June 17, 2002
LifeWay Family Bible Series for June 30
Kindness should be an everyday occurence
___2 Kings 4:1-17
___By Barbara Kent
___University Baptist Church, Fort Worth
___One of the first Bible verses children learn is, "Be ye kind" (Ephesians 4:32). The world in which we live does not practice kindness. Kindness is unusual. It is not the norm. We all have seen the bumper sticker that reads: "Commit a random act of kindness today." God expects more from his people. He expects kindness to be the normal pattern of behavior.
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___Acting with compassion
___Do you remember this Bible story from your childhood? As a child, I was fascinated by the idea of the little bit of oil that did not run out until it had filled all the empty vessels the widow could find. As an adult, I am more interested in the kindness and compassion of the prophet Elisha.
___The wife of one of the sons of the prophets approached Elisha with the news her husband had died and a creditor had threatened to take her two sons as slaves (v. 1).
___Elisha's response was prompt and to the point: What can I do for you? What resources do you have in the house (v. 2)? She answered that all she had was jar of oil (v. 2).
___Elisha told her to borrow all the empty vessels she could from neighbors, go into her house, close the door and fill the vessels from the jar of oil she had. She did as instructed (vv. 3-5). When the last vessel was full, the oil in her jar stopped flowing (v. 6) and she went again to Elisha. He told her to sell the oil, pay her debts and provide for her family with the rest (v. 7).
___The provision of the oil to meet the needs of the family came from God, not Elisha. The prophet simply was God's instrument of kindness. He sent the widow away from his presence to fill the jars. In this way, he underscored the source of the miracle as God rather than himself. Elisha's willingness to meet the needs of this family confirmed the authenticity of his role as a prophet.
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___Receiving kindness
___One day on his way through the village of Shunem, Elisha encountered a wealthy woman who insisted he allow her to provide a meal for him. He did, and from then on, whenever he passed through Shunem, Elisha ate with this family (v. 8). The woman had acted out of kindness, but as she observed Elisha over a period of time, she realized he was a "holy man of God" (v. 9). She suggested to her husband that they provide a small room for him in which to rest on his journeys (vv. 10-11). Elisha's needs were provided for by the kindness of this woman and her family.
___Response to kindness
___A person who practices kindness usually responds to kindness in like manner. On one of his visits to Shunem, Elisha asked his servant to call the Shunammite woman and ask her what they might do for her in return for her great kindness to them (vv. 11-13). Elisha instructed his servant to ask if she would like for Elisha to put in a good word to the king or the commander of the army on her behalf (v. 13).
___The woman's response intrigues me, for she said simply, "I live among my own people" (v. 13). She had not shown kindness in the hope of receiving favor for it. She was content with her life, and her kindness was given freely, without expectations for gain. She did not mention she was childless.
___When Elisha expressed concern there seemed nothing he could do for her, his servant, Gehazi, told him she had no son and her husband was old (v. 14). Elisha called the woman to him again and told her that within a year she would be holding a child in her arms (vv.15-16). The Shunammite woman was skeptical and expressed her reservations to Elisha (v. 16). However, as Elisha had promised, within a year, she gave birth to a son (v. 17).
___Showing kindness in time of sorrow
___One morning the little boy was out with his father in the fields, crying that his head hurt. The father instructed the servants to carry the child to his mother. Despite her efforts to care for him, he died.
___She laid him on the bed in the room she had prepared for Elisha and closed the door. She asked her husband to bring her a servant and a donkey so she could go to Elisha. As she approached Mount Carmel where Elisha was, he saw her in the distance and told Gehazi to meet her and find out if everything was alright. She told Gehazi everything was alright (v. 26), but when she reached Elisha, she fell at his feet. Gehazi moved to push her away from the prophet, but Elisha said: "Leave her alone! She is in bitter distress but the Lord has hidden from me" the reason (v. 27).
___Elisha heard the anguish of the woman's heart in her words: "Didn't I tell you not to raise my hopes" (v. 28). He told Gehazi to take his staff and go quickly to the child and lay the staff on his face (v. 29). The Shunammite woman said she would not leave without Elisha, so he went with her. Gehazi could not restore the child, but Elisha was successful (vv. 31-35). He presented the child, alive, to his mother.
___The simplicity of her response is notable: she fell at the feet of Elisha, bowed to the ground, then took her son and went out (vv. 36-37).
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___Question for discussion
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