2 Kings 4:18-37 And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers.… The Bible is the most perfectly natural and human book in the world. It deals not with philosophies and theories, but with real human life. The story of the Shunammite and her child is one of the most touching episodes in Scripture, and also one of the most beautiful and finished narratives in the whole range of literature. 1. We are introduced to "a great woman," a lady of great wealth and influence. She dwelt in Shunem, in the plain of Jezreel, the richest and most fertile tract of land in Palestine. She was a woman of keen spiritual perception; and as Elisha passed to and fro on his Master's business, she recognised him to be a man of true piety. "I perceive," she said, "that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually." There is an Eastern proverb, "A myrtle in the desert will be a myrtle still." So Elisha was consistent in whatever circumstances he might find himself. 2. She was also a woman of large-hearted generosity. 3. But this great woman was hiding in her heart a great disappointment: she had no child to cherish as her very own. 4. But this great woman was to pass through a great sorrow. 5. But this great woman overcame by means of great trust in God. (F. S. Webster, M. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers.WEB: When the child was grown, it happened one day that he went out to his father to the reapers. |
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