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2 Kings 8 (Part 1) Bible Study (The Shunammite's Land Restored) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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  If you can meet me please in the book of Second Kings as we
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  continue in this series in chapter 8 and we will look at
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  the 1st 6 verses together, Second Kings chapter 8 and I
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  will wait for you before we begin reading these verses.
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  Let's read together verse one now, Elijah had said to the
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  woman whose son he had restored to life.
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  Arise and depart with your household and sojourn wherever
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  you can, for the Lord has called for a famine, and it will come
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  upon the land for seven years. So the woman arose and did
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  according to the word of the man of God.
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  She went with her household and sojourned in the land of the
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  Philistines 7 years. And at the end of the seven
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  years, when the woman returned from the land of the
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  Philistines, she went to appeal to the king for her house and
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  her land. Now the king was talking with
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  Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me all the
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  great things that Elijah has done and why he was telling the
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  king how Elijah had restored the dead to life.
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  Behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to
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  the king for her house and her land.
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  And Gehazi said, My Lord, O King, here is the woman, and
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  here is her son, whom Elijah restored to life.
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  And when the king asked the woman, she told him.
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  So the king appointed an official for her, saying restore
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  all that was hers, together with all the produce of the fields
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  from the day she left the land until now.
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  Righteous Father, we ask that as we come to this final study of
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  this year that you would meet us in a special way.
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  Lord, we hunger for you, We long for you.
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  And we've come, Lord, believing that you have a word for us.
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  So we ask that you would stir our hearts, You would stimulate
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  our minds, You would win our affections, You would transform
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  us. We trust that you're able.
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  We trust that this word is able. So we ask that even in our
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  weakness, from the preacher to the listener, that your power
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  would be made perfect. So we rely on you and we
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  believe, Lord, that we will meet with you in your word.
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  At this moment, in Jesus name we pray, Amen.
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  You know, there is a debate, some debate about this passage
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  that we just read together, and the discussion surrounds the
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  timing of this testimony. When did it actually take place?
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  And the reason for this is not so much determining when this
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  famine happened, but rather the mention of Gehazi in this.
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  Text. The last time that we
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  encountered Gehazi was back in Second Kings chapter 5, when he
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  was cursed with leprosy and was expelled from the presence of
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  the prophet and really from society altogether.
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  At least that's what the law demanded.
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  And to our surprise, we come to 2nd Kings Chapter 8 and we
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  discover that. Gehazi is not outside the city
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  walls. He's in the presence of the
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  king, conversing with him in his palace.
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  This is strange. There seems to be something
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  wrong here. And so this has this has LED
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  some to believe that what we have in Second Kings Eight One
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  to Six actually took place before 2nd Kings Chapter 5.
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  Which is plausible. Why?
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  Because not every biblical author is concerned about
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  recording and giving their account in a strict
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  chronological order. We see that in different places.
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  We even see that in the Gospels. So again, there's some who say
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  this happened before 2nd Kings chapter 5.
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  But I believe that there are other worthy explanations for
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  why Gehazi is here when he shouldn't be.
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  And we're going to explore that in this study.
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  But before we go there, we have to take our time to uncover
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  other truths that precede it. And that's what we'll be doing
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  today. Because Ghazi isn't the only one
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  who makes a surprising reappearance in this narrative.
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  There's someone else. The Shudamite woman.
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  You remember her, right? We thought that we learned a lot
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  from her, and we did. But the Holy Spirit obviously
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  wants to teach us. Even more things from her
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  example and that's what we are going to learn as well.
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  All to say that there is much in store for us tonight including
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  what we can learn from this famine.
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  Let's look at verse one again Now Elisha had said to the woman
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  whose son he had restored to life.
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  Arise and depart with your household and soldier and
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  wherever you can, for the Lord has called.
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  For a famine, and it will come upon the land for seven years.
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  There are three things that we can draw from verse one about
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  this famine alone. Now, we've discussed this a few
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  chapters ago, but it's worth revisiting.
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  And there's an additional thought that I want to present
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  to you. How long did this famine endure?
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  7 years. Now this is under Elisha's
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  ministry. But this was not the only famine
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  that this people experienced. We remember that there was a
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  famine before this and we'll talk about that, but there is
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  also a lengthy famine during the ministry of Elijah.
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  And how long did that last? According to James chapter 5,
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  three years. And how long?
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  Six months, You're right. So three years and six months.
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  Now here's the second observation.
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  Elijah declares the one who is behind this famine, What does it
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  say there in the middle of verse one?
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  For the Lord has called for a famine.
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  This drought is orchestrated by God himself.
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  And why is that important to know?
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  Because it reminds us that famines were not natural
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  occurrences under the Old Covenant.
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  For this people, they weren't part of the cycle of the year or
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  every few years. Famines were foreign.
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  Famines were actually something that the people didn't have to
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  experience, but they were triggered when the people
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  disobeyed persistently. And we've talked about this from
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  Deuteronomy. Allow me to quote it in your
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  presence once more so that we can make this more concrete in
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  our understanding. In Deuteronomy 11, verse 16, the
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  Lord already forewarned the people in His law.
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  The following Deuteronomy 11/16 Take care lest your heart be
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  deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship
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  them. Then the anger of the Lord will
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  be kindled against you, and He will shut up the heavens so that
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  there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and
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  you will perish quickly off the good land that the Lord is
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  giving you. So here's what's interesting.
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  When we connect the first insight with the second, we can
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  make this conclusion. It's a disheartening truth about
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  the people of Israel that under Elijah's ministry, evidently
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  they did not repent, even though on Mount Carmel the true God
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  destroyed Baal ISM, and with that miraculous demonstration
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  that people still returned to their sin in a persistent
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  manner. And So what did the Lord do?
