Interesting Green: The Shunammite Woman

Source Website: http://www.carpescriptura.com/?p=7043
Posted by Marlowe, Carpe Scriptura on April 17, 2015

PHOTO: Elisha Raising The Son Of The Shunammite Woman
The Shunammite woman’s heartfelt hospitality to Elisha and simple, sincere faith led to an amazing series of events. Elisha was certainly blessed. And God abundantly blessed the woman’s life during a difficult period in Israel. Still today, God often uses His people’s humble acts of service to bless both the giver and the receiver.
Painting by Benjamin West (1738 – 1820) - Elisha raises son of the woman of Shunem (1765)
Picture posted by Jacinto Somera, SlidePlayer.es Inc.
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http://images.slideplayer.es/2/1034713/slides/slide_14.jpg
http://slideplayer.es/slide/1034713/

PHOTO: Elijah is taken glorified, by a fiery chariot to heaven and cast his mantle to Elisha
Picture posted by FATIMA LIS on Friday, 26 October 2012 at 19:52 PM
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNKbl-NBqpKpTGgj2i6V1vlyeQQkftuAWF6GFiO0ECBJT0hPp2hash8YooCAS4F-3ZyN5SoUZIpaiIYFmwnh2cDepbo8LW4nLHFBC2qYXDpkQO-qnJHfnlUSNvnHLcXDmUDVQch_brZA/s1600/B%25C3%25ADblia+-+Elias+joga+o+manto+para+Elizeu.jpg
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYrLb4kybZj8zxO05XIPUVWbnSWHfmP7_8PrjyNj4Hy9Q78CvLXxEMTVK5wB8dLwxzsxAuxFGIx5kGpKE-PF7WHNVgKbxLbGk9ummhaZha0niEOq93zbn_V9GlvhwRwUtSxFZKM0D_fgd/s1600/B%C3%ADblia+-+Elias+joga+o+manto+para+Elizeu.jpg
http://fatimalis.blogspot.sg/2012/10/quem-foi-o-grande-profeta-elias.html

The Kind Shunammite
Elisha's next stop is to Shunam, where he is fed by a wealthy woman. This becomes a habit, as she feeds him every time he passes through. After a while of this, she has a guest room prepared in her home for Elisha to stay in whenever he's in town. Interestingly, it is the woman who takes the initiative in all of this, going so far as to argue in favour of building the room for Elisha to her husband.

PHOTO: The Kind Shunammite
Elisha went to Shunam, where he is fed by a wealthy woman. This becomes a habit, as she feeds him every time he passes through. After a while of this, she has a guest room prepared in her home for Elisha to stay in whenever he's in town.
Picture posted by TemplateFans on 27 June 2009
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http://www.datemplate.com/postpic/2009/06/elisha-and-the-shunammite-woman-2-kings-4_324550.jpg
http://www.datemplate.com/post_the-elisha-and-shunammite-woman_324549/

One day, Elisha decides to repay all her kindness, so he asks his servant, Gehazi, to ask the woman if she would like him to speak well of her to a king of the commander of an army. When she refuses, Gehazi prompts his master that she has no sons and her husband is old. So Elisha tells the woman that she will bear a son within a year. Like Sarah in Genesis 18:12, she doesn't believe, and she asks Elisha not to lie to her. But, miracle of miracles, she does bear a son!

PHOTO: Elisha decides to repay all her kindness
Elisha tells the woman that she will bear a son within a year. she doesn't believe, and she asks Elisha not to lie to her.
Artist / Photographer: Standard Publishing - Elisha Promises Shunammite a Son
Posted by goodsalt.com
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https://1920332912.rsc.cdn77.org/view/elisha-promises-shunammite-a-son-GoodSalt-stdas0347.jpg
http://id.goodsalt.com/search/berkat.html

The story of the unexpected pregnancy is a familiar one: We've seen it happen to Sarah (Genesis 17:16-19), Rebekah (Genesis 25:21-26), Rachel (Genesis 30:22-2 4), Manoah's wife (Judges 13:2-5), and Hannah (1 Samuel 1:19-20). In those cases, the unexpected pregnancy was a way of marking the resulting child as special - a predictor of future greatness. Here, however, the pattern is shifted and the unusual pregnancy marks out Elisha, not the son.

The Dead Boy
All is not well for the Shunammite woman, however. A few years pass and, one day, her son goes out with his father and the reapers. Suddenly, his head begins to hurt and he’s sent home. After lying on his mother's lap until noon, he dies.

PHOTO: A few years pass and, one day, her son goes out with his father and the reapers. Suddenly, his head begins to hurt and he’s sent home.
A servant lifted him up and carried him to his mother.
Painting by Harold Copping - A servant carrying the son to the mother, the Shunammite Woman
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh61Fr9dBg6_0I-EU0x9_FqQsYIfZWawKzoYf_vdS-UN8qFaeKpUdxkDhtugSej0PmSKzgoZvozGi-lXB1OH-7JPm__4UlPXsVY_RZQbeFLk3LygIB1s5SimQ9aDJl4afiAP28eZuWjdig/s1600/painting-of-the-shunammite-woman-pictured-with-elisha-the-prophet-BF16CT-1.png
http://c8.alamy.com/comp/BF16CT/painting-of-the-shunammite-woman-pictured-with-elisha-the-prophet-BF16CT.jpg
http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-painting-of-the-shunammite-woman-pictured-with-elisha-the-prophet-26457224.html

The Shunammite woman places the boy on the bed in her guest room, then shuts the door. This, says my New Bible Commentary, was "to retain the nep̄eš or life-essence" (p.351). It seems that souls can’t pass through doors. She then saddles a donkey and rushes out to find Elisha, who is currently at Mount Carmel.

