Note: All Scripture quotations found in this article are from the text of the Authorized King James Version of the Bible.
This article will be on the Great Woman of Shunem in 2 Kings 4. What is special about her is that even though she is anonymous, she is the only woman in the Bible that is called great. There is a lot we can learn from her.
1. The first reason she was a great woman was because she was humble and this is shown in verse 13.
2 Kings 4:13 “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.”
Instead of seeking to built herself up, she chose to stay where she was. I believe this shows that she did her good work not for a reward, but to be a blessing. We should all be the same as the great woman, doing good works, not for self promotion, but because of the love and care in our heart.
Proverbs 16:19 “Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.”
James 4:10 “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”
2. In verses 22 and 23, we see that she is hungry for the word.
2 Kings 4:22 “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.”
The Great woman was so hungry for the word of God that she wanted to get to the man of God as quickly as possible. As Christians, we should have a hunger for the word of God, especially King James Bible Believing Baptists. We believe that we have the very words of God, the Creator of the Universe in the King James Bible, so we should have a hunger for studying and reading God’s word.
2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Acts 17:11 “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”
Isaiah 34:16 “Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read..”
3. The Great Woman was earnest in verse 24.
2 Kings 4:24 “Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee.”
Earnest is a character all Christians should have in their daily lives. Earnest means to be eager or zealous over something. We should be earnest in our love and prayer. We are also told to EARNESTLY contend for the faith in scripture.
Luke 22:44 “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
Jude 1:3 “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”
4. In verse 26, we see the woman had self-control.
2 Kings 4:26 “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.”
Notice how she controlled her emotions in the above verse. She kept her emotions in and did not complain. This is a good lesson for all Christians. We must remember that God HATES complaining.
1 Corinthians 10:10 “Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.”
5. She was prayerful in verse 33.
2 Kings 4:33: He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD.”
She prayed with Elisha over the matter of her child. The Bible tells us that we should pray without ceasing. Prayer is one of the most important things in a Christians life. To have a close relationship with God, we must stay in prayer constantly. God talks to us through the Bible and we talk to God through prayer.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.”
James 5:13 “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.”
James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
6. The last thing is that she was thankful and this is shown in verse 37.
2 Kings 4:37: Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out.”
She was thankful for what the man of God did for her son, so much that she fell at his feet and bowed herself to the ground. As Christians, we should always be thankful for what God has done for us. We should never dwell on the bad things, but always think of the things we should be thankful for in our lives. Not only does this please the Lord, but it will keep us happy in the Lord also.
Colossians 3:15 “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
I hope this article will be a blessing to someone. I know all of this stuff is simple, but I believe that sometimes we get so caught up in strong doctrine that we forget the simple things like how to live godly lives, which pleases the Lord.