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  Because they didn't learn to repent after God showed the
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  mercy in that way and even after that level of chastisement, He
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  says, fine, you didn't learn with 3 1/2 years.
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  I'm going to double it. Here's seven years.
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  Let's see. You'll learn this time if you'll
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  learn this time. Because, you see, to go back to
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  sins that we vowed to never revisit again only invites
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  greater discipline from a loving Heavenly Father, especially if
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  we've been disciplined for those sins before.
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  And unfortunately, many deceive themselves by thinking that the
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  consequences that they had to endure and they survived will be
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  the same consequences they will have to face again if they
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  indulge in those same sins again.
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  So let this be an example for us.
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  The Lord will not treat us with such indifference.
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  He loves us too much. So if we didn't learn the first
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  time, if we didn't learn the second time, if we didn't learn
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  the third time, He will change His ways with us every single
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  time if necessary, in order to win our holiness and to win our
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  devotion to Him. And so we get a sense, we get an
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  insight of how God treats His own.
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  They didn't learn with 3 1/2 years.
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  So let's prolong it. Let's go with 7 now and see if
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  you will truly repent and come back to me.
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  Here's the third observation about this famine.
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  There is evidence that this particular drought was not
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  solely because of the idolatry of the people.
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  Why? Because there's a clue with the
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  first word of the first verse. What is it now if you have a
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  different? Word for word.
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  Translation like the new King James, and I believe the King
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  James, it will read, it will be rendered.
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  What then? So that's a word that denotes
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  sequence, that something happened before this and there's
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  something now following. So we're meant to connect what
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  Elijah warns about here with what just happened and what.
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  Did we learn last week that the people endured another famine?
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  Some argue man made famine because of the siege or it was
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  another famine and they just the Syrians just capitalize on it.
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  Nevertheless, the people were suffering, they were starving,
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  and the Syrians were bringing them to a point of near
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  extinction or potential exile. And what did God do?
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  He intervened with. Supernatural provision and
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  protection and preservation. And if you read carefully Second
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  Kings chapter 6 that account, you'll notice that there is a
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  staggering omission of something.
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  A staggering omission. You know what it is?
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  The lack of response from the people after God came through
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  for them. There is no sign of an
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  acknowledgement of the goodness of the Lord.
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  There is no hint of repentance, not even a word of gratitude for
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  Him coming through for them. I'm persuaded that a major
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  catalyst to this prolonged famine in Second Kings 8 is a
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  result of a lack of thankfulness on the part of the people of
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  Israel. God registers how we respond to
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  His provision, to His power, to His Providence in our lives,
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  whether it's common grace or uncommon grace, God looks at how
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  people respond to His mercy. And if there is a lack of
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  gratitude to us, that may not seem significant, but it is to
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  the one who is the source of everything that is good in our
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  lives. And I believe because there was
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  silence here on the part of this people, the Lord said, fine,
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  here's more discipline. You won't acknowledge me.
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  You won't give me glory, then here's another famine.
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  But God doesn't just take note of the wrong that sinners or
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  even His children might do. He takes note of the good that
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  His servants do as well. How do we know that?
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  In the very fact that Elijah comes to the Shunamite woman and
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  gives her this awesome revelation of what's to come,
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  what's about to come to pass in order to prepare her.
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  And I think this is God's way of demonstrating the extent of His
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  reward to those who make the effort and even sacrificially
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  give to the advancement. Of his purposes on the earth
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  especially in a day of apostasy like this day so you remember
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  this is the same woman who when she learned elisha would come
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  through her town decide to. Give him a meal every single
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  time, and more than that, decide to make an extension to her home
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  in order for him to rest there whenever he would like to rest.
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  And the reward in that immediate context was that she received
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  what she could not have, and that was a son.
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  But God went beyond that. He didn't just provide this
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  woman a child. He provided her insight of the
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  future in order to preserve her life and her the life of her
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  household altogether. And so this really shows how God
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  keeps in mind those who have done good to His people and His
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  cause. And it reminds me of this New
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  Testament verse in Hebrews chapter 6, verse 10.
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  This is a verse for those who serve God and are tempted to
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  believe that maybe God has overlooked my sacrifice.
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  And part of that temptation is when people, especially the
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  people of God, don't recognize. You for your sacrifice.
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  Or praise you, or reward you. Look what the Holy Spirit has
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  included in His Word in Hebrews 610.
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  For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love
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  that you have shown for His name in serving the Saints, as you
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  still do. I love that verse.
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  Someone beautifully commented on it by saying that while God will
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  never remember our sins, He will never forget our service.
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  He will never remember our sins, and he will never forget our
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  sacrifice for him. And I would add that his reward
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  outweighs whatever contributions we make in this temporal life,
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  because it is temporal 1 and it is granted, and it is responded
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  to with eternal reward. Things that people can't steal,
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  or moths can't eat up, or rust can destroy.
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  But let me stay here for a while because it's difficult for some
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  people to remain persistent in their service to the Lord.
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  And I love what the author says here because he mentions the
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  love that you have shown for his name in serving the Saints.
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  If you. Lack the motivation to serve God
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  with your gifts, to serve God consistently in the House of
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  God. Do it for His name.
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  Do it for His name. Not even necessarily for those
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  who bear His name. Do it for His name and you'll
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  find greater grace to serve those who bear His name.
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  So that's an encouragement to me that ultimately I'm doing it for
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  the Lord. I'm doing it for my Master.
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  I'm doing it for His smile. Whether people smile at me or
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  not. Will people recognize me?
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  It doesn't matter. I'm doing it for His name.
