Elisha Raises the Child of the Shunammite woman

Elisha Raises the Child of the Shunammite woman..
2 Kings 4:8-37

One day Elisha the prophet went to a place called Shunem, where a woman (who was called a Shunammite) offered him some bread. And every time he passed by, he went and ate bread at her house. The woman told her husband "I believe that this is a holy man of God, that passes by us. Let's make a little room for him, and put in it a bed, a table, a stool, and a candlestick, and when he comes to us he can go in there. So the day came when Elisha went in to the room prepared for him to sleep.

And Elisha told his servant Gehazi to call the Shunnamite woman and he told her "you are so full of care for us, what can we do for you? would you like to be spoken of to the king?" And she said "I live with my own people." And so Elisha asked "What then is to be done for her?" Gehazi told Elisha that she had no child, and her husband was old. So Elisha asked for the woman to be called, and he told her that she would have a son, and right at the time Elisha said she would, the woman had a baby boy.

And when the child was grown, one day he went to his father who was reaping in the field and told his father that his head hurt. And the boy was taken to his mother who held him until he died.

Then she took him and laid him on the bed of Elisha and closed the door and went out. After that, she got a donkey, and went to Mt. Carmel to find Elisha. When Elisha saw her coming, he sent Gahazi to find out if she was well, and so she told Elisha what had happened. So Elisha told Gahazi to go and lay his staff on the face of the child. But the mother of the child said "As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you." And so Elisha got up and followed her.

Elisha came to the room where the dead child was and he shut the door and prayed to the LORD. And he went and laid on the child and the child's body became warm. Then he walked around a bit and went and laid on the child again, and the child sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. And then Elisha told Gehazi to call his mother, and when she came in Elisha said to her, "take up your son", so she fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground and lifted up her son and went out.

Memory Verse: 2 Kings 4:30 "...as the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. And he got up and followed her."

Questions:
1   Who did the woman believe that Elisha was?
2   Why do you think the woman wanted a room prepared for Elisha?
3   Why do you think Elisha asked the woman if she wanted to be made known to the king?
4    What wonderful thing did Elisha tell the woman?
5    Why do you think the woman wouldn't leave Elisha once she found him?
6.    What did Elisha do before he lay on the child?

Answers:
1   A holy man of God.
2   Because she had respect for him and for the LORD and wanted to show hospitality
3   Because he was testing her reasons for making him the room
4   That she would have a son
5   Because she believed he was a holy man and the only one that could help
6. He prayed to the LORD.

Vicki C. Gross/Oct'03