Elisha and the Lady's Land - Restored

Second Kings chapter 8. If you got your Bible, hopefully you have your Bible with you. Can't go to war without your sword, right? So you have your scripture with you. Second Kings chapter 8.

If you're counting miracle number 16 in the life and ministry of Elisha, if you're not counting it's still number 16. So just in case you wanted to know that. Let me set in your mind the first six verses of Second Kings chapter 8 because that's what we're going to cover this evening.

Second Kings chapter 8 verse number 1. Now Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life saying arise and go with your household and sojourn wherever you can sojourn for the Lord has called for a famine and it will even come on the land for seven years. So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God and she went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. At the end of seven years the woman returned from the land of the Philistines and she went out to appeal to the king for her house and for her field.

Now the king was talking with Gehazi the servant of the man of God saying please relate to me all the great things that Elisha has done. As he was relating to the king how he had restored to life the one who was dead behold the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to the king for her house and for her field and Gehazi said my lord oh king this is the woman and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life. When the king asked the woman she related it to him so the king appointed for her a certain officer saying restore all that was hers and all the produce of the field from the day that she left the land even until now.

This is again another episode in the life of Elisha that explains to us about the great power of God and how God providentially works in the life of every individual. I love the Old Testament narrative because it explains to us the workings of God and so here you have this woman the Shunammite woman who's on the scene again. Now let me tell you that this does not follow the previous scene chronologically.

How do we know that? We know that because Gehazi is in the presence of the king. Well in second Kings chapter 5 Gehazi was struck with leprosy because of his idolatry and because of his discontented spirit and that leprosy would be upon him and his descendants forever.

Okay and so because he was white with leprosy he would not be able to be in the king's presence. So this had to happen sometime before second Kings chapter 5 and after second Kings chapter 4 when Elisha would raise the Shunammites woman's son from the dead.

Okay now just because it doesn't happen chronologically doesn't mean that there's an error here because it sets the tone for the rest of the chapter which we'll talk about in the succeeding weeks as we begin to understand more about Elisha. So it's really not that big a deal but you need to understand that because Gehazi's in the presence of the king and how he can be there if he got leprosy. Now some people think that the four lepers from last time we met together outside the city gate those four lepers were Gehazi and his descendants.

Now maybe that's the case we don't know that for certain because there are no names given to them but it very well could be. But needless to say you had the Shunammite woman back on the scene. Okay now remember she was the one who recognized Elijah as he walked by every day. She went to her husband in second Kings 4 and said I perceive that this is a man of God just by the way he walked.

She asked him to come in. She asked him to have a meal. She observed him eating. She observed him walking. She knew that this was a man of God. She appealed to her husband to build some room on the upper casing of their home so he would have a place to stay and his servant have a place to stay and Elisha was so taken by this woman and this man's generosity and second Kings 4 tells us that he was an older man.

That's very important to the story. Okay this story today he was an older man and so Elisha was so taken by their generosity he wanted to do something for the woman. So he goes to her and says I want to do something for you but she goes no I'm good thank you. I live among my people and I'm good to go. I don't need anything else. And Elisha went to his servant Gehazi and said I got to do something. He goes well her husband's up in years and she is barren. And Elisha says I'll give her a son. That's quite a miracle.

So he goes to her and says a year from this time you will have a son. She said don't don't fool with me Elisha. Nope nope a year from now you're gonna have a son. Sure enough she did. She did. And the son grew to around three, four, five, six years of age. Went out to the field and he died. And so she knew exactly what to do. She went to Elisha and appealed to Elisha. He came back. The son was raised from the dead. And why God raised the son from the dead is known in this story in 2nd Kings chapter 8.

Why God decided to raise this boy from the dead having given this boy as a miracle to this family is now going to be seen in the story in 2nd Kings chapter 8. As God does something great to do something greater in the future. And so this woman is on the scene again. Okay. Things have changed for her because the story doesn't mention her husband. Why? Well in 2nd Kings 4 he was up in years so now he's probably dead. Okay. So now she's a widow. She's a widow. She's by herself. She is the one taking care of her family.

