Stewardship in prophet’s honour
8 – “And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.
9 – And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.
10 – Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither.
11 – And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there.
12 – And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him.
13 – And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people.
14 – And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old.
15 – And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door.
16 – And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.
17 – And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.
18 – And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers.
19 – And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother.
20 – And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.
21 – And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out.
22 – And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again.
23 – And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? it is neither new moon, nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well.
24 – Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee.
25 – So she went and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite:
26 – Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well.
27 – And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the LORD hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.
28 – Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me?
29 – Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the child.
30 – And the mother of the child said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her.
31 – And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he went again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked.
32 – And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed.
33 – He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD.
34 – And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm.
35 – Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.
36 – And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son.
37 – Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out.” (2kings chapter 4 verses 8 to 37)
When you make a chamber for a man of God, you actually made a special chamber for God Himself
It is paramount for everyone to know who his or her prophet is. This woman of Shunammite perceived that Elisha was a man of God. She started providing hospitality for him. She made him feel comfortable whenever he is passing by, he always walked in for refreshment. She made him feel at home and the man of God was pleased with that even his servant. She prepared delicious meals for them and gave them the best of service.
What could tell her to prepare a chamber for the man of God is what I don’t know. Maybe you can guess. Whatever that told her that was a right one that is all I know. When you make a chamber for a man of God, you actually made a special chamber for God Himself. There is so much God’s presence that surrounds one’s home when he or she host a genuine man of God.
She was just a faithful woman who desired to remained faithful till the end of her marriage.
Some day, the man of God was moved to asked her what was her heart desire at the moment. It was shocking to hear her response be that I live among my own people. I don’t really understand why such should be her response. She is married but she is also thinking that she has not secured her ground in her husband place because she does not have a seed to show for her marriage.
Now her husband is old and she has no hope if she could ever conceive, not to talk of giving birth to a child. She was in her marriage taking good care of her husband which was her primary responsibility. She was also waiting on the day her husband will die, after giving him a befitting burial, she will go back to her people. She was just a faithful woman who desired to remained faithful till the end of her marriage.
He prophecied unto her that by the season of time that she should bear a child.
She looked in and out, and made this concrete conclusion in her heart that nothing in this life can ever aid her to conceive and bear a child. She chose to live the rest of her life doing good to anyone who pass her way. Life is a fertile ground. Whatever anyone sow, he or she shall reap the great dividends. The good will of anyone will surely attract good wills to the person in due season. Though the blessing can be delayed but it will surely come to pass.
It was the servant of the man of God Gehazi who was also pleased in the manner of her gesture to them that finally told Prophet Elisha that she does not have a child. Of course, that drew the concern of the man of God that when he sent after her, never went on to asked her if she does not have a child or not. He prophecied unto her that by the season of time that she should bear a child. Even when she tried to doubt the man of God, her doubt could not stop the prophecy to come into manifestation because she had provoked the Prophet with her honour.
There is a limit to where your strength can carry you.
When the child came forth, one day a situation occurred that resulted to the death of the child. It was of a great pain to the parents, but she still understood that her Prophet prophecied the child into existence in the first place, it will also take her Prophet to speak the child into life. The source of anything has what it takes to sustain it. The child came through Elisha, so it will take Prophet Elisha to sustain the child through her honour. Of course, the man of God prayed the child into life.
You should know who is your Prophet in case the going gets tough. There are times when your strength cannot carry you and you will be desperate for a stronger assistance. There is a limit to where your strength can carry you. Make sure you have your Prophet by your side always. If you fail to recognize your Prophet, his bless will fail to recognize you. Serve your Prophet diligently with all that is within you.
Conclusion:
17 – “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.
18 – For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.” (1Thessalonians chapter 5 verses 17 to 18)
You need to understand who is your Prophet and give him adequate honour. Honour can provoke things that seem impossible initially to its realm of possibility. Whatever that seem difficult, honour can make it light. Always take it as a point of duty to constantly honour your Prophet.
