Women of the Bible - July 13, 2020

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The Shunammite Woman Her character: Generous and hospitable, she was a wealthy and capable woman who showed great kindness to one of God's prophets. Her sorrow: To lose the son that had been promised her. Her joy: To experience just how deep God's faithfulness goes. Key Scriptures: 2 Kings 4:8-37; 8:1-6 Her Story Just a few miles north of Jezreel, where Jezebel's story had drawn to its grim conclusion, lived a wealthy Israelite woman whose sharp eye kept track of travelers from Nazareth to Jerusalem. One of the more colorful characters who frequented the road outside her house was Elisha, the prophet who succeeded Elijah. One day the Shunammite woman invited Elisha to linger for a meal. Afterward, she said to her husband, "Let's make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to us." Moved by her kindness, Elisha inquired, through his servant, Gehazi, whether he could use his influence with Israel's king on her behalf. But the woman wasn't looking for favors at court, so Elisha pressed his servant, saying, "What, then, can be done for her?" Gehazi merely pointed out the obvious: the woman and her aging husband were childless, without an heir to carry on the family name. So Elisha summoned the woman and made an incredible promise: "About this time next year you will hold a son in your arms." "No, my lord," she objected. "Don't mislead your servant, O man of God!" Yet, a year later, just as Elisha had foretold, the woman held a squalling infant in her arms, laughing as she told others the story of God's surprising gift. Unlike so many of her female forebears—Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Tamar, Hannah—the Shunammite woman seemed content without children. Elisha's promise, however, was an arrow homing straight to its target, fulfilling the unspoken desire of her heart. One morning, a few years later, a servant entered the house with the little boy in his arms, explaining that the child had complained of a headache while visiting his father in the fields. Perhaps he had lingered too long in the sun. The boy's face was flushed, his forehead hot as his mother caressed it, hushing him with soothing sounds and songs. But despite murmured words of reassurance, she felt her own fear spreading. The tighter she held him, the more his spirit seemed to retreat. His breathing was labored, his eyes listless. At about noon he died. Without a word, she carried his small body to the prophet's room, laying it tenderly on Elisha's bed. Closing the door, she summoned a servant and left immediately for Mount Carmel, where she hoped to find Elisha. Spotting her in the distance, the prophet wondered aloud what could prompt her to make the twenty-five-mile journey north. "Run to meet her," he urged Gehazi, "and ask, 'Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your child all right?' " But the woman merely brushed Gehazi aside with polite words and rushed straight to Elisha, exclaiming: "Did I ask you for a son, my lord? Didn't I tell you, 'Don't raise my hopes'?" Immediately the prophet instructed Gehazi: "Tuck your cloak into your belt, take my staff in your hand, and run. If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer. Lay my staff on the boy's face." The woman, however, wasn't about to settle for a stand-in. So the prophet hurried to Shunem just behind Gehazi, who had gone on ahead to carry out his master's orders. When Elisha arrived, he found the boy lying quiet and cold on his couch. Elisha closed the door behind him. Praying, he stretched his body across the boy's so that hands, mouth, and eyes touched. As he lay there, he could feel the chilled body warming beneath him. He got up and paced the room for a while. At last he stretched himself across the lifeless body again and prayed. The boy's chest lifted. Then he sneezed! Then sneezed again. The Shunammite woman may, in fact, have heard the story of how Elijah had raised the son of the widow of Zarephath in similar circumstances. If so, that miracle would certainly have fueled her hope, giving her the courage to seek her own miracle rather than collapse under so great a weight of grief. Now, as she saw for herself the irrefutable sign of God's loving-kindness, she fell at Elisha's feet and bowed to the ground. God had been true to his word, fulfilling his promise to her and then preserving it in the face of impossible circumstances. Her Promise The Shunammite woman knew there was hope even in the most devastating of circumstances. She had been promised a son when she was barren, and now she tenaciously held on to that promise even though her little son lay dead on Elisha's couch. "It's all right," she said to her husband, knowing full well that their boy was gone. The God who had given her the promise wasn't gone. She knew he wouldn't forsake her. "It's all right." Can you express that sentiment even when your world is crashing in on you? Perhaps not. Remember, however, that even in the most agonizing of circumstances, even when you feel abandoned, even when tragedy strikes—God is there. Trust his word and gain assurance from the Shunammite woman who, in the midst of appalling circumstances, could say, "It's all right."

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Copyright Information Today's reading is a brief excerpt from Women of the Bible: A One-Year Devotional Study of Women in Scripture by Ann Spangler and Jean Syswerda (Zondervan). © 2010 by Ann Spangler. Used with permission. Subscription Information This email was sent to Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog by Bible Gateway, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA. This email is part of a devotional or newsletter that you signed up for on BibleGateway.com. For information regarding our privacy policy, click here. If you have questions or comments about this newsletter, please contact us. *Manage all Bible Gateway subscriptions — *Opt Out of all Bible Gateway communication *the blog owner has deleted the hyperlink intentionally For a treasure box of Spurgeon  here for audio and here for books or audio      Bible Study Material Free Shipping On Orders of $30 Or More (continental U.S., excludes digital products) SHOP THE SALE SHOP THE SALE SHOP THE SALE Bible Study Material from alibris Free shipping info here Take $2 off $30+ Coupon code:JULY Take $3 off $45+ Coupon code:ROAD Take $4 off $55+ Coupon code:TRIP Offer Expires 11:59pm on 07/31/2020 Take $2 off $30+ Coupon code:JULY Take $3 off $45+ Coupon code:ROAD Take $4 off $55+ Coupon code:TRIP Affiliate marketer links: Affiliate marketer Rick Livermore with Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog will earn a commission on the Bible Study Material you buy from faith gateway store  and alibris.  Brought to you by Rick Livermore and Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog    If you would like to offset my expenses of producing all this free content, but you want to pass on buying  materials from faith gateway store and alibris, feel free to give a little something-------Give through PayPal-----Rick Livermore-Webmaster220 I live in San Juan Capistrano California now  a fan of tubitv.com/category/faith_and_spirituality also a fan of tubitv.com/channels/dovechannel also a fan of   94 FM The Fish Nashville also a fan of various The Fish stations all over the country The most important link on this blog is this one about cures to the coronavirus.  Landmark info about the treatment of severe cases of the COVID-19 virus Also this one about vaccines that immunize people from catching the coronavirus.  Then there is this one about copper as a weapon to combat this virus. This one could save some lives about the Red Cross. This one is a plasma cure link.