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  And there's a warning in this passage as well, because only
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  when we do it in His name and for His name are we rewarded.
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  If I'm doing it for my name, I lose my reward, right?
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  So if I'm here preparing Bible studies and preaching every
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  Sunday for my name, then I will appear before the judgment seat
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  of Christ and all my works will turn into ash.
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  That's what Paul teaches in First Corinthians chapter 3.
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  So it must be for his name. That will motivate you to work
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  and that will also keep you with the right motive in your work.
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  This woman served this man of God and the Lord did not forget
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  him. He spoke to Elijah, says you
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  need to go to that Shunammite woman and tell her that she
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  needs to flee from here because I'm going to bring a famine.
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  Not even the king received such a privilege word, but this
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  widow, I say widow because I believe based on what we read,
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  her husband was no longer with them.
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  Remember the husband to this woman We learned there in Second
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  Kings earlier? In chapter 4 that he was old, he
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  was much older than she was, and based on how this text reads,
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  doesn't seem like he's there anymore.
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  But God is there, watching over, taking care of her, providing
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  for her. What a wonderful God we serve.
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  Now I can't move on without bringing up an interesting
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  detail and Elijah's warning to this woman.
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  Read it carefully. This really stood out to me when
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  I was reading it the other day. Now Elisha had said to the woman
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  whose son he had restored to life.
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  Arise and depart with your household and sojourn wherever
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  you can. Highlight those 3 words wherever
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  you can, for the Lord has called for a famine, and it will come
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  upon the land for seven years. No doubt.
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  This is supernatural revelation. God has made this known to the
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  prophet. He's making it known to this
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  woman, but within it we find an intensely practical truth.
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  He tells this woman something's about to happen, you need to
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  leave. But he gives her liberty where
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  to go? Go wherever you can.
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  Do you know why this is encouraging to me?
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  Well, it should be encouraging to all of us, especially those
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  who are troubled by the notion that every single decision that
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  you make in this life, whether it's big or small, must not be
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  made unless you receive or it is approved by supernatural
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  disclosure. Have you met people like that?
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  I have, and those people, as much as they think it's
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  spiritual to live that way, are actually tormented in many
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  cases. I'm not saying that you
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  shouldn't be praying about your plans.
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  You have to pray about everything.
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  But to remain completely inactive unless some spectacular
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  sign is granted to you, it's not only unscriptural, it can be
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  very harmful. So go wherever you can.
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  What's the biblical approach to some of these decisions that we
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  have to make in life? It is to continually seek God's
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  guidance. Yes, pray without ceasing.
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  And if it provides clear answer, then you have another reason to
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  praise Him. But if He doesn't?
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  Then what the Bible proposes is that you make the most
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  righteous, wise, God glorifying decision and trust that God is
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  going to protect you from making the wrong choice as you step out
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  and obey him. So this woman was told, go
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  wherever you can. You have options.
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  And that mindset is found in the New Testament as well.
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  You might you might be shocked where you're going to find this,
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  go to 1st Corinthians Chapter 7. Look at verse 39.
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  In this chapter, Paul gives us insight about marriage, divorce,
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  singleness, being engaged. In the context of a particular
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  persecution that the Corinthians were experiencing, if you don't
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  view it in that light, you can draw some strange conclusions
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  and give some awful counsel to people.
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  You have to view First Corinthians 7 in light of a
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  trouble that the people at this time were experiencing.
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  Nonetheless, universal truths that can still be applied in any
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  context, including this one. Notice this in First Corinthians
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  739. A wife is bound to her husband
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  as long as he lives, but if her husband dies, she is free to be
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  married. To who?
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  To whom she wishes. Only in the.
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  Lord, I think this dispels a lot of Christian teaching about what
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  to look for in a candidate in the spouse.
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  It really demystifies it, doesn't it?
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  What did he tell them? He says if your husband dies,
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  you are free to be married to who?
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  Whoever you desire to be married to.
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  One condition, they have to be Christian.
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  They have to be in the Lord. So what does this mean?
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  Doesn't mean that you don't pray about your spouse.
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  No, you better be praying about your spouse.
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  But it also means. That it's OK to be drawn to
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  somebody based on their personality and who they are and
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  compatibility and their vision and their character.
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  You can assess things in such a way.
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  I've talked to people who have told me, should I consider so
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  and so And I say, well, are you attracted to so and so?
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  No, I'm not attracted to them whatsoever, but I'm just
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  wondering. They might be God's will.
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  No, probably not. Actually, no, but they're godly.
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  OK, great, they're godly, but you're not attractive.
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  So keep them in the category of sister in Christ, for your sake
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  and hers to whom she wishes. It's not as mystical as people
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  like it to be. Can God make wonderful stories
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  and testimonies of how people come together?
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  Absolutely, yes. But if you're waiting to meet
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  somebody on that premise alone, and if it doesn't come in the
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  way you think it should happen in the spectacular,
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  supernatural, undeniable way, you might be waiting for a
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  while. To whom she wishes.
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  Only in the Lord. So you don't have total liberty.
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  So what we see in the Scripture is that in moments where we may
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  not understand, there may not be a chapter or verse on it.
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  What do we do? Well, you take God's righteous
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  precepts and His wisdom and you see the examples and you receive
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  people who have biblical insight, and you make the most
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  guided, wise decision that you can with the options that you
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  have and trust that the Lord will lead you.
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  So go wherever you can. And how does she answer it?
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  Look at verse 2. So the woman arose and did
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  according to the word of the man of God.
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  She went with her household and soldier into the land of the
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  Philistines. 7 years. This is wonderful.
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  Number one. She obeyed in faith.
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  She obeyed without delay. There is no resistance, there is
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  no protest. She went when she heard the
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  word. And here's why.
