're going to eat.

I already prepared the food. You're coming inside.

And I was like, no, you know, he doesn't want to be a burden.

No, it's OK, man. Thank you so much.

No, no, no, no, no. You're eating no matter what you

say. And finally, he gave in, and he

became very comfortable because we're told in the same verse

that whenever he went that way, he would turn in there to eat

food. It's worth pausing here and

making a few comments. The Bible does not prohibit

Christians from becoming financially successful, nor does

it suggest that wealthy Christians should be ashamed of

their assets. However, the same Bible also

warns every man, including those in the faith, of the perils of

pursuing wealth and offers unique instructions to

Christians who are materially blessed.

And one of the clearest examples of this in the New Testament is

found in First and the chapter 6.

And I want you to see it with me in verse 17, First Timothy

1 Timothy 6:17

chapter 6, verse 17 and 18. Let's look at this together.

Paul is about to tell Timothy in the closing remarks of this

epistle, As for the rich in this present age, just stop there.

Don't you love that, Timothy? I want you to address a

particular demographic in your church.

As for the rich. But he doesn't just say As for

the rich, he says As for the rich in this present age,

meaning it's possible to be wealthy and affluent in this

world and for that not to transfer over into an eternal

currency. In fact, it's possible to be

very, very prosperous in this life and void of any eternal

reward in the life to come. So speak to the rich in this

present age. Their present situation and

circumstance and comfort does not mean that it will transfer

over into the world to come. But there is something that this

particular group of people in your church, in the church at

large, can do to ensure that they make an impact in this life

and in the age to come. And in the first verse there he

provides the negatives. Make sure they don't do this.

Make sure they don't act like that.

Make sure they don't think this way.

And then in verse 18, he gets into the positives.

And notice what he says as we read this in its entirety.

As for the rich and as present aides charge him not to be

haughty nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches,

but on God who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.

I like that last part. God can give you things to

enjoy. It's not spiritual to be solemn

and to not see the blessings and things that are material.

But enjoyment in those things are not an end in itself.

It's not the goal of the accumulation of our wealth.

Notice what he says in the next part.

They are to do good, to be rich and good works, to be generous

and ready to share. Here's a summary of what Paul is

saying by the Spirit. Christians who are financially

successful followers of Christ who have that kind of favor in

their lives cannot be hoarders. They cannot be hoarders.

They cannot live with this mindset that they work hard and

they they accumulate more and more in order for them to keep

these things for themselves. Instead, a believer who is

spirit filled will understand that resources are to be

actively and thoughtfully used to seek opportunities to bless

others, particularly in the name and for the cause of the Lord

Jesus Christ. That's that's how not just

Christians should think, but especially Christians who are

unusually and uncommonly favored in their finances.

Which is the most enjoyable thing, is it not?

Is it not? The Lord Jesus said, according

to Paul's words, that it is more blessed to give than it is to

receive. I I just want you to think about

it. What a thrilling thought it is

that as, as we go on to this world and we work hard and we

accumulate an income and bonuses and all these different things,

that the wealth of the world, we can take that and then take a

portion of it and place it in the advancement of the eternal

Kingdom of God. So this should excite us.

And now I get it. I, I get a lot of Christians,

maybe even now you're, you're squirming and a lot of

believers, including pastors, get nervous of talking about

this from the pulpit, which is understandable because of the

vast abuses of it. You have every right to be

unsettled if you hear from this microphone something along the

lines of sow $91.00 so that you can reap the Psalm 91 blessing.

You can be squirmish when you hear something like that, and

you can be squirmish if any ministry leader pressures the

people of God to empty their bank accounts in the name of

investing in the Kingdom of God while you're left struggling and

your family can't put food on their table or pay their bills.

That's evil. That being said, you cannot deny

that the Bible, by the mind and the wisdom of God, seeks to

train the Church of Jesus Christ to be spiritually strategic with

their money. You can't deny that.

If you deny that, then you are in a proverbial way taking out

scissors and cutting up parts of the Bible.

