2 kings 4 - beth moore girl a to z

7/29/2019 2 Kings 4 - Beth Moore Girl a to Z

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The Widows Olive Oil

4 The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha,

Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD.

But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.2 Elisha replied to her, How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in

your house? Your servant has nothing there at all, she said, except asmall jar of olive oil.

3 Elisha said, Go around and ask al l your neighbors for empty jars. Dont ask

for just a few. 4 Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons.

Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side. 5 She left him

and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and

she kept pouring. 6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, Bring me

another one. But he replied, There is not a jar left. Then the oil stopped

flowing. 7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, Go, sell the oil and

pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.

TheShunammitesSon Restored to Life

8 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. 9 She said to her husband, I know that this man who often comes our

way is a holy man of God. 10 Lets 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. 11 One day when Elisha came, he went up to his

room and lay down there. 12 He said to his servant Gehazi, Call the

Shunammite. So he called her, and she stood before him. 13 Elisha said to

him, Tell her, You have gone to al l 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.

14 What can be done for her? Elisha asked. Gehazi said, She has no son,

and her husband is old. 15 Then Elisha said, Call her. So he called her, and

she stood in the doorway. 16 About this time next year, Elisha said, you will

hold a son in your arms. No, my lord! she objected. Please, man of God,

dont mislead your servant!

17 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. 18 The child grew, and one

day he went out to his father, who was with the reapers. 19 He said to his

father, My head! My head! His father told a servant, Carry him to his

mother. 20 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. 21 She went up and laid

him on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and went out. 22 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. 23 Why go to him

today? he asked. Its not the New Moon or the Sabbath. Thats all right,

she said. 24 She saddled the donkey and said to her servant, Lead on; dont

slow down for me unless I tell you. 25 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! Theres the Shunammite! 26 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. 27 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.28

Did I ask you fora son, my lord? she said. Didnt I tell you, Dont raise my hopes? 29 Elisha

said to Gehazi, Tuck your cloak into your belt, take my staff in your hand and

run. Dont greet anyone you meet, and if anyone greets you, do not answer.

Lay my staff on the boys face. 30 But the childs mother said, As surely as

the LORDlives and as you live, I will not leave you. So he got up and followed

her. 31 Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the boys face, but there

was no sound or response. So Gehazi went back to meet Elisha and told him,

The boy has not awakened. 32 When Elisha reached the house, there was

the boy lying dead on his couch. 33 He went in, shut the door on the two of

them and prayed to the LORD. 34 Then he got on the bed and lay on the boy,

mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched himself outon him, the boys body grew warm. 35 Elisha turned away and walked back

and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out on him

once more. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. 36 Elisha

summoned Gehazi and said, Call the Shunammite. And he did. When she

came, he said, Take your son. 37 She came in, fell at his feet and bowed to

the ground. Then she took her son and went out.

2 Kings 4:1-37
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http://kspark.kaist.ac.kr/Old%20Testament/Jewish%20History.htm

This study is based on a simulcast by Beth Moore,

Girl A to Z: A Call Back to Faith in Redding, PA in 2012.

The chart on the right gives a recap of the kings and prophets of Israel and

Judah. The color coding indicates the righteous (green) to evil (red) kings. This

story takes place when Elisha was a prophet in Israel.

These passages contains stories of two different women. To introduce the

two:

One person read 2 Kings 4:1-2

Another person read 2 Kings 4:8-13

Compare the two women, noting any similarities ordifferences.

To recap some of the initial differences we notice from the descriptions in the

passages:

In the simulcast, Beth Moore called them Girl A (the widow) and Girl Z (the

Shunammite)., noting that we can all find ourselves somewhere in between.

From what you know of these two characters, where do you seeyourself (desperate need of miracle to Im fine)?

God wants to work something wonderful in our lives, but it requires faith and

us entering into itotherwise we are just witnessing someone elses miracle.

2 Kings 4:1-37

Widow Shunammite

Dirt poor

Has almost nothing

In a season of loss

Knows she needs a miracle

Great means, wealth

Has almost everything

Has no idea she needs a

miracle (Im fine)


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The WidowRead the first story all the way through (2 Kings 4:1-7)

This first woman had almost nothing. Her husband had died and the debt

collectors were coming to take her sons in order to pay off the debt that was

owed, which was common practice during this time period. She has already

lost her husband and now she is about to lose her sons. Imagine her fear andgrief.