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  This going to inspire us because the land of Israel was in plenty
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  at this time, wasn't it? If we're connecting Chapter 8
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  with what we read in Chapter 7 last week, then we understand
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  that the economy in the land of Israel this time knew a radical
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  shift in the favor of of the people.
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  And so just when things were beginning to look.
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  Good God tells us, women, get up, you need to move for several
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  years. So all she had to really work
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  with was the word from the Prophet.
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  But everything that she's seeing, businesses are opening
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  up again, people are remodeling their homes, the stock market is
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  looking great. Just when things are are looking
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  wonderful, she's told pack up your bags.
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  Things are going to change course very quickly.
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  And so she had to trust that. Moreover, consider the
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  difficulty of leading the promised land in general.
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  God gave him this land. This was his promise to the
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  people. And though they were generally
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  apostate at this time, to choose to be among the Philistines was
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  no better in terms of your surroundings and your influence.
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  And we've seen many times in the Scriptures how when people stray
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  from the place that God had determined for them.
• 23:29
  It it doesn't turn out good, they don't benefit much from
• 23:34
  such a decision. However, this is a unique case,
• 23:37
  isn't it? So this woman is not like
• 23:38
  Abraham back in Genesis 12 where the famine came to the land of
• 23:42
  Canaan and out of his fear he moves to Egypt.
• 23:45
  He didn't get a word from the Lord and what happened?
• 23:47
  Lying and all this craziness, and he ended up bringing Hagar
• 23:51
  back. And we know what happened with
• 23:52
  Hagar. Nor is this like David, who who
• 23:56
  thought and his exhaustion and his weariness.
• 23:59
  The best way to deal with Saul chasing me is to go beyond the
• 24:03
  border and to live among the Philistines.
• 24:05
  And we saw the trouble that he got himself there too.
• 24:08
  This is a woman who received permission from the Lord like
• 24:11
  other instances where others have received permission from
• 24:14
  the Lord to go to a foreign land and to sojourn there for a
• 24:17
  while. And that's an important word
• 24:20
  here. What does it say here in verse
• 24:22
  two? Look at the last few words.
• 24:24
  She sojourned and sojourn in the land of the Philistines 7 years.
• 24:30
  You know what the word sojourn means?
• 24:31
  To temporarily stay somewhere. So she intentionally, she was
• 24:36
  mindful reminding herself in her household, we are not here for
• 24:39
  the long haul. Seven years the Lord gave us
• 24:42
  seven years and year after year they were reminded of that, I'm
• 24:46
  sure day by day. So even in this the Holy Spirit
• 24:50
  is telling us that she soldiers, she obeyed the Lord those seven
• 24:54
  years faithfully. And I couldn't help but compare
• 24:57
  this with another couple. A couple also fled the promised
• 25:01
  land due to a famine. But they didn't receive a word
• 25:05
  from the Lord, and they experience a very different
• 25:08
  outcome. Go to Ruth chapter 1 and I want
• 25:13
  us to look at Lemonlec and Naomi briefly, who made a similar move
• 25:21
  to a different country but didn't have the confidence of
• 25:28
  God's permission. Look at Ruth chapter 1 beginning
• 25:33
  in verse one. Let's read the first 2 verses
• 25:35
  together. In the days when the judges
• 25:43
  ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem and
• 25:47
  Judah went to sojourn in the country of Mohab, he and his
• 25:54
  wife and his two sons. The name of the man was
• 25:57
  Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of the
• 26:01
  two sons were Mahlon and Helion. They were Ephrathites from
• 26:06
  Bethlehem and Judah. They went into the country of
• 26:09
  Moab and remained there. Can you compare verse one and
• 26:12
  verse 2 in terms of their travelling plans and see if
• 26:15
  there's a difference? What do they?
• 26:17
  Decide to do in verse one. They went to do what in the
• 26:21
  country of Moab sojourn? How did that turn out?
• 26:26
  Good. Look at the last two words of
• 26:28
  verse 2. They went into the country of
• 26:30
  Moab and what sojourn there? They remained there.
• 26:34
  They didn't sojourn there. They remained there.
• 26:37
  This is a strong reminder for us that if we choose to step
• 26:40
  outside of the will of God for any reason, you were in danger
• 26:44
  of staying there much longer than you planned.
• 26:47
  Always. You may plan it, you may plan
• 26:51
  the timing of it, you may plan the resources you'll spend in
• 26:54
  that season, but you can never determine it.
• 26:57
  Here they are deciding to sojourn, but they ended up
• 27:00
  moving permanently. They remain there and eliminate
• 27:05
  and his family quickly became comfortable in Moab.
• 27:07
  See the the Shudamite woman refused to remain comfortable in
• 27:11
  the land of the Philistines. But they did.
• 27:15
  And what happened here is that this people group had a rich
• 27:19
  history of being enemies of the people of God, and because they
• 27:23
  worship the false God eventually.
• 27:25
  What happened in Mohab began to affect what happened in this
• 27:29
  family, and this often happens with people who profess God is
• 27:34
  king. Do you know what the name Elimek
• 27:35
  means? God is king.
• 27:38
  God is king. So he had the name, but he
• 27:41
  wasn't living it right? So God is king, But I'm going
• 27:44
  to. Tell myself where I'm going to
• 27:45
  go and how long I'm going to be there for, though this is
• 27:48
  clearly against God's will. So who's really king here?
• 27:52
  This man who was the man of the house made this decision and
• 27:55
  when he sojourned and even planned to return.
• 28:01
  He remained there long enough to make decisions that would
• 28:03
  permanently alter his future and the future of his family.
• 28:06
  How do we know that? Look at verse 3.