Her son is older. Not much older. Maybe he's nine, ten, maybe eleven, twelve. But he's not much older than he was in 2nd Kings chapter 4 because this takes place soon after that. Probably along the lines of the famine of 2nd Kings 4 38 when it says that there are famine that came on the land for seven years. This is probably the same seven-year famine. Okay. And so the boy is not that much older than he was when he was raised from the dead. And so the woman is in charge of her home. She's taking care of her home.

Her faith though is strong. Her faith remains the same. She's a deeply committed woman. And what you're gonna see in this story parallels what we've been seeing on Sunday mornings on how those who keep the Word of God find a great reward. Three things you're gonna see. Very simple. Number one deals with the revelation of the Lord.

Then the response of the lady. And thirdly the restoration of her land. First of all the revelation of the Lord.

God gives a revelation to Elisha about the coming famine. Okay. And the famine comes upon the nation for the purpose of condemnation. For the purpose of punishment. For the purpose of discipline. Because they have remained in sin. Remember we tell you almost every week Israel still in immorality. Israel is still in idolatry. Israel still being led by a worldly king. Israel has not repented of her sin. Israel has not come back to the Lord. Israel is still rebellious stiff-necked against the Lord in spite of miracle after miracle after miracle.

They are still far away from the Lord. And the Lord promised in the book of Leviticus the 26th chapter that if you don't obey my commands and don't come back to me I will repay you seven times the punishment. God mixed no words with Israel. He told them exactly what would happen if they did not repent. He told them exactly what would happen if they rebelled. He told them exactly what would happen if when he he he put them under bad kings and bad leaders if they still didn't repent that he would multiply their punishment.

He would multiply their disasters because they would not repent. God told them that. And they still didn't repent. That that's just unbelievable. But that's exactly where Israel was. In the text says Elijah spoke to the woman whose son he restored to life saying arise go with your household and soldier in there for the Lord has called for a famine. In 2nd Kings 4 verse number 38 we told you and we told you last time that when there's a famine in the land has nothing to do with weather patterns. Has everything to do with the word of the Lord.

God called for famine. If there's a famine in the land it's simply because God called for famine. Haggai chapter 1. God called for famine. Israel was supposed to be involved in rebuilding the temple but they said no you know what we're going to rebuild our houses instead and the temple of God can wait. And God said now wait a minute. You're more concerned about your house and my house. I'm going to call for a famine because of your disobedience. God calls for a famine. Listen to the words of Psalm 148.

Psalm 148 verse 7. Praise the Lord from the earth. See monsters in all the deeps. Fire, hail, snow, clouds, stormy wind fulfilling his word. Do you know stormy winds come because they fulfill the word of God? I live in Fontana. It's windy all the time in Fontana. And I keep asking the Lord can you can you fulfill your word by having the wind stop because God causes the winds to blow. And the weatherman comes on and says well there's a high pressure ridge set it over the San Gabriel Valley or over the desert.

It's going to cause great winds to come down the Cajon Pass and say God did all that. You can call whatever you want. God did all that. God causes the stormy wind. God causes the fire. God causes the clouds. He causes everything. God's in charge by his word. It says over in Psalm 147 verse number number 7. Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving. Sing praises to our God on the lyre who covers the heavens with clouds who provides rain for the earth who makes grass to grow on the mountains. Have you seen how green the mountains are?

And what are we going to say? The mountains are green because of all the rain we had. Well who caused it to rain? God did. Who caused the grass to grow? God did. You know we got to come to a place in our lives folks where we realize that God does everything. God's in charge. We have to stop thinking that that we do anything at all. God is completely in charge of everything. Psalm 135 Psalm 135 verse number 5 says this. For I know that the Lord is great and that our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the Lord pleases he does in heaven and in earth in the seas and in all the deeps he causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth who makes lightning for the rain who brings forth the wind from his treasuries.

