Elisha and the Shunammite Woman

If you have your Bible, turn me to 2 Kings chapter 4. 2 Kings chapter 4, Elisha and the Shunammite woman. We'll talk about her this week and next week as we begin to understand what God is doing in this woman's life, her husband's life, and their whole family as God does a great and mighty work. Let me set for you in your minds the text tonight, beginning with verse number 8.

It says, Now there came a day when Elisha passed over to Shunamm, where there was a prominent woman, and she persuaded him to eat food. So it was, as often as he passed by, he turned in there to eat food. She said to her husband, Behold, now I perceive that this is a holy man of God passing by us continually. Please let us make a little walled upper chamber, and let us set a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand, and it shall be when he comes to us that he can turn in there. One day he came there and turned in to the upper chamber and rested.

Then he said to Gehazi, his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him. He said to him, Say now to her, Behold, you have been careful for us with all this care. What can I do for you? Would you be spoken for to the king or to the captain of the army? And she answered, I live among my own people. So he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Truly, she has no son, and her husband is old. He said, Call her. When he had called her, she stood in the doorway.

Then he said, At this season next year, you will embrace a son. And she said, No, my lord. O man of God, do not lie to your maidservant. The woman conceived and bore a son at that season the next year, as Elisha had said to her. Now this is just the beginning of the story of this woman. But we'll stop there to look at what is happening in Elisha's life.

As you recall, he was beckoned by the men of the city of Jericho because the water was unfit to drink. And so he healed the waters of Jericho, left there, and made his way toward Mount Carmel. On his way, he passed through Bethel. And there were some lads there, many of them, who came out and mocked him. He cursed them, and they were eaten by two bears. He went from there to join the armies of Israel. And he was there when three kings approached him and asked him what to do about the situation where there was no water, and his men were thirsty, and they had to go to battle against the Moabites.

And he prophesied that not only would they win the battle, but God would in a miraculous way give them water to drink. And he did. And then we went last week to look at this woman, this unnamed woman, who was a widow.

She's in contrast to this woman from Shunem, who is married. So there's a great contrast here. The widow was poor. This woman was a prominent woman. The Shunemite woman was a prominent woman, meaning that she was wealthy. She was a great woman. She was a wealthy woman. So in contrast, you have a poor widow, and you have a wealthy married woman. Now, the widow has two sons. And the wealthy woman has no children whatsoever. And the widow, we have no idea where she was from or what her name is. The woman from Shunem, at least we know where she's from, but she too remains nameless.

As I think about that contrast, I realize that God is involved in every single detail of our lives. And God gives us certain details in Scripture to show us that He knows exactly what's going on. For there are times that we think that God has missed the boat in terms of where we are at or what's happening in our lives. But God knew about the widow with two sons, and she was in great debt, and she needed assistance, and Elisha came her way. She came to Elisha and asked for help. And Elisha did a great work.

And yet God, even though she remains nameless, we don't know where she was from, God met her during her time of need. The same is true with this woman, but she, for all practical purposes, has no need. She's wealthy. She's married. And she wants to minister to Elisha. She wants to serve Elisha. So she's in service mode. And so here is Elisha walking on this road from where he was probably in Mount Carmel because Shunem is just north of Jezreel. It would be on a road in which he would walk to and from every single day or different parts of the week.

And she noticed him walking by. And the thing about Elisha is that he's ready to be used by God no matter where he is at and no matter who he's with, whether it's with the prominent men in the city of Jericho or whether it's with the kings of the armies of Israel or whether it's with an unnamed widow or whether it's a wealthy widow. It makes no difference to Elisha. He wants to be used by God because he's a servant. And servants want to be used by God no matter where they're at, no matter who they come in contact with, because they are in service mode.

Elisha is in service mode. But now there's somebody who truly wants to serve Elisha. And three things I want you to notice in this story.

The first thing I want you to notice is her hospitality. Then I want you to notice her purse capacity.

And then I want you to notice her gratuity. And I'll explain that to you in a minute, okay? But first of all, her hospitality.

