And he said to him, “Say now to her, ‘See, you have taken all this trouble for us; what is to be done for you? Would you have a word spoken on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?’” She answered, “I dwell among my own people.” – 2 Kings 4:13 (ESV)This is from the story of the Shunammite woman. I refer to Matthew Henry who tells us that Shunem was a town in the tribal area of Issachar. It lay on the road between Samaria and Mount Carmel and was a place the prophet Elisha passed by on many occasions in his travels for the Lord. The woman was the wife of a prosperous man. They could afford to provide food and accommodations to the prophet. She had asked her husband to build a small, simple room that the prophet might have a place to rest and pray as he passed through. Perhaps she thought she and her husband would be blessed for their efforts. Or perhaps she simply had a heart for God and sought to please Him by showing kindness to His man.
Elisha seeks to repay the kindness done to him, and he asks her what it is that he might do for her. He had connections in the royal city of Samaria. His face was as familiar to the king as it was sometimes dreaded. Samaria was probably nearly as corrupt as Chicago, but, if one knew the right people and greased the right palms, business could be done. The leaders of Israel feared Elisha at least as much as they respected him. He did not need a bribe to sway them. All he would have to do is speak a word in the ear of the king.
The woman’s answer fascinates me. “I dwell among my own people.” She requires no special favors – at least, not yet. She and her husband had their rightful inheritance in the Land of Promise, their home among their family and their clan. Their fathers and mothers were buried in that ground. Their very bones were knit from it. They had a place where they belonged. The woman expresses no dissatisfaction, no discontent. She has enough because she sees it as being what God has given her.
Can I be satisfied with what God has given me? There is so much around me that seeks to stir up the muck of discontent. I have very nearly quit watching television except for my own DVD’s. I listen to the radio much less than I used to. But dissatisfaction still finds me. I can deal with the desire to have a new car or a new MP3 player or a new firearm. A desire for things is, for most of us, rather trivial. It does not do us a great deal of harm unless it becomes a substitute for something else.
The danger comes when I am not satisfied with where God has placed me or how He has made me. If I am unhappy with my heritage, my place in His great plan, I am at risk. This is related to the subject of my previous post. One does not have to be a Simon Magus (Acts 8:18) or a Diotrephes (3 John 9) to be led astray. Perhaps the greatest single key to developing as a Christian is to learn to rest in one’s current circumstances.
Look at Psalm 1:3: He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. A tree does not plant itself. We are planted at God’s direction. This sometimes looks like a desert, but there must be an underground river nearby.
Paul reflects a similar view in Philippians 4:11, saying, Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. Again, in Colossians 3:23, he says, Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men…. Wherever I find myself, all God asks is that I take care of what is in front of me. If I do what I can, where I am, it will be enough.
We may not always be able to remain in our place (2 Kings 8:1-6). We may be forced to sojourn and toil in a foreign and unfamiliar land. But, in that, too, we may recognize the sovereign and merciful hand of God – if we will. In the end, there will be restoration, as there was for that Shunammite woman. But we will never find rest without putting our trust fully in God as the One who is ultimately in control. He offers us pure and eternal peace with Him through Christ Jesus. He asks of us nothing except a willingness to enter into His rest and to be content.
14 comments:
Their fathers and mothers were buried in that ground. Their very bones were knit from it.
That's an interesting observation. Throughout most of man's history, it was the truth for everyone - they lived off of, and thus were literally made of - the earth around them and its abundance. Here and now, it is rare for that to be so. The abundance that feeds us usually comes from far away, even from around the world. I wonder what are the implications?
We are planted at God’s direction.
So long as our roots are aloft and we are grounded in and watered by the Absolute, we will thrive no matter the circumstances. Thus, all things work for the good for those who love God.
Well said, Julie.
Fine post, Mushroom.
I wonder if the room might also be a slackatorium. Built by two. Perhaps by the two halves of the same person. And in the room was found room for the Holy Spirit to grow. Or rest. Who does charity benefit most? Does it only benefit the receiver?
Good selection. What she says is indeed fascinating.
So long as our roots are aloft and we are grounded in and watered by the Absolute ...
That works well. Very good.