In other words the God has a treasury of wind. He has a treasury of lightning. He has a treasury of clouds. He has a treasury of wind. He has a treasury of rain. He has a treasury of snow and when he speaks it snows. When he speaks it rains. When he speaks the wind blows. God's in charge. God called for famine. The only reason there is ever a famine anywhere in the world is simply because God called for a famine and Israel would despise the chastening of the Lord. Doesn't the writer of Hebrews tell us children do not despise the chastening of the Lord but so many times like Israel we despise God's chastening.

Maybe you're in that element today. Maybe you're in God's woodshed today. I don't know. Maybe God has taken you placed you in the woodshed and you're being chastened by the Lord and you refuse to accept it. You refuse to see it for what it is. Maybe it's a financial chastisement where you're lacking the money and the funds you need to to make things work and God is chasing you because you've misappropriated funds in the past. I don't know that. I'm just throwing it out there for your consideration.

Okay and maybe things are falling apart in your family because God is chasing you because of your disobedience to the Lord. I don't know that. I have no idea but I do know this that when God takes us through the pruning process the purging process he expects us to pay attention and to listen to what he's doing so we can wake up and say you know what Lord if you're disciplining me if this is because because of some sin in my life I want to get it right. I want to do the right thing Lord. I want to honor you so make it known to me so that I could do the right thing say the right thing get things right so I can live and be the man the woman you want me to be.

That's the first place to start right. Don't despise the chastening of the Lord by complaining about it by complaining about the famine in this case or complaining about the lack of finances or complaining about this because that that's that's by nature is what we do we complain and if we're not complaining we're grumbling about something because we despise the chastening of the Lord and we get mad at God. Maybe you're mad at God tonight. I don't know. You're mad about the way he's working or you're mad about the fact that he's not working fast enough for your liking.

We love to despise the chastening of the Lord but God does things only to make us more like him. He wants Israel to repent. He wants Israel to seek his face. They have refused the prophet Elijah in his words. They refused the prophet Elisha in his words. They have refused the word of the Lord and what's worse than a famine in the land is the famine of the word of God. Amos 8 11 right? We talked about that back in 2nd Kings chapter 4 because there comes a time when God stops speaking and then people's souls are barren.

Not just their refrigerators. Their souls are barren. They're dry. They're stale because there's a famine for hearing the word of the Lord because there's nowhere to be found. You know I think a lot of times that's the way it is in America. You know it's it's it's you know I get all these Easter mailings they're called about churches in the community having Easter services and they tell you all that they're doing you know with their bounce houses and Easter egg hunts and all that kind of stuff and I say you know this is such such a tragedy such a tragedy that God is is sending a famine in our land so people can't hear the word of the Lord anymore because it's being shut off by all the games we play and all the events that we have.

It's sad and so the the revelation of came because of the condemnation of Israel but the revelation of the Lord came primarily for this woman. Think about it. She is the only person who knows about the coming famine. Nobody else knows except Elijah. He's not telling anybody else. Nobody else knows just the woman. God is using Elisha in this woman's life and so Elisha comes and calls her to himself. He says arise go with your household and sojourn wherever you can sojourn. Go wherever you want but you got to leave here.

Why? Because there's coming a famine. It's going to last seven years. Now think about that. Think about this in the case of this woman. She is given a command from the Lord to leave. We'll talk about her her response in a moment but she's given a command and for her sake she's given the reason for the command. Do you know that there's a lot of times God gives a command but doesn't give a reason why? I wonder if this woman would have obeyed had she not be given a reason. I would say yes she would have knowing her past history but I wonder about us if we would obey if there is no reason behind the command.

So important to realize this. Listen to the the words of scripture in first Thessalonians chapter five because through the pen of the apostle Paul God gives commands to a church but gives them no reason why to obey the command.

He says in verse 14 of first Thessalonians chapter five we urge brethren admonish the unruly encourage the fainthearted help the weak be patient with everyone.

Why? I'll tell you why. Just be patient with everybody but don't you know Lord I can't be patient with everybody. There are some people that nobody can be patient with. God doesn't qualify the statement here. He says be patient with everyone and then he says see that no one repays another with evil for evil but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. But what's the reason Lord for doing that? He gives no reason just gives a command. Don't repay evil for evil. Instead we pay good for evil to everybody but Lord you don't know everybody.