Her hospitality. Now remember, the word hospitable means lover of strangers, okay? There are some people who believe that hospitality is one of the gifts of the Spirit. Some commentators don't. Some do. But we are all to be hospitable to one another. 1 Peter 4 verse number 7 says that we are to be hospitable to one another without complaint. In other words, you can be a lover of strangers, but complain about loving strangers. See, to do it without complaint. This woman did it without complaint, and we will see this in a moment.

Hebrews 13 verse number 2 also says that you are to not neglect showing hospitality to strangers. And hospitality is not so much an act as it is an attitude. You need to understand that. Hospitality is more about how people feel in your presence more than anything else. Because you can be hospitable to somebody and give them a meal or take care of something, invite them into your home, but treat them like dirt. So they don't feel very welcome in your presence. Hospitality is an attitude where someone believes that in your presence, they are absolutely treasured and valued by you.

That's hospitality. That's a lover of strangers. So we have to ask ourselves, do strangers feel that way in our presence? Do we make them feel comfortable? Do we make them feel at home? Do we make them feel valued in our presence? That's what hospitality is. This woman would make Elisha feel valued, even though she had no idea who he was at the time. He would walk by her place of residence all the time. And so she would see him walking by. And as she saw him walking by, the Bible says, now there came a day, we don't know what day of the week it was, we don't know what time of the year it was, but the opportunity was there.

And she saw him walking by and she went to him and persuaded him to stay and eat a meal. Very important. Why? Because she would be a person who truly understood what it meant to redeem the time, to make the most out of every opportunity, to buy back opportunities for the sake of the kingdom of God. That's why Paul says over in the book of Ephesians, the fifth chapter, these words, verse 15, Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

So be wise, not unwise. And the way you are wise is by redeeming the time, buying back that opportunity for the sake of God's kingdom. Paul would say in Galatians 6, verse number 9, Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. In other words, we are to be good and be kind to all people, but especially those of the household of faith.

Well, this woman, unnamed, this wealthy woman, sees Elisha walking by her place of residence all the time. So she wants to invite him in. She wants to be hospitable. She wants to give him a meal. Now, remember, there were no fast food restaurants in Elisha's day. I mean, he wasn't able to get on a cell phone and ask Siri where the closest restaurant was, in case he was hungry. He couldn't Google some restaurant close by him there in the Jezreel Valley. So you had to depend upon people to feed you.

And so, as he was walking by, this woman, this Shunammite woman, saw him, and she compelled him to come in. She wanted, listen, she wanted to share her means. She was a wealthy woman. She didn't want to hoard her wealth. She wanted to use her wealth to help somebody in need. And that would be the proper way to use the things that God has given to us. So she sees this man walking by. Remember, she has no idea at this time who Elisha is. Most people walking by or watching Elisha would see this young, bald-headed guy walking by, having borrowed some mantle from Elijah, and not knowing that maybe it's too big for him, too small for him, we don't know, but they would just see a bald guy walking along the road.

But this woman sees something different. Okay? And so, in her desire to be hospitable, to be a lover of a stranger, she says to this man, I want you to come in and get something to eat. She was a prominent woman. She persuaded him. She compelled him. She constrained him to eat food. Okay? It doesn't mean she grabbed him by the arm and dragged him by the scuff of the neck into her house and said, sit down and eat. And that's not what she did. But she compelled him. She persuaded him. And how she did it, I have no idea.

She probably went up to him and she said, hey, would you like to have a meal? Elisha probably said, no, it's okay, I'm good. She goes, no, I want you to come. A lot like the two men on the road to Emmaus when they were walking with Jesus and they constrained him, they compelled him, they persuaded him to stay with them for a while because the sun was going down. Okay? There was a strong urging on their part like it was on the woman's part. She urged Elisha. She compelled Elisha. She constrained Elisha.

She really wanted Elisha to stay. It wasn't like she was just kind of doing her passing duty. Hey, you want a meal? No, okay, goodbye, see you around. No, she said, no, no, you come in. Come on, I want to give you something to eat. And maybe he said, no, she said, no, no, come, come, please. Please, I want to feed you. And I don't know what she was cooking. And maybe she brought something out with her so he could smell it and realize, oh, that's pretty good stuff. Maybe I should go in and get something to eat.

