5 Lessons from the Shunammite Woman

There was a time, long ago when the creator spoke with His children through prophets. This was before the Jesus Christ was born. The creator spoke to prophets who in turn spoke His mind to the people. The prophets had to be clean, sanctified and purified to carry out their priesthood duties. One of such prophets who existed at that time was Elisha. Elisha was one who was recognized throughout Israel for he obeyed God and God in turn used him to perform many miracles. Elisha would go around, carrying out tasks the creator put in his hands. One of the places he visited often was Shunam.

1. It's good to be hospitable

A woman and her good old husband lived in Shunam. They had everything any human being craved apart from that which the creator had withheld from them. A son. There were many women in Shunam but only this woman noticed how hungry and tired the man of God was every time he journeyed through her village. She was so hospitable and always invited the prophet and his servant in until it became a custom for him to stop and eat in her home. With the blessing of her husband, after putting the resources needed together, she put up a little apartment for the prophet to stay anytime he passed by. 

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It's easy these days to quickly attack men of God and tag them as thieves or beggars because we somehow believe they are out to exploit us. While some of the acclaimed men of God are exactly chosen by God, if we make use of the spirit of discernment provided to us by the Holy Spirit, we would know the truth. Do you respect the men of God in your life? How often do you go out of your way to help and provide assistance as they so need? Do you listen to God when He gives specific instructions as to how you should impact the next person?

2. She was hopeful and content

One day, Elisha asked the Shunammite woman what she wanted. (Nothing is free even in Freetown right?). She told him she didn't need anything. She was okay with what her family provided her with and although she someday hoped for a son, she wasn't going to put her life on hold, grumble and complain about what she didn't have but instead continually use what she had currently to bless others. Gehazi, Elisha's servant  told Elisha she didn't have a son. When Elisha told her she'd have a son, she begged him not to test her. She didn't want to raise expectations only to have them dashed. Elisha needed her to trust God and when she did, the promise of a son came to pass.

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We might not always have everything we want. But we can be rest assured God has plans for us and at just the right time, when He knows we would be able to handle and take care of the blessing, He would bless us with exactly what we need. 

3. Wisdom is profitable to direct

The days go by and soon enough, it's been years since the promised child became a reality. The family has progressed and there has been growth. Then one day, after a brief headache, the promised child dies. The Shunammite woman could have caused a scene but she didn't. She laid the child on the prophets bed and refused to tell anyone her son was dead - not even her husband. He was old and the news might have killed him too. Instead, she went straight to he who had promised her the son and wouldn't follow Gehazi when the prophet suggest that Gehazi should go with her instead and use his staff to touch the boy. She reminded the prophet that she had been content without a son but since God had blessed her with him, she wasn't going to give up on his soul so easily. She needed to fight for the blessing to live and that's exactly what she did. Elisha followed her home, prayed for the boy and in no time, the boy was up and running. What if she had given up too easily? What if she hadn't believed that he who promised had the power and ability to keep his promise to the very end?

What life has God promised you that now looks dead? Don't loose hope. Remind Him what He told you; His words are yeah and amen and nothing He says goes back to Him without coming to pass.

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4. Stay Obedient even when things are Rosy

The boy came back to life and everyone went back to their daily routines but a great famine that would shake Israel was coming and the prophet had to tell his host about it. Without questioning the prophet, the Shunammite woman leaves her home and all she knows together with her little family to settle in a place where they can be kept safe and fed for seven years, the number of years the famine lasted. The famine came just as the prophet had warned and because of her obedience, her family was spared from destruction.

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It is not everything God asks us to do that "makes sense" in that moment. Sometimes, we understand it better by and by. Other times, we never get to understand it in this side of eternity but our obedience is important even when everything otherwise seems to be going alright.

5. The Shunammite woman was versatile

After the famine, the Shunammite woman and her little family returned to their home and land to find it occupied by strangers. This woman pays a visit to the king and because of her past hospitality which she finds Gehazi talking to the king about, she is favoured and everything her husband and her had previously worked on was returned to her. She was hospitable, hard working, a home maker, a home keeper and her politeness, beyond what she had previously done, again saved her family from destruction.

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What can people say about you when you're not in the room? Can your good deeds speak for you so much so that you find favour in the sight of men? Today, there are many opportunities to apply the lessons from the life of the Shunammite woman. All you need do is look around you and grab those opportunities. Some opportunities come only one, just like the saying goes. Grace is  for made sufficient  to for you to practice all you learnt and ultimately help you to live a transformed life. For further reading, you can find the story of the Shunammite woman in 2nd Kings 4:8-37 and 2nd Kings 8:1-6