Give me a good reason Lord why I should do that. He gives no reason why. He just gives a command. Then he says rejoice always. But why? Why do I have to do that Lord? Are there certain times I can rejoice more readily than other times? No. Rejoice always. But am I to rejoice when things are going well or when things are going bad as well? Yes. But why? He gives no reason why. The command is rejoice always. For you to disobey the command is rebellion. You can give whatever excuse you want to give.

Well if you knew my marital situation you wouldn't be rejoicing always. If you knew my work situation I mean no one would rejoice in that environment. But the Bible says rejoice always.

It's a command that's given. That's to be obeyed. Pray without ceasing. Make a conscious effort to commune with the Lord and live a life that walks with God every part of the day. He says in everything give thanks for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. So there he gives a reason. You give thanks in everything because this is the will of God for you. But I don't want to give thanks in everything. Of course you don't. That's why it's a command in scripture for you to obey. Then it says do not quench the spirit.

Do not don't dampen, extinguish, stifle the spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances. Examine everything carefully. Hold fast to that which is good. Abstain from every form of evil. God just gives successive commands to a church that is a submissive church that he knows will submit to whatever he says to do. Are you that kind of person? God gives a revelation. In that revelation is a command that says you got to go. Would you go? God gives a revelation. Rejoice always. Do you do that or do you find the excuse not to rejoice?

Do you give thanks in everything or do you find the excuse not to give thanks in everything? You see God gives a command and and we told you I think was this past Sunday or the Sunday before. God doesn't give suggestions. God has never given a suggestion or solutions or ideals. He gives commands and demands they be followed. And so in this revelation comes the command. And the timing of it, the timing of it is the perfect timing. It's before the famine happens. Okay. So the timing is exquisite. And you'll notice that when God, everyone knows that you come to church and you hear a sermon and you say, wow, the Lord is really speaking to me through through the word of the Lord today.

And then God, it's almost like he speaks to you in advance in his word. So you know that that week what happens, you already know how you need to respond because God gave you the word in advance. He gives the word in advance so that this woman has enough time to go to the place that she wants to go live where she needs to live and not to bring an alarm to anybody else around her. And she obeys and she does the will of the Lord. Her response to the revelation of God is the next point. How does she respond?

Notice how she responds. First of all, she responds promptly. She doesn't delay. I love this. Her response is immediate. She doesn't say, you know, Elisha, can I wait until the famine happens before I go? Do I have to leave right now? I mean, when you say take your household and leave and go, do you mean now or can I wait a couple of weeks, a couple of months? Can I wait until the famine is severe before I leave so I'm not gone for the entire seven year period, but maybe for six of those years? She doesn't do that, does she?

She's very prompt. It's instantaneous. It's immediate. She leaves. And she doesn't complain about the situation. She doesn't question the situation. She believes in the word of the Lord. She believes in what Elisha says. And so for her to leave would require a lot of faith on her part. One author says, perhaps the sublimest act in the life of the Shunammite woman was when in simple faith, she obeyed the prophet's direction. For as yet, there was plenty in the land, nor any indication of approaching famine, except in the message of Elisha.

Okay. So there was no famine that had taken place yet. Maybe it just rained yesterday and everything was green and the crops were flourishing. Maybe there was plenty in the storehouse. And so everything looked great. But Elisha says, you got to go. Famine's coming. So she goes. She obeys because the word of the Lord said to do it. But wouldn't it be good if that's the way all of us were? That when God says, do it, we say, okay.

No questions asked, no excuses given. And the further evidence of her faith is that she never protested anything. She never said, but wait a minute, Elisha. How am I going to afford all this? Because not only was her response prompt, her response was painful for her personally. Because back in second King chapter four, when she told Elisha, when he said, what can I do for you?