You can't deny. I can't deny it.

And I remember on a personal level, at some point in my walk

with the Lord, as I examine my own sanctification, I examine my

consecration to the Lord, thinking to myself, have I

consecrated every part of my life except my wallet, except my

bank account? And so that was a turn around

for me and thinking about how to pray and come before the Lord

and saying, Lord, you have my time.

You have my, my, the gifts that you've given me, my energy.

But Lord, is there anything, is there anybody that you want me

to help? If there is there any ministry

that is faithful that you want me to invest in?

And I'll tell you this, that overtime your heart will begin

to fill with joy as you realize that you and I are invited to

contribute to the Kingdom of God in this way.

And that's something by the Spirit.

And so we see here that Timothy was instructed to charge this

particular group of people. And as he's charging them, let

me charge you. If you are seeking financial

growth, multiplication, accumulation, if you are

enjoying the fruits of your labor, or if you're even ready

to be the recipient of a grand inheritance, for example, but

are not stirred in your service to the Lord along the way, you

are treading on dangerous ground.

You've lost sight of your true purpose as a follower of Jesus

Christ, and I've possibly become self absorbed instead of being

again strategic for the gospel. And if you're not careful,

listen, I say this in love, if you're not careful to put money

in its appropriate place, to put your pursuit in light of

eternity, then one of the worst things that can happen to you as

a Christian is to become successful in this life.

That's one of the worst things that can happen to you because

success, unfortunately, has sabotaged the devotion of many

disciples of Jesus Christ throughout the age.

So let your heart always live in light of God's wisdom of how to

handle mammon and how to always have this understanding that

you're only going to live a few decades in this world, and you

want to ensure that every part of your life makes some kind of

contribution to the Kingdom of God.

And this woman is a tremendous example of how the rich in this

life should be like. In fact, when you come back to

2nd Kings Chapter 4, I want you to notice a couple of references

that reflect her posture of heart.

Come back to 2nd Kings chapter 4.

Look at verse 12. And he said to Gehazi, his

servant called this Shunamite. When he had called her, she did

what? What does it say in your Bible?

What did she do? She stood, She stood before him.

Look, look at verse 15. He said, call her.

And when he had called her, she stood in the doorway.

Listen to stand is a posture of servitude.

It signifies a position of readiness to be commissioned.

And what this woman shows us is that in her material gain she

did not allow her ego to be inflated.

She did not become more selfish or demanding.

No, her devotion to God allowed her to remain sensitive to the

needs of others even in her surplus.

She stood. She stood.

You know, it's worth making this beautiful observation before we

move on because we studied Elijah in the beginning of this

chapter and his interaction with a different kind of woman.

And as now we continue, we see him interacting with a woman

once more. But what a contrast there is

between these two women in their circumstances.

If you think about the woman from the first 7 verses, we

realize that she was what a widow, while the Shunamite was

what she was married. The widow at the beginning of

this chapter was destitute whereas this one was wealthy.

The woman expressed her faith in the 1st 7 verses in her need,

whereas the Shunamite practice her faith in her plenty.

The widow, did she have children?

How many? She had two sons.

The Shunammite, did she have any children?

No, she didn't. She was barren.

Here's the point of this. Despite their differences, what

these two women demonstrate that it's possible to honor God

regardless of your circumstances, regardless and if

your situation changes, whether it's financial, whether it's

physical, whether it is relational, the goal of our

lives remains the same. God wants to be glorified, and

in His Providence He positioned you in a way to glorify Him in a

particular manner. In this case, this woman had

much she was able to glorify God.

In the former case, this woman had virtually nothing and she

was still able to glorify God. As I told you last week, I was

so moved by this widow in the 1st 7 verses and this wealthy

woman moves me just as much. Look at what we find in verse 9.

Now all of this was just verse 8, so let's move on to verse 9.

And she said to her husband, Behold, now I know that this is

a holy man of God who is continually passing our way.

