Elisha and the Shunammite Woman

   Text: 11 Kings 4: 8-37

I was asked only a week and a half ago if I would speak the message this morning; previously I had been asked if I would be worship leader so I already had some idea what the topic was to be about this morning. I knew that it somehow was to relate to the question of why bad things happen to good people and I thought, really, how hard could that be? As the saying has it, it’s not rocket science; actually I think rocket science might be straight forward in comparison.

About prophets

But our text, already read for us is an intriguing story that involves a prophet and prophets have long been of interest to me. In particular the stories involving Elisha and his mentor/forerunner Elijah are fascinating. Admittedly accounts of some of their exploits would make even a warmed-over Mennonite recoil in horror, but this is the Old Testament and as if to offset some of those wild stories there is a beautiful story of non-violent peace building found in 2 Kings 6 -  a story that involves Elisha and his servant whom we also encounter in the passage that we concern ourselves with this morning.

Where is the God of Elijah

I know I have mentioned to a few of you that when my Father died I inherited some of his books. My father, by the way was an educated man. He had about 4 years of schooling, none of it in English though he had no difficulty reading or speaking the English language. Among his books was a book of sermons by John R. Rice - few of you are old enough to remember him. One of the sermons was entitled, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? It was an excellent sermon, as I recall. Another sermon, by the way was called, Bobbed Hair, Bossy Wives and Women Preachers. That sermon I expect would have been perfectly acceptable in many churches 50 years ago. If one were preaching it today I think one would do well to have the getaway car idling outside the back door. But getting back to the question, where is the Lord God of Elijah; I think that is a question that in one form or another is being asked with greater frequency and urgency today then probably ever before. And it is being asked not only by agnostics or unbelievers but also by devout people of God. 

Elijah/Elisha in context

Just to put it in context, you will remember that Elijah had a sense that he was going to be taken up into heaven and so he goes off; it’s not clear what his final destination is to be but he is accompanied by Elisha.

It appears that he would rather not have him around to witness this event, but Elisha either because of his commitment to his mentor or perhaps because his curiosity got the better of him insists on following Elijah like a shadow. They come to the Jordan River and Elijah takes his cloak, strikes the water and the waters part to the left and to the right allowing the two men of God to cross over on dry ground.  ( I love these stream crossing stories perhaps because as a boy I was often faced with the challenge of crossing the creek when I went to fetch the cows for milking. This was no ordinary creek by the way; this was the mighty Dead Horse). But I’m wondering what Elisha was thinking when they crossed that River. You see, Elijah wasn’t coming back, Elisha was. Well, you know the story. Elisha had asked to receive double the spirit of Elijah and this request was granted. When Elijah was taken by the horses and chariot of fire his cloak fell from him and Elisha picked it up and took it with him. When he got back to the Jordan River he took this cloak and smote the waters of the Jordan and said, to quote the NIV, “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah”. 2 Kings 2:14

The great woman

We’ll come back to that question. But right now we have this Shunammite woman to deal with. I get the impression that she’s a handful. She is a well to do woman we are told though some commentaries say it would better be translated as a great woman. What is clear though is that this is not a story about a great man and his wife. This is a story about a great woman and her husband. She is the focus of the story. Though perhaps more correctly it should be viewed as a story about God and how God deals with His people. Neither the man or woman is named but she is described as a Shunammite. This merely means that she haled from the community/village of
Shunem, not so very far from the Jordan River in the tribal territory of Issachar. Commentators seem to assume that this is where she lived when the story takes place though I see no basis in the text for that assumption.

One day Elisha goes to Shunem and this well to do women urges him to stay for a meal. Not surprisingly, from then on Elisha makes it a point to stop at this home whenever he travels to Shunem. 

Elisha’s suite

One day the woman suggests to her hubby that they should build a little suite for Elisha, upstairs shall we say. Put in a bed, a chair, a table, maybe a microwave and a TV. You know, these men of God; their needs are few. It appears that her husband immediately agrees. I suspect he thought it might save time. And Elisha seams to appreciate this act of kindness; maybe even feels a bit indebted to her.

Elisha’s offer to the Shunammite

So he instructs the servant to call the woman and ask what they can do for her. Perhaps advocate on her behalf to the king; or to the commander of the army. I don’t know what that was all about. Maybe she had some neighbours she would like to get rid of.

The role of prophets

I want stop at this station briefly and spend a little time looking around. You notice, Elisha has access to the king! The institution/office of the prophet was well established in ancient Israel. You find many interactions between prophets and kings, some quite confrontational, but there seems to be an assumption that the prophet has access to the king. As a matter of fact it appears that speaking the truth to power was one of the roles of the prophet. This some of them did, perhaps sometimes with more clarity than tact and it was frequently under appreciated. There was, it seems often bad blood between the prophet and the King; e.g. this exchange between King Ahab and Elijah. Ahab greets Elihja with, “ Is that you, you troubler of Israel”? And Elijah says with typical prophetic diplomacy, ‘I have not made trouble for Israel but you and your father’s family have.’ 1 Kings 18         

                    
For an interesting, not so well known story of a prophet and a king you should check out 1 Kings 22  (Micaiah & Ahab)  

The role of the prophet lost

As I prepared this talk I wondered why it is that in our transition from the Old to the New Covenant we have somehow lost the tradition and the office of the Prophet. Perhaps when we change our constitution  ... ?  I doubt that in our Bright-Sided, positive thinking society the likes of Amos or Isaiah or Elisha would be well received. Perhaps organizations like MCC are fulfilling the role of the prophet but in our churches it would appear to me that the role of the prophet has largely been lost. They have, for the most part been silenced! That issue needs to be developed and addressed more fully but we can’t take the time for it here.

