(1 Kings 17:9-249Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. 10So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. 11And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. 12And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. 13And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. 14For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth. 15And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. 16And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah. 17And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. 18And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son? 19And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. 20And he cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? 21And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again. 22And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. 23And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth. 24And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth. (1 Kings 17:9‑24), 2 Kings 4:8-378And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. 9And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually. 10Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither. 11And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there. 12And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him. 13And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people. 14And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old. 15And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door. 16And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid. 17And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life. 18And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers. 19And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother. 20And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. 21And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out. 22And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again. 23And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? it is neither new moon, nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well. 24Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee. 25So she went and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite: 26Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well. 27And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me. 28Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me? 29Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the child. 30And the mother of the child said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her. 31And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he went again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked. 32And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed. 33He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the Lord. 34And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm. 35Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. 36And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son. 37Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out. (2 Kings 4:8‑37).)
It is a most profitable exercise for the heart to trace the varied effects of divine discipline, as exhibited in the history of the people of God. “Whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” (Rom. 15:4-54For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. 5Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: (Romans 15:4‑5)) It is so very encouraging to find, in the word of God, that He has, from the beginning, been dealing with “men of like passions’s with ourselves. For somehow, one is tempted, at times, to think there never was one, in all the ranks of God’s redeemed, like me. Hence it is that the Holy Ghost has, in perfect grace and wisdom, left on record such a variety of cases in which we may recognize, as it were, a full-length portrait of our very selves.
In the Sareptan and Shunamite we have two women who were honored of God in being allowed to entertain, successively, His prophets Elijah and Elisha. But they furnish two very different types of character. Indeed, they exhibit as striking a contrast in their spiritual history, as they do in their natural condition and circumstances.
In the first place, let us look at the Sareptan. “The word of the Lord came unto Elijah, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there; behold I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.” (1 Kings 17:8, 98And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, 9Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. (1 Kings 17:8‑9).) This was a most remarkable command, whether we look at it in reference to Israel, to Elijah, or to the poor Gentile widow. As to Israel, it spoke volumes. The Lord’s prophet called to be a debtor to the ministrations of a Gentile! This was, truly, a striking commentary upon Israel’s condition. The bare reference to it, ages afterward, in the synagogue of Nazareth, cut the Jews to the heart, and filled them with wrath. (Luke 4) It told the double tale of their ruin, and of grace to the Gentiles. It pointed forward to a period when drought and sterility should prevail throughout the promised land, and the dayspring from on high should visit the Gentiles.
Then, as to the prophet, it was just an emptying from vessel to vessel. The ravens and the brook Cherith had been ministering to his need; but now he must pass into other circumstances, and be a debtor to a poor Gentile widow. And what were her resources? Hear her own piteous tale: “As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” Gloomy enough in the judgment of nature! But faith looked beyond the almost empty barrel and exhausted cruse, to that liberal hand which was able to fill both the one and the other. Had Elijah been walking by the sight of his eyes, his heart would have utterly failed him at the prospect which met his view, “when he came to the gate of the city.” But he knew in whom he had believed, and was persuaded that the God of Israel could feed him, by the hand of a starving widow of the Gentiles, just as easily as by the instrumentality of ravens.
Finally, as to the Sareptan herself, she was in the very best possible position to prove the reality of that grace which was flowing beyond the enclosure of Israel, to reach to those who were “strangers and foreigners.” But, then, we find the blessing had to be forced upon her. She would rather not have had it. Her heart was not prepared to prize the holy dignity which was being conferred upon her. She would fain have put it from her. She had to be “compelled” to taste of the fullness of divine love and mercy. There was slowness of heart to commit herself to the truth of the promise. Alas! how like her are we!
How tardy are we to open our mouths wide! How unwilling to lean on the promise of God, because we know so little of the God of the promise!