This woman was not just wealthy in her materials, she was

wealthy with her wisdom. She was discerning.

You know, Proverbs 1616 says how much better to get wisdom than

gold? To get understanding is to be

chosen rather than silver. So she's wealthy where it

matters. She possessed discretion and

prudence. And how does she demonstrate

that over time, as Elisha came over for a meal, we don't know

how many meals she picked up. This man is a true man of God.

He is truly holy and it impressed her.

She was able to process his faith, his character, and come

to the conclusion that he is the real deal.

And I want to say this in light of Elijah, or Elijah rather,

this says so much about this man of God because the sincerity of

his faith was proven in one of the most challenging places in

this world. You know, where it is, the home.

It's very difficult to put on a show, to put on a spiritual

facade and the comfort, familiarity and the privacy of

your home, is it not? You know, it's much easier to

come to a place like this on a Friday or on a Sunday and seem

to be something as spiritual and connected to God.

Why? Because the show only lasts for

like an hour and 45 minutes. But in the home, if your faith

is real in your living room and your bedroom and your kitchen,

that's something that is something noteworthy.

You see, Elijah's spirituality did not turn on and off at will.

It did not turn on and off depending on his surroundings.

He was consistent no matter where he found himself.

I was reflecting on a brief testimony that a young man

shared with me concerning his struggles to be a true

Christian, especially around his unbelieving peers.

And more than that, he was often tempted to fit the mold of the

world and to give in to their desires and their ways.

And this was a growing concern for him for the obvious reasons.

But something happened that struck him to the core that he

admitted would change the trajectory of his ways.

And I hope it does. He'd said that with one of his

roommates after living with him for a few weeks, again fearful

of witnessing, not even bringing up any idea that he is a

Christian, not intentional about witnessing at all or

demonstrating any qualities of holiness.

Somehow the conversation of the afterlife came up between these

two, and what this roommate said pricked his heart.

At some point in that dialogue. The roommate said to this

believer who again was struggling.

The following statement. Well, even if there is a hell,

it doesn't really matter because we're both going there.

What what was he saying in that? The way this young Christian

registered it was this guy doesn't believe that I'm a

Christian. Whatever this guy perceived, he

thinks that I deserve to go to hell, that I'm no different than

him. So didn't shine.

We were supposed to shone in the day-to-day.

It was not real. It was not perceptive.

Do you notice how when she shared this with her husband,

she started with look at the 1st 2 words and she said to her

husband, behold. Now behold means look at this,

look at this. We're not told her name or her

husband's name, but for her to say, behold now may indicate

that this woman had more spiritual insight than her

husband, that she was able to pick up on the quality of this

man of God's faith more than him.

And if that is the case, then there's even more things

praiseworthy about this woman that though she may have been

more spiritually mature than her husband, she did not disrespect

her husband because she's asking him if they can pursue this

project. She is honoring his authority,

she is coming to him and presenting a idea and didn't

assume that this is something that she can do on her own.

And this teaches us that being spiritually mature does not give

us the right to act superior to others.

And she might have seen what he did not see, but it didn't cause

her to look down on him. Moreover, her words, behold now

also, I think, indicate that she was thrilled to find out that

Elijah was sincere. Why would she be thrilled?

What was the spiritual climate of this time?

Was Israel filled with faithful men of God, compromising voices,

inept spiritual leadership? And so when she came across a

genuine man of God, behold this, we got to do something.

It's so overwhelmed are the sight and the interaction of a

genuine servant of God that she could not sit still.

She wanted to do what she could to strengthen and help and come

alongside this man. And in her own way, here's her

idea. We're going to do a building

project. We're going to assist him by

adding an extension to our home. Now, her wealth allowed her and

enabled her to do such things. Her wealth allowed her to not

just provide one meal, but a consistent menu whenever he came

through those streets. And again, so we see the heart

of this woman. She, she's not just trying to

reluctantly be charitable, just so she can, you know, satisfy

her 'cause she really wants to do this.

