June 2nd, 2006
Happy Friend’s Day!!!
Friendship – Edition #13: 91.4% Friend
2nd Kings 4:8-37
One day Elisha went to Shunem. And a well-to-do woman was there, who urged him to stay for a meal. So whenever he came by, he stopped there to eat. She said to her husband, “I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God. Let’s make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to us.”
One day when Elisha came, he went up to his room and lay down there. He said to his servant Gehazi, “Call the Shunammite.” So he called her, and she stood before him. Elisha said to him, “Tell her, ‘You have gone to all this trouble for us. Now what can be done for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or the commander of the army?’”
She replied, “I have a home among my own people.”
“What can be done for her?” Elisha asked.
Gehazi said, “Well, she has no son and her husband is old.”
Then Elisha said, “Call her.” So he called her, and she stood in the doorway. “About this time next year,” Elisha said, “you will hold a son in your arms.”
“No, my lord,” she objected. “Don’t mislead your servant, O man of God!”
But the woman became pregnant, and the next year about that same time she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.
The child grew, and one day he went out to his father, who was with the reapers. “My head! My head!” he said to his father.
His father told a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” After the servant had lifted him up and carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died. She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and went out.
She called her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and a donkey so I can go to the man of God quickly and return.”
“Why go to him today?” he asked. “It’s not the New Moon or the Sabbath.”
“It's all right,” she said.
She saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Lead on; don't slow down for me unless I tell you.” So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.
When he saw her in the distance, the man of God said to his servant Gehazi, “Look! There's the Shunammite! Run to meet her and ask her, ‘Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your child all right?’”
“Everything is all right,” she said.
When she reached the man of God at the mountain, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone! She is in bitter distress, but the LORD has hidden it from me and has not told me why.”
“Did I ask you for a son, my lord?” she said. “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t raise my hopes’?”
Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tuck your cloak into your belt, take my staff in your hand and run. If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer. Lay my staff on the boy’s face.”
But the child’s mother said, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So he got up and followed her.
Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or response. So Gehazi went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy has not awakened.”
When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his couch. He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed to the LORD. Then he got on the bed and lay upon the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched himself out upon him, the boy's body grew warm. Elisha turned away and walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out upon him once more. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.
Elisha summoned Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite.” And he did. When she came, he said, “Take your son.” She came in, fell at his feet and bowed to the ground. Then she took her son and went out.
Now, I don’t need to check Hebrew or anything… the good old English is good enough for tonight. I can camp out on this passage alone. But I am curious to see what Gehazi means, aren’t you? Just a little curious… why not…
2nd Kings 4:31 Gehazi:
gay-khah-zee', gay-khah-zee'
Valley of a visionary; Gechazi, the servant of Elisha: - Gehazi.
I just see what Elisha did for his friend. He blessed her abundantly… and when she was in need, he dropped everything to help when he was made aware of the situation. I don’t know if that is my character 100%. I’m working to fill needs, my health isn’t the best these days, I had to leave school early yesterday due to not taking my medication correctly… it’s a mess. I can that this class that I am taking, it’s great. I took some wonderful notes yesterday on servitude (interestingly enough, the class is about getting a job, so you need to know how to serve in the workplace – good thing). I just see, my days might be numbered a little shorter than expected, so be it, that isn’t my call to make. Before I was born, I didn’t “tell” God that I had to live “X amount” of years… and even if my prideful self did so (and I wouldn’t put it past me to have done it), I know God has a way to put a “spin” on things. He could have simply replied “OK, in dog years then” and shipped on my way. Anyway, I digress. Elisha didn’t give up on her. And she wasn’t even a JEW. He didn’t give up on her, her family, and her son. He gave her hope when she had none. He gave her a family when she was childless. He gave her friendship when she was desperate. He gave her a LORD to trust in. He gave her faith. And that is friendship. That is the type of friend I need to be, I’m not there yet, not 100%, but I want to be. Johnny Out.
