5 Lessons from the Shunammite Woman
Long ago, the Lord used prophets to communicate with His children. Before the birth of Jesus Christ, this occurred. Prophets carried the messages from the creator to the populace. To fulfill their priestly responsibilities, the prophets had to be cleansed, sanctified, and purified. Elisha was one of these prophets at that time.
Elisha was well-known across Israel because he trusted God and God used him to work numerous miracles as a result. Elisha would go about doing the things that the creator gave him to do. Shunam was one of the locations he visited frequently.
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5 Lessons from the Shunamite Woman
1. The Shunammite woman was hospitable
In Shunam, a woman and her kindly elderly husband resided. With the exception of what their creator had hidden from them, they possessed everything a person could desire. Only this one woman in Shunam was aware of how weak and hungry the man of God was each time he passed through her hamlet.
She opened her home to the prophet and his servant, and soon it became customary for him to eat there. After gathering the necessary materials, she built a little apartment with her husband’s approval so that the prophet may remain there whenever he went by.
Nowadays, it’s simple to attack men of God and label them as thieves or beggars because we somehow think they’re trying to take advantage of us. Even though some of the well-known men of God weren’t exactly picked by God, we could tell the truth if we used the spirit of discernment the Holy Spirit gave us.
Do the men of God in your life command your respect? How frequently do you go above and beyond to support and aid others when they need it? Do you pay attention to God when He offers you precise guidelines on how to influence the person after you?
2. She was hopeful and content.
Elisha once inquired about the Shunammite woman’s desires. (You do realize that nothing in Freetown is free.) She informed him that she had no needs. She was content with the resources her family gave her, and even though she one day hoped to have a son, she wasn’t going to put her life on hold, moan about what she didn’t have, or complain about what she did have.
Instead, she would keep using the resources she did have to bless others. Elisha’s servant Gehazi informed him that she didn’t have a son. She begged Elisha not to put her to the test when he informed her she would have a son. She didn’t want to give them hope only to see them disappointed. When she put her faith in God, Elisha was able to see the fulfillment of his son’s promise.
It’s possible that we don’t always get what we want. However, we can be confident that God has plans for us and will provide for our needs at precisely the right time, when He knows we will be able to manage and care for the blessing.
3. wisdom is profitable to direct.
The days pass, and before you know it, it has been years since the promised child was born. The family has expanded and made progress. The promised youngster eventually passes away after a brief headache. The Shunammite woman had the power to stir up trouble, but she chose not to.
She placed the baby on the prophet’s bed and steadfastly refused to inform anyone—not even her husband—that her son had passed away. He was old, and the news could have been his demise as well. Instead of following Gehazi when the prophet suggested that he go with her and touch the boy with his staff, she went straight to the man who had promised her the son.
She emphasized to the prophet that while she had previously been fine without a son, now that she had one, she wasn’t going to give up on his soul so quickly. She had to battle for the blessing to survive, and she accomplished just that.
Elisha went to her house and prayed for the boy; shortly after, the boy began moving around. What if she had quit too quickly? What if she hadn’t trusted that the one who made the commitment had the strength and capability to keep it all the way through?
What life that God has promised to you now appears to be dead? Keep your hope alive. Remind Him of what He said: His words are yes and amen, and nothing He says returns to Him unfulfilled.
4. Remain Obedient even when things are rosy.
Everyone resumed their normal activities once the boy came back to life, but the prophet had to warn his hosts that Israel would soon be shaken by a catastrophic famine. The Shunammite woman and her small family leave their house and everything they know without challenging the prophet in order to go somewhere where they can be kept safe and fed for the duration of the famine, which was seven years.
Due to her obedience, her family was spared from disaster when the famine hit as the prophet had predicted. Not every request God makes of us “makes sense” at the time. Sometimes we come to realize something later on. Sometimes we’ll never fully comprehend it on this side of eternity, but even when everything else seems to be going according to plan, our obedience is still crucial.
5. The Shunammite woman was versatile
The Shunammite woman and her small family returned to their house and property after the famine only to discover that it had been taken over by outsiders. This woman visits the monarch, and because of her prior hospitality—which Gehazi is discussing with the king—she is given favor, and everything she and her husband had previously accomplished was given back to her.
She was hospitable, diligent, a homemaker and keeper, and she went above and beyond in her politeness to spare her family from harm once more.
What may people say about you if you aren’t present? Can your excellent deeds speak for you so loudly that people come to favor you? There are numerous possibilities now to put the lessons learned from the life of the Shunammite woman into practice. Simply look about you and seize the possibilities that present themselves
. As the expression goes, certain opportunities only present themselves once. Grace has been made adequate for you to put all you have learned into practice and ultimately assist you in leading a transformed life. The narrative of the Shunammite woman is found in Second Kings 4:8–37 and Second Kings 8:1–6 for further reading.