I don't know how she did it, but she compelled him and persuaded him to come in and eat. She wanted to demonstrate her hospitable nature. Now notice, her persistency and its permanency demonstrates her sincerity, okay?

Her persistency demonstrated her sincerity. She just wasn't loving just in word and tongue. But in deed and in truth, right? So she persisted. And then the permanency for which this took place demonstrated her sincerity. I want you to come by, every day you walk by here, every week you come by here, you need to stop here and have a meal. Every time. It wasn't like, okay, this week and then we're done. Every time you come by here, I want you to stop and I'm going to make sure you have something to eat.

That's why it says, and so it was, as often as he passed by, he turned in there to eat food. So maybe he would go by twice a day just because the food was so good. I don't know. But as often as he passed by there, he would stop in and he would have something to eat. This speaks to the woman's hospitality. She was a lover of strangers. She helped Elisha feel valued and treasured because she was willing to give up her substance to help him during his time of need. But no, she will go way beyond that to build a place for him to stay and to rest because she was committed to helping this stranger.

So you move from her hospitality to her perspicacity. Isn't that a good word? Perspicacity. It means wisdom, discernment. Okay? She had supreme wisdom. Listen to what the next verse says. Verse 9. She said to her husband, Behold, now I perceive that this is a holy man of God passing by us continually. And the question comes, how did she perceive that? Where did her discernment come from? There was no rally in Israel where Elisha was the guest speaker where she would hear him speak. We have no record of interchange between the two.

We don't know what he said. We don't know if he just came by, ate, ate in silence, got up and left. We have no idea because there is no interchange in the scripture as to what happened. All we do know is that he ate every time he passed by. And she said to her husband, I perceive that this is a holy man of God. How did you perceive that? Simply by the way he ate. That is absolutely amazing to me. Holiness emanated from this man. It just oozed out of this man. Remember, it was the prophets of Jericho who said the spirit of the Lord is on Elisha.

It was King Jehoshaphat who said the word of the Lord is with this man. And now it's this unnamed woman from Shunem who says this is a holy man of God. Do you see the consistency there? No matter where he was, no matter who came in contact with him, everybody knew there was something unique and special about Elisha. No one wondered about his character. Nobody wondered about what kind of individual he was. Because no matter what he did, no matter what he said, no matter where he went, he was known as a man who the spirit of the Lord was upon, the word of the Lord was with him, or he was a holy man of God.

So the question comes, how are you perceived? How are we perceived? What do people say about us? What do people say when we pass by? What do people say when they see us? Do they know that the spirit of the Lord is upon us? Do they know that we are holy men, holy women of God? Do they know that the word of the Lord is with us? That the presence of God is upon us? Do they know that? If they don't know that, what are you doing to detract from people so they don't see that in your life? Elisha just did what he always did.

And she invited him in. He came in. There was no doubt. He has performed no miracles before her. She doesn't even call him by his name because she doesn't know his name. But she perceives that somehow this is a holy man of God. I've watched him eat, dear. And the way this man eats, maybe it was the way he prayed before his meal. I don't know. Maybe he prayed over the utensils. I have no idea. Maybe he... I don't know what happened. All I know is that she says, I perceive that this is a holy man of God.

And the question comes, how did she know that? That was her discernment. That was her wisdom. You know, it's important to realize that discernment comes from people who know the word of the Lord. That's why the Bible says in Psalm 119, verse number 160, these words, I understand more than the ancients because I keep your word.

It's wisdom. That's why 1 Corinthians 2 says that he that is spiritual discerneth all things. All things. So, she sees this man. She invites him in. He eats. And every time he goes by there, he stops. And he eats. That's all we know. And she, through a discerning spirit, realizes that this is a holy man of God. Now, she knows that not because of his miracles. Because she's seen no miracle. She knows that not because she has heard of the miracles of Elisha because there is no record of that either.

She knows that not because of anything that he has said, any sermon that he's preached, any prophecy that he's given. But she knows that because by being around him while he is in her home, she perceives he is a holy man of God. That's important. Because it is not true that our home life is the key element that determines whether we're holy men or unholy men of God. Right? It's the home life. It's the place where people see us all the time. And if there was somebody who saw him all the time, it would be this Shunammite woman.