Back to the story – the woman’s response

The Shunammite woman in response to Elisha’s generous offer to speak on her behalf to the seat of political and military power in Israel says, “I dwell among my own people”. This is generally understood as her way of saying, thanks but no thanks; it’s all good. What can you give someone who has everything?  It’s Gehazi who comes up with an idea. The woman has no son!  And her husband is old. To have a son was very important at the time; still is to some people. This suggestion suits Elisha. Call her, he says.  Then and there Elisha makes a promise to her. Next year at this time, you will hold a son in your arms. Her reply; don’t mislead your servant, O man of God!
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She can’t believe this could happen. Her husband is old. Commentators are quick to assume that she was much younger. And it seems like a reasonable assumption. Historically, there is nothing new about young women being pawned off on older men - a practise, it seems that was often more popular with the older men than with the young women. Hard to understand, isn’t it? But they leave it at that and she becomes pregnant and has a son about a year after the promise was made. He is also of the no name brand. This account is seriously short of names! (Some commentators find modern day equivalents in the church for each character in the story but I really don’t go for that too much – sometimes even find it somewhat hilarious).

The boy’s illness

Very little is said about the boy but we are told that he grew and one day goes to the field to check on the reapers/harvesters. There he develops a severe head ache. Perhaps heat stroke; we don’t know. His father does what I suspect most fathers are inclined to do when junior is hurting physically or emotionally, he sends the boy to his mother. After all, he was busy with the harvest. I know how fathers can be at harvest time and believe me it’s not always pretty! I remember many years ago saying to myself at harvest time, ‘There’s more to life than wheat, oats and barley, there’s also corn and sunflowers and sugar beets’. Mother takes the boy on her lap and by noon he’s dead. Without apparent hesitation she carries the boy up to Elisha’s room and places his dead body on Elisha’s bed.  She has a plan.

Travel to Mt. Carmel

Next thing we know, she calls her husband and asks him to provide her with a servant and a donkey. She informs him that she is going to see Elisha. Notice she doesn’t bother to tell her husband that their son just died. Nor does he ask how the boy is doing. As I said, he’s busy with the harvest. It is clear from the account that the Shunammite woman is anxious to get to her destination as quickly as possible. A donkey would not seem like a suitable means of conveyance unless perhaps the terrain is very rugged or perhaps her options were limited. Well, Elisha recognizes her as she approaches; evidently you could recognize a Shunammite from a distance and when she meets him she grabs his feet. I am assuming that this was culturally appropriate though Gahazi, Elisha’s servant does not approve. Elisha recognizes her great distress (though I don’t think that is the only emotion she was feeling) and instructs Gehazi to take his staff and hurry to the boy and lay the staff on the boy’s face. The woman is quick to explain to Elisha, in a manner not easily misunderstood, that sending his servant will not suffice. Just get off your couch, my lord, she says, saddle up your donkey, and let’s bogey. (my translation) Elisha doesn’t argue.

They arrive back in Shunem

The servant is the first to arrive, probably because he wasn’t riding a donkey, places the staff on the boy’s face but to no effect. When Elisha arrives he closes the door and prays to the Lord -  I don’t blame him. Then he goes through this curious procedure – some would say mouth to mouth respiration, but I think that’s nonsense. After the second attempt the boy sneezes 7 times – I don’t know what that’s about though there are some interesting theories. He sneezes not once, but seven times. There is nothing quite like the appearance of the number 7 in our Holy Book to kick start the imaginations of biblical scholars. But I’ll say it’s a clear sign of life. Maybe it’s as a result of this story that to this day we say Gesundheit when someone sneezes. The Shunammite woman suitably shows her gratitude.

Application

Wonderful story; I like it. But what does it mean? What does it mean for us today?
Frankly, I’m not quite sure.

We don’t ride donkeys, we don’t have servants, we don’t have prophets, we don’t normally experience the kind of miracles like the one described in this account.

At one level it can be seen as a story to authenticate Elisha’s ministry or status as a true prophet or man of God.

We could also see it is a story of a woman’s act of kindness and generous hospitality wonderfully rewarded.

Or, it could also be seen as a story of a generous woman who, presumably had heard all manner of remarkable stories of the amazing things God had done through Elihja and Elisha – what do you think they talked about when Elisha stopped in, the World Cup? And yet she lacked the faith to believe that God would give her a son. Her husband was too old; her God was too small.

