THE SHUNAMMITE WOMAN (1)

Part One: She Recognizes Her Ministry

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How do we identify women who have faith? Remember, before hope comes faith. We need to recognize that the Shunammite Woman is a woman of faith to understand later that she operates as a woman whose hope was God. So, how do we recognize that she is a woman of faith? By her service Any woman who does not look for ways to serve others does not exhibit faith. Many women come to a saving knowledge of Christ, and never progress any further. These women have their eternal existence secure, but end up being frustrated and unfulfilled in their lives. God does not intend our lives to be this way. He wants us to be happy and fulfilled. However, the happiness and fulfillment must come the same way that Christ did it — deny self and serve others. True and beneficial Christianity never dwells on what we can get out of it, but rather what we, through the power of God, can give and do for others. The beginning of the Shunammite woman’s story shows her recognition of this all-important aspect of the Christian life.

1 KINGS 4:8–10

8. Now there came a day when Elisha passed over to Shunem, where there was a prominent woman, and she persuaded him to eat food And so it was, as often as he passed by, he turned in there to eat food

And she said to her husband, “Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God passing by us continually.

10. “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

There are several things we can learn about how to recognize the service God wants us to give others in these verses. First, we notice that the Scripture says that the Shunammite woman was “prominent.” We can see that her area of service is to offer hospitality to Elisha. However, she could not do this unless she had been given the means to do so. So, we can learn that God intends our service to be given from -the means that He supplies us. Don’t get distracted here. The means of God’s supply are not always physical or monetary. He may supply someone with an understanding in a particular area of life, since we know that wisdom and knowledge come from God. Those with this supply will use their understanding for the benefit of others. He may supply someone with a special talent for dealing with children. If we have such a talent we should use it in this area. God designs innumerable ways to supply us with the means of serving others. For us to recognize our service we must examine our lives, and see what God has supply God has given us. Whatever He has supplied this will be our area of service.

God supplied the Shunammite woman prominence. How did the Shunammite Woman become prominent — Through her husband. Once again, the Scripture gives a picture of how a woman can be provided by God through her husband. We must not limit God to only providing through a husband, but it is obvious, all the way through Scripture, that He will use the means of a husband to guide many women into the particular service that He designed for them. One might say, “my husband isn’t spiritual, so surely God can’t use him.” If we believe this we believe wrongly. I know a woman who had prayed and asked God for teaching and instruction. A friend of hers had given her some tapes from his church and she had brought them home and laid them down and ignored them. One day, she and her husband were going somewhere and the husband picked up the tapes and suggested they listen to them on the way. Within ten minutes of listening to the tape she knew her prayers had been answered. This husband had no idea of her prayer. This husband had no idea of what was on the tapes. God led him to suggest they listen to those tapes. God used the husband to change the woman’s life, which led her to a place of service, and the husband didn’t even know he was doing this at the time. A review of the Study on Sarah will give another example of God teaching the woman through the husband, and the husband not realizing what is going on.

Another thing we learn about service of faith is that it will probably start small and then grow. We should notice that the Shunammite woman started her service with offering a meal. Later, it grew to offering lodging. This teaches us that unless the Shunammite Woman had been content to offer the small service, she never would have been led to the larger service. So many women hinder themselves from serving others, because they don’t see the significance of just serving, no matter how small the service seems. Elisha, apparently, traveled a circuit. The Shunammite Woman didn’t serve him a meal a day. She served the meal only when he passed by. This, in itself, doesn’t seem a very significant act of service. Yet, because of her willingness to serve, God blessed her with a greater opportunity. This is so important. We don’t have to serve others in big way. We only have to be willing to serve others in any small way that God provides.

When the scripture says, “…she persuaded him,” we learn some more about what service means. The Shunammite Woman was alert to the needs of Elisha. When women have a desire to serve there will not be a problem in recognizing areas in which to serve. Elisha didn’t come to Shunem just to eat. He came to perform his ministry. What makes the service of the Shunammite woman so wonderful came from her recognition of Elisha’s need and then doing something about it. She persuaded him to eat so that he would be strengthened to do what he had to do. This gives us a good example of what service is all about. Service is the act of providing for others what they cannot provide for themselves. This explains why Paul speaks so often of the body of the church. Each member of the body supplies their particular service.