She saw him all the time. Because as often as he passed by, he stopped in. And he would eat and she would observe him. And then she goes to her husband, Please. And the King James says, I pray thee, let us make a little walled upper chamber. And let us set a bed for him there and a table and a chair and a lampstand. And it shall be when he comes to us that he can turn in there. Wow, this woman, she wants to make a little bed and breakfast for Elisha. This is amazing. She says, man, this guy, we gotta take care of this guy.

He's a holy man of God. We gotta make sure he's got a place to sleep, a place to rest, a place to study. We're gonna give him a chair, a lamp, a bed. We're gonna give him his own room. Rent free. Doesn't have to pay a thing. Whenever he comes by, he can just go up there, he can rest, he can do whatever he wants to. She wants to use her wealth to help out somebody in need. Now remember, she's not looking for any kickbacks. She's not looking for any recognition. She's not doing this because she wants something from Elisha.

She right now has no idea who Elisha is as of yet. He's just a stranger and she loves strangers. And she wants this guy in her house. And as she observed him, she perceives he's a holy man of God. Let's give him a room, let's build a room for the guy. Let's add on, let's add up, let's do something so he has a place to stay so that when he comes, he feels at home here. So that he's no longer a stranger, but he feels a part of our home. She goes over the top. But that's what she wants to do because she wants to love in word and in deed.

She had no idea. She had no idea of the words of Jesus when Jesus said in Matthew 25, when I was a stranger, you took me in. She had no idea that when she did it unto Elisha, she was doing it unto the Lord, the Messiah of Israel. She had no idea she was doing that. No idea. Because you see, when you're a lover of strangers, you're not thinking about and calculating who you're showing love to, who you're showing kindness to. You just do it because it's part of your nature. It's who you are. And so she had no idea that she was fulfilling something that would happen later in the road as Christ would give his ministry and talk about the future of Israel and talk about loving strangers and talk about taking me in when I was the least of these, of the brethren.

And Elisha, of course, was not one of the least of these. He was the popular person. What would she have done if she would have known it was Elisha? What would she do if she would have known that he was a prophet of God? How would she have reacted then? But she had no idea who Elisha was. All she knew is that he was a stranger who passed by and she took him in, gave him a meal to eat. She said, every time you come by, you come here. We'll feed you. And every time he passed by, he came in, he received a meal, and she recognized that this was a holy man of God.

She's got to do something for this guy. This guy walks with God, he talks with God, he listens to God. We've got to do something for this guy. So she did. She went to her husband. She pleaded with her husband. I pray thee, please, dear. She didn't act independently of her husband. She didn't say, honey, I'm going to do this. And he said, oh, I'm not sure we have the money for it. It doesn't make any difference, honey, I'm doing it anyway. This is a holy man of God. I'm going to make sure he's taken care of.

I don't care what you say, honey, I'm doing it anyway. No, she was subject to her husband. And she went to her husband and she said, I pray thee, let's do this. What do you think about this? And evidently, he gave the okay. Now, the husband doesn't speak at all. There's whole interchange. But the husband, okay, is going to receive a blessing because of his wife who is subject to his authority. Very important, ladies. The husband's going to receive a blessing along with the wife, but the husband will receive a blessing because she is willing to subject herself to her husband's authority and go to him and ask him, not act independently of him, but go to him and ask him about building this upper room, making this a chamber for this man of God to come.

And evidently, he gives his permission because there is one. So he's probably the one who's got to build it. So you move from her hospitality to her perspicacity, which means discernment and wisdom, to her gratuity. Elisha wants to show his appreciation. Now, she's not doing this because she wants kickback, she wants something to happen. But Elisha wants to do something. So one day he came there and turned into the upper chamber and rested. And then he said to Gehazi, his servant, call the Shunammite.

And when he called her, she stood before him. He said to her, say now to her, Behold, you have been careful for us with all this care. What can I do for you? Now, Gehazi was his servant. So evidently, there'd be a place for his servant to stay with him as well. So she has gone overboard, not just for Elisha, but for his servant as well. So he goes to her and says, what can I do for you? Can I go to the king and speak well of you? Can I go to the king and tell him what you've done? Can I go to the captain of the army?