The first point Beth Moore made from this story was:

Personal desperation can jar us out of second-hand stories.

What do you think she meant by this?

It was believed among early Jewish tradition that this womans husband was

Obadiah.

Read 1 Kings 18:1-13. Who was Obadiah?

He housed the prophets in a cave at his own expense, which may have

explained why he was in debt when he died.

For years, she had witnessed God move powerfully in the life of her husband.

However, after his death, she was in the spotlight. She would no longer be

living in the shadow of someone elses story. It was her time.

Beth Moore asked:

Can you recount Gods faithfulness to YOU?

Your life should be marked by a dramatic, climactic, radical show of Godsfaithfulness. Its time to reclaim YOUR firsthand story.

We were never meant to onlyu watch Gods faithfulness to others; we were

meant to experience Him ourselves. God wants to reveal Himself to each andevery one of His own!

This women was in need of a miracle and God sent His prophet Elisha to

her.

Look back at verse 2. What was all she had?

What did Elisha tell her to do (v. 3)?

Elisha instructions were that she gathered not too few. We need to bejust as bold in our prayers.

How hard is it for you to admit you are in need and askyour neighbors for help?

It is not easy to admit to others that we are in need. It takes both faith

and humility to do this. Yet, it is important not to hide our need from

others. God will use our very weaknesses and struggles to minister to

others, as we share how He has met our need. This is one way Christ

becomes visible to others.

We need to embrace our need. Our need is our invitation to experience themiraculous.

Look again at verse 4 and 5, do you think there is anysignificance to the instructions to shut the door?

Beth Moore suggested that there are some seasons in life where we needto shut ourselves in with faith. To shut ourselves out from naysayers or

others who may cause us to doubt. To soak in the Word and believe God.

What do you think the significance is in the idea of pouringout and the jars being filled?

Because she obeyed Gods plan, she and her sons were miraculously

delivered. There is truly NOTHING that is impossible with our God. He can

take our little and make it overflow into abundant provisions. He sees ourplight and He ALWAYS has a plan!

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Read the second story all the way through (2 Kings 4:8-37)

This lady and her husband were very wealthy and they were also generous.

They added a room onto their home for Elisha, so that when he was visiting

the area, he would have a place to stay.

What was her response when Elisha asked her what he coulddo for her (v. 13)?

Here response was in essence saying Im fine.

The second point Beth Moore made in the simulcast was:

God didnt call us to fine. He called us to FAITH.

Fine isnt the point!

Do you wan to live in the supernatural provision of Godwhere you experience the miraculous or do you just want to

live a humanly explainable life?

If you have everything you need, you need to get a biggerlife! Do you agree with this?

We dont want to get to the end of our lives and be able to explain it all.

Where is the glory of God in that? A stronghold for us could be to resolve

ourselves to just get by until we die.

What did it turn out was lacking in her life (v. 14)?

The ShunammiteWhat was her response when Elisha told her she would have ason (v. 16)?

Why do you think she responded like this?

She basically told him , Dont mess with me! This was obviously a verytender area in her heart. How many years had she yearned for a child? She

was in need of something her wealth couldnt buy.

People in this situation tend to live like this:

Do the safe thing. Dont ask for anything so you will not be disappointed.Dont risk loss. Dont risk getting out there where it is tough.

Can you relate to this?

What is the result of living our lives like this?

We end up living a little life because we ask little and risk little. The woman

is almost asking to just stay in her safe way of living. How long she must

have hoped and prayed for a child and perhaps had finally gotten over it

and was at peace with how things were. Now it is being brought up again

and she is scared to even go there again.

God has not called any of us to a little life. We are called to an astonishing

life! Risk! Then experience a dramatic story and supernatural provision!

FAITHFULNESS

We want to find a way to be faithful without the faith. Then all we have left

is fullness, which creates a vacuum that we try to fill with various things

(doing good deeds, being good, posessions, etc.)

We are to live in abundance. to be abounding in Christ.