She goes, I dwell among my people. It's a statement that says I'm at home right where I'm at. I have everything I need. I'm with my people. I'm good. I'm content. She's being asked to uproot her household, to leave her friends. Okay. To leave her extended family, to leave a place of plenty because she has a place of plenty. She's been asked to leave the of her, of her late husband behind, to leave her house, the security of her home, leave all that. Not easy for a single woman with a child to do.

So it would become very difficult for her. This is not an easy choice, but she makes it because God said, you got to go. You got to go. And if God says you got to go, you got to set aside your emotions.

You got to set aside your feelings and say, okay, I might not feel like going, but if God says I got to go, I got, I got to go.

And so that's exactly what exactly what she did. So being a widow, having to move her household, it would be an expensive move for her. And whether she had the money or not to do that is another story. But obedience often comes at a high price tag. Why? Because God is testing your faith. If obedience was easy, everybody would obey. But obedience isn't always easy. It's sometimes the most difficult thing to do. God says you need to forgive your sinning brother.

Not easy to do. You need to be the man God has called you to be, but sometimes it's not always easy to obey the word of the Lord. But yet that's what God demands. And when you do, he gives you the grace to accomplish it. And so it wasn't easy for her. It was very painful for her to uproot herself and to leave. But on top of that, very wise choice. She would go to the land of the Philistines. Okay. Because if the famine would go that far, then they would be able to ship things in from Egypt and they would still have enough food.

So she made a wise move. Maybe she knew Genesis 26, where Isaac himself went to the land of the Philistines when there was a famine. And God commended Isaac for that. God told him, don't go down to Egypt. Why? Because your father Abraham went down to Egypt. That was a bad scene. Don't do that. Okay. Isaiah says, woe to all those who go down to Egypt. But Isaac went to the land of the Philistines because there, there would be food there. There would be water there. The famine would not be nearly as severe.

So where does she go? She goes to the place of prosperity. She goes to where she'll be able to live for those seven years and not have to suffer the famine. Very wise, wise move on our part. And on top of that, she was gone the entire time, all seven years. She didn't cut it short. Maybe I'll go back in six years to see how things are doing. No, she waits exactly seven years. She fulfills the command of the Lord in its entirety. You be gone seven years. So seven years, she's gone. Wouldn't it be good if all of us responded to the Lord promptly, no matter what the pain was, completely for the duration of the time that God asked us to do something, told us to do something, and that we honored him in the process.

She provides for us a great example of obedience. When the seven years is up, she comes back. Because Elisha, that was the command. You be gone seven years. Famine, seven years. Now she comes back. Now, as a result of her obedience, she comes back and someone has confiscated her land. So now she could easily say, wow, I obeyed the Lord and look what I lost in the process. She just knew that. She could very easily complain and murmur. Now her son is definitely a teenager. They're back in the land, but she doesn't have her land.

She doesn't have her property any longer. Doesn't have the house her husband built. Doesn't have the land her husband plowed and farmed. Doesn't have the facility anymore. So what does she do? She does what only she can do legally and go to the king. So she appeals to the king. And this is where the story gets so exciting. Because in her effort to go to the king, Gehazi's already there. And the king is asking Gehazi about Elisha. This also tells us another reason why this is not after the previous story.

Because the king would know about the workings of Elisha because he would have experienced them firsthand. But in 2 Kings 4, before the seven year famine, he didn't know all about the workings of Elisha. So he asks about Elisha, this miracle working guy, and Gehazi's telling him about his boss, his master. And the greatest story of all is the fact that there was this woman who was barren and he gave her a child and then the child died. And guess what? He raised the child from the dead. And as he's telling the story, guess who walks into the king's presence?

The Shunammite woman with the boy that was raised from the dead. Talk about the providence of God. Talk about how God cares for the widows in the orphans amidst their affliction because that's what he does. God had already begun the workings. And now you go back to 2 Kings 4 and ask, why was God so gracious to raise her son from the dead? Because during the seven year famine, that testimony would be the cornerstone for the king answering her request. God did something great in the life of the woman so that down the road, he could do something even greater for the woman and for her son.

