THE SHUNAMMITE WOMAN AND HER SON

Pastor James J. Barker

Text: II KINGS 4:8-37




INTRODUCTION:


1.     This being Mother’s Day we are going to look at one of the great women in the Bible.  In fact she is referred to in II Kings 4:8 as “a great woman.”

2.     However, though she was a great woman we do not know her name (nor her husband’s or son’s name). She is referred to simply as “this Shunammite” (II Kings 4:12, 36) or “that Shunammite” (4:25)

3.     She is referred to as the Shunammite because she lived in Shunem (II Kings 4:8).  We know little about the town of Shunem.  It is mentioned in Joshua 19:18.  It was located in an area allotted to the tribe of Issachar.

4.     It is also mentioned in I Samuel 28:4, where it says, “And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem.”

5.     Matthew Henry wrote, “Shunem was a city in the tribe of Issachar, that lay in the road between Samaria and Carmel, a road that Elisha often travelled, as we find in II Kings 2:25.”  

6.     Like Abraham’s wife Sarah, and Zacharias’ wife Elisabeth, this Shunammite woman became a mother later in life.

 

I. SHE WAS A GREAT WOMAN (II KINGS 4:8).

1.     The word “great” suggests she was a woman of means (cf. II Kings 5:1).   This Shunammite woman was a woman of wealth.  She had servants working for her (II Kings 4:22-24).

2.     Not only was this woman great financially, she was also great spiritually.  Let me stop here for a moment and make an important point.  A careful reading of this story reveals that this Shunammite woman was a great woman of faith. 

3.     However, her husband is not seen in the same light.  He may have been a believer.  For example, he went along with her suggestion to build a guest room for Elisha (II Kings 4:8-10).

4.     But while he may have been saved, it is rather obvious that she was the stronger of the two.   On this Mother’s Day, let me stress that a godly Christian mother can do much even if her husband is a slacker or even an unbeliever.  Timothy’s mother led him to the Lord even though her husband was not saved (cf. Acts 16:1).

5.     So this Shunammite woman was great both spiritually as well financially.

6.     Many people are great financially but poor spiritually.  But this great woman opened up her house to Elisha the prophet (II Kings 4:8).

7.     Not only did she feed him on a regular basis, she also had a special guest room built just for him (4:9, 10).  This is where we get the term “prophet’s chamber” (4:10).

8.     This great woman is an example of Christian benevolence and charity.  I thank God for generous and godly Christians who have helped me over the years.  I remember getting gifts while in Bible college, and some of them were anonymous.

9.     There was one dear woman whose son I taught in Sunday School who sent me money just when I needed it the most.  What a blessing it is when God’s people truly believe the words of our Saviour, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

10. We are reminded of the ministry of our Lord.  Luke 8:2, 3 refers to “certain women…which ministered unto Him of their substance.”

11. We also think of the home of Martha and Mary, where our Lord often went to eat and to rest.

12. The apostle Paul had good friends such as these scattered all over the Roman Empire, and several of them are mentioned in his epistles.

13. One of the marks of Christian character is found in Romans 12:13 – “given to hospitality.”   And this hospitality should be “without grudging” (I Peter 4:9).

14. Note also that this Shunammite woman did not just go ahead and have the wall built.   First she discussed it with her husband (II Kings 4:9; cf. 4:22).  No doubt he was a godly man himself.

15. Before moving on to my next point, let me emphasize that this Shunammite woman did not wait till someone asked her for help.  She took the initiative and asked her husband if they could build a guest room for Elisha the prophet (4:9, 10). 

16. My point: do not wait till someone asks you to help a preacher, a missionary, an evangelist, etc.  Look out for opportunities to be a blessing and you will be glad you did (cf. Matt. 10:41, 42). 

 

II. SHE WAS A BARREN WOMAN (4:13, 14).

1.     Elisha was a gracious and holy man of God, and he wanted to show his appreciation to this Shunammite woman for her kindness and hospitality (II Kings 4:11-13).

2.     Her reply, “I dwell among my own people” (4:13b), indicates that she was content with her lot in life and was not looking for any improvements or changes.

3.     How different she was from other women.  No doubt they would have been eager to move to a bigger house or go before the king with a big list of requests.  But this humble Shunammite woman was quite content with what God had given her.

4.     So Elisha asked, “What then is to be done for her?” (II Kings 4:14).  Gehazi answered, “Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old” (4:14b).

5.     In the OT, childlessness was seen as a misfortune.  You may recall what Rachel said when the Lord finally gave her a son (Joseph).  She said, “God hath taken away my reproach” (Genesis 30:23).

6.     On the other hand, “the giving of a son to those who had long been childless was a special mark of God’s favor and power” (AW Pink, Gleanings From Elisha).

