Title: The Service of a Precious Woman
Content Title: The Service of a Precious Woman
Text: 2 Kings 4:8-16
Today is Community Service Sunday. Sometimes people take pride in serving. So there are those who do a little service and want to know the name. So, I see a lot of advertisements and publicity through newspapers and broadcasts. But the Lord said in Matthew 6:2, "Therefore, when giving alms, do not blow the trumpet before you, as hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may receive glory. Let the left hand not know what the right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you." Verse 8 says, “One day Elisha came to Shunem, and a noble woman there persuaded him to eat. So whenever Elisha passed by there, he went in there to eat.” Here, the name of the person who served is not revealed, but only says, "A noble woman compelled me.
First, when did you serve?
Our saints are to serve. But when should you serve? We know that there are times when we also need to serve.
Here, it is said that Elisha served when he came to Shunem. The woman in the text can see that Elisha served when he reached Shunem. When a man of God came to her hometown, this woman used it as an opportunity to serve. Matthew 10:40 says, "Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me." Even though we say we believe in Jesus, we need to think about how much we are really serving for Jesus.
The text says, "Every time Elisha slept there, he went in there to eat." Here, we can see that this woman's service did not stop only once, but she served every time she passed. But it's not normal to do it consistently. This is a service that cannot be done without a heart for God. It is a situation where you never know when it will come.
Second, how did you serve?
The precious woman in the text served for Elisha, a man of God, and how did she serve?
1) He served by force. Verse 8 says, “Because there was a noble woman there who forced her to eat.” Here, the word “begging” refers to the fact that this woman did not simply invite Elisha, a man of God, to her house as a passing word, but did not tolerate the rejection of the man of God who was refusing to accept him into her home and served. This shows the zeal of this woman who does not want to miss the opportunity to serve.
2) He served meticulously. It can be seen that when this woman served Elisha, the man of God, she did it carefully, not randomly.
Third, what was the result of service?
The result of this woman's service was pure service. When we serve God, we need to know that God does not turn away from it. The Lord also said in Matthew 16:27, "The Son of Man will come in the glory of the Father with his angels, and then he will reward each one according to what he has done." God knows how we have served God while living on this earth, and He has promised to repay each and every one of us. However, in today's text, we can see that the noble woman's service was not performed in the hope of any reward, blessing, or grace. In verse 14, Elisha, a man of God, spoke of the woman's service and service, saying, "Elisha said, "What should we do then?" Gehazi answered, "Truly, this woman has no son, and her husband is old." This is not only what the woman who served Elisha wanted, but also what Elisha wanted to help. In verse 16 of the text, "Elisha said, "When you turn, you will hold your son. You have received the blessing of your son. I want you to truly serve the Lord today and become precious saints who also enjoy wonderful blessings."