See, we forget that God is orchestrating the events of life every single day. That what happened to you today, God is doing so that you'll see the effects of it tomorrow or next week or next month or maybe next year. You might not see it today or maybe seven years down the road. You might not see it today, but what God is doing is something unique and fantastic. And while you might not know all the workings of how God does it, believe me, he is doing something so great today that down the road, you'll be able to see the handiwork of God upon your life.

And this woman is going to witness it firsthand because she's at a loss. What do I do? How does, how's my land ever going to be restored back to me? How do I, I obeyed the Lord and I lost. But in all reality, she'll lose anything. She's going to get it back with much bountiful blessings because look what happens. The King says these words. When the King asked the woman, she related it to him. That is, he asked about the story. Yep. That's me. Yep. This is my boy. Yep. He died. Yeah. Elijah raised him from the dead.

So the King appointed for her a certain officer saying, restore all that was hers and all the produce of the field from the day that she left the land, even until now.

In other words, there was a famine. So we must realize that during the famine, there was no produce, but before she left, everything was full. Everything was great. And before the famine took its full effect, there, there was a production of crops. And so she would, she would get those things. And so the King says, you restore to her all the produce of the field from the day she left until now, she gets a bountiful blessing simply because God was already at work in her life. Now remember Jehoram's father, Ahab, he stole Naboth's vendor and killed Naboth.

Remember that? The story way, way, way back when with Elijah. That's just the way it was. And Jehoram comes from that line. But here you see him filled with grace and compassion because God had been doing a work in his heart. God was moving in the King's heart before the woman ever returned by him asking a question of Gehazi, the servant of Elijah and him relaying the story just as she walks through the door because God is at work. So what do we learn about this story? What do we learn about this woman?

Let me just give you a couple of principles here on how we need to respond in all this. Number one is this.

This woman embraced the precepts of the Lord entirely. She embraced them. She didn't just obey them because she had to. She embraced them. Okay. Remember Psalm 1911? We're talking about this on Sunday mornings. For by your commandments, by your judgments, by your testimonies, your servant is warned. She was warned of the coming famine. She embraced that. She embraced the testimony of the Lord. She embraced the revelation of God. Listen to Psalm 119, 127. It says, therefore, I love your commandments above gold.

Yes, above fine gold. Therefore, I esteem right all your precepts concerning everything. I esteem right all your precepts concerning everything. Why? Because I love them more than gold. This is how she perceived God's word. She loved God's word more than she loved her house, more than she loved her property, more than she loved everything that that house and property represented. That she would obey the word of the Lord, risking it all because it was more precious to her than anything, everything.

She embraced the word of the Lord. Do you do that? She embraced the precepts of the Lord because she did. She escaped the peril of the famine. She escaped the peril of the famine. She was able to escape the hardship. The nation did not. They experienced the hardship of the famine. It's one thing to have a famine for a year, but to have it for seven years, that that's just horrendous. And so she escaped all that. Why? Out of obedience. She obeyed. And she was able to escape. The Lord knows how to deliver the godly from temptation and trial.

Second Peter chapter two, verse number nine. God doesn't do that. Nobody else does, but God does. And you know, when you obey the precepts of the Lord, guess what? You escape all kinds of perils. Some you don't even know. Just obeying what God says causes you to escape all kinds of hardship because you're honoring the Lord and God will protect you.

And so she embraced the precepts of the Lord. Therefore she escaped the peril of the famine. And then she enjoyed the prosperity in the land of the Philistines. She enjoyed the prosperity in the land of the Philistines. She didn't experience the famine. And what she enjoyed was the opportunity to live as a stranger in a foreign land, to live as an alien in a foreign land. She was just passing through just for a seven year period. It wasn't forever. It was for a short period of time. And she would have an opportunity to be a testimony for the grace of God.

