Elisha & the Shunamite Woman

by Odon Bulamba (summary only - 7th Jan, 2005)

II Kings 4:8-37, 8:1-6

The more Elisha was close to Elijah, the stronger and more powerful he became and the more we decide to come close to God, the stronger and more powerful we get.

II Kings 4:8, as the Shunamite woman insisted Elisha to come and eat we must also insist God. Many Christians today cross hard situations because they lack consistency or insistence. When we need something from God we ask and when it doesn’t come straight away, we go to a person to get help but we have to insist God to make Him act.

The Shunamite woman didn’t invite Elisha to be seen by others and we must not tell people when we are helping others.

Elisha found the Shunamite woman wise and that he needed to live there. We need to become apart of other’s lives by praying for them, visiting them, supporting them and coming close to them. Because we don’t get involved in other’s lives the church is going down.

II Kings 4:10, Jesus went to the Kingdom of God to prepare a place for us and we also need to prepare that place for others. Whoever is in the Lord will have a comfortable place (in the same way the Shunamite prepared a comfortable place for Elisha).

What’s the importance of a table? For comfort, for eating, for writing. If you want to help someone; read the Bible for him and pray for him. The table has four legs; (1) God, (2) Holy Spirit, (3) Jesus (4) us and we work together to become one. The woman wanted to give him a chair, everybody needs seats, Jesus Christ has a throne and we are princes or princesses so what do we have? (we have to know our place in the Lord).

II Kings 4:20-37, when Gehazi asked the woman if all is well she said there is no problem. Would it be easy for you to do that? When we cross hard situations we must show everyone. (I Peter 5:9)

Gehazi had to not greet people on the way which is very hard (imagine if someone says hello to him but he has to not respond) but he obeyed for the life of others.

The woman reminded Elisha that he gave her son to her and sometimes we also blame and complain.

When Gehazi put the staff on the child it didn’t work and when we try to help and it doesn’t work we have to find strategies of patience and perseverance. Elisha went and prayed and it didn’t work, then he lay on the corpse (could you lay on a dead person, put you lips on the lips of a dead person?) Sometimes God asks us to do something and when we obey we will feel the power of God. E.g. God tells you to lay your hands on Pete’s head and pray for him. That’s how to experience God’s power but if you doubt it will result in nothing.

II Kings 8:1-6, the small things we are doing can have a huge impact later and whatever good we do, there is a reward later.

SUMMARY

- We have to be consistent and insist with God and persevere
- Don’t tell people when you help others
- We need to become apart of other’s lives
- We need to prepare a place for others in the Kingdom of God
- We have to know our place in the Kingdom of God
- Don’t complain or blame or show others you are crossing a hard situation
- Do whatever God asks of you and you will see His power
- Whatever good we are doing, there will be a reward later

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