• 28:09
  But alumni like the husband and Naomi died and she was left with
• 28:12
  her two sons. Verse 4.
• 28:14
  These took Moabite wives. So you stay there long enough
• 28:19
  for your children to do something that was clearly
• 28:21
  against God's Word. God is not against different
• 28:25
  ethnic groups marrying, but He is against different faith
• 28:29
  groups coming together. And this was true even in the
• 28:31
  Old Covenant. These took Moabite wives.
• 28:34
  The name of the one was Orpan, the name of the other, Ruth.
• 28:36
  They lived there about 10 years. This is the very thing that God
• 28:41
  warned about, and they made themselves more vulnerable and
• 28:43
  susceptible by going into the land that they shouldn't have
• 28:45
  gone to in the in the first place.
• 28:50
  And this is what we're supposed to learn from this, that even a
• 28:52
  single deliberate step of disobedience.
• 28:56
  Will often lead to a deeper descent into sin.
• 29:00
  It started out as a just a little vacation in Moab and
• 29:03
  ended up becoming something that would have generational effects.
• 29:07
  Now, thankfully, God redeemed it through Ruth.
• 29:09
  We know that story. But that's not always the case
• 29:12
  for people. And the longer you and I remain
• 29:15
  outside of God's will, the more likely are to make decisions
• 29:17
  that can do such things to our futures.
• 29:21
  And I think it's very possible that the sons were just
• 29:23
  imitating the relaxed attitude that their father had concerning
• 29:26
  God's word. They saw it in dad.
• 29:30
  So, yeah, should be a problem for us.
• 29:35
  And let me just say this before we move on.
• 29:36
  Elimelech is a picture of a father who really has the the
• 29:39
  interests of his family in mind, but only in the physical realm.
• 29:43
  So he leaves the promised land because there's a famine that
• 29:46
  was induced because of the people's sins, right?
• 29:48
  It was in the day of the Judges and he wants to provide for his
• 29:52
  family bread, physical bread and not spiritual bread.
• 30:00
  And I want to speak to the men here.
• 30:01
  And maybe it's possible that some, some of the men here grew
• 30:04
  up with a dad like that, where he expressed his love primarily
• 30:07
  and exclusively in his provision for you.
• 30:10
  He worked hard, he paid the bills, he got you wonderful
• 30:14
  gifts, He helped you pay for your school.
• 30:16
  And those are wonderful things. And I believe that's part of
• 30:18
  being a godly man. But if that's all you're
• 30:21
  providing your children without the instruction and the
• 30:23
  admonition and the fear of the Lord, then you're not completely
• 30:27
  walking in your purpose as a man, as a father.
• 30:30
  Here's a lemon. Like he's, he's providing in one
• 30:33
  sense. But what ended up becoming more
• 30:35
  detrimental, the lack of food or the lack of the spiritual
• 30:38
  nourishment? The lack of the spiritual
• 30:39
  nourishment. Trust God.
• 30:41
  You have to take him at His Word.
• 30:44
  And that's what the Shunammite woman does.
• 30:46
  She was much different. Look here at verse three of
• 30:48
  Second Kings chapter 8. And at the end.
• 30:53
  Of the seven years when the woman returned from the land of
• 30:57
  the Philistines, she went to appeal to the King for her house
• 31:00
  and her land. So here's what I see in this
• 31:04
  woman. She acted in faith when she left
• 31:06
  the Promised Land she acted in. Faith when she remained in the
• 31:11
  land of the Philistines and she acted in faith when she returned
• 31:14
  to her home. Every step of the way she was in
• 31:17
  tune with obedience. Obedience and reliance on the
• 31:22
  Lord. How do I know that?
• 31:25
  Because she didn't leave midway. She didn't leave.
• 31:29
  After a few years, she waited until the seven years was
• 31:32
  complete. Additionally, she didn't delay
• 31:35
  when the seven years were complete.
• 31:37
  I mean, you stay somewhere for. Seven years, you would think,
• 31:40
  OK, you're adjusted to a new way of life, a new routine.
• 31:44
  And so maybe I'll stay here a little bit longer.
• 31:46
  I'll linger here. She doesn't do that either.
• 31:48
  So she doesn't abort it early, nor does she prolong it
• 31:52
  unnecessarily. The moment the seven years were
• 31:54
  up, she went back. She went back.
• 31:58
  So this is precise obedience. This isn't flimsy.
• 32:03
  This is in general. This isn't circumstantial.
• 32:06
  This is calculated. This is OK.
• 32:08
  The Lord told us this amount of time, no sooner, no later.
• 32:13
  That's wonderful, and I'll tell you why that level of obedience
• 32:17
  is important, because it secures God's blessings in our lives,
• 32:21
  that kind of righteous stubbornness, in a way.
• 32:26
  And how do I know that it secures?
• 32:27
  God's blessings in our lives, because look what happens next.
• 32:30
  I want us to read here. The.
• 32:32
  Next few verses beginning. In verse 4.
• 32:36
  Now the king was talking. With Gehazi, the servant of the
• 32:39
  man of God, saying, tell me all the great things that Elisha had
• 32:41
  done. And while he was telling the
• 32:43
  king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, behold, we've seen
• 32:46
  that that word over and over in many verses of this study.
• 32:49
  Behold, I pause and see what's about to happen.
• 32:52
  Behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to
• 32:55
  the King for our house and our land.
• 32:58
  And Ghazi said my. Lord, O King, here's the woman,
• 33:00
  here's her son, whom Elijah restored to life.
• 33:04
  It was at the time. Out of all the things that
• 33:06
  Elijah had done, it came to the point where he was explaining to
• 33:10
  the testimony of this boy being resurrected from the dead.
