November 25 Four Times Saved

November 25

Four Times Saved

 

2 Kings 8:1-6 Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, "Arise, and depart with your household, and sojourn wherever you can, for the Lord has called for a famine, and it will come upon the land for seven years." 2 So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God. She went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. 3 And at the end of the seven years, when the woman returned from the land of the Philistines, she went to appeal to the king for her house and her land. 4 Now the king was talking with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, "Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done." 5 And while he was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to the king for her house and her land. And Gehazi said, "My lord, O king, here is the woman, and here is her son whom Elisha restored to life." 6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed an official for her, saying, "Restore all that was hers, together with all the produce of the fields from the day that she left the land until now."

THE Scripture goes back in time a bit to a time before Gehazi violated Elisha's trust (2 Kings 5).  Again we see Elisha ministering to the Shunammite woman as he did in 2 Kings 4. I encourage you to reread this chapter to see the ways God rewarded this faithful woman.

          To summarize, God had brought two life-giving miracles for this woman through Elisha. First, God gave to her a son. Second, the Lord resurrected her son when he suddenly died from an illness.

          Now see her faith in action. As during Elijah's ministry, God judged unrepentant Israel through a drought. In God's Miracle Number 18, Elisha warned the Shunammite, so she could be safe among the Philistines for 7 years. (Consider there was no drought on Israel's enemy.) Faithfully the Shunammite acted. She believed the Prophet's warnings. She was saved.

          Then in Miracle Number 19 God rewarded the Shunammite woman even more. Do you see God's timing here? Gehazi was telling Joram of the Shunammite's son's resurrection. She then walked into the room during the conversation. Joram apparently is impressed that she is under God's care. King Joram restored the Shunammite's property to her possession, and he ordered that she receive 7 years of the income from the land!

          Two things to note here: First, God's timing is perfect. Gehazi and the Shunammite were in Joram's presence under God's sovereign plan for her faithful life. Second, be faithful to believe God's Word spoken into your life. When you hear God speak, go and do what he says. The Shunammite heard God's mercy, and she believed. She lived in his blessings. Joram heard of God's mercy, but he never believed. He would die under God's curse.

          In closing, you may ask, "What is a word from God? How do I hear him?" Well, what are you reading on this page and hearing in your heart right now? What has his Scripture revealed to you? Don't just sit there and think about it. Learn what it says, then faithfully go do it.

Prayer: Thank you God for revealing your will into my life. May I truly pray, "Thy will be done on earth as it is Heaven." May I understand how that prayer applies to me. Amen.