A King Acts on a Widow’s Behalf
2 Kings 8:1-6
International Sunday School Lesson
July 22, 2012
Commentary
By
Jed Greenough
It was said by Jesus according to Acts 20:35, “It is better to give than to receive.” Hopefully through today’s scripture we can take a moment to consider what we have given.
Our scripture begins with Elisha speaking to the Sunammite woman who is identified for us as the one whose son had been restored to life! Now if that isn’t enough to get you to go back and flesh out your understanding a bit, I don’t know what is!
In order for us to do that we would go back to 2 Kings 4:8 in order to find the first mention of Elisha and the woman. There we find that the woman is wealthy and that she had invited Elisha to stay for a meal and then not just once but whenever he was at Shunem which according to verse 9 was often.
It was important to this woman that they provide these meals for him because he was a man of God and that mattered to her. Having taken the first step in showing this to Elisha she obviously considered what more she could do. She a. knew that Elisha needed fed and b. that he also needed a place to stay. She cared to find out what this man of God’s needs were and she set out to not just meet the most basic but also to make him comfortable in the process. Whenever he came he would also have a room for his private use.
Naturally Elisha sought to give her thanks and tried to find a way to express his gratitude but the woman was content. Not surprisingly if you read about Elisha he decided to act anyway and to this woman whose husband was old he promised a son would be born. But as you know from today’s scripture that son would die but would be restored to life.
As far as the woman’s life goes we are now caught up. Because of her generosity to this man of God she was forewarned of a severe famine that others in the land of Israel would have to endure. We don’t have clarity as to whether the property that would have still been hers was taken by someone or whether somehow it had gone to this king. In any event the woman again had her property restored to her just as she had had her son restored more than 7 years earlier because of her association with Elisha due to her generosity.
The examples for today could be a bit extreme so I won’t pretend to tell you that the same can happen to us, at least not while we are here, but we do know that in eternity we will receive our reward for what we have done for the kingdom while we were here.
Do you believe Galatians 6:6, “Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.”? Do you inquire or observe as to the needs of those that minister to you or to those who do this work in general as did this woman?
To the wealthy woman the meals she provided and the bed, and table and lamp in a private room might not have seemed like much. To Elisha who didn’t have these things they must have been considerable gifts.
As for the woman she obviously received much as we consider her receiving her son so late in life, then that son’s life restored, warning from the famine and when she returned the property and income she had left behind in her obedience was returned as well.
Have you further stopped to consider that it wasn’t just to Elisha that she gave? By being able to eat and sleep in this location often this man of God was able to do the work of God both more diligently and no doubt more frequently for the people of the area than he could have otherwise?
This is a simple statement: you may not always know the benefits of giving but it isn’t hard to know that we need to give.
For Discussion:
1. Our title says she is a widow and her husband was old but we do not know that he died. As we read in the earlier accounts of her generosity she was a take charge type of woman.
2. Discuss why God had decreed a famine for Israel.
3. Elisha’s servant Gehazi is an interesting read if you care to go back a few chapters.
4. If you read of the activities of Elisha you can understand the king wanting to hear of “all the great things Elisha had done.” Discuss
5. Discuss God’s timing especially in this case on behalf of the woman (verse 5).
6. Clearly what was left behind by the woman and her family was substantial but they did as this man of God directed. Discuss.
7. Sometimes I think we feel guilty when we consider the reward we will receive one day but if it were bad it wouldn’t be a part of God’s plan. Spend a little time checking out what you might receive.
8. Going back to number 7’s idea of a reward my favorite scriptural example is more poetic than specific from the words of Daniel 12:3, “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.”
Upcoming Adult Sunday School Class Commentaries
7-29-12: Jehoshaphat Makes Judicial Reforms 2 Chronicles 19:4-11
8-5-12: Praise for God’s Justice Psalm 146
8-12-12: God Promised a Righteous Lord Isaiah 9:2-7 or Isaiah 9:1-7
8-19-12: God Promised a Righteous Branch Jeremiah 23:1-6; 33:14-18
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved
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