God’s faithfulness is evident as He uses rulers and events for His people’s benefit.
When the Shunammite woman returned to Israel after seven years in a foreign land to escape a famine, she found her fields and home taken away. Elisha had previously forewarned her of the coming hardship, urging her to depart and then come back once the famine was gone. In the providential timing of God, the king of Israel (likely King Jehoram, who ruled from approximately 852-841 BC) was hearing stories from Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, about this very woman’s miraculous experiences when she arrived to plead for the restoration of her property. At that moment, the scriptures tell us: “When the king asked the woman, she related it to him. So the king appointed for her a certain officer, saying, ‘Restore all that was hers and all the produce of the field from the day that she left the land even until now.’” (2 Kings 8:6)
By personally inviting the woman to recount her story, the king sought confirmation of Gehazi’s testimony concerning Elisha’s miracles. Once he heard the truth for himself, he displayed royal justice by appointing an official to ensure the woman’s rights were upheld. His edict to “restore all that was hers” not only reaffirms the value of property rights in ancient Israel, but also demonstrates God’s intimate care over this faithful individual’s life, providing for her total restoration. This act of divine blessing in a time of personal loss reveals how God’s sovereignty often works in unexpected ways and through unexpected people.
Just as the Shunammite woman had her land and possessions returned, so also does the New Testament depict Jesus as the one who restores what has been lost (Luke 19:10). In bringing about wholeness, both physical and spiritual, God’s care shines through in every situation, regardless of how dire our circumstances may seem. The king’s prompt action to rectify the wrong done to this woman stands as an example of trusting God’s provision and timing.
Set to dark mode
2 Kings 8:6 meaning
When the Shunammite woman returned to Israel after seven years in a foreign land to escape a famine, she found her fields and home taken away. Elisha had previously forewarned her of the coming hardship, urging her to depart and then come back once the famine was gone. In the providential timing of God, the king of Israel (likely King Jehoram, who ruled from approximately 852-841 BC) was hearing stories from Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, about this very woman’s miraculous experiences when she arrived to plead for the restoration of her property. At that moment, the scriptures tell us: “When the king asked the woman, she related it to him. So the king appointed for her a certain officer, saying, ‘Restore all that was hers and all the produce of the field from the day that she left the land even until now.’” (2 Kings 8:6)
By personally inviting the woman to recount her story, the king sought confirmation of Gehazi’s testimony concerning Elisha’s miracles. Once he heard the truth for himself, he displayed royal justice by appointing an official to ensure the woman’s rights were upheld. His edict to “restore all that was hers” not only reaffirms the value of property rights in ancient Israel, but also demonstrates God’s intimate care over this faithful individual’s life, providing for her total restoration. This act of divine blessing in a time of personal loss reveals how God’s sovereignty often works in unexpected ways and through unexpected people.
Just as the Shunammite woman had her land and possessions returned, so also does the New Testament depict Jesus as the one who restores what has been lost (Luke 19:10). In bringing about wholeness, both physical and spiritual, God’s care shines through in every situation, regardless of how dire our circumstances may seem. The king’s prompt action to rectify the wrong done to this woman stands as an example of trusting God’s provision and timing.