Ephesians 4:15–16

15. but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ,

16. from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Maybe the body can exist without a particular member, but when all the members are working, we have stronger and more functional bodies. While Elisha was in Shunem he did not have the place or means to prepare food for himself. The Shunammite woman recognized the need and set about to supply that need out of her God given means. To give genuine service requires alertness to the needs of other members of the body, and the Shunammite woman gives us a wonderful example of just such type of service.

The attitude the Shunammite Woman showed in giving her service is just as important as the service itself. Just as our attitude, or reason for what we do, can detract or add to what we do. From verse 10 (where the Shunammite woman talks to her husband and tells him that she perceives Elisha is a holy man of God) we see that her first service was not given to impress God. She offered the meals before she understood completely for whom she was making the offer. From this we see a very important feature of Godly service. The Shunammite Woman’s desire to provide for Elisha came from her desire to serve. This desire to serve had nothing to do with WHOM she was serving. She didn’t discern first whether the person was worthy. She didn’t set herself up as one who could look at the lives of others and make a judgment about them. This example gives us a very important lesson to learn. We must understand that when God gives us the means to be used for the benefit of others, WE ARE NOT TO DECIDE WHO, God takes care of that problem. He will make known to us who to serve. It would be total arrogance for us to determine to whom we will provide our God given ministry. Let’s be honest, we are not smart enough, in our finite understanding, to make these decisions. The woman of faith, such as the Shunammite woman, will recognize her provision, and then trust God to provide the recipients of this willingness to be used. God did this very thing for the Shunammite Woman. Elisha came to Shunem. God brought the person in need to the person who could provide.

Besides showing the Shunammite Woman’s faith in fulfilling her ministry, we also see in this passage, her faith in dealing with her husband. It takes faith to put the decision making process in the hands of husbands. It takes faith to deal in total honesty with husbands. Too many times we look at the humanness of our husbands and decide; they won’t understand or, we just know they will say no. These types of statements leave God out of the picture. Think about this. Do we really know the minds of our husbands? Are we so sure that what we want is the right thing to do? Surely, we have found out that occasionally they are smarter than we; and, occasionally they do understand, and they don’t always say no. Who are we to make up their minds for them, and never give them an opportunity? Who are we to say that God can’t work through them? It takes faith in the perfect character of God to deal with a husband as the Shunammite does in this passage.

Let’s look at what she said to him. First, she does the all-important act of asking, she said “please.” The word please indicates she wants him to have the authority God designed for him. She shares with him her desire, but makes it clear that the decision is his. Next, look at how honest she deals with him. She doesn’t give him vague insinuations of what she wants. She details her plan for him in total honesty. She makes sure that he understands exactly what she proposes to do; 1) build a little walled chamber, 2) make a bed for him, 3) provide a table, 4) provide a chair, and 5) provide a lampstand. This husband will not be surprised later at what he gave her permission to do. How many times have we manipulated our men for permission to do something, and then took it further than we had told them we would? Why did we not explain in detail? Again, we do this because we assume we know what they would say. We lack the faith in God to deal in total honesty with our husbands. Ladies, if we have to do things behind their backs we show them, ourselves, and maybe others a lack of faith. Then we wonder why they don’t trust US.

Notice, also, the Shunammite Woman commits wholeheartedly to her gift of hospitality. How do we know this? Her sensitivity to Elisha in providing the room or chamber reveals it to us. She understood that Elisha needed his private space. She understood that the room was not just a place to lie down and rest. We know this because she added the table, chair and lampstand. Obviously, she wanted the room to be as comfortable as possible. She desired to provide the best for Elisha that was within her means to give. This demonstrates what is meant by wholehearted commitment. Ladies, if we operate with faith then our service will be complete, not lacking in anything. We won’t do just enough to get by. Our desires will be to give the maximum not the minimum. Those who give the minimum give out of their own strength. Those who give the maximum show their faith, and appropriate God’s provision. Who will get the glory? Certainly, not us. Our capability of providing will only be minimum, if anything at all. God’s power will be magnified through us when give the maximum, and thus God will be glorified

To Continue on to Part Two click here