Rick, I think you have something there. The rest of the story is that Elisha intercedes on her behalf for the one thing she is missing, a child. A few years later, the son falls ill and apparently dies. The woman, while telling those around her that "all is well", lays her son on the prophet's bed in the little room. She then goes to seek him. Elisha goes in where the child lies.
He places his eyes on the child's eyes, his hands on the child's hands, etc., as if he were putting together two halves to make a whole.
Interesting. I don't remember that last part. I'll have to reread it.
Reading it here last night Genesis came to mind. I don't remember (what else is knew) if Bob said it directly or hinted or what, that the "separating of the waters" was perhaps also a description of the introduction into the Cosmos of self-awareness in Man in the "form" of his brain separating into two hemispheres. And that each hemisphere serves a different and unique role in the "trinity" of human creativity -- in Man and each person. And you could compare this to Adam and Eve as analogs of these "hemisphere" roles as well. And in the scripture you brought up. There is a "creative" space "made". And it is found "enough".
OT, but not really, I finally read The Road recently. Have you read it, Mush?
No, I haven't. I've been intending to. I'll have to pick it up.
I think I remember you talking about seeing the film. I haven't done that yet either.
Well, the movie is difficult to watch. Emotionally. Same with the book, but less so. Although I read the book after the movie so maybe I was sort of used to "the idea" by then. It's a story that is both terrible and beautiful at the same time. That's just a warning I guess.
Anyway, having read the book now I think there is more to it than I originally thought -- and I already thought it was a great movie/story and very well done. But through reading it, I think there is or may be something else going on and I'm not inclined to think the writer intended it. I'm not sure it matters if he did or not.
Slightly related but not really, I found this article encouraging and in a way like the movie/book is for the most part a downer, but at least I'm not crazy.
No offense if you are a fan of King. I mean, I can certainly understand how a person can enjoy his writing in a guilty pleasure sort of way if not just plain liking it period and not needing it to be more than that. Same for the other authors he criticizes. But I know what he means nonetheless
Perhaps the greatest single key to developing as a Christian is to learn to rest in one’s current circumstances.
No doubt it's our Maker's sense of humor that makes rest (in this context) the most arduous task of all. It puts the prize in reach of everyone, hidden in plain sight.
Guilty pleasure would cover it. I think I have read a couple of King's books: The Shining and The Stand. While both are interesting, no one would mistake them for great literature. King seems to be able to spin good threads, but they don't come together to make a good yarn. I can hardly remember The Shining as a book, having seen Nicholson's amusing movie version. The Stand is very clunky.
I can imagine that King has launched some writing careers when people have said, "I can write that well."
In King's defense, he has had a few moments of transcendence, here and there. Up until the last decade or so, I read pretty much everything he had ever written. A lot of it really was pure crap, but the two that stood out for me then were The Talisman, and later the Gunslinger books (except the last couple; he jumped the shark when he wrote himself into the story at the end). Even so, I don't know that I'd call any of it timeless literature. That's like describing the average manga artist's work as classical fine art. I enjoyed it; I may have thought it was underappreciated when I was young and didn't know any better; but I don't think I ever would have expected it to win serious awards, and much of it fails the test of time even now.
I think people often confuse the things they like with things that elevate man to something higher; that because something gives them pleasure, they want it to be more than it is (which would reflect well upon them because it might make them more than they are). On the one hand, for any author's books to have so great an appeal, there must be something engaging about them, but on the other, to have so great an appeal they must also speak to a lower common denominator than anything that requires the reader to elevate himself in some way along with the author.
Now I don't feel guilty.
Pournelle said an average person has to write about a million words to get good at writing. (Not counting people like me who are content to practice their mistakes.)
I was distracted in the middle of replying, but I was going to mention the Dark Tower series. I had heard it was higher quality.
Speaking of manga, is there also a Dark Tower graphic novel series? And is that distinct from the Gunslinger stuff? Or am I totally mixed up?
You're right, there is also a graphic novel series, and it is based on the books. I read the first one. It was pretty close to the part of the story it covered, but it didn't really grab me. Partly because I already had too strong of a mental picture, so the renderings just didn't work for me, and partly it all just looked too slick, period. A lot of comic art is like that these days. At least to my eyes.
That would be an artist's eye. But I know what you mean. I guess what I like is now "retro".
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