Elisha: Thinking too highly of oneself

1
Elisha Thinking too highly of oneself

• 2 Kings 4.8-37

2
Laudatory Stories?

• Elijah Elisha Stories
• Hermann Gunkel stories of veneration.
• DeVries "Power Demonstration Narratives."
• Yairah Amit ". . . exposes his limitations and
  human errors. . . . not so much a laudatory story
  as one of development."

3
2 Kings 4.8

• One day Elisha was crossing over to Shunem and a
  prominent woman was there. She prevailed (vchzq)
  on him to eat a meal. So whenever he would pass
  by, he would stop there to eat a meal.

4
2 Kings 4.8-10

• She said to her husband,
• "Please . . . I know that he is a holy man of God
  who regularly passes by us."
• "Please let us make a small walled roof chamber.
  We'll put a bed, table, chair, and lampstand for
  him there. So whenever he comes to us, he can
  stop there."

5
2 Kings 4.11-12a

• One day he came there and turned aside to the
  upper chamber and lay down there.
• Then he said to Gehazi his servant,
• "Call this Shunammite!"

6
2 Kings 4.12b-13

• So he called her and she stood before him
  (Gehazi).
• He said to him,
• "Please tell her, 'hinneh you have troubled
  yourself for us with all this trouble. What to do
  for you? (comp. vs. 2) Is there a word to be
  spoke for you to the king or to the army
  commander?
• She answered,
• "In the midst of my people I am living."

7
2 Kings 4.14-15

• The he said,
• "What to do for her?"
• And Gehazi answered,
• "Well . . . a son she does not have, and her
  husband is old."
• He said,
• "Call her!"
• He called her and she stood in the doorway.

8
2 Kings 4.16

• Then he said,
• "At this season, according to the time of life,
  you will be embracing a son.

• But she said,
• "NO, my lord, O man of God! Do not deceive your
  maidservant!"

9
2 Kings 4.17

• The woman became pregnant and bore a son at the
  same season, according to the time of life, as
  Elisha had spoken to her.

10
2 Kings 4.18-20

• The child grew and one day, he went out with his
  father among the reapers.
• But he complained to his father,
• "MY HEAD! MY HEAD!"
• He said to an attendant,
• "Carry him to his mother!"
• He carried him and brought him to his mother. The
  child sat on her lap until noon but then died.

11
2 Kings 4.21-23

• She got up and laid him on the bed of the man of
  God. She closed the door behind him (vss. 33, 4,
  5) and went out.
• She called out to her husband and said,
• "Please send me one of the attendants and one of
  the donkeys so that I may run (vs. 26) to the man
  of God and return."
• He said,
• "Why are you going to him today? It is neither
  the new moon nor the sabbath."
• But she said,
• "Shalom."

12
2 Kings 4.24-25

• She saddled a donkey and said to her attendant,
• "Drive hard! Go! Don't hold me back to ride,
  unless I tell you."
• She went and came to the man of God, to Mount
  Carmel. When the man of God saw her from a
  distance he said to Gehazi his attendant,
• "hinneh there . . . the Shunammite."

13
2 Kings 4.26

• Now please run to meet her and say to her,
• 'Is it Shalom to you, shalom to your husband,
  shalom to the child?'
• She said,
• "Shalom."

14
2 Kings 4.27

• But when she came to the man of God, to the
  mountain, she seized (vs. 8, vchzq) his feet.
  Gehazi approached to push her away. Then the man
  of God said,
• "Leave her alone! for her life is bitter to her,
  and Yahweh has concealed it from me and has not
  told me."

15
2 Kings 4.28

• She said,
• "Did I ask my lord for a son? Did I not say, 'NO
  do not mislead me'?"

16
2 Kings 4.29

• He said to Gehazi,
• "Tie up your skirts!
• Take my staff in your hand!
• Go!
• If you meet anyone, do not greet them!
• If anyone greets you, do not answer them!
• Put my staff on the boy!

17
2 Kings 4.30-31

• The mother of boy said,
• "Upon Yahweh's life and your life, I will not let
  go of you!"
• So he got up and followed after her.
• Gehazi had gone before them. He put the staff on
  the boy's face, but there was not sound nor
  response. So he returned to meet him and told
  him, "the boy has not awakened."

18
2 Kings 4.32-33

• Elisha came into the house and hinneh the boy was
  dead, laid out on his bed.
• So he went in, shut the door behind the two of
  them and prayed to Yahweh.

19
2 Kings 4.34

• He got up . . . and lay on the child. He put his
  mouth upon his mouth, his eyes upon his eyes, his
  palms upon his palms. He bent over him. So the
  child's body grew warm.

20
2 Kings 4.35-36

• He turned and walked in the room once back and
  forth. He got up and bent over him. The boy
  sneezed seven times. The boy opened his eyes.
• He called Gehazi and said,
• "Call this Shunammite!"
• He called her and she came to him and he said,
• "Lift up your son!"

21
2 Kings 4.37

• Then she came and fell at his feet and bowed to
  the ground. She lifted up her son and went out.

22
General Comments

• This story is found in the context of several
  miracle stories that do not seem to have the
  miracles themselves as the main point.
• The story itself breaks up into 3 units, with
  "one day," as the division indicator (vs. 8, 11,
  18).
• The segments increase in length, with the final
  story the longest and arguably the focal point.

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General Comments

• Three major characters dominate Gehazi, Elisha
  and the unnamed Shunammite.
• Although the miracle of bringing the boy back to
  life is "eye catching," it is not the central
  meaning of the story.

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The Dangers of Signs Wonders

• The Pentecostal movement has revitalized the
  concept of miracles . . . spiritual gifts,
  exorcisms, healings, etc.
• The power evangelists are treated with awe, no
  longer human . . . a demigod.
• Unverified and unverifiable exploits are referred
  to as proof of a special "anointing."

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The Fine Art of Baloney Detection

• "When possible there must be independent
  confirmation of the 'facts.'"
• Encourage debate on the evidence by knowledgeable
  proponents of all points of view.
• "Arguments from authority carry little weight."
• "Spin more than one hypothesis."
• "Try not to get over attached to a hypothesis
  just because it's yours."

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The Fine Art of Baloney Detection

• If there's a chain of argument, every link in the
  chain must work (including the premise) . . . ."
• "Occam's Razor. . . when faced with two
  hypotheses that explain the data equally well . .
  . choose the simpler."
• "Always ask whether the hypothesis can be, at
  least in principle, falsified."

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Gehazi

• 1. He provides Elisha with information about the
  Shunammite family that Elisha was either not
  observant enough or just plain disinterested to
