God Calls For Justice: Justice Enacted
A King Acts on a Widow's Behalf
2 Kings 4:18-27
The Message (MSG)
18-19 The child grew up. One day he went to his father, who was working with the harvest hands, complaining, "My head, my head!"
His father ordered a servant, "Carry him to his mother."
20 The servant took him in his arms and carried him to his mother. He lay on her lap until noon and died.
21 She took him up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut him in alone, and left.
22 She then called her husband, "Get me a servant and a donkey so I can go to the Holy Man; I'll be back as soon as I can."
23 "But why today? This isn't a holy day—it's neither New Moon nor Sabbath."
She said, "Don't ask questions; I need to go right now. Trust me."
24-25 She went ahead and saddled the donkey, ordering her servant, "Take the lead—and go as fast as you can; I'll tell you if you're going too fast." And so off she went. She came to the Holy Man at Mount Carmel.
25-26 The Holy Man, spotting her while she was still a long way off, said to his servant Gehazi, "Look out there; why, it's the Shunammite woman! Quickly now. Ask her, 'Is something wrong? Are you all right? Your husband? Your child?'"
She said, "Everything's fine."
27 But when she reached the Holy Man at the mountain, she threw herself at his feet and held tightly to him.
Gehazi came up to pull her away, but the Holy Man said, "Leave her alone—can't you see that she's in distress? But God hasn't let me in on why; I'm completely in the dark."
His father ordered a servant, "Carry him to his mother."
20 The servant took him in his arms and carried him to his mother. He lay on her lap until noon and died.
21 She took him up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut him in alone, and left.
22 She then called her husband, "Get me a servant and a donkey so I can go to the Holy Man; I'll be back as soon as I can."
23 "But why today? This isn't a holy day—it's neither New Moon nor Sabbath."
She said, "Don't ask questions; I need to go right now. Trust me."
24-25 She went ahead and saddled the donkey, ordering her servant, "Take the lead—and go as fast as you can; I'll tell you if you're going too fast." And so off she went. She came to the Holy Man at Mount Carmel.
25-26 The Holy Man, spotting her while she was still a long way off, said to his servant Gehazi, "Look out there; why, it's the Shunammite woman! Quickly now. Ask her, 'Is something wrong? Are you all right? Your husband? Your child?'"
She said, "Everything's fine."
27 But when she reached the Holy Man at the mountain, she threw herself at his feet and held tightly to him.
Gehazi came up to pull her away, but the Holy Man said, "Leave her alone—can't you see that she's in distress? But God hasn't let me in on why; I'm completely in the dark."
For Reflection
Death
is never easy. Especially when it is the death of a child, your
child. The miraculous gift by the Holy man is gone. "All is fine," she
said. And it was so.
It is well for those who survive. It is well for those who have gone to God and it is well for all that God does. We are in possession of nothing. So in death we lose nothing. We have in fact been blessed to have been associated in love with another. So, even in death, all is well.
Even in this, God is just.
It is well for those who survive. It is well for those who have gone to God and it is well for all that God does. We are in possession of nothing. So in death we lose nothing. We have in fact been blessed to have been associated in love with another. So, even in death, all is well.
Even in this, God is just.
Pray
that
you will find the strength of faith necessary to be able to say, even
in the face of sorrow, in the face of threat, in the face of failure, in
the face of tribulation, "All is well."
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