But not only was she unwilling to be a recipient of divine grace, she was also unable to interpret the voice of divine judgment. “It came to pass, after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, Ο thou man of God? Art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?” How little have we, here, of the dignity of a soul in communion with God! How little of the calm and holy subduedness of one passing through divine discipline, in the secret of the divine presence! “What have I to do with thee?” This question exhibits the impatience and fretfulness of unsubdued nature—terrible evils! Again, “Art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance?” All this argues a very low spiritual condition. The object of divine discipline can only be understood, in the light of the divine presence, and if that object be lost sight of, the soul is in danger of losing the “profit” which such discipline is designed to yield. “No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness.” Unto whom? “Unto them which are exercised thereby.” (Heb. 12:22Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2).) There is far more depth in the words “afterward” and “exercised” than the majority of us are aware of.
The Sareptan seemed to think there could be no other object, in the Lord’s dealings, than, to “bring her sin to remembrance.” Blessed be God, the believer is privileged to know that God “has cast all his sins behind His back”—that they are plunged in the waters of eternal forgetfulness. Hence, He can never do aught for the purpose of bringing sin to remembrance. His own peace-giving assurance is, “their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” (Heb. 10:1717And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. (Hebrews 10:17).) Instead of seeing the sins of His people, God sees only the blood of His own dear Son which has blotted them out forever. If their sins could ever again come into God’s view, or into God’s remembrance, it could only argue that the blood of the cross was not sufficient to cancel them.
What, then, is the object of God’s discipline or chastisement? “That we might be partakers of his holiness.” (Heb. 12:1010For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. (Hebrews 12:10).) It is not for the remembrance of sins which He has promised to “remember no more.” Nor is it for the punishment of sins which were all judged in the Person of the Sin-bearer, on the cross. The object is stated to be, “That we might be partakers of His holiness.” And again, “When we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.” (1 Cor. 11:3232But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. (1 Corinthians 11:32)) Thus, it is neither to remember nor punish sin: it is that we should not be condemned with the world, but be partakers of the holiness of God.
It is well to be clear as to this, not only as it respects our own spiritual history, but also that we may avoid a habit which many fall into, of surmising evil in the case of any one who may be passing, in any way, under the rod. There are some who, the moment they see a Christian visited with chastening, judge, like the Sareptan, that it must needs be to “bring sin to remembrance.” This is a serious mistake which we ought carefully to guard against.
We may easily see from the effect of the discipline, in the case of the Sareptan, what was the object of it. She says, on receiving her son from the dead, “Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth.” (1 Kings 17:2424And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth. (1 Kings 17:24).) It was to lead her into the knowledge of what she ought to have known, at a much earlier point in her career. How often is this the case with us! How much truth have we professed, which our souls never knew experimentally until we were brought into the deep waters of affliction, that we might be chastened, disciplined, and exercised, under the hand of “the Father of spirits.”
And, here, let me say, that the Shunamite began where the Sareptan left off. “It fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that, as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. And she said unto her husband, “Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God which passeth by us continually.” (2 Kings 4:8, 98And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. 9And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually. (2 Kings 4:8‑9).) She recognized, at once, by the exercise of a spiritual judgment, what the Sareptan had to be taught by a heavy affliction. In a word, we have in the Shunamite, a pupil higher up in the school of Christ than the Sareptan. Everything about her bears the stamp of advanced scholarship. She moves before the spiritual eye, with a dignity, an elevation, a moral grace, peculiar to those who breathe the air of the inner sanctuary. It is not, by any means, that the grace which visited “the great woman” of Shunem, was a whit brighter or richer than that which had reached “the widow woman” of Sarepta. Quite the contrary. The grace which could travel out to an alien of the Gentiles, was even richer than that which acted within the enclosures of Israel.
Furthermore, the difference in these two women was not merely a difference of circumstances. True, the Sareptan was a poor widow, who had to stand, with anxious mind and troubled heart, over a “handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse,” and from her thrifty plans, to make the trifle go as far as possible. Whereas, the Shunamite was “a great woman,” surrounded with abundance. Again, the prophet had to constrain the Sareptan to give him bread; the Shunamite had to constrain the prophet to take it. These, no doubt, are points of difference; but they are only circumstantial and not personal. The real difference lay not in the condition but in the communion; and this difference is apparent, in every movement of the Shunamite.
