Good weekend to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Old fashioned hospitality seems to be disappearing from most societies quite rapidly, would you agree? While many homes used to have a ‘guest room’ which was actually a bedroom for guests other than their immediate family, that is now rare. And when is the last time guests sat around your table for a meal and an evening of simply enjoying the fellowship of friends old and new? Join me again today, back in Israel in about 840bc, with Elisha the prophet who is experiencing amazing hospitality from an unnamed couple in the little town of Shunem.
The account, found in 2 Kings 4, begins with these words: ‘One day Elisha went to Shunem. A well to do woman there urged him to stay for a meal. So whenever the prophet Elisha came by, he stopped at her home to eat. The woman said to her husband, ‘I know that this man, who often comes our way, is a holy man of God. Let’s make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to us.” (2 Kings 4:8-10)
Now that is hospitality to the extreme! This couple actually built an addition onto their house for Elisha’s visits! Houses in those days, in that part of the world, had flat roofs and usually a stairway to the roof for in the cool of the evenings the roof became a nice place to escape the heat and sit watching the stars. But this woman apparently had a love for showing hospitality to Elisha and perhaps other travelers, and thus with her husband’s agreement, a guest room was built on their roof.
While perhaps open to other visitors, it seems this family especially wanted the prophet Elisha to make himself at home in this rooftop room, whenever he passed through their town. By the way, if you’ve ever heard a room called ‘a prophet’s chamber’ this is where that phrase is rooted.
Now I admit, it’s taken me a little while to find the ancient village of Shunem in my Old Testament maps, but I’m amazed to discover it is very near places of other great events in Israel’s history. The “Spring of Harod” is southeast of Shunem only about 5 miles and you may remember that spring is the place where God led Gideon to reduce the size of his army to only 300 men so God could perform a great battlefield miracle in protecting that part of Israel from invading Midianite marauders who attacked and ransacked Israelite villages. (Judges 6,7)
Jezreel is the town about 3 miles directly south of Shunem where King Ahab & Queen Jezebel had their regional palace and to which the old prophet Elijah had outrun King Ahab in his chariot following their great showdown on Mt Carmel! (1 Kings 18:46) The Sea of Galilee was about 20 miles northeast from Shunem and Elisha’s hometown Abel Meholah was probably 25 miles walk to the southeast from Shunem. All this shows us Elisha covered some significant territory as he walked from town to town as the spiritual leader of Israel in those days. So we can see that a rooftop room in Shunem would be a welcome rest stop!
The fact that the prophet Elisha traveled through the village of Shunem frequently tells me he took seriously his responsibility to be a spiritual leader, a spokesman of God for all Israel. Thus as Samuel (1 Samuel 7:15-17) and Elijah had done before him, it appears Elisha was a prophet on the move, walking from town to town to teach the people about the God of Israel and challenge them to turn from their idols to worship the one, true, living God.
It appears this Shunamite woman and her husband had a spiritual hunger for God and welcomed Elisha’s visits. Can we imagine their meals and evenings together talking about the remarkable history of Israel and the wonders of the God of Israel? May I ask, do you have friends like this with whom you enjoy meals and times of fellowship, not discussing politics or the economy or social media posts or the latest entertainment star, but talking about God and His majesty and His work in our world?
If you’ll read the story of Elisha and this Shunamite couple found in 2 Kings 4:8-37 you’ll be amazed to see not one but two remarkable miracles. First the miracle of God blessing this woman and her husband with a child even though they were old and childless. Oh what a delight it must have been for Elisha to tell this woman that within one year God would bless her and her husband with a son! (2 Kings 4:16,17) And what great joy there must have been in that house each time Elisha visited after the boy had been born. Can you see Elisha holding the boy in his arms, thanking God for this miracle and praying God’s blessing over their son?
May I ask, if you are a parent or grandparent, how often do you do that? How often do you hold your children or grandchildren thanking God for them and praying for God’s blessing upon them? And if you are a grandparent who lives far away from your grandkids, are you taking good advantage of technology such as FaceTime or WhatsApp to talk with and pray over your grandkids from a distance?
Sadly, 2 Kings 4 tells us this little miracle son became ill and died! His mother took the boy’s body up to their guest room, laid his body on the bed and sent word to her husband, asking for a donkey so she could ride to find Elisha. Somehow she knew she would find Elisha at Mt Carmel, that famous place where Elijah had called on God to send fire from heaven as proof that He was the only, true, living all-powerful God! (1 Kings 18:36-39)
When she found Elisha, she was in great distress but I find it interesting Elisha could not discern why without asking her. He said, “She is in bitter distress, but the LORD has hidden it from me and has not told me why.” (2 Kings 4:27) That fascinates me my friends, for Elisha’s role as a prophet was to be in such a close relationship with God that he could speak God’s intention and God’s words to any situation.
But this time Elisha felt uninformed by God, uncertain about what was happening and what he should do. While the record does not tell us, I presume Elisha began to pray, seeking God’s directions for him, while he and the woman began their quick return to her home in Shunem. That would have been about 28 miles from Mt Carmel.
There’s a lesson here isn’t there, my friends? When we find ourselves in a situation which is confusing and we don’t know what the right thing to do is, pause and pray, seeking God’s direction. Then try to recall any Scripture which sheds God’s light of truth on your situation. If not a specific Scripture try to think of a Biblical principle that you can apply to the situation in which you find yourself?
Do you remember the old abbreviation “WWJD”? It meant, “What Would Jesus Do” and that is a very helpful principle to apply to any situation in which you find yourself.
Upon arrival at the Shunammite woman’s home, Elisha went directly up to his ‘prophet’s chamber’ where he found the boy’s dead body, and Elisha prayed, earnestly, for God to restore this boy’s life! Miraculously the boy revived and was restored to life with his parents! (2 Kings 4:32-37)
The story of this family in the town of Shunem abruptly ends there, but I imagine for many years to come, each time the prophet Elisha came through Shunem and stayed a night or two at their home, they celebrated this dual miracle as they watched God nurture and grow this boy into a fine young man. I’ve often wondered what relationship he had with Elisha as he grew into his teen years and beyond?
So this summer as you and I travel from place to place, probably visiting family and friends, will we share stories of the great things God has been doing in our lives my friends, especially when there are young people and children listening to the adults talk about life? Here’s a special song about God writing our stories. What’s your story and how have you seen God involved? I’ll meet you here tomorrow as God keeps writing Elisha’s story.
Today’s Scripture: 2 Kings 4:8-37.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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