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The third point Beth Moore made in the simulcast was:

Fear is the crippler of a walking, talking miracle.

Do you see this as a true statement? How has fear crippled you?

On a scale of 1 to 10, how big is the issue of fear in your life?

We all deal with fear to some extent. Beth Moore indicted that this was a huge

issue for her. She wrote out 7 pages of fear nots in the Bible and read one

page a day (you can get a copy from her blog). After doing this every single day,

she found that faith began replacing her fear.

She asks:

Are you still accepting the lie, This is how its always going to be? Are you stilldrawing breath? Change is always possible! What could God begin to do TODAYthat in 3 months you could ask, Who is this you are making me?

The fourth point Beth Moore made in the simulcast was:

Faith trusts that every call to forsake is a call to take.

What do you think this means?

What can you add to the list?

Forsake Take

Fear

Being our own god

Life of destruction

______________

Courage

The one, true powerful God

Everlasting life

________________

What does the woman say to her husband (v. 23) and Gehazi (v.26)? Why does she say this?

Depending on the translation , she is saying everything is fine, all is well

What does the woman say to Elisha when she gets to him (v.28)?

It is like she is saying if you werent going to give me something to keep,

why did you give me something at all? or why did you even give him to

me?

What is Elishas initial response (v. 29)? Why do you think he

was going to send Gehazi?

Perhaps he was getting older and knew Gehazi could get there faster. He

had likely seen the staff he touched perform so many miracles in the past.

How does the mother respond (v. 30)?

Read 2 Kings 2 verse 2, 4 and 6. What do you think about the

significance of these similar responses?

It is pretty powerful when your own words come back at you. He knew the

urgency in his words to Elijah and recognized the urgency and persistence in

the womans words to him.

What happens at their first attempt to revive the boy (v. 31)?What do you think they are thinking at this point?

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The fifth point Beth Moore made in the simulcast was:

Faith faces the fact that there is no formula.

What are your initial thoughts to this statement?

Elishas original approach failed. Something that has worked in the past,

maybe many, many times, isnt working this time.

What do you do when your tried and true approach tosomething doesnt work.when you have seen God comethrough time and time again in a certain way under similarcircumstances, but it doesnt seem to be working now?

We cant allow our failures to turn to faithlessness. Faithlessness results in

someone who is coldhearted, unforgiving, cynical, a hater, a bully (evenamong believers they can be the most harsh toward one another).

The bottom line is that we want to control GodWe want a listof things to do so we can do those things and have some control.But Jesus says NO! Get out there in the wind and the waves andfind yourself some fiery faith!

If there was a formula, we would go for the results rather thanthe Redeemer. Pray with expectation! We may not get exactlywhat we are asking for, but He WILL be faithful!

We live with mystery. He is God and we have to trust Him. Ifwhat we asked for in believing faith doesnt come down, thatmeans something is up. He never says no to us without a goodreason. His ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55).

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What does Elisha do (v. 32-35)?

Elisha shut the door and prayed first (v. 33), then got to work.

Miraculously, God raised the womans son from the dead. This is another

preview of Christ, who would one day rise from the dead on our behalf.

The sixth point Beth Moore made in the simulcast was:

Faith rests its case on the resurrection of the dead.

What are your initial thoughts to this statement?

If Jesus died and rose from the dead, is there ANYTHING THING He cannot do?

Within you is the same resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead?

Ask Him to fill you up to overflowing and do what only He can do!

Why do you think we dont see people raised from the dead inour day like we did in stories in the Bible?

Beth Moore suggests the primary difference between the old covenant and

the new covenant is that the wonders of God under the established Old

Covenant were primarily external and secondarily internal, where the wonders

of God in the established New Covenant were primarily internal and

secondarily external.

Read 2 Cor. 3.

Today the biggest wonder God wants to perform is IN human hearts. WE

become the miracle! We were all spiritually dead and raised from the dead.

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Old Covenant New Covenant

Prim external, Second. Internal

Law written on stone

Dwelt with them

Law to obey

Saints see glory

Prim internal, Second external

Law within our heart

Wants to dwell in us

Heart to obey

We see surpassing glory


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2 kings 4 - beth moore girl a to z

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