The prophet Elisha traveled the country of Palestine. One place he stayed on numerous occasions and grew to have a friendly relationship with was the home of a Shunamite woman and her elderly husband. They gave him food and even built a guest room on their roof for him. The woman did not have any children, but Elisha promised her a son. At the appointed time, she had a son.
When the son was just a lad, he fell sick and died. Elisha raised him from the dead. Later, there was a great famine in the land. Elisha told the woman to leave the land until the famine was over in seven years. When the woman and her son returned, her land and home had been taken over by someone. Evidently, they did not want to give her what was legally hers. She decided to go to the king and ask for his intervention. The fact that she was the one asking indicates her husband was dead. (Remember, he was elderly before the son was born.) King Jehoram was not a good king. He did not follow God’s commandments. So why would Jehoram consider and care for this lowly Shunamite woman? He probably would not have except at that moment he had asked Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, to tell him about the marvelous things Elisha had done. Gehazi was telling the king about Elisha raising a woman’s son from the dead. Gehazi recognized the woman and told Jehoram that she was the very woman he was telling about.
Jehoram by this circumstance was influenced to take the woman’s property case and appoint an officer to correct it. Not only did Jehoram make sure she was given her house and land, but he insisted that she be given the equal of everything that had been produced on it during her absence. By God’s providence, she was given justice (2 Kings 8:1-6).
Study your Bible. Learn all you can about our God who cares for even a lowly widow and her son. He loves and cares for everyone, and God wants everyone to obey Him. This incident would have turned out very differently if the Shunamite woman had not followed God’s desires and plans. Make sure you are following God. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.
