Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, November 24, 2024

Grateful for the Gravy.

Today, Pastor Michael is returning to the Old Testament, in 2 Kings, about a lesson in the ministry of Elisha, the prophet.  One day, he’s going through Shunem, and a couple invited him to dinner.  After one of many visits, the wife asked her husband to build a room for Elisha when he came through.  Gahezi traveled with Elisa through Shunem, so Gahezi retrieved the woman from the house, and they asked her, “What can we do to repay you for your generosity?”

The woman wanted nothing, but Gahezi reminded Elisha that she had no children.  So, Elisha prophesied to her that she would bear a son, and she did!  That son was in the fields with his father and collapsed, dying.  So the woman went to Elisha and told him the story, so Elisha went back to their house and found the child dead.  Elisha went to the child and prayed to God over the boy, and the boy came to life!

Later, the Lord told Elisha that a famine would come, so Elisha told the woman of this and that she needed to leave the country.  She left the country and lived with the Philistines for seven years.  Finally, it was time to come back.  But while they were gone, strangers had moved into their house and taken over.  She took her cause up with the king, and Gehazi was visiting with the king when she was there!  And Gehazi talked about numerous miracles, concerning Elisha’s ministry.

The woman relayed that the stories Gehazi told were true and that she and her son were the recipients of some of the miracles.  The king was impressed enough to restore her home and lands.

Had she not experienced the tragedy years before, she would not have experienced the triumph later!

(CSB Bible Notes) The next episode introduced a flashback seven years earlier when Elisha advised the Shunammite woman to sojourn outside Israel during a famine (8:1–2). Because she now has to reclaim her land from the king, one wonders if the king somehow appropriated the land in her absence (8:3). There is a miracle of timing: at the very moment, the king is asking Gehazi about Elisha’s mighty deeds, the woman shows up with her son!

Today’s verses can be found in 2 Kings 4: 8-37 and 2 Kings 8: 1-6.

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.