July 22,2012
Lesson Focus:
Justice reverses
wrongdoing
Lesson Scripture:
2Kings 8:1-6
INTRODUCTION.God’s Word supports the principle that we all should work for our daily bread.In his letter to the church at Thessalonica, Paul declared that those who didn’t work shouldn’t eat but Unfortunately, difficult times often make it impossible for God’s people to work.Yet even during those tough times,God has ways of providing for them as they trust Him.In this week’s lesson,the account of the widow is an example of God’s gracious provision.It also demonstrates how He supernaturally directed events so that this woman would be treated with sympathy by the king.The background for this lesson can be found in II Kings 4:8-37.There we learn how Elisha became acquainted with the woman in our text and her husband as he travelled through their city from time to time.They were prosperous people in those days and were able to offer Elisha hospitality. Eventually they built an addition to their home so that Elisha would have a place to stay whenever he came through Shunem.Soon Elisha learned that this couple had never had a child and out of appreciation for their kindness, he announced that the Lord would miraculously give them a child.As prophesied, the woman gave birth to a son, however, some years later the boy collapsed and died.Elisha then raised him from the dead.Now Elisha again came to the woman’s aid as a famine was about to come upon the northern kingdom of Israel.
A.The Shunammite woman uprooted by a famine(II Kings 8:1-2).
1.(vs. 1).Our lesson begins with“Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn: for the Lord hath called for a famine; and it shall also come upon the land seven years.”Here the woman of Shunem is re-introduced to us as the woman whose son Elisha “restored to life” or raised from the dead.The Lord spoke to Elisha informing him that there would be a famine in northern Israel. The prophet then told the woman about the famine and urged her to take all those in her household and “sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn.”In other words, she was to take up temporary residence anywhere outside of the northern kingdom for at least seven years, the predicted length of the famine. The phrase “for the Lord hath called for a famine” indicates that this famine like many others in Scripture, was God’s judgment upon Israel for her sins (see Deuteronomy 28:23-24; II Samuel 21:1; I Kings 8:37-40).We must not forget that when God’s judgment fell on Israel, the righteous suffered along with the wicked.
1.(vs. 1).Our lesson begins with“Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn: for the Lord hath called for a famine; and it shall also come upon the land seven years.”Here the woman of Shunem is re-introduced to us as the woman whose son Elisha “restored to life” or raised from the dead.The Lord spoke to Elisha informing him that there would be a famine in northern Israel. The prophet then told the woman about the famine and urged her to take all those in her household and “sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn.”In other words, she was to take up temporary residence anywhere outside of the northern kingdom for at least seven years, the predicted length of the famine. The phrase “for the Lord hath called for a famine” indicates that this famine like many others in Scripture, was God’s judgment upon Israel for her sins (see Deuteronomy 28:23-24; II Samuel 21:1; I Kings 8:37-40).We must not forget that when God’s judgment fell on Israel, the righteous suffered along with the wicked.
2. (vs. 2).This verse continues with “And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God:and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.” The woman did what Elisha,“the man of God” advised her to do.She gathered her entire household (she was a widow by now) and went to Philistia, the land of the Philistines, for seven years to wait out the famine.Philistia was on the western coast of Israel in a fertile, well-watered plain by the Mediterranean Sea.
B.The Shunammite woman deprived of property (II Kings 8:3). This verse says “And it came to pass at the seven years' end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land.”After sojourning in Philistia during the seven year famine, the woman returned to her home only to learn that she couldn’t take possession of her property. We are not told why, we can only speculate.However, it is quite possible that her land had been taken over by squatters taking advantage of an opportunity to get something for nothing during her absence, or she could have lost her property to the government since seven years had passed. Whatever the reason, she was unable to get her property back so “she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land.”Again, we are not told who had taken over her land, but her seven year absence was no reason for her property to be taken from her.The woman was anxious to reclaim her husband’s ancestral inheritance, not just for herself but also for her son.This should remind us to never take temporal prosperity for granted.Difficult times can arise at anytime causing our lives to undergo major changes.Remember,sometimes God allows His own people to be affected by calamity so that they will turn to Him because He is never affected by change or circumstances.
B.The Shunammite woman deprived of property (II Kings 8:3). This verse says “And it came to pass at the seven years' end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land.”After sojourning in Philistia during the seven year famine, the woman returned to her home only to learn that she couldn’t take possession of her property. We are not told why, we can only speculate.However, it is quite possible that her land had been taken over by squatters taking advantage of an opportunity to get something for nothing during her absence, or she could have lost her property to the government since seven years had passed. Whatever the reason, she was unable to get her property back so “she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land.”Again, we are not told who had taken over her land, but her seven year absence was no reason for her property to be taken from her.The woman was anxious to reclaim her husband’s ancestral inheritance, not just for herself but also for her son.This should remind us to never take temporal prosperity for granted.Difficult times can arise at anytime causing our lives to undergo major changes.Remember,sometimes God allows His own people to be affected by calamity so that they will turn to Him because He is never affected by change or circumstances.
THE PROVISION OF THE LORD (II Kings 8:4-6)
A. A providential conversation (II Kings 8:4-5).
1. (vs. 4).Prior to the widow’s appearance before King Joram (also called Jehoram) in Samaria, Elisha’s servant Gehazi was being interviewed by the king.This verse says “And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying,Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done.”As Elisha’s servant,Gehazi had witnessed many of the miracles done by the prophet, including the healing of Naaman, the Syrian, from leprosy.King Joram realized that there was something extraordinary about Elisha so he said to Gehazi “Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done.”He wanted to know about all the great miracles that Elisha had done. It seems evident that the king’s request was not based on his godliness because he attributed the miracles to Elisha and not the Lord.However, God used the king’s request to accomplish His will for the Shunammite widow.
2. (vs. 5). The next thing we are told is “And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.” Here is a wonderful demonstration of God’s perfect timing. Just as Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had raised a woman’s son from the dead, the widow and her son arrived at precisely that moment. It was, in fact, divine providence, which God alone so aptly set up. The woman interrupted Gehazi and “cried to the king for her house and for her land.” When she did, Gehazi declared to the king that this was the woman and the son “whom Elisha restored to life.” The woman brought her complaint to the king at the very moment the miracle for her son was being related to the king.
B. A generous provision (II Kings 8:6). Our final verse says “And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now.” With the subjects of the miracle standing before him, the king asked the woman if everything Gehazi had told him was true. The phrase “she told him” means that the woman verified all that Gehazi had told the king regarding the raising of her son from the dead. The woman’s response to the king touched him emotionally and he acted favorably to the woman’s request for restoration of her land. The king appointed an official to correct the situation. This official was instructed to “Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now.” The terms of her restoration that the king laid out to the official were very generous: not only would her property be restored, but she would also receive payment for all that her land had produced since the day she left it.
Conclusion. There are several things we can learn from our lesson. First, godly people are not exempt from the hardships that come upon the wicked in our society. Just as the woman’s life was disrupted by the famine, ours may also take a downward turn as a result of some catastrophe. But it is also true that hard times may not be a punishment; they may be sent to teach lessons in faith. Second, seemingly unrelated events are connected in God’s plan. The Lord used the woman’s return to Israel and her visit to the king, combined with Gehazi’s story of her son being raised from the dead to cause a marvelous result. Finally, God has ways of bringing justice even through unjust rulers. As Christians, we believe that a just God reigns over all rulers and that in His own way and time, He overrules them for His own glory.
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