• 33:13
  And while he is sharing that testimony, the woman who is part
• 33:17
  of that testimony walks in the room.
• 33:22
  And confirms the story. And her presence?
• 33:25
  In light of that testimony being shared, I believe was necessary
• 33:31
  for this unrighteous king to be willing to give her back what
• 33:34
  she lost. Now here's what I thought about.
• 33:38
  What if she had left the land of the Philistines before the seven
• 33:41
  years? What about out of her
• 33:44
  frustration? It's been three years.
• 33:46
  Enough of this, I'm going to go back and she goes back.
• 33:51
  What if she delayed? What if she had not trusted the
• 33:55
  Lord to wait seven years? I wonder if it would have messed
• 34:00
  up the timing of all of this. But because she trusted the Lord
• 34:03
  and she walked according. To his ways.
• 34:06
  According to his desire, she stumbled upon the right
• 34:11
  circumstance to unlock the blessing of her property being
• 34:15
  brought back to her. Just trust God, would you just
• 34:21
  take him at His word? Believe Him, believe Him every
• 34:26
  step of the way. You and I are going to be held
• 34:29
  accountable on one thing, what His word said and how you
• 34:31
  responded to it. Even though things look
• 34:33
  different, even even though if your obedience looks very
• 34:36
  costly, if it is costly, notice she obeys the Lord.
• 34:39
  And what happens when she returns?
• 34:40
  Somebody takes her land, somebody takes her home.
• 34:45
  Is this what I get for trusting the Lord?
• 34:47
  Going to the land of the Philistines for seven years and
• 34:49
  I come back and instead of coming back to an empty home, I
• 34:52
  come back to somebody occupying it, my produce, my fields.
• 34:56
  Remember, she was a wealthy woman.
• 34:57
  She had a lot. Is God still worthy?
• 35:01
  To be trusted and obeyed when it's costly.
• 35:06
  She doesn't complain. Oh, you see this consistency in
• 35:09
  her character. Whether it was her son who was
• 35:12
  prematurely sick and dies because of that sickness, all is
• 35:17
  well. All is well to her husband.
• 35:20
  All is well before the Prophet, and now she comes.
• 35:23
  Back to. The land, her land, and it's
• 35:25
  taken from her. And though she doesn't say, she
• 35:27
  demonstrates this. You go, OK, I'm going to go to
• 35:29
  the king and I'm going to make an appeal.
• 35:31
  She doesn't raise her fist to the heavens.
• 35:34
  This is a remarkable woman. So as challenging as waiting on
• 35:40
  God may be, or as inconvenient as his commands might seem, you
• 35:43
  can't afford to rely on your human wisdom.
• 35:46
  Especially when it contradicts God's word.
• 35:49
  Because you have no idea what. Blessings await the other side
• 35:52
  of your obedience. You have no idea.
• 35:57
  Speaking on relying on our own. Wisdom.
• 35:58
  Let's talk about Gehazi a little bit, shall we?
• 36:02
  This rebel, how do you explain his?
• 36:05
  Presence in the palace of the king.
• 36:07
  How is he here of all places? Well, you heard it earlier that
• 36:12
  A. Common explanation is that this
• 36:15
  took. Place before 2nd Kings chapter
• 36:16
  5. But I think there are
• 36:19
  challenges. With that.
• 36:22
  So there are some other. Possibilities and people will
• 36:25
  claim that. He must have repented, he must
• 36:30
  have confessed his sin, and God was merciful to him by reversing
• 36:33
  the curse. And as much as we would love to
• 36:36
  believe that he had a change of heart, there is no shred of
• 36:39
  evidence that Gehazi got right with God.
• 36:44
  So you have others who would say.
• 36:45
  Well, OK, yes, he did receive this indictment, this judgement
• 36:49
  of leprosy, but it didn't develop right away.
• 36:52
  It was a slow process and so. For a period of time he was
• 36:57
  still fine and he was able to function in society, which
• 37:01
  enabled him to engage with the king in this manner.
• 37:04
  OK, but that. Really contradicts this verse
• 37:08
  where we read in Second Kings 527 that.
• 37:11
  He went out from Elijah's. Presence a leper like snow.
• 37:16
  So this is advanced leprosy immediately.
• 37:22
  So what is the answer? I think we're left with only one
• 37:26
  conclusion, that Gehazi had a unique relationship with the
• 37:31
  prophet Elijah, and because of that, he was.
• 37:33
  Granted, special, though limited access to the King who wanted to
• 37:38
  satisfy his curiosity, who had inquiries about Elijah's life,
• 37:43
  his story, his abilities. And so he summons Ghazi, who had
• 37:49
  a front row seat, to it all. And how that worked?
• 37:53
  Practically, we're not told, but that seems to make to make the
• 37:56
  most sense that he calls for this man, though he's a leper,
• 37:59
  so that he can inquire of him in order to to know more about the
• 38:05
  Prophet. And if that is true.
• 38:09
  Then it also. Provides an insight about the
• 38:11
  human heart. That the King's.
• 38:14
  Curiosity about the things of God and Gehazi's ability to
• 38:18
  recount them accurately does not signify a right relationship
• 38:22
  with the Lord. So we might be excited.
• 38:26
  That the king of Israel is finding some thrill and
• 38:30
  discovering. What Elijah is all.
• 38:33
  About what he's able to do in the testimonies that are
• 38:35
  associated with him. But that doesn't mean that he.
• 38:38
  He wants God. There are many people who have
• 38:42
  an. Interest in the Bible.
