2 KINGS 8
Read 2 Kings 8:1-29
If you cast your mind back to Chapter 4 of 2 Kings, you will recall the passage about the Shunammite woman who recognised Elisha as a man of God. Back then she had provided a resting place in her home for when Elisha was travelling and when her son suddenly died Elisha came to her and restored him to life. Now there was a famine about to hit the region and Elisha advised her to go and stay somewhere else until it was over. When she returned her land had been seized.
And now we see God’s immaculate timing. The woman had gone to see the king to plead her case for restoration of her land at the same time that the king was speaking to Elisha’s servant, Gehazi. The king asked Gehazi to tell him about the wonderful things that Elisha had done (or more properly, what God had done through Elisha) and just as he was speaking about the Shunammite woman’s son being restored to life, who should appear. . .? On getting her story first-hand the king had no hesitation in restoring her land.
Good for the king, acting with justice and mercy and doing the right thing! The odd thing is that despite hearing all about Elisha and his deeds the king did not take the next step. The king seems to have been fascinated with Elisha and his close connection to the Lord, and yet never came to love and trust God himself. And we may have had a similar experience. We might have spoken to people about what God has done for us and demonstrated the grace and love of God, but some people will simply not believe. They may well be good, honest, loving people but still deny the existence of God. Jesus told his disciples this when he sent them out in Luke Chapter 10 – they will not always be welcomed, and when that is so, to shake the dust off their feet and move on. Not everyone will receive the good news of Jesus.
This episode also speaks to the character of God as the one who restores. He restored the life of the Shunammite woman’s son and he restored the woman’s land. And I think there is here an anticipation of what will happen to God’s people in the future. They are going to be taken into exile and lose their land, the Promised Land that God gave them, and they will feel that God has abandoned them; that they no longer have life as God’s people. But God restored them to life with him and restored the land to them, and we see that in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. God is a God who gives – most importantly, he gives new life, and he does that through Jesus Christ.
The rest of the chapter reverts to matters of state. Elisha is consulted by kings and brings them the word of the Lord, a word they are not pleased to hear because it speaks of their death (despite giving Elisha huge gift (bribe?) – did they expect that would bring them an answer they wanted rather than the truth? They should know Elisha better than that by now). His priority is the word of God, not worldly wealth.