In other words, can I do something for you that would allow you to receive a gift or some kind of recognition from those in authority? Can I do that for you? Because I'd be more than happy to do that. I'd be glad to go to the king. I'd be glad to go to the captain of the army. I'd be glad to do something for you. Let me do this.

And she says, no, I live among my own people. In other words, translation says, you know, I'm good. I'm good. Thanks anyway. She's not saying, you know, yeah, that'd be kind of nice if you did. I'd appreciate some recognition from the king. That'd be good. Yeah, go ahead. Make sure you say it the right way, though, so that I get a really good report. No, she's not interested in that stuff. It makes no difference to her. She's content right where she is. She's not looking for any praise. She's not looking for any accolades.

She has no expectation from Elisha. See, that's what a lover of stranger does. So many times we do things because we have to receive something in return. We have to have some kind of recognition or kickback. She wants nothing. No, I'm good. I dwell among my own people. I'm good right where I'm at. And I don't need, I'm good. Thank you for asking, but I'm good. What a great attitude, because she's not looking for anything. So Elisha's dumbfounded, because he would think that someone would want some kind of recognition for all the work that they've gone through to build a facility for him and a servant to stay, to give food every time they pass by.

I mean, that could get rather expensive after a while if you're passing by a couple of times a day, seven days a week. That could get rather expensive. But she wants nothing in return. So he's like, man, what are we going to do with this woman? So he calls the servant. We've got to do something for her. What can we do? And so Gehazi says she has no children. Her husband is old, meaning that she's barren, or he is unable to produce a seed, so therefore there are not going to be children. Elisha says, okay.

We're going to give her a child. This is amazing, because she's not looking for this. She's not looking for this at all. Remember, in Judaism, if you had no children, especially no sons, you were looked down upon. You were looked on as someone who was cursed by God. Somebody who had not received the blessings from God. And you were ostracized from your community, because there was a curse of God upon you. Now, I know that it was a pagan society, because they were worshiping Baal, but still, she had no children.

There was no legacy to be left. And yet she doesn't ask Elisha for anything. The widow, the unnamed widow, who had two sons, asked, I need help, I'm in debt. What can I do? What happens to me now, Elisha? Can you help me? She doesn't ask Elisha for anything. She's just in giving mode. Giving, giving, giving, giving. Not expecting anything in return. And listen, here's a newsflash for you. When you're in that kind of mode, all you want to do is give and give and give. You can't even begin to comprehend what God's going to give to you.

And she had no idea what was going to happen. So Elisha calls her up to his chamber. Says, I want to let you know something, that a year from now, you will have a son. You'll have a child. And she, and Elisha's like, come on, you've got to be kidding me, right? Come on, Elisha, don't lie to me. Come on, I know you're a man of God, okay? But you're not lying to me, are you? Are you telling me the truth? Is this really true? Because she can't believe that he's going to do this. And how can he do it?

He's a man of God, but what kind of man of God is he? Is he really truly a prophet of God? Is he truly a miracle worker? But Elisha, this is what he does. He's a miracle working man. This is what he lives for. This is what he does. And so he says, you know, a year from now, you're going to have a child. And sure enough, she does. She has a child. And her husband, who had no descendant to carry on his name, is blessed because of her willingness to serve this man and to subject herself to her husband's leadership.

And God blessed him because of her. What an amazing, amazing story. So many things to talk about. So many things to apply to our lives. But I'm reminded of Hebrews chapter 6, when it says, For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward his name in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. God never forgets your service. This woman was in service mode. She saw a man in need. She met the need. Knowing she'd meet the need, she went beyond meeting the need in a significant manner, so much so that they built a room onto their house so that he could stay and rest and eat and be taken care of.

But she never wanted anything in return. She never anticipated anything in return. She never asked for anything. She never looked for anything. She was content right where she was. Elisha wants to do something for her. Let me go to the king.

