AGE: 10 - 11 YEARS
STANDARD/GRADE: V & VI
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LESSON – 20
THE SHUNAMMITE'S SON RESTORED TO LIFE
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In the previous lesson we learnt about one of the
greatest prophets of Israel called Prophet Elijah. He had a servant named
Elisha. After Elijah’s prophetic ministry was fulfilled on this earth, a
chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and Elijah was taken up to heaven
in a whirlwind. Elisha, his servant received a double portion of the special
prophetic and miracle-working gifts of Elijah to continue the prophetic
ministry. During Prophet Elisha’s days many young prophets lived together as a
community, called as “school of prophets”. There were many schools of prophets
established in various cities of Israel. Prophet Elisha visited and lived with
the young prophets often. Prophet Elisha had a servant named Gehazi.
Prophet Elisha performed many miracles and this
particular miracle happened during the reign of Jehoram, an Israelite king. During
his travels Prophet Elisha often passed through a town called Shunem. Shunem
was a village that belonged to the tribe of Issachar, located near a valley
called Jezreel (Joshua 19:18). Ancient travels were much different from the
modern ones. In ancient Israel, in places where it was difficult to find
lodging, travellers, especially Israelites could be expected to be invited into
someone’s home for a meal and stay. Such hospitality was considered honorable
and it was valued. We could find many such examples in the Holy Bible.
There was a wealthy, respectable woman who lived
in the town of Shunem. She invited Prophet Elisha to her home for a meal. After
that, whenever he was in Shunem, he visited and stayed with the woman’s family.
The woman recognized Prophet Elisha as a true prophet and a holy man of God and
suggested to her husband to set up a guest room for Elisha in their home. She
also wanted to furnish the room with a bed, a table, a chair and a lamp. Soon,
they constructed a room and furnished it according to the woman’s wish. Prophet
Elisha stayed in the guest room of the Shunammite woman whenever he visited
Shunem. The name of the woman is not mentioned in the Holy Bible, and she is
referred to as the Shunammite woman because she belonged to the town of Shunem.
Once while visiting that family, Prophet Elisha
asked the woman what he could do for her since she had taken so much effort for
him. He had his servant Gehazi ask her if she needed any help or she wanted him
to speak on her behalf with the king or the commander of the army. The woman replied
that everything was fine; she lived in safety and was well off. However, Prophet
Elisha was not convinced, so he asked his servant, Gehazi, how he could help
the woman in return for her hospitality. Gehazi mentioned that she had no son
and her husband was old. Prophet Elisha then called the woman and told her she
would have a son by that time next year. Instead of being happy, the woman told
Prophet Elisha not to deceive her. The woman may have been disappointed
earlier, so she didn’t want to have any false hope.
However, Prophet Elisha’s words came true and the woman had a child the next year. One day, the Shunammite woman’s husband went to harvest their field and the little boy also accompanied him. When the little boy was in the field with his father, he said, “My head, my head”, indicating some kind of discomfort in his head. Immediately, the father asked a servant to take the child to his mother. A few hours later, the boy died on his mother’s lap.
The mother did something unusual. She did not tell anyone that the child had
died. She took the child upstairs to Prophet Elisha’s room and laid him on his
bed. Then she sent a message to her husband, asking him
to send a servant and a donkey to visit the man of God (Prophet Elisha). Her
husband was intrigued and asked her why she wanted to visit the prophet,
because it was an ordinary day and not a Sabbath day or a special day. She did
not give any specific reply, instead just replied that all is well, yet she
wanted to visit Prophet Elisha.
Even though, the husband did not get a specific
reply, he sent a donkey and a servant. The woman saddled the donkey and asked
the servant to ride it. She gave strict instructions to the servant not to halt
anywhere until they reached their destination at Mount Carmel, where Prophet
Elisha was residing. When she neared Prophet Elisha’s home, the prophet noticed
the Shunammite woman and asked Gehazi, his servant, to meet her and ask about
her and her family members' wellbeing. The woman once again replied to Gehazi
that all is well. The reason for her not revealing the death of her child to
Gehazi, could be because, she did not want the intervention of anyone else
other than the man of God himself. The woman quickly went and caught Prophet
Elisha’s feet. In some cultures, holding someone’s feet is a gesture of
humility and supplication. Prophet Elisha’s servant Gehazi, thought that she
was bothering him and came near to push her away. But the man of God told him
to leave her alone.
Prophet Elisha understood that the woman was in deep
sorrow and distress. Prophet Elisha wondered why the Lord had hidden it from
him. The woman hinted the reason for her distress when she told the prophet
that she did not ask for a son on the first place but was given one. The woman
even reminded Prophet Elisha how she had told him not to give false hope and deceive
her, when she was first told about having a child.
Prophet Elisha understood that something was not
right with the child, so he told his servant Gehazi to rush
to the woman’s home and asked him to place his staff on the boy’s face. A
staff is a very long cane, used predominantly as walking sticks or as support to
rest upon during long walks. Prophet Elisha told Gehazi not to greet anyone on
the way and also not to respond to anyone’s greetings. Meanwhile, the woman
told Prophet Elisha that she would not leave the Prophet, until she got an
answer. So, Prophet Elisha got up and went along with that woman to her house. Gehazi
went ahead of them and did just as Prophet Elisha told him. He laid the staff
on the child’s face, but the child did not move or respond. Gehazi came back
and reported to the prophet that the child did not wake up.
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Prophet Elisha arrived at the woman’s home in Shunem and went upstairs to his room where the mother had laid the child. He saw the child lying dead on his bed. So, he went in and shut the door behind the two of them and prayed to the Lord. Then he went up and laid on the child, putting his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. As he did that, the child’s body became warm.
Then the Prophet got up,
walked back and forth in the house, and once again laid
on the child. The child sneezed seven times, opened his eyes and his life
was restored. Prophet Elisha called the mother and asked her to take her son.
The woman fell at his feet, bowed to the ground and took her child who was
restored to life.
Bible Reference: II Kings
4:8 - 37
Memory Verse: Keep on
loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show
hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown
hospitality to angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 13:1,2)
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ASSESSMENT
ACTIVITIES
Fill in the blanks:
1. Prophet
Elisha had a servant named ……………….
2. The Shunammite woman sent a message to her husband, asking
him to send a servant and a …………….. to visit the man of God.
3. Prophet Elisha told his servant Gehazi to rush to the Shunammite
woman’s home and place his ……………. on the child’s face.
4. When Prophet Elisha laid on the child, the child sneezed ……………
times.
Give short answers:
1.
What were the furniture added by the Shunammite woman in Prophet Elisha’s guest
room?
2.
What was the response of the Shunammite woman when her husband asked her why
she wanted to visit the Prophet?
3. What
did the woman do when her son died?
4. What did
Prophet Elsha ask Gehazi to do when the Shunammite woman caught his leg?
Answer in
brief:
1. How was the Shunammite woman’s
dead son restored back to life?
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