7.     Hannah prayed and begged God to give her a son.  And she promised the Lord that if He gave her a son she would give him back to the Lord.

8.     God answered that prayer.  Hannah gave her son Samuel to the Lord and he became a great prophet.

9.     When the Lord told Sarah that she was going to conceive and have a son (Isaac) she laughed.  In fact, “Isaac” means “laughter” (Genesis 17:19; 18:12; 21:1-3).  

10. The Shunammite woman did not laugh but she originally thought Elisha was deceiving her (4:15, 16; cf. 4:28).

 

III. SHE WAS A BLESSED WOMAN (4:17).

1.     God blessed the Shunammite woman with a boy (4:17).  It is interesting to note that in the Bible, every time a barren woman conceives it is always either in direct answer to prayer or it is a miracle from God. It is always seen as an act of divine intervention, and the child is always a son.

·        Sarah was barren, and God gave her Isaac.

·        Rebekah was barren and God gave her two sons – Esau and Jacob.

·        Rachel was barren and God gave her Joseph.

·        Manoah’s wife was barren and God gave her Samson.

·        Hannah was barren and God gave her Samuel.

·        Elisabeth was barren and God gave her John the Baptist. 

2.     The Shunammite woman’s son grew up (4:18).  He was probably just old enough to help his father with the farm work (4:18).  He was still small enough to sit on his mother’s knees (4:20).

3.     He is called a “child” throughout the story (cf. 4:26, 29, 30, 31 twice, 32, 34 twice, 35 twice).

 

IV. SHE WAS A DISTRAUGHT WOMAN (4:27).

1.     Verse 27 says, “her soul was vexed within her.”

2.     The young boy was out in the fields with his father when he started complaining of a severe headache (4:18, 19).  Perhaps it was sunstroke.

3.     The father had one of his servants carry the boy home to his mother, and then the Shunammite woman sat with her son on her knees till noon, and then the boy died (4:19, 20).

4.     Oftentimes we cannot understand the ways of God.  We see wicked sinners live to be 100 years old, and we see godly Christians cut down in their youth.

5.     I was driving in my car and I heard that dirty old reprobate Hugh Hefner being interviewed on the radio.  He was boasting that he had reached the age of 80 and he was enjoying life, etc.

6.     The Psalmist asked in Psalm 94:3, “how long shall the wicked triumph?   How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?”

7.     Then when you get down to the end of the Psalm, he says the LORD “shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off” (Psalm 94:23).

8.     We do not understand why death often comes suddenly and unexpectedly, but we know that those who trust in Christ go to a wonderful place called heaven.

9.     But this Shunammite woman is now a distraught woman. Her soul was vexed within her.  But she knew who could help her – the same man of God who told her she was going to have a son would be able to restore life to her beloved son (4:21-25).

10. She told her husband, “It shall be well” (4:23) and she meant it.

11. This reminds us that this Shunammite woman was a woman of great faith.  She knew the God of Elisha was able to give her back her son.  This brings us to our fifth and final point.

 

V. SHE WAS A BELIEVING WOMAN

1.     The Shunammite woman did not make funeral arrangements.  She placed her son on Elisha’s bed, believing all the while that God would raise him from the dead.

2.     Back in I Kings 17, Elijah the prophet raised a widow woman’s son.  And here in II Kings 4, Elisha the prophet raised the Shunammite woman’s son. 

3.     Both of these women are mentioned in Hebrews 11 along side Noah and Abraham and Moses and other great heroes of the faith.

4.     Hebrews 11:35 says, “Women received their dead raised to life again.”

5.     It is interesting to note that Elisha’s method is very similar to Elijah’s when he raised the widow’s son to life.  It is obvious that Elisha patterned his ministry after Elijah’s.  We that are called to preach the Gospel must preach the Gospel and win souls the way our predecessors did.

6.     We have their godly example.  We have the indwelling Spirit of God and we have the Word of God.  That is all we need.

7.     As we have noted, the Lord works in mysterious ways (cf. II Kings 8:1-6).  This Shunammite woman would not have escaped the famine, nor would she have had her property restored had it not been for Elisha and the death and resurrection of her son.

 

CONCLUSION:


1.     Only God can open a woman’s womb (cf. I Samuel 1:5, 6, 19, 20).

2.     Furthermore, only God can raise the dead. 

3.     Now let us apply this truth to the spiritual realm.  Only God can impart spiritual life to a dead sinner (cf. John 5:24; Eph. 2:1-10).

4.     Spurgeon preached a sermon from this text called, “The Seven Sneezes” (II Kings 4:35).  In this message, Spurgeon said, “O for more Elishas, for then we should see more sinners raised from their death in sin.”

5.     God gives spiritual life to dead sinners but he uses men like Elisha and men like the Shunammite woman.



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