Let me go to the captain of the army. No, I'm good. Thank you. I'm good. I'm just here to serve. That's all I do. I'm not looking for any kind of recognition, any kind of kickback. I'm good. Elisha felt compelled to do something for her. And in one statement would remove the stigma that she would have in that land, in that country. She provided for her husband in a unique and special way so that his legacy would continue from generation to generation. He would give her a son. Great story. But remember, Elisha is a man of God.

I love that phrase, man of God. You know, there are several guys in the Old Testament named a man of God. David was called a man of God. And we would recognize that. Moses was called a man of God. Moses was called a man of God in Deuteronomy 33. Samuel was called a man of God in 1 Samuel 9. Elijah was called a man of God in 1 Kings 17. David was called a man of God in Nehemiah 23. And Elisha was called a man of God here in our text. Twice he's called a man of God. But you know, of all the men in the Old Testament called a man of God, there's only one person in the New Testament called a man of God.

Only one. It's not Paul either. Although Paul was a man of God, he's never called a man of God. It's none of the apostles either. Even though they were men of God, they were never called a man of God. There's only one man in the New Testament called a man of God. Only one. And that was Timothy. In 1 Timothy 6, verse 11. When Paul says to Timothy, But you, O man of God. Timothy is the only person in the New Testament called a man of God. It's not that there weren't other men of God in the New Testament because there was.

But he was specifically called a man of God. Like Elisha was. Like Elijah. Like David. Like Nehemiah. Like Samuel. They were called men of God because that's exactly what they were. But young Timothy at 35 years of all age was called a man of God by his mentor, his protege. And that was Paul. So the question comes for you and me. How do we become like David, Elisha, Elijah, Samuel, Moses, young Timothy? How is it we can portray that we are men of God or women of God? If you've got your Bible, turn to 1 Timothy 6 and we'll bring our time to a conclusion this evening.

Let me give you four simple principles that will help you. Four simple principles that will define you as a man of God. Or, in this case, even a woman of God. Paul says in 1 Timothy 6, 11, that flee from these things, you men of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of eternal life to which you were called and you made a good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without staying or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The man of God is known by four things. One, he flees from all sin. He flees from all sin. But you, oh man of God, flee these things. What things? In the context, it's the love of money. Look at verse number 10.

For the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, oh man of God, you flee these things. You flee the love of money. You run from. And the word flee is fuego, where we get our English word fugitive. Timothy, you need to be a fugitive. You need to run away from sin. You need to run away from the love of money, because many people have been ensnared by their love for the material. Over in 1 Corinthians 6, Paul would say in verse 18, flee immorality.

In 1 Corinthians 10, he'd say flee idolatry. In 2 Corinthians 2, he would say flee youthful lusts. In other words, a man of God is a running man. A man of God runs away from sin. He flees all sin. He is the running man. He's the fugitive. He's on the run from sin, because he knows that if sin catches him, it will destroy him. He's a running man. He flees from sin. But he doesn't just run away. He runs from something he needs to avoid in order to run toward something he needs to attain. So he flees from all kinds of sin, and he follows after all spiritual virtues.

So he says, but you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Timothy, you follow after these things. And the word for pursue is a hunting term. Track it down. Hunt for it. Go after it. So not only are you running from sin, you are running toward spiritual virtues. You're running toward things like righteousness. You're running toward things like godliness. Now, you are a righteous person positionally, but you must run after the practical aspects of righteousness.

The book of Proverbs, the 15th chapter says, The Lord loves those who pursue righteousness. The Lord loves those who hunt for righteousness. In Matthew chapter 5, Christ says, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

They are the satisfied ones. They are the content ones, because they hunger and thirst for that which only I can give them. And when they pursue those things, they are satisfied. So Paul tells Timothy, you hunt for these things. You track down righteousness. You are positionally righteous, but you seek to live a practical, righteous life. You are a godly person because you've been set apart by God, unto God, for his purposes. But yet, Eusebia is a word used 15 times in the New Testament, 10 times in the pastoral epistles, because it's imperative that the leader of the church live a godly kind of life.