And so she would enjoy the prosperity of the land of the Philistines because Elisha told her you can sojourn wherever you want to go, but you got to leave the land because there's going to be a great famine here. Then she returned and she encountered the problem upon her arrival. She encountered a problem because sometimes obedience leads to adversity. Remember Sunday when we read to you Mark chapter 10, when Peter asked the question, Lord, what's in it for us? Remember what Christ said? He said, Verily I say to you, there is no man that has left house or brethren or sisters or fathers or mothers or wife or children or lands for my sake and the gospels, but he shall receive a hundred fold now in this time houses, brethren and sisters and mothers and children and lands with persecutions.

And then he says in the age to come into her life, but he puts that little caveat in there with persecutions, because when you do what God says, not everybody's going to be happy.

People will take advantage of you. And sure enough, she was gone. Somebody seized her property. Somebody took control of her land. She got back what was available to her. So she appealed to the king. She encountered a problem out of obedience. She encountered adversity out of obedience, but she didn't grumble and complain about it. She didn't say, wow, gee, thanks, Lord. Appreciate all the blessings. I know I enjoyed seven years of prosperity in the land of Philistines. Is this what I get? I get to come home to nothing, to lose everything.

What about my son? Where is he going to live? Where are we going to live? She didn't complain. A lot of times that's what we do. We come back and say, wow, gee, Lord, is this what I get now? Appreciate all the good things you do, Jesus. But no, not this woman. She didn't complain. She took the right legal means by which she could obtain her land back if the king would grant it to her, not knowing that God was already at work. And that's the next point, that she experienced the providence of the Almighty.

She experienced the providence of the Almighty right before her very eyes because she lived a life of faith and obedience and trust. And she walks in and into the king's presence. And there's Elisha's servant telling the story about what has happened to her, which gives credence to her in the eyes of the king. And God answers in a unique and special way, simply because she obeyed the revelation of God. What a great testimony. So many times we miss the providential working of God in our lives because of our disobedience.

We just miss the whole thing. We don't get it. But the secret of the Lord, Psalm 25, lies with those who fear his name. They see the workings of God. They understand what God's doing because they get to witness it firsthand. And sure enough, she did. What a great story. I wish I could would have been there for that moment to see the king, to see the Shunammite woman, her son, and how God dealt with them on that day. So here was a woman who embraced the precepts of the Lord. She escaped the peril of the famine.

She enjoyed the prosperity in the land of the Philistines. And then she encountered the problem when she returned, but she experienced the providence of the Almighty. And then she exhibits the promise of Psalm 1911, that in keeping God's commandments, there is great reward. You see how Sunday morning and Wednesday night just dovetail together? And in keeping the commandments of God, there's great reward. See, she becomes the illustration of great rewards. Great rewards. She understood the providence of God.

She got it. She understood the workings of God. She was blessed because she was obedient to God. And God used her in the life of a king. God used her in the life of Elisha. God was still using this woman because she was a recipient of great rewards. I wonder if you're that recipient. She becomes the illustration of somebody who experiences the rewards of obedience to God. Listen, there is no substitute for submission. Nothing. No substitute for submission. No substitute for submission to God and his word.

And when you do that, great things happen. Tremendous things happen. Bad things don't happen to those who submit to the word of God. It doesn't mean you don't experience adversity or difficulty or hardship. They do. But your perspective is so different. This woman never once complained. In 2 Kings 4, 2 Kings 8, when her son died, she didn't complain. She went right to the man of God and talked to him, appealed to him, trusted in what God would do. She becomes the quintessential illustration of obedience to the commands of God that we should take heart and learn to follow.

Let me pray with you. Father, we thank you for tonight. What a blessing it is to read about this woman and what you did in her life. We are so blessed to understand the fact that here was a woman who had no spiritual head. Her husband was not with her. She had to make a decision on her own. She had to leave on her own with her son. She had to make a way to find a place to live because she believed in the word of the Lord. And when she came back, she lost it all. But you were already working in that situation.

Little did she know what was happening in the presence of the King until she got there. But Lord, you answered. You took care of her because she was obedient to your word. Help us to see how you will take care of us amidst our obedience to you. And also, Lord, show us in our disobedience how much we miss so that we might learn to obey and to follow you with all of our heart. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.