PHOTO: After lying on his mother's lap until noon, he dies. The Shunammite woman places the boy on the bed in her guest room, then shuts the door. She then saddles a donkey and rushes out to find Elisha, who is currently at Mount Carmel.
Picture posted by goodsalt.com, Standard Publishing - A Sorrowing Mother Made Glad
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https://1920332912.rsc.cdn77.org/view/happy-stdas0024bjpg-gehazi-1-GoodSalt-stdas0024.jpg
http://www.goodsalt.com/details/stdas0024.html

Elisha's servant, Gehazi, asks her if she and her family are well. Strangely, she responds that "it is well [with us]" (2 Kings 4:26). I wonder if there's a translation issue here and that she's merely exchanging a greeting with Gehazi before bringing her problem to Elisha - perhaps indicating that she doesn't have time to speak through a servant. If this is the case, I do wish that my study Bible would mention it in the notes, since it comes off seeming very strange.

Once she reaches Elisha, she throws herself at his feet and argues that she had never asked for a son, and she had asked Elisha not to deceive her (in other words, it is cruel for him to give her a son and then take him away, especially when she never asked to be made vulnerable to that pain).

PHOTO: Once she reaches Elisha, she throws herself at his feet and argues that she had never asked for a son, and she had asked Elisha not to deceive her.
Painting by R. Payton Reid
Picture posted by Providence Collection, goodsalt.com - Elisha and the Shunammite Woman
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PHOTO: The Shunammite Woman argues that it is cruel for Elisha to give her a son and then take him away, especially when she never asked to be made vulnerable to that pain.
Painting by William Brassey Hole - Elisha and the Shunammite Woman
Picture posted by wikigallery.org
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http://www.wikigallery.org/paintings/198501-199000/198817/painting1.jpg
http://www.wikigallery.org/wiki/painting_198817/William-Brassey-Hole/Elisha-and-the-Shunammite

Elisha sends Gehazi ahead with his staff, instructing him to touch the boy's face with the staff. Gehazi does so, but it does nothing. When Elisha arrives, shuts himself in the room with the boy and lies over the corpse (his mouth over the boy's mouth, his eyes over the boy's eyes, his hands over the boy's hands). When the corpse warms, Elisha rises, paces about for a bit, then stretches himself over the corpse again. This time, the boy sneezes seven times and opens his eyes (or, according to the LXX, Elisha stretches himself over the boy seven times and there is no sneezing).

PHOTO: When Elisha arrives, shuts himself in the room with the boy and lies over the corpse (his mouth over the boy's mouth, his eyes over the boy's eyes, his hands over the boy's hands). When the corpse warms, Elisha rises, paces about for a bit, then stretches himself over the corpse again. This time, the boy sneezes seven times and opens his eyes.
Painting by Fredéric Leighton (1830-1896) - Elisha healing the son of the Shunammite widow
Picture posted by Neville Goddard on 21 March 2016
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https://metanoialavraierepentance.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/le-fils-de-la-veuve_frederic-leighton_18.jpg
https://metanoialaporteauxmiracles.com/2016/03/

The story is a close parallel of Elijah's miracle in 1 Kings 17:17-24. A big difference here is the inclusion of Gehazi as a sort of barrier between Elisha and the Shunammite woman. At every step, they speak to each other through the servant, and it is Gehazi who is sent on Elisha's behalf to attempt the miracle. We'll meet Gehazi again in the next chapter, and there he’ll use his position in quite naughty ways.

PHOTO: The story is a close parallel of Elijah's miracle in 1 Kings 17:17-24. A big difference here is the inclusion of Gehazi as a sort of barrier between Elisha and the Shunammite woman.
Picture posted by FATIMA LIS on Friday, 26 October 2012 at 19:52 PM
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ZDE3eguMx2ekkOFxx8czsHcKG7kAHA3nZWm_38K3qRsSiim7UhjQi8qjd3KO6_yG2WhVLwKCioIvIjU6_lAUZKkqeGKwg-WKNr9bMaProFMSYl5lrN9uf8uoAeTnTaNBCOcVTQU4Axc/s1600/B%25C3%25ADblia+-+Elias+revivendo+o+filho+da+vi%25C3%25BAva.JPG
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http://fatimalis.blogspot.sg/2012/10/quem-foi-o-grande-profeta-elias.html

Posted by Marlowe, Carpe Scriptura on April 17, 2015

PHOTO: The Widow of Zarephath - 1 Kings 17:17-24
"Dear Lord, Please help us to strengthen our faith in You. We pray that we are able to perform humble acts of service to others and be blessed by You. Amen!"
Picture posted by Religious Paintings on 21 May 2015 - The Widow of Zarephath
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https://sandyfreckletongagonartblog.wordpress.com/2015/05/

Reference

[1] 2 Kings 4: The Assorted Miracles of Elisha, Part I, Posted by Marlowe, Carpe Scriptura on April 17, 2015, http://www.carpescriptura.com/?p=7043

NIV, New International Version, Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

1 Kings 17:17-24 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Kings+17%3A17-24&version=NIV

1 Samuel 1:19-20 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+1%3A19-20&version=NIV

2 Kings 4:26 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Kings+4%3A26&version=NIV

Genesis 17:16-19 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+17%3A16-19&version=NIV

Genesis 18:12 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+18%3A12&version=NIV

Genesis 25:21-26 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+25%3A21-26&version=NIV

Genesis 30:22-24 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+30%3A22-24&version=NIV

Judges 13:2-5 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges+13%3A2-5&version=NIV