• 38:43
  I've met people like that. I've met people who've come on
• 38:44
  Friday night Bible studies who after the study will come up and
• 38:47
  they have, they just have this curiosity about the things of of
• 38:50
  the of the word, the historicity of it, the revelation of it, the
• 38:53
  prophecies about it. But they have zero interests of
• 38:57
  the God of the Bible. They don't want a relationship
• 38:59
  with him. They're just curious.
• 39:03
  They're just. Fascinated.
• 39:04
  Maybe. It's just an intellectual.
• 39:07
  Kind of stimuli mental. Gymnastics and you have others
• 39:12
  like Ghazi. Who can, who can rehearse?
• 39:16
  Church history with a PhD level of knowledge.
• 39:21
  Memorized it. Can explain any doctrine, any
• 39:25
  theological concept. In our lepers.
• 39:30
  Unrepentant, still filled with greed and operate in deception.
• 39:37
  So you have this pair. One is.
• 39:40
  Interested in the things of God, but is wicked Another who can
• 39:44
  explain the things of God, but is wicked in his own way?
• 39:49
  This is interesting. And it's quite telling of the
• 39:52
  human condition. It's not what you.
• 39:56
  Know it's what you do with what you know, Yeah.
• 40:00
  And it's not how fascinating you.
• 40:01
  Are with the truth it's if it's one your devotion.
• 40:06
  So no matter how. Excited you are about these
• 40:08
  things or how well you can articulate them that.
• 40:12
  Won't save you only when that truth has won your heart.
• 40:19
  Does it mean something? To you and to others.
• 40:24
  So what shall we do? We have to make a conclusion
• 40:26
  about Gehazi. I don't think the author is too
• 40:28
  interested in trying to explain to us how he is here, I think.
• 40:31
  There's a greater truth to be learned.
• 40:35
  And it's about Providence. And.
• 40:38
  That's what we're going to conclude.
• 40:39
  On there are a couple of thoughts about.
• 40:41
  Providence that I want to bring to your attention.
• 40:43
  Let's look at verse 6 again. And when the king asked the.
• 40:46
  Woman, she told him. So the king appointed an
• 40:49
  official for her, saying restore all that was hers, together with
• 40:54
  all the produce of the fields from the day that she left the
• 40:58
  land until now. Let me mention to you.
• 41:02
  The brilliance of God's Providence, the.
• 41:05
  Brilliance of God's. Providence in how it
• 41:08
  accomplishes more than one redemptive purpose at a time.
• 41:14
  Because the obvious. Conclusion here is that.
• 41:18
  God orchestrated all of this so that the woman would arrive at
• 41:21
  this particular moment, so that the King would hear the
• 41:24
  testimony, see the evidence of it, and be moved to get behind
• 41:28
  supporting this woman and the way God supported this woman or
• 41:32
  whatever was going through his mind to actually accept her
• 41:34
  appeal. But it's more than that.
• 41:38
  As much as God had the woman in mind right to reward her and to
• 41:41
  preserve her, I believe that God had the King in view as well.
• 41:46
  What do you mean? Because Gehazi's testifying.
• 41:49
  Of what the Lord had done through Elijah and at the same
• 41:52
  time there's a double witness you.
• 41:55
  Have the woman and her son appearing before the king of
• 41:58
  Israel, confirming that this was true.
• 42:02
  With what end in mind to? Entertain the king you know to
• 42:05
  hopefully cause him to see this is the true God.
• 42:08
  He's real. The gods that I worship.
• 42:12
  They can't do this. There's no testimonies like
• 42:15
  this. And so I'm persuaded that the
• 42:19
  Lord orchestrating this was also to cause the king to reconsider
• 42:25
  his lack of faith in the true God.
• 42:27
  He gave this king a chance. Another chance with this
• 42:31
  testimony is a brilliant testimony.
• 42:34
  And so I love the way God. Moves because you see one
• 42:37
  testimony. And there are hundreds of other.
• 42:39
  Testimonies attached to that one.
• 42:42
  God is doing something in your. Life, which is wonderful, but.
• 42:45
  There are other things that he's doing in that.
• 42:49
  There are all these different subplots in God's work.
• 42:52
  It's it's wonderful. And I think in eternity we're
• 42:54
  going to spend thousands upon thousands of years connecting
• 42:57
  all the dots. And so we just see two things.
• 43:00
  At least that's what I see. The woman being provided for and
• 43:04
  also the king being provided for In what way?
• 43:07
  Yes, the woman, her property, but this man under the chance to
• 43:11
  witness the truth so that he can come to the truth.
• 43:15
  So the brilliance of God. 'S wisdom in his providential
• 43:19
  work, but also the purpose of pain in his providential work.
• 43:26
  Who would have? Thought that the Lord.
• 43:30
  Bringing this woman a child and allowing that child to die.
• 43:35
  Would be the necessary. Testimony for years to come that
• 43:40
  when this woman would lose everything, it would be that
• 43:42
  testimony that would win everything back.
• 43:47
  At least 7A. Minimum of seven years has has
• 43:50
  transpired between this woman and her son.
• 43:53
  And this encounter with the. King, Surely it's more than.
• 43:56
  That. So who would have thought?
• 43:59
  That the trauma of this boy's dead death.
• 44:03
  And the glorious testimony of His resurrection had something
• 44:06
  greater in mind that would take years upon years before it was
• 44:10
  realized. So you and I have scars.
• 44:14
  And we wonder the purpose of these scars.
• 44:16
  You might not know it for another decade.
• 44:19
  You might not know it for another. 30 years?
• 44:21
  You have no clue. But we have stories like.
• 44:26
  This to comfort us in those moments of waiting and wondering
• 44:30
  that this is not in vain. My my turmoil is not pointless.
• 44:34
  There's something to this. I may not be able to see it.