And all the more when she discovered that this man was a

truly holy man. And I believe there's a lesson

here for us. Pay attention to this when you

and I come across a man of God, a woman of God, and they are not

reserved just for pastors. Actually, sometimes men and

women of God are not pastors, and they're more men and women

of God than pastors. But when you come to know a man

or a woman of God through a growing relationship, here's

what I here's what I take from this.

I should recognize them as a blessing and be willing to

support them even if I have nothing to offer.

See, this woman, she could build an extension for this man of God

in our home. You may not be able to do that,

but you know what you can do for men and women of God,

Christians, genuine followers of Christ, build them up.

Build them up. You know, we often reserve our

encouragement for those who are struggling, for those who tend

to go back and forth, who disappear for a season, who for

a few weeks are here with the Lord.

They're on a mountaintop and they're serving.

And then they disappear for a few more weeks and then it's

just kind of a cycle. And we we tend to reach out to

them with our upbuilding words and rightfully so.

We need to encourage the faint hearted and we need to stir up

the idol. But consider, consider

encouraging those who are rock solid in their faith.

Consider looking to those who go out and witness and who love

their families well and raise their children in the fear of

God, who honor their husbands, who love their wives like Christ

loves the church, who who don't just come to church to consume,

but you recognize they participate.

Consider those people and consider supporting them,

building them up. They're human.

Add more fuel to their fire. Don't just don't just think that

people who have allowed their fire to become embers, that they

need sparks. Add some gasoline to those who

are actually burning for the Lord.

You'd be amazed to know what a brief few sentences after a

Sunday service can do to somebody for the next few

months. You'd be amazed to know what a

text, a sincere, prayed up text message can offer somebody who

leads one of the ministries in this church.

So here's a woman who is willing to help and to come alongside

somebody who's already serving God in a remarkable way.

And I think it provides us instruction to build those who

are building God's Kingdom. Shall we continue?

We shall. So she builds this house, and I

love it. Look at verse 10.

Let us make a small room on the roof with walls and put there

from a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so that whenever he

comes to us, he can go in there. She just wanted to provide a

secluded place for Elijah to do what men of God who preach God's

word really do, be alone with God to have a table to study, a

chair to sit on, a lamp so that he can study at night, like on a

Saturday. When a pastor preaches, he often

does so late into the night. So what happens?

Look at verse 11. So one day he came there and he

turned into the chamber and rested there.

Seems like Elisha is really getting comfortable at the

Shunamite's house, right? And he said to Ghazi, his

servant called this Shunamite. When he had called her, she

stood before him. Aha.

So in our study of this great man of God, Elisha, we are

introduced to a new character. His name is Ghazi.

We've never seen him before and this is not going to be the last

time that we see him in this book.

Now, if you're familiar with the book of Second Kings and you

realize that Gehazi had a tragic end.

He did not follow on the pattern of Elijah and Elijah where

Elijah emulated his tutors, faith and consecration.

He he goes in a different direction.

And we'll we'll come to that in a few weeks.

But just from our introduction, just from what we see of him, do

you get a good impression or a bad impression of Gehazi?

What stands out to you that says, you know, from what I see

so far, he seems pretty promising.

Any idea? Consider the whole passage that

we read today. There are two things that stand

out to me. Let me put it this way.

Was it the popular thing to do to be associated with ministers

of Yahweh at this time? No, no, no, no, no, it wasn't.

It was actually costly. Baal ISM and all these false

gods and these false priests, they were the prominent ones.

They were the praised ones. So to be associated with the

remnant of the prophets of Yahweh caped with a price.

And for Ghazi to be willing to assist Elijah says something

about this man's willingness to serve and to honor God,

supposedly. Here's a second one contextually

that that makes an impression on me about Ghazi.

Elijah now, in his gratitude, wants to bring something and

offer something to the Shunami, right?

I mean, he receives all this. He sees the sacrifice, He sees

the room, the building project, just amazing.

