The Lord our God is so very good to take notice of all the details of His people’s lives. He is so very good to place His prophets, His preachers, and His pastors in situations where He alone knows how to adequately provide for their needs. Indeed He delights to do these good things because He Himself is full of compassion, and kindness, and goodness to all who trust in Him. The Lord uses means to provide for His people; sometimes unusual means, and sometimes by directing the attention of another believer to consider the needs of the His servant. God fed Elijah by means of ravens at the brook Cherith. Here He provides for Elisha through a notable woman of Shunem. It was not that Elisha felt that he really needed anything beyond what he already had. He had made do with what he had. But it seemed that he was a couple of times a month traveling from Carmel, going through Shunem, on his way to teach in the schools of the prophets in Samaria, Bethel, and Jericho, and because he was often going through Shunem, he was taken notice of, by this notable woman. This grand lady, because she was well-off financially, and she loved the Lord, and appreciated the word of Lord delivered by Elisha, she took notice of Elisha’s particular needs, and she was rewarded for it. This evening I want to set before you the fine character qualities of this woman which may teach each of us a great deal of how we ought to think of God’s servants who preach and teach the word of God to us. |