She has a want which neither “the king” nor “the captain of the host” can supply. She ardently longs to know the quickening power of the God of resurrection. She sighs to occupy the same ground with the Sarahs and the Hannahs of former generations. She desires to behold the Living God, traveling in the greatness of His strength and triumphing, in her case, over all the weakness and death of nature. She longs to bask in the very brightest beams of the divine glory—to have communion with the very highest truth—to tread the highest walks in the divine life.
Such were the aspirations of the Shunamite. She was not, like the Sareptan, contemplating death, standing at the other side of an exhausted barrel and cruse; she rather saw the God of resurrection, at the other side of nature’s death and barrenness. Her faith expected “great things” from the Living God, and she was not disappointed. She was allowed to “embrace a son.” She was permitted to experience, in her own person, “the power of resurrection.” With her, it was not the God of Providence filling the barrel, but the God of resurrection quickening the dead.
Then again, mark her, as she bows her head in the presence of the divine visitation. Instead of having, like the Sareptan, to go down into the depths to get her knowledge, she carries her knowledge into the depths, and, as a consequence, she gets deeper knowledge still. The Sareptan stood in the presence of death, knowing nothing of resurrection. The Shunamite, in the power of resurrection, was enabled to walk, as a conqueror, through the circumstances of death. (Comp. Phil. 3:1010That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; (Philippians 3:10).) She was enabled to lay her dead son where she had, already, laid her dead body, even at the feet of the God of resurrection, who, she knew, could quicken the one as well as the other. Can anyone fail to see the difference? Alas! it is to be feared, that too many of us know but little of this. Too many of us are satisfied with the low ground of the Sareptan, instead of earnestly breathing after the elevated ground of the Shunamite. We count ourselves happy if we find the barrel and cruse replenished by a liberal Providence, and fail to seek after that deeper character of fellowship which flows from a view of God that raiseth the dead. Truly sweet are the providential mercies of our God; but surely there is something higher far than these. There is communion with Himself. And where is this to be tasted? At the other side of death. It does not need resurrection to replenish a barrel and cruse; but it does to quicken a dead body and raise a dead son.
Obviously, therefore, the Shunamite stood on loftier ground than the Sareptan. Subjects of grace they both were, assuredly, but though the subjects of the same grace, their communion was very different. To the Sareptan death was bringing her sin to remembrance. To the Shunamite, death was only furnishing a sphere in which the God of resurrection might show Himself. The Sareptan said to the man of God, “what have I to do with thee?” The Shunamite would not have “to do” with anyone else.
Thus much as to the difference between these honored women, when passing through similar circumstances. But, then, the Shunamite leaves the Sareptan far behind. The former was carried, by the pinions of a more vigorous faith, into regions which the latter could not reach. She moved in a far higher sphere of communion. The spiritual world has its spheres, as well as the natural or the social world; and the sphere in which we move will depend upon the measure of our communion; and our communion will be according to our faith. Now, the Shunamite seems to have moved in the very highest spiritual circle. Her knowledge of God and His ways was profound. She was in possession of a secret which she could not communicate, either to her husband, or to the official Gehazi. Neither the one nor the other could have understood her. She had shut the door upon her dead son, and turned her back upon the dark chamber of death, as much as to say that no one could or ought to enter there save the God of resurrection. She just wrote upon a check the amount of her need, and took it to Jehovah to sign it. Did He refuse? Did He complain of the amount? Oh! no; the faith of this noble woman was bringing Him into a scene where, above all others, the beams of His glory could shine in all their luster. He could fill a dark chamber with light, and a silent chamber with the accents of life. This was glorious work, and faith knew that God could do it. “It shall be well,” and “it is well,” said the Shunamite; for her whole soul was filled with the assurance that the beloved object which she had just left in the chamber of death, would be raised by the God of resurrection. And she was not disappointed. “Then she went in and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out.” “When the God of resurrection had been there as an actor, she could go in as a worshipper.
Christian reader, let us learn from this Shunamite to seek a closer, deeper, more personal walk with God.