And he's so moved that he wants to do something in return, but

he doesn't know what to do. And you probably face that

dilemma when you're trying to figure out how to give a gift to

a relative or a friend that owns everything or has so much that

they can just get whatever they want.

Like, what do I buy this person? And so in a sense, there's that

kind of tension. There's that dilemma.

And so he's figuring out what to do.

He asked Ghazi to ask her. And when she was like, you know,

I'm fine. And we're going to get to a

response in a moment, It was Ghazi that solved the issue.

Look again here at verse 14. And he said, what then is to be

done for? Ghazi answered well, she has no

son and her husband is old. Gehazi is observant, Gehazi is

attentive, Gehazi is thoughtful and he was able to spot out and

all the things that this woman had a need.

She really wanted a child. Especially in this time.

There was such stigma. If you were if you were barren,

it was almost seen like a curse if you could not have a child,

which I find absolutely mind blowing concerning our society

today. Can I pause and say this?

This is how warped we have become as a culture since then.

What was recognized as a blessing, as a gift from heaven

today is seen as a curse, seen as a burden.

I mean, you're going to see how this woman reacts when she's

told by a prophet that you're going to have a child and she's

just elated. What do we do in our culture

today when they find out they're pregnant?

Those people who don't fear God, they go and murder the thing.

So this is how this is where we are at a society.

This is a culture that we're studying in the Old Testament on

Fridays where a child was seen as one of the greatest things

that you can experience in this life.

And today we throw them in the trash bin.

And so we see that Ghazi is the one who says she has no son and

her husband is old. So he also perceives that her

husband's older than than her. If there's anybody that's going

to leave before the other, it's this man.

So what's the problem here that she might be left alone.

She is she has nobody else. Nobody's going to be there to

take care of her when her husband was older passes on who

observes this Ghazi Even Elijah the prophet missed it.

And I meditated on this this morning.

I looked at this and I thought to myself there's something here

instructive about the blessing of working on side other

servants of God. We see here that this man shows

us that we need one another to see things more clearly.

Do you see that even prophets have blind spots and can benefit

from the presence and partnership of other believers?

Pay attention to this please. There are some Christians who

think that they are better off walking and ministering alone.

Can I ask you a very humbling question?

Are you more perceptive and powerful than the prophet

Elijah? I think you think you can walk

solo independent from being hand in hand with other believers.

I see one of the most powerful miracle working prophets in

redemptive history and he received help of being a more

effective minister through one of his assistants.

Who are you to think so lowly of the Church of Jesus Christ?

Who are you to think that you don't need brothers and sisters

and like Elisha and if you're a leader in any capacity, take

note of this. Elisha asked Ghazi what can we

do for he was willing to humble himself and ask somebody else's

assistant. Is there any way that we can

that I can be more efficient and helpful, ask questions, get

accountability. Here is here's a wonderful

example of a man of God who is even more effective as a man of

God because of another person who served God.

So you're in La La land. I say this in love.

If you think that you can just cruise through your Christian

journey without running with other believers, what would

become of your marriage, what would become of your inside of

scripture? What would become of your

ministry if you had people in your life that were willing to

speak into you and help you see things more clearly?

That's what I take from this. And so moving on, before we move

on to anything else, I want us to retract here and look at

Elijah's initial ideas when he had sent Gehazi.

Look at verse 13, before Gehazi gave the precise prescription,

verse 13. Initially he said to him, 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

behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?

So obviously Elijah had some connections with royalty and

with politicians. We saw in Chapter 3 how he came

to the aid of three kings. So he was up there and this is

what he could think of. He's asking this wealthy woman,

look, do you, do you want some kind of word spoken on your

behalf? Is there any situation, legal

problems that I can, I can speak on your behalf and ask the king

or the commander of armies. And this was her answer.

She goes, I dwell among my own people, and I think her answer

when she says as I dwell among my own people, reveals two other

gems on the crown of her faith. How do you understand this?