• 44:37
  I may not be able to explain it. And I'm sure you've tossed in
• 44:41
  bed back and forth trying to wonder what, why this, why, and
• 44:44
  I. Wonder what the reaction of
• 44:47
  this? Woman was she was a woman of
• 44:48
  faith. She was, she was a smart woman.
• 44:50
  I wonder what she thought when she went back home and realized
• 44:54
  it was this testimony that would win the King's temporary
• 44:59
  affection to allow me to have everything that I lost.
• 45:04
  This is no ordinary king, by the way.
• 45:06
  The context suggests that he is Jeho Ram.
• 45:08
  And who is he? The son of?
• 45:09
  Remind me? Good.
• 45:11
  Ahab. And his mother was Jezebel.
• 45:13
  Did Ahab have a reputation of being kind with people's
• 45:15
  property or No, No, no, no. You remember Nabit's vineyard,
• 45:19
  right? And so this is.
• 45:23
  This is a king whose. Dad was very manipulative,
• 45:25
  right? And it makes you wonder.
• 45:29
  What are the chances? That this king is not going to
• 45:31
  take advantage of the situation and.
• 45:34
  Manipulate it so that he. Can come out with something very
• 45:37
  low, very low if we see his. History and his upbringing, and
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  yet it would be Ghazi's word and this woman's appearance at that
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  time and that particular story out of all of Elijah's
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  testimonies that would soften his heart and say you can have
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  it back. And not just have it back.
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  Read verse 6 carefully again. So the king.
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  Appointed an official for her saying restore all that was
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  hers, together with all the produce of the fields from the
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  day that she left the land until now.
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  So not just your house and. Your land, but whatever produce
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  that might have been developed in your absence, all of that is
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  being brought to you. As though you were here.
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  Everything that was. Taken from you.
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  Is going to be given back to you.
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  I'm sure she would have been happy if you just got the keys
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  back to her front door. But no, we're going to, we're
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  going to work this out and figure out what was, what was
• 46:31
  developed and what was produced. And we're going to, we're going
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  to put that into your account as well.
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  Because the Lord goes above and beyond for those who serve him,
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  He goes. Above and beyond.
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  For those who serve him, that's really the lesson of this
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  testimony in this study, that you will never go wrong serving
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  the Lord sacrificially never go wrong and though you serve him
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  and. Things happen in your.
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  Life that don't make sense. Treatment that doesn't seem to
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  align with faithfulness. There's a reason for it.
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  There's a reason for it. It's developing a wisdom in you.
• 47:12
  It's developing a character. In you, it's developing a story
• 47:16
  in you that when it's shared, might win people to the Savior.
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  They say, I've read this in many, many accounts of
• 47:25
  ministers, that their messages and that their counsel and that
• 47:30
  their interactions with their members radically change when a
• 47:35
  chapter of suffering comes their way.
• 47:42
  God's curriculum in his school is very fascinating to me, very
• 47:45
  interesting. And all that requires of.
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  Us is just to trust him, believe him, let him lead and let him
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  write this story and as he's writing that story, as we learn
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  that doesn't necessarily mean that you don't have some liberty
• 48:04
  to make choice as you were informed by the word of God.
• 48:08
  Go wherever you can. And so I want us to end here
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  tonight, asking us for both of those things, for His perfect
• 48:17
  leadership so that we wouldn't miss 1 testimony.
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  And at the same time for the wisdom and the balance to know
• 48:26
  when to move, how to act, what to decide, and to believe that
• 48:34
  He will guide us even though we don't get supernatural guidance
• 48:37
  in it. Shall we pray?
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  Can we take our time? I think this is a very fitting
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  study for the last study of our year of this year as we prepare
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  for a new year. And the praise team can.
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  Join me on the platform as we are ready to sing to the Lord.
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  Thank you, Lord. We bless your holy name.
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  You are beyond good to us. Lord, Oh God, we thank you for
• 49:20
  2024. We thank you for every
• 49:22
  testimony. We even thank you for the tests,
• 49:26
  the trials, Lord, that you were able to bring us through.
• 49:30
  Thank you, Lord, that these things occurred, not because we
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  have something to prove to you, but.
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  So that we can confirm. The faith that we have in you
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  and realize I do trust him, I do believe in him, I do love him.
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  So Lord, we, we honor you, we crown you with our praise for
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  everything. Oh God.
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  And we, we ask even now, Lord, if there is a crossroads that
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  some are standing at, not knowing where to go, that this
• 49:54
  study would be the nudge to push them in the right direction.
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  And for those who have done all that they can to obey you and it
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  and it just seems to cost them more than anything else.
• 50:05
  May they believe you and may they rest in you knowing that
• 50:10
  they will never go wrong, obeying what your word has to
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  say, even if it encourages delay, even if it causes
• 50:16
  inconvenience. Lord, we believe you that you
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  only have good in mind for us. So help us be patient.
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  In our obedience, help us be patient as we wait on You.
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  Lord, Tonight we pray that You would deposit in our hearts the
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  ability to retain these truths. When they matter, the.
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  Most when we are faced with similar things that might
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  challenge us to distress you, Lord, bring these things to
• 50:46
  mind. Help us remember.
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  We will not, O Lord, divert from your way.
• 50:51
  We will not be like Elimelech and Naomi and choose to be the
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  kings of our own lives, the queen of our own decisions.
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  We trust in You, even in famine. Even in discomfort.
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  We'll wait on you. In Jesus name, Amen.
• 51:08
  Let's stand and worship the Lord.
• 51:10
  Just worship Him with the heart that He has taught us so much in
• 51:14
  2024 and that He has more for us should He tarry in 2025.