Tips for Teaching This Week’s Session of The Gospel Project for Adults

Listen to this week’s leader training podcast with Y Bonesteele, team leader for The Gospel Project for Adults, for a summary and guidance in leading your group.

This week’s additional resources for study and preparation:

• Article: “Six Lessons from the Shunammite Woman” by Melanie Krumrey
• Sermon: “Elisha and the Widow” by Dave Kiehn
• Sermon: “Death and Resurrection” by Carl Trueman

Transcript of Leader Training Podcast:

Hi, this is Y Bonesteele, team leader of The Gospel Project for Adults. Welcome to another Leader Training Podcast. Today we are in Unit 14, Session 1, Resurrection, with the core passage of 2 Kings 4:18-22, 24-25, 28-37; and with the key concept of: God has the power to overcome death.

After Elijah was older and his ministry ended, he was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind in the beginning of 2 Kings 2. Before he was taken, however, he had passed on the mantle to Elisha, who would take his place in continuing to be a prophet for the Lord.  Through his ministry, God brought water from nowhere when needed, the Israelites were able to defeat the Moabites, and a widow was saved from creditors through the multiplying of oil.

And as he was traveling, there was a wealthy Shunammite woman who served him with hospitality, providing food, and even building him a room for him to stay whenever he’s in town, seen in chapter 4, verses 1-10. Because of her hospitality, Elisha wanted to do something for her and his servant, Gehazi, mentioned that she had no son and the couple was old. The Lord, through Elisha, thus granted her a son, which leads us to our present passage.

In verses 18-20, we see this child grew, went out to harvest with his dad, complained about his head, was carried to his mom, sat in her lap, and then died. Life happened in a blink of an eye. God gives and takes away, but sometimes also gives back.

The mother’s response to her dead child? She laid him in Elisha’s bed and already had a plan to go see Elisha. She told her husband to send a servant to go with her to find “the man of God” and come back. We don’t know if she even told her husband the son had died. She trusted in God and His prophet.

For space, we cut out verse 23 and 26, but honestly, maybe we shouldn’t have done that as it clues into the faith this woman had. In verse 23, her husband asks why she needs to go see Elisha today as it wasn’t any kind of religious holiday. He either was not wanting her and a servant to go because he needed the hands to harvest, or he didn’t want her to go because it didn’t make any sense to him why she needed to see the man of God in the first place.  She responded in Hebrew with one word: Shalom, translated in your Bible as, “It’s all right” or “All is well,” but literally, it means, “Peace”—either as a way to say, “Don’t worry about it” or “It’s gonna work out; it’s gonna be okay.” So she was determined to go, saddling the donkey and telling her servant not to slow down. She arrived at Mt. Carmel and Elisha saw her from afar and sent his servant, Gehazi. Verse 26, not printed, then, states that Gehazi ran to meet her and asked her if she was alright, her husband was alright, and her son alright? Literally, “shalom” with you, “shalom” with your husband, “shalom” with your son? And the woman responded, “Shalom.” Now the repetition of “Shalom” in this passage is significant, I think. The reader or hearer would definitely see the repetition in these two verses—that we took out, I apologize again. But I think it shows the woman’s trust, her peace even in the midst of tragedy. I think it’s possible to have this well-being, a sense of wholeness and peace, even when tragedy hits when you trust in the Lord. It’s an inner faith and hope in the One you know is in control of all things.

What does it mean to put your hope in the Lord? It’s knowing things will be alright even though it may not seem like it. It’s trusting in the One who holds the world in His hands. It’s still loving and believing and holding on to God even when it seems that the world around you is falling apart.

In verse 27, Elisha acknowledged her anguish, commenting that God hadn’t revealed to him the cause. Then the woman expressed her suffering, reminding him that she told him not to lie to her, referencing what she said back in verse 16, meaning not to make her keep her hopes up if he wasn’t going to grant her a son. Now he did give her the son, but just to take him away? Why play with her feelings like that? Elisha realizing what had happened, sent Gehazi to hurry and place his staff on the boy’s face.

The women’s knowledge that the Lord was with Elisha prevented her from leaving his presence. She said, “As the Lord lives and you yourself live, I will not leave you.” The Gospel Project Commentary on page 68 mentions that these are the same words Elisha spoke to Eljah in 2 Kings 2:2, 4, and 6 when Elijah told him to stay, but Elisha’s devotion to Elijah and understanding that God was with Elijah, prevented him from leaving Elijah’s side.

Gehazi went ahead of Elisha and the woman and put the staff on the boy’s face but there was no “sign of life.” So he returned to Elisha and told him nothing happened. So the boy was still dead when Elisha arrived to the house. But the first thing Elisha did was pray to the Lord. In all things pray. We are reminded of James 5:16, “The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.” Elisha knew he could do nothing on his own. It is only through the power of God that life can be resurrected. And he followed a similar method to what Elijah did when he raised the son of the widow of Zarepheth in 1 Kings 17:17-24. He lay on the boy. Elijah did it three times but Elisha only two times. Then “the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes,” verse 35. They called the Shunammite woman and in thankfulness and relief, she fell at Elisha’s feet and bowed. She picked up her son and left.