I understand this in two ways. I understand this in terms of

her contentment, and I see something about her character.

She was content. She didn't care about having an

audience with the king of or with the general of army.

She I do among my people. I'm happy where I'm at now.

You would think that the reason why she's content is because she

was so wealthy already. But you know this about wealthy

people, right? That just because you've

accumulated wealth does not mean you're satisfied.

Is that not true? That if your identity and your

purpose is in that no matter where you arrive, you're going

to want more. So if you can acquire more, I

want more. If you can dominate more, I want

to dominate more. And when you get bored with the

billions, you know what happens to some of these people?

They move on to the next goal, power, control.

That's what we're seeing in our culture today.

All these elites, they have the snap of a finger.

They can have whatever they want, any car, any house.

And because they're not filled with God, they now have to move

on to the next fleshly thing. And many of these guys are

operating under demonic influence to control people.

So don't, don't believe. At least I don't believe that

this woman is saying I dwell among my people.

I don't want any political help or any connections or networking

because I already have all this. I don't think it's that.

I believe it's because she is so deeply satisfied with her walk

with God. Don't you get that impression

from these verses that she finds her true joy in serving the

things of God? So let's just be a reminder to

all of us that nothing can leave you being and feeling fulfilled

like savoring in the knowledge of God and serving His church.

Nothing, nothing, nothing comes close to that.

Savoring in the knowledge of God and serving His Church is the

greatest thrill in your brief existence in mind.

Here's a wealthy woman that proves it.

I've talked enough of very wealthy people who are shriveled

in their soul because they thought if they reached that

number, they would be happy. Then they got there and they

thought, you know what? I can get to that number and

they get there and they realize, why does it feel like I'm

stuffing myself with these things?

And it's just going into this black hole in my soul.

And it's because nothing will leave you more fulfilled than

knowing God and making him known.

Nothing. But her response also says

something about her character, not just her contentment.

You know, when she says I dwell among my own people?

In other words, she's saying, like, I don't need anything.

I'm fine where I'm at. And what that shows is that when

she helped Elijah and the way she helped Elijah, she wasn't

looking for anything for herself in that she was not trying to

gain anything personal. She was not trying to climb a

ladder or trying to manipulate the situation so that she can

arrive somewhere else. Can I say something?

If you are serving in a manner to arrive at a selfish goal and

using that kind of a ministry as the means, that is a very

shameful thing. It's a very shameful thing

because true greatness in the Kingdom of God is to serve with

all your heart, mind, soul and strength wherever God places

you. And if He should promote you,

the Bible says promotion comes from the Lord.

So this is a woman who just she found her delight and knowing

that she can help this man of God full stop.

Not so that Elisha can put a word for me and I can get there

and I can get invited there. None of that.

Just in knowing that she could do her part for the ministry.

And so she she says, I do all my people.

And then she asked Gehazi or he asked Gehazi as you know, and

guys said, well, she has no son and her husband is old.

Let's finish this Bible studying the last few verses.

Verse 15. He said call her.

And when he called her, she stood in the doorway and he said

at this season, about this time next year, you shall embrace a

son. And she said, no, my Lord, oh

man of God, do not lie to your servant.

I like her personality. You can see it here, right?

It's like don't pull my leg. No, no, no, no, no.

She's not accusing him of being a liar, of course.

She's just responding in a very natural way.

Verse 17. But the woman conceived, she

bore a son about that time, the following spring, as Elisha had

said to her. Does this remind you of any

other promise that was made in the Bible in terms of a woman in

a very difficult situation, maybe even impossible situation,

receiving a child? Sarah, Abraham and Sarah.

And there's almost like a nudge here that as we, as we go from

Genesis to 2nd Kings, so much has changed in terms of the

people of God and things are not looking too bright in terms of

the projection of the people of God.

But this miracle with the familiarity is supposed to give

us this kind of a, an impression that the God of Abraham is, is

at work. He's still at work.

But here's how we're going to end here.

This woman did not want a reward.

