She had a name. But in 2 Kings 4 she is only called “The Shunammite” woman - the woman from Shunem. We are also told that she was a notable woman. We aren’t told why. She could have been the daughter of a city leader, or just a lady who was well known in the community.
This woman took notice that Elisha and his servant regularly traveled through Shunem and one day invited him to stop in and eatwiththem. Thisbecame a regular practice and eventually the lady asked her husband to make an upper room on their house for Elisha. In the room they placed a bed, a table and chair, and a lamp stand. This way when he stopped, he would have a place to rest for the night.
Elisha wanted to do something special for this Shunammite woman so he asked his servant, Gehazi, to have her come to him. He asked her if he could do something for her in return for what she had done for them. There was nothing she wanted but after she left, Gehazi told Elisha that she didn’t have a son and that her husband was old. So Elisha had his servant call her again. This time he told her, “About this time next year you will embrace a son.” It was apparently what she really wanted but she answered, “No my lord. Man of God, do not lie to your maidservant.” (2 Kings 4:15).
It happened as Elisha prophesied. She gave birth to a son. After a few years had passed, her husband was working in the fields and he joined his father there. But something gave him an enormous headache and so his father had a servant take him back to his mother. He sat on her lap until noon, then died.
After laying her dead son on Elisha’s bed, she had her husband send a servant who helped her travel to Mount Carmel to where Elishalived. Aftersome discussion Elisha traveled back with her and to make a long story short, her son was restored.
But what the woman first said to Elisha is what this message is really all about. In her grief, she cried out to Elisha, “Did I ask a son of my lord? Did I not say ‘Do not deceive me?’” In that statement I realized this woman’s pain. She hadn’t asked for a son. Elisha had volunteered her Divine pregnancy as a blessing to her. Reading between the lines, you could tell that she had always wanted a son. Over time, she had wished to hold that baby. She had loved him as much as any mother could have loved her child. So when he died, she felt cheated. Why did Elisha prophesy this to her if she was only doomed to be deprived of him? She was distraught and it seemed to be for good reason.
As I read this, I felt the cries of many who feel the same way over one thing or another. I don’t know your situation. But I know that there is pain in your life. Just like the Shunammite woman, you feel like God has deceived you. You feel like God has cheated you and let you down.
Maybe you are a believer, being a Christian for a number of years. Or, perhaps you are a new believer and things you may have been promised didn’t happen like you thought they would. Regardless your individual situation, it feels like God has lied to you. You may feel like He has deceived you.
I can’t say that I know how you feel because in each of our unique situations, things happen that only you can feel and react to. We are all different. Our situations are different. No one can possibly know exactly how you feel inside. But one thing we all have in common is the fact that it feels like God has let you down. I have felt that. I would guess that, at one time or another, we all have.
The prophet, Elisha did everything he knew to do. Some of what he did might sound strange to our ears. He too, I believe, was desperate- Desperate to keep his word to the Shunammite woman; desperate to make her happy; desperate to restore herblessingfromGod. In the end, it wasn’t the things he did that brought life back into the lifeless form on his bed. No, but it was the power of God. God did that. We aren’t told anything else about this woman after her son was restored to her. I like to believe that they had many good years after that. I’m a sucker for a “happily ever after” ending.
I do know this - God came through. That lets me know that if He came through for her, He can come through for us. It may not result in the same ending as it did for the Shunammite woman, but knowing God, it will end in the best way for our individual circumstance. It will. I know it will. How? You might ask? Because I’ve lived long enough to know that, even though things might not end like we want, in the long run, they will end in the way that brings the best outcome for us. It may not be what you want. But I guarantee it will be what you need.
Why has God deceived you? He hasn’t. He’s just working in the way that will bring to you the best outcome. If you know Jesus Christ as your Savior it will turn out in your best favor. If you don’t know Him as Savior, well then, you might want to fix that so you too will have the best outcome. You see, God doesn’t cheat us. He doesn’t deceive us. He is only working to bring us to Him, which will always result in the best ending.
— Jerry D. Ousley is the author of “Soul Challenge”, “Soul Journey”, “Ordeal”, “The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional” and his first novel “The Shoe Tree.” Newer books include “Finality” and “Dividing God’s Church.” Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these.