Life doesn’t always turn out this way

We are part of a long history of stories of God’s people. The stories continue. And most of us have made enough trips around the sun to know that not all stories end the way this one does. Not all of life’s experiences have such tidy endings. Indeed it would be interesting to change the story. To come up with alternate versions.

This is a ‘boy gets dog, boy loses dog, boy finds dog’ kind of a story.
Those stories are good as far as they go but sometimes the boy loses the dog and the dog doesn’t come back -  gets run over by a truck. Sometimes the boy who desperately wishes for a dog never even gets one.

Life can be like that.

Two examples

I know a woman in this town who desperately wanted to have a family. She is childless and well past normal child bearing years. I am told she never goes to church on Mothers Day; it’s just too painful. She has not abandoned her faith but this hurt remains. She might ask, ‘where is the Lord, the God of Elijah’?

About 6 weeks ago a friend told me that his mother had just died. She had known for some time that she was terminally ill at age 58. Her request was that after her death she would be cremated and that her ashes should be spread on the graves of her two young children who died in infancy.  Where was the Lord God of Elijah for her?

The Shunammite’s pain?

But let’s get back to the Shunammite for a minute and assume that this matter of not having produced any children had been a real sore point for her. It’s not unlikely that it was so. Producing sons was the measure of a wife in her day. And let’s assume that after many years and tears she had come to terms with this. It’s not going to happen and I will make the best of it; I’ll just give up on this hope she might have said. And then Elisha, with no malicious intent, pulls the scab off of this barely healed wound. And she is just not willing to go there; certainly not at this stage of life.   But there might have been another consideration. (Now my imagination is really running wild).  She lived at a time and place where it was not that unusual for children to die. Typically a family in her time would have a number of children, if one died, sad as that might be, there still would be others to carry on the family name and to look after the parents in their old age. At best she might have this one son of promise. But what if something happened to him?  Just think of how much is riding on this one child.

Then we might say (a bit judgemental maybe) that she was willing to settle for less than God was willing to give her. Now I’m sounding like one of those charismatics!

Or we might say that she was too cautious, not willing to take risks. Not willing to wade into the deep water where the big fish are; and the big waves. Play it safe, just bury that talent. It might not multiply but at least you are not going to lose it.

Well, this of course is all pure speculation. I want you to know that. I hate it when commentators or real preachers do this; though of course it never happens at Covenant! I call it making a lot of bread with very little flour. That I understand invariable results in a fluffy loaf. But at least I’m clear about the fact that this is conjecture. The text doesn’t require us to go there.

Now as I already indicated, experiences like this one involving someone being raised  from the dead are not common among us.

Neither were miracles like this common in ancient Israel. Jesus says; the words are recorded in Luke 4:27;  there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed – only Naaman the Syrian.

1. What is important is to realize that God is sovereign and that our commitment to God and to a life of faith does not obligate God to satisfy our every whim.
2. There are many references in scripture to following God in times of adversity.
   Habakkuk closes his book with a beautiful resolve to rejoice in the Lord even when the wheels have come off. (He puts it more eloquently.)
   Our duty is to follow, at a walk, at the pace of a donkey; it’s not the pace you set but the direction you are headed.                                     
   

                                                  Rabbi Akiba Ben Joseph

Why do bad things happen to good people? –I havn’t really answered that have I.
I read Rabbi Kushner’s book by that title and found it interesting though not very helpful.
I like though what Rabbi Akiba Ben Joseph has to say. Let me close with this story. Rabbi Akiba Ben Joseph lived and died in the last years of Israel’s revolt against the Roman Oppression.

It was said of the Rabbi that he spoke three blessings every night before he retired.

First he spoke a blessing for himself and his family.

Then he spoke a blessing for his friends and his people.

Finally he spoke a third blessing for his enemies.

His neighbours, because they were not Mennonite I guess, asked the Rabbi, ‘why would you pray a blessing for your enemies. They seek to harm you. Why would you wish to sustain them?’

Well he said, when I was a boy I lived with my parents in the hills of Samaria where I tended my father’s sheep and herded his camels. And there was a neighbour of our land who embittered my days by stoning stray sheep and dirtying the water from which our camels drank; and who sowed our fields with weeds and strewed them with his rocks. And no pleas from my father, no tears or kind words from my mother and no attempt to reason with him by the elders of the village could stop him from his evil ways. We suffered for many years and when my parents died I sold my lands and my stock for a meagre amount and left Samaria. I could bear the treatment no longer and I took work with a Hebrew near the city of Jerusalem and there I met the love of my life, the daughter of that man, and through her I met the Lord of my life by whose divine guidance I daily pray three blessings. And now I’m a Rabbi and I hear the voice of God in my heart and His commandments are in my soul and I spend my days in the teaching of the Torah and my nights in it’s study. And all this happiness I owe not to a friend and not to a stranger but to an enemy of evil intent. Why should I not bless my enemy? He is a great spoke in the wheel of life.

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To walk with God through trials, defeat, victories and joys, disappointment, doubt; to follow at those times when we sense that God is near, and at those times when we feel that God has utterly abandoned us; that is our task. May God give each of us strength for the journey.  

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