But guess what? It came to her anyway.

It came to her anyway. Because though the the promise

of a child, this reward, this treasure is unique to her.

The principle of receiving a reward for serving God's

purposes in the way that you believe you should is not unique

to her. Let me give you a couple of

references in the New Testament. Before we wrap this up and pray,

I want you to consider the words of Jesus in Matthew 10 verse 41.

Matthew 10:41

Turn there with me because Second Kings 4, at least in this

part, is a wonderful illustration of a few New

Testament promises. Look at Matthew 1041 speaking to

his disciples. He says the one who receives a

prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward,

and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a

righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward.

So the context here is reminding us that whenever we receive

anybody who serves God in any capacity, a genuine disciple of

the Lord Jesus Christ, we're receiving Christ.

How we treat them is ultimately how we treat the Lord, and

that's how he understands it and He's letting us know that's how

we are supposed to perceive it. But notice what he says here and

being very specific. He says the one who receives a

prophet. So it's a specific title and

role. The one who receives a prophet

will receive a prophet's reward. And the idea of reception here

is hospitality, support of various kinds, assistance in any

way. The one who sees a prophet and

like the Shunammite takes that opportunity to bless that

prophet will receive a prophet's reward.

And not just a prophet, but a righteous person because he's a

righteous person. So for the reason that he's a

righteous person, if anybody receives that person, welcomes

that person, blesses that person, they will receive a

righteous person's reward. Now, this can be one of

different things. And one way to understand is

that if you receive a prophet, the reward is that what the

prophet has to say. It becomes your portion, the

truth becomes your inheritance as well.

You benefit from that individual's ministry.

And that's one part of it, I think.

But I think the promise is even greater than that, that if I

receive somebody, a man of God or woman of God, because of what

they do for God, how they serve God, if I honor them in that

way, then the reward that God will bestow, the prophet or the

righteous person will spill over and become your reward.

That's what he's saying here, that the, the reward that's

reserved for that individual and how they are serving God will be

shared with you. You say, well, I don't have much

to give. I can't build a house, I can't

build a room. I'm still trying to fix my

house. So look at verse 42.

And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of water

of cold water, because he's a disciple, truly, I say to you,

he'll by no means lose his reward.

What can be more transient and temporary than a glass of water?

Like after this, I'm going to go before I greet and and see some

people, I'm going to grab a little bottle of water and I'm

going to drink it because I'm parched, right?

Guess what's going to happen in a couple hours?

I'm going to need water again. So it's like a glass of water.

Either a bottled water being shared, even something as brief

and short lived as a glass of water will be recognized by God

and you'll be rewarded for it. Think about this, God is much

more gracious than we imagined Him to be.

I think I believe at least that when we stand before the Lord,

before the judgment seat of Christ, and that that judgment

seat is not going to determine our eternal destination.

It will determine the degree of our reward when we stand there.

I think all of us are going to be shocked when our records are

pulled out and the Lord will begin to reward us for things

that we didn't even think deserved the reward.

I can't do much. Can you give a glass of water?

Can you send an encouraging message?

Can you pray for people for 60 seconds on your way to work?

When you know somebody is serving the Kingdom of God with

all their hearts, you do that, God will reward you.

Let me give you another example. Here's our final text.

Look at third John, not often referenced, but it's in the

Bible, the third epistle of John.

There's no chapter, so we only have verse references.

But go to 3rd John. It's on the right side, the very

right side of your Bibles. Keep going, keep going.

It's near Revelation. If you've gone through

Revelation, you've gone too far. 3 John, Third John.

Look at what the apostle John says to this particular

individual and how it puts and ties everything so wonderfully

together. He's speaking to a man named

Gaius. And notice what he says in this

brief letter. Beloved, it is a faithful thing

you do in all your efforts. For these brothers, strangers as

they are, who testified to your love before the church, you will

do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of

God. Pause here.

