The prophet Elisha, a prominent figure in the Old Testament, is renowned for the miracles he performed through the power of God. One of the most significant miracles attributed to Elisha is the restoration of life to the son of the Shunammite woman, as recorded in 2 Kings 4:18-37.

Context and Background

Elisha, the successor of Elijah, was a prophet in the northern kingdom of Israel during the 9th century BC. His ministry was marked by numerous miracles, demonstrating God's power and presence among His people. The account of the Shunammite woman's son is a testament to Elisha's role as a conduit of divine intervention.

The Shunammite woman, a notable figure in the town of Shunem, showed great hospitality to Elisha, providing him with a room in her home whenever he passed through the area. In gratitude for her kindness, Elisha prophesied that she would bear a son, despite her husband's old age and her previous barrenness. This prophecy was fulfilled, and the child was born as Elisha had foretold.

The Miracle of Restoration

The narrative unfolds in 2 Kings 4:18-37. The child grew, but one day, while in the fields with his father, he suddenly fell ill, crying, "My head! My head!" (2 Kings 4:19). The father instructed a servant to carry the boy to his mother. Tragically, the child sat on his mother's lap until noon and then died.

In her distress, the Shunammite woman laid her son on the bed of the man of God, Elisha, and set out to find the prophet at Mount Carmel. Upon reaching Elisha, she expressed her anguish, and Elisha, moved by her plight, sent his servant Gehazi ahead with his staff to lay on the boy's face. However, Gehazi's attempt to revive the child was unsuccessful.

Elisha then arrived at the woman's home and went to the room where the child lay. He prayed to the LORD and then performed a series of actions: he lay upon the child, placing his mouth on the child's mouth, his eyes on the child's eyes, and his hands on the child's hands. As Elisha stretched himself upon the child, the boy's body began to warm. Elisha then walked back and forth in the house and repeated the process. The child sneezed seven times and opened his eyes, fully restored to life (2 Kings 4:34-35).

Significance

This miracle is significant for several reasons. It underscores the power of God working through His prophet, Elisha, affirming Elisha's role as a true servant of the LORD. The miracle also highlights the themes of faith and divine reward. The Shunammite woman's faith in seeking out Elisha, despite her grief, and her previous acts of kindness towards the prophet, are met with a miraculous intervention.

Furthermore, the restoration of life serves as a foreshadowing of the resurrection power that is fully realized in the New Testament through Jesus Christ. It illustrates God's compassion and His ability to bring life from death, a central tenet of Christian belief.

Biblical References

· 2 Kings 4:18-37 : The full account of the Shunammite woman's son being restored to life by Elisha.

This miracle, among others performed by Elisha, continues to inspire believers, demonstrating the profound truth that God is sovereign over life and death, and that He works through His chosen servants to accomplish His divine purposes.2 Kings 13:21
And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulcher of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Christ Teaching by Miracles
... thirty and forty of the mighty works wrought by our ... John xi: 1-54, he was working
miracles to show ... sunshine pours in at every window, and through every crack.". ...
/.../newton/the life of jesus christ for the young/christ teaching by miracles.htm

Nothing but Leaves
... perhaps, a part of another, all the miracles of Jesus ... knew before, one which only
God could have wrought. ... the Lord confers upon his people through Christ, you ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 10 1864/nothing but leaves.htm

Book ii. Jerome Answers the Second, Third, and Fourth Propositions ...
... he putteth no trust in his servants, and chargeth ... the centurion was found worthy
through alms-giving ... who, while he was fasting, had wrought miracles, no sooner ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/book ii jerome answers the.htm

Three Homilies. On Our Lord.
... that they might fear; and blessed miracles surrounded in ... He not have convinced him
also through the greatness ... For when pride had wrought divisions amongst the ...
/.../ephraim/hymns and homilies of ephraim the syrian/three homilies on our lord.htm

Concerning the Ministry.
... hereunto, the devil, that worketh and hath wrought in the ... by him to preach, and do
miracles; which immediate ... to a true minister; by and through which learning ...
/.../proposition x concerning the ministry.htm

The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
... While these were passing through the mountains they called upon a ... O ye Philistines,
that ye be not servants unto the ... for his heart trembled for the ark of God. ...
/.../chapter iiithe hebrews and the.htm

A Few Sighs from Hell;
... He performed the most astonishing miracles"His doctrines ... the saddest condition, yet
they, through unbelief, or ... men, there are bondmen or servants, and slaves ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/a few sighs from hell.htm

A Discourse Upon the Pharisee and the Publican
... given of his birth, life, death, doctrine, and miracles, in the ... had been imperfect,
not through man's weakness, but through impediment in God, or in ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/a discourse upon the pharisee.htm

What is the difference between miracles and magic? | GotQuestions.org

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Does God still perform miracles? | GotQuestions.org

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