Happy Friend’s Day!!!
Friendship – Edition #13: 91.4% Friend
2nd Kings 4:8-37
One day Elisha went to Shunem. And a well-to-do woman was there, who urged him to stay for a meal. So whenever he came by, he stopped there to eat. She said to her husband, “I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God. Let’s make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to us.”
One day when Elisha came, he went up to his room and lay down there. He said to his servant Gehazi, “Call the Shunammite.” So he called her, and she stood before him. Elisha said to him, “Tell her, ‘You have gone to all this trouble for us. Now what can be done for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or the commander of the army?’”
She replied, “I have a home among my own people.”
“What can be done for her?” Elisha asked.
Gehazi said, “Well, she has no son and her husband is old.”
Then Elisha said, “Call her.” So he called her, and she stood in the doorway. “About this time next year,” Elisha said, “you will hold a son in your arms.”
“No, my lord,” she objected. “Don’t mislead your servant, O man of God!”
But the woman became pregnant, and the next year about that same time she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.
The child grew, and one day he went out to his father, who was with the reapers. “My head! My head!” he said to his father.
His father told a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” After the servant had lifted him up and carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died. She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and went out.
She called her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and a donkey so I can go to the man of God quickly and return.”
“Why go to him today?” he asked. “It’s not the New Moon or the Sabbath.”
“It's all right,” she said.
She saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Lead on; don't slow down for me unless I tell you.” So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.
When he saw her in the distance, the man of God said to his servant Gehazi, “Look! There's the Shunammite! Run to meet her and ask her, ‘Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your child all right?’”
“Everything is all right,” she said.
When she reached the man of God at the mountain, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone! She is in bitter distress, but the LORD has hidden it from me and has not told me why.”
“Did I ask you for a son, my lord?” she said. “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t raise my hopes’?”
Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tuck your cloak into your belt, take my staff in your hand and run. If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer. Lay my staff on the boy’s face.”
But the child’s mother said, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So he got up and followed her.
Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or response. So Gehazi went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy has not awakened.”
When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his couch. He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed to the LORD. Then he got on the bed and lay upon the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched himself out upon him, the boy's body grew warm. Elisha turned away and walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out upon him once more. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.
Elisha summoned Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite.” And he did. When she came, he said, “Take your son.” She came in, fell at his feet and bowed to the ground. Then she took her son and went out.
Now, I don’t need to check Hebrew or anything… the good old English is good enough for tonight. I can camp out on this passage alone. But I am curious to see what Gehazi means, aren’t you? Just a little curious… why not…
2nd Kings 4:31 Gehazi:
gay-khah-zee', gay-khah-zee'
Valley of a visionary; Gechazi, the servant of Elisha: - Gehazi.
I just see what Elisha did for his friend. He blessed her abundantly… and when she was in need, he dropped everything to help when he was made aware of the situation. I don’t know if that is my character 100%. I’m working to fill needs, my health isn’t the best these days, I had to leave school early yesterday due to not taking my medication correctly… it’s a mess. I can that this class that I am taking, it’s great. I took some wonderful notes yesterday on servitude (interestingly enough, the class is about getting a job, so you need to know how to serve in the workplace – good thing). I just see, my days might be numbered a little shorter than expected, so be it, that isn’t my call to make. Before I was born, I didn’t “tell” God that I had to live “X amount” of years… and even if my prideful self did so (and I wouldn’t put it past me to have done it), I know God has a way to put a “spin” on things. He could have simply replied “OK, in dog years then” and shipped on my way. Anyway, I digress. Elisha didn’t give up on her. And she wasn’t even a JEW. He didn’t give up on her, her family, and her son. He gave her hope when she had none. He gave her a family when she was childless. He gave her friendship when she was desperate. He gave her a LORD to trust in. He gave her faith. And that is friendship. That is the type of friend I need to be, I’m not there yet, not 100%, but I want to be. Johnny Out.
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