What's going on here? Gaius evidently has opened his

home for travelling ministers to remain in for some time before

they moved on in their journey. Hospitality was greatly needed

in the early church, especially for those who are part of this

new movement called Christianity.

Followers of the way. There was hostility, there was

pushback. And so the church really

depended on Christians, especially missionaries, to be

welcomed and taken care of when they would go from town to town.

And Gaius was was one of those people.

And John commends her for that. He goes, listen, it's a faithful

thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as

they are, they didn't even really know.

All they know is that they're missionaries.

They're faithful teachers. I don't really know them that

well, but I heard they're coming through this town.

And so I want to open my home to them.

And John says, you're doing a faithful thing.

And and they say here in verse 6, the reason why John's writing

this is because they testified to your love before the church.

So these these strangers to Gaius at least came before the

church that they were traveling through saying, look, we were so

blessed by brothers so and so they opened their home in these

past few days. May God bless them and John

wants to bless guys. But notice his language here in

verse 7. For they've gone out for the

sake of the name pause. They left their families, their

comforts, the homes that put themselves in danger and need.

Why? For the sake of the name,

accepting nothing from the Gentiles, They would not be a

burden on the unbelievers. They would not put place

themselves at the hands of those who did not trust in the Savior.

And here's what moves me. It's verse 8.

Therefore, we ought to support people like these that we may be

fellow workers for the truth. Notice that he says we.

This is a you. He includes himself, and notice

what he says, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.

So Gaius and others like him, in their support of these men of

God, become partners in the cause of the gospel being

advanced. They become fellow workers.

That's how God sees it. What you see is a woman who's at

home who makes wonderful meals and provides a room for a

passerby, somebody who just ministers and preaches and does

miracles and needs a place to sleep.

That's what you see. You see a very nice lady who has

free time on her hands, who has a little bit extra resources.

You know how the Bible sees a fellow worker in the truth and

who will one day share in the prophet's reward.

So really, this Bible study is supposed to inspire each of us

in this place, each of us in this place, because we all have

the opportunity ahead of us and before us to contribute

something in our plenty, maybe not even in our plenty.

And here's the promise. God looks from heaven and he

wants to reward us for it. Have you lost your sight of what

you can potentially contribute to the Kingdom of God?

At one point in my life, it was even me looking at what God has

given me over the years to say, Lord, how can I partner with

your purpose? I'm asking your wisdom and your

guidance in that area. But even if you don't have

anything, barely savings in your bank account, you know what God

is asking of you. Reach out for a glass of water

if you need to and extend it to somebody and ask God for the

opportunity, and He'll give you that opportunity.

All to say that there's no excuse for any of us not to be

partnering in the Kingdom of God.

Not one, not one. And that should excite us.

Well, I better stop here before I keep you longer.

I want you to pause with me now at this time, sit back, reflect

on this brief Bible study, and ask the Lord to help you and

your contentment, to help you and your character to have a

greater vision of what you can do for God's Kingdom.

You'd be amazed to know how the Lord can answer those prayers.

Ask Him to make you excited again, to know that you're

playing a part in this time of world history to advance the

purposes of God. Lord, we thank you from the

bottom of our hearts for this study.

We thank you how we don't know what we will expect as we move

from chapter to chapter, section to section.

And Lord, tonight your voice was loud and clear.

We pray, O God, that You would energize us in our participation

of Your purposes. Open our eyes to see those who

are a blessing and to bless them.

Help us practice our faith, Lord, especially in America,

just like the land of Issachar, where there is so much

availability, so much potential for growth and increase.

But maybe be like this Shunamite woman who is not distracted,

would not allow herself to become spiritually crippled

because of her wealth. We want to be wealthy in you.

We want to be rich for the glory of God.

So train us through your word, by Your Spirit to know how to be

positioned there. We trust you and we worship you

this evening, giving you thanks for speaking to our hearts.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen. He is worthy of praise.

If the praise team can come and join us and assist us as you

have been so wonderfully doing this evening, let's give Him

praise and glory.