The Invitation
“Let’s make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp. Then [Elisha] can stay there whenever he comes to us.” 2 Kings 4:10
The friendship began with a dinner invitation. A wealthy woman from the village of Shunem noticed that the prophet Elisha passed her home regularly as he journeyed from place to place. One day she urged him to share a meal with her and her husband.
After that, Elisha visited their home often. The woman recognized that he was “a holy man of God,” so she wanted to honor him and the God he served (2 Kings 4:9). She asked her husband to build a guest room for Elisha so he’d have a private place to stay when he and his servant Gehazi came. What a blessing it must have been for these two men to know that a hot meal and comfortable beds awaited them at the end of a long day’s journey.
Because Elisha valued the woman’s hospitality, he wanted to return her kindness. But when he asked how to repay her, she humbly said, “I have a home among my people,” which meant she was content with what she had (vv. 11–13). Later, in response to Gehazi’s suggestion, Elisha asked the Lord to give the woman the unspoken desire of her heart—a son (vv. 14–17). Within a year, God graciously rewarded this woman’s hospitable acts by giving her one.
This story makes me think about how much time I devote to blessing others. I often think I’m too busy doing “more important” things for God, so I don’t host a dinner, bake cookies for a church event, or visit a housebound friend.
But this scripture passage suggests the opposite. The “more important” may be a hot meal, a handwritten thank-you note, or an invitation to stay overnight. In fact, Jesus said that even a cup of water given in his name will be rewarded (Mark 9:41). The Shunamite woman extended hospitality to Elisha and Gehazi; in return, Gehazi suggested a way God could bless her, and Elisha interceded for her.
We may be surprised by the blessings God sends our way when we open our home and our heart to others. Our hospitality may unleash God’s power in our lives and in theirs, leading to the unexpected or unimaginable.
What blessings has God showered on you because of someone else’s kindness? To express your gratitude, ask God to pour out his blessings on them.
DIG DEEPER
What happened when Priscilla and Aquila opened their home to the apostle Paul in Acts 18:1–4 and to Apollos in 18:24–26? What does their experience teach us about the ministry of hospitality?
Read Matthew 10:40–42 and Mark 9:38–41. What is Jesus trying to teach the disciples in these parallel passages?
Read 1 Timothy 3:2-4, Titus 1:7–9, and Hebrews 13:1–3. What do these passages suggest about the importance of hospitality among God’s people?
Denise K. Loock
This devotion is part of our series on Elijah and Elisha.