What role does persistence play in our prayers? For Elisha and the Shunammite woman, both knew it was only through the Lord that her son would be alive. The Shunammite woman sought out the man of God and the man of God sought God. And God answered. Not always in the ways we think but we continue to trust in Him. The staff itself didn’t do anything and Elisha laying on the boy the first time only warmed the boy’s body. Sometimes we have to continue walking and obeying in God’s ways until God answers. That’s why persistence is important. God may not answer in the way we think He will, but He will answer. Sometimes that answer is no, sometimes it’s a right away yes, and sometimes it’s a wait, or hold on. Only God knows the perfect plan for His glory and humanity’s good, and He is working it out in His timing.

And if God can raise the dead, those learning about this story can anticipate that resurrection is real and true and prepare for the ultimate resurrection, that of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The resurrection of the Son of God allows us to have new lives, salvation, a permanent relationship with God, and a future bodily resurrection at Jesus’s second coming.

How does faith in Jesus’s resurrection and hope for the future resurrection impact your life? Knowing that Jesus’s resurrection gives us victory over sin and death impacts me to worship Christ more, to long to know Him more, and to obey Him more. My hope in a future bodily resurrection reminds me that it’s okay that this life is not perfect; God will make all things new again, and we can be with Him forever. This hope makes me able to endure this life as I wait for that day. Your group will have varying answers.

This leads us to the Group Experience. Start with the icebreaker. If the question “When have you received a gift that you didn’t ask for, but it turned out to be an unexpected blessing?” seems too overdone, another option might be, “What is the most powerful thing you’ve seen God do?” Transition into the Context, bridging Elijah to Elisha, filling in the context of Elisha meeting the Shunammite woman, her hospitality, and the gift of her son because of it.

Recap, asking your group what stood out this week in their study and the responses of the three characters—the woman, Gehazi, and Elisha? Highlight the faith and obedience of all these people, even asking your group how they saw each character reflect faith and obedience. Transition into the Group Activity stating that sometimes comparing different similar incidents can bring insight into themes of God’s character and our response.

In the Group Activity then, recreate the diagram on a board for all to see. Invite someone to read 2 Kings 4:18-37 and another to read Mark 5:21-24 and 35-43. Divide your group into 3 smaller groups. Group 1 gets to identify things in the Shunammite woman’s son story unique to it. Group 2 gets to identify things in Jairus’s daughter story unique to it. And Group 3 gets to identify the similarities of both stories. Let each group share their insights.

So let’s start with the differences: Elisha was the man of God in the first story and Jesus was the Son of God in the second; Elisha first sent his servant ahead with his staff to try to revive the child but couldn’t  whereas Jesus walked with his disciples together; Elisha only had himself with the child, whereas Jesus brought the parents and his disciples into the room; Elisha prayed and physically lay on the child, whereas Jesus only took her hand and spoke words; Elisha  had to try a couple times, whereas the response to Jesus’s words were immediate; the boy was picked up by his mother but the girl got up and walked.

Now the similarities: both had a parent fall at the feet of the one they thought could do something about their dead child; both families were wealthy or prominent; both pleaded for their child; both Jesus and Elisha came to the child; the children in both were dead but were resurrected; God gets the glory for the resurrection.

What can we learn about the authority of the Lord in both accounts? God has all the power and authority. He is able to do all things, even the seemingly impossible. From this exercise we can see that Jesus is the better Elisha, as the Son of God and completely divine, His spoken word is all that is needed for miracles to happen.

Pass out Pack Item 7: Elijah, Elisha, and Jesus, examining the similarities and differences between the three, but also realizing Jesus is the better prophet as Lord Messiah, Son of God.

Debrief with: Knowing that God has the authority to defeat death, how should we approach death? As believers, we need not fear death. We can mourn the passing of others but for those who are in Christ, we can be assured of eternal life with God and future bodily resurrection. Knowing that God has the power to bring new life, what should be our response? Gratitude, worship, humility, and obedience because He is God Almighty and no one is like Him.

Summarize and head into the Head, Heart, Hands section, taking on the Heads question if time is limited: What role does the hope of resurrection have in your understanding of salvation? Our souls are eternal, and as believers, they will be with God forever. When Jesus comes back, our bodies also with be resurrected and we will have glorified bodies as seen in John 5:28-29, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, and Daniel 12:2.

Continue by highlighting the Next Steps, go through prayer requests and praises, and close with Psalm 30, maybe just reading verses 4 and 5 if time permits: “4 Sing to the Lord, you his faithful ones, and praise his holy name. 5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor, a lifetime. Weeping may stay overnight, but there is joy in the morning.” Even when tragedy strikes, our God is the God of impossibilities and joy will come after weeping.

Hey, thanks again for joining me on another Leader Training podcast. Send questions and comments to [email protected] and hope you have a great group time!