The Shunammite

Anca Chireac

2 Kings 4:14-17 (NKJV)
14 So he said, “What then is to be done for her?”
And Gehazi answered, “Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old.”
15 So he said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the doorway.
16 Then he said, “About this time next year you shall embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord. Man of God, do not lie to your maidservant!”
17 But the woman conceived, and bore a son when the appointed time had come, of which Elisha had told her.

The child grows up but one day he has a severe headache and dies. His mother lays him on the bed in Elisha’s room and without telling anyone anything, she goes to Mount Carmel where the prophet lived. She said, “Did I ask a son of my lord? Did I not say, ‘Do not deceive me’?” (v. 28).
The desire to have a child had been deeply buried in her heart. She may have hoped, believed and waited for a while, but as time passed and because her husband was old, she gave up and left the desire to die. In verse 16 her heart said to the prophet, ” I desired this so much, do not play with my feelings!” (Paraphrase) and when the son died, the disappointment was so great that she reproached Elisha: what did you give him to me if you wanted to take him away? Didn’t I tell you not to wake up my hopes? “(Paraphrase)

Elisha wants to send his servant to raise the child, but the woman insists “30 And the mother of the child said, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.”(v. 30)

She refused intermediaries and knew that the solution was in the hands of the strongest–at that time the prophet was God’s messenger, people were regarding him as God. In fact, she tells Elisha to “I won’t let you go until you have solved what you have started!” “Elisha called Gehazi and said,” Call the Sunamite! “He called her. When he reached him, Elisha said to her, “Take your son!” She came and fell at his feet, bowing to the ground. Then she got up and went out with her son (v. 36, 37)

The child was hers! Received directly from God when she no longer believed it was possible. She did not accept to have it taken away what she had received with such great favor. The child remained alive and grew up “5 Now it happened, as he was telling the king how he had restored the dead to life, that there was the woman whose son he had restored to life, appealing 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.” (2 Kings 8:5).

I really like this Sunamite who knew for sure what she wants, what is hers, why she has to fight–she did not waste her time and energy talking about the death of her child, but went straight to the man of God-was focused, clear, and with a strong vision: her resurrected dream was to remain alive, which God gave her through her promise!

Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). God is good and He is a generous Giver! “32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”(Romans 8:32) “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17) “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.” (1 Corinthians 2:12). If we first seek His kingdom and righteousness, all we need, will be added to us (Matthew 6:33).