2 Kings 8:1
Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, ‘Go away with your family and stay for a while wherever you can, because the LORD has decreed a famine in the land that will last seven years.’
This coming Friday, my little girl will turn three. I’m feeling quite sentimental that her baby-ness will really be all behind her. I’d sure miss hearing her cute, mispronounced words and carrying her around. She’s really a delight. I really praise God for not answering my prayers for two boys. His wisdom knew I’d need a daily dose of those kikay charms. This weekend will be our turn to give back the cheer. As any good parent would, I plan to make it a very special day. And by day, I mean, all day. She’ll wake up to a balloon–filled room with her favorite pancake breakfast, then I’ll bring her to the mall for a good run in the park area. Lunch would sure be spaghetti, fries, and ice cream of course. Then we’ll let her roam around Toy Kingdom, find her a simple dollhouse, and end the day in one of those paid playhouses. It will be a full day of fun for her – favor after favor, as much as possible. It’d be my joy to see her wide-eyed in delight. And I’d do it because I love her.
If I know how to give good gifts to my children, how much more our heavenly Father! In this eighth chapter, we read again of His favor to the Shunammite woman. She was the well-to-do hostess of Elisha, providing him not just with meals but allotting him a room in her house. Her generous kindness was first rewarded with pregnancy, a miracle considering their age. It is notetaking she never asked for it. She was a content woman. It was her joy to give to God’s work. But she can’t outgive God. His second favor was seeing her son restored to life. That’s extraordinarily big. Far exceeding than our definition of grace. But again, God is better than our parenting gurus. For His third blowout, she was spared from seven years of famine. Her family was taken out even before scarcity was felt by everyone. Not while. Before! Then after seven years, when she returned to Israel, awaiting her was the fourth treat. Everything that belonged to her was given back, ordered by no less than the king, with all its income from the day she left the country ‘til her return.
Who was this Shunammite woman to deserve so much grace? She was allotted two chapters in the Bible, four big miracles at least. We’d understand if the favors were given to the likes of Abraham, Moses, and David. They did great things for the kingdom. This woman doesn’t even have a name. All she did was provide a home for a prophet and be content with her life. We’d say, ‘Well, I can do that. How come I’m not big-time blessed?’ Maybe that’s the difference. Her eye was on the Giver, not the gift; serving the Master, not for the money. But is it really about the woman being generous or more about God being so gracious? Or are we just envious because God was good to her? We can’t know much what really caused God to delight in her, but He did. It sure was not our standard of promotion and rewards. His thoughts and ways are higher than ours. The main point here is not what to do to have His blessings. Our take home here is to marvel at God’s wonderful grace. If that’s too simple for us, too uncomplicated, too basic, then no wonder we can’t appreciate His daily miracles. We’re all waiting for our wants, never really watching His hand. Let’s stop looking around, comparing notes on who and why they got bigger favors. Instead look at the Cross and see how much love He already poured out for us - - the undeserving us. There’s no more case in point here. Grace is a done deal. You're saying there’s an overflow? Now, isn’t that just amazing!
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