A life that speaks of the character. Righteousness speaks of the acts of the godly man, and godliness speaks of the inner attitude of the godly man. Timothy, you follow after these things. You follow after faith, that trusting obedience, living a life that obeys God, that trusts God, that depends upon God for all things. Timothy, you pursue love. You be a lover of God and a lover of man. And Timothy, you make sure that you pursue gentleness, meekness, kindness. Timothy, flee from sin. Follow after spiritual virtues, you man of God.

That's what a man of God does. And then, number three, he fights for his savior. He fights for his savior. He says, fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of eternal life. Get a grip on eternity. Timothy, if you get a grip on eternity, if you live for building up treasures in heaven, you can fight on earth. But if you don't live in the light of eternity, then you'll lose the battle on earth. You fight for the savior. You fight the good fight of the faith. You stand strong. You don't bow to anybody else because you stand strong on the truth of God's word.

See, that's the way Elisha was. That's the way Elijah was, Moses was. They had to flee from sin. They had to follow after those things that honored God and put God on display. And they had to stand strong for God. That's what a man of God does. He flees from sin. He follows after spiritual virtues. He fights for his savior. And he's faithful to the scriptures. He says in verse number 14, keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. Be faithful to the truth of God's holy word.

Don't compromise it. Don't bend it. Don't alter it. You keep those commandments all the way to the very end. I love what the Bible says in Isaiah chapter 48.

I am the Lord, your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way that you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commandments, then your well-being would have been like a river, peaceful, and your righteousness like the wave of the sea. Boy, if only you had kept my commandments, you'd have lived in peace, and your righteousness would have bound like the waves of the sea. And Paul tells Timothy, you keep the commands of God. Be true to the commands of God. That's what the man of God does.

And that was Elisha. That was Elijah. Elisha didn't want to compromise anything that God said. He wanted to be the spokesperson for God. But Elisha would emanate holiness. Everything about his life was godly. So much so, the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10, 31, whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do all to the glory of God.

So Paul uses the most mundane things that we do every day, eating and drinking, so mundane, so just we do it nonchalant. Whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do all to the glory of God. Why? Because even in the eating and drinking of your life, you give off something about who you are. And Elisha, he knew that. And he lived his life for the glory of the king. But the story in 2 Kings 4 has really just begun. Amidst all the joy of having a new son, and the joy that that son would bring to that family, and this father having a legacy that would continue, and this woman erasing the stigma of her barrenness, never, ever, ever looking for any kind of reward for their service to God's servant, they received the greatest reward they could possibly have.

A son. A son. They never even expected it. They never asked for it. They never anticipated it. Nothing. But see, that's how God works in people's lives who serve Him. That's how God wants to work in your life. If you're willing to serve Him without any kickbacks, willing to give to Him without any kickbacks, you're willing to do for others without any recognition, any affirmation, any praise, any reward. Just do it because you love the Lord. God is not unjust so as to forget your work of service.

In the ministry, you do the saints. He doesn't forget. He knows. Because He knows every detail of your life. He knows everything that you do and you don't do. He knows. And they were rewarded tremendously. How about you? Where are you in that whole hospitality service kind of mode? Because you never know when you're going to entertain a stranger unawares. And maybe as Hebrews 13 says, you entertain angelic beings and you don't even know it. But because you're in service mode, you want to minister to people that are in need.

Because when God puts a need on your heart, like He did this woman, He expects you to redeem the time, to make the most of that opportunity. And she did. And little did she know who the man was. She had no idea what was on the horizon for her. A child. And next week, God takes a child. How does she respond to that? You'll be surprised. Because she responds in a way that truly is God-honoring. Let's pray. Father, we thank You, Lord, for our time together and Your Word tonight. We thank You for the truth that's there.

Our prayer is that, Lord, we would live as men of God, as women of God, fleeing those things that would detract from our commitment to Christ, following after all those things that You've outlined in Scripture, fighting only for You and for the truth of Your Word, being faithful to all that You've said. That's the way Elisha was. And this woman is an example for all of us to follow. For truly she served out of a heart committed to her God. Truly she served because she was a servant. Truly she served because she expected nothing in return.

And You blessed her because You have said, He who honors me, I will honor. And You honored her in an incredible way. May that be a lesson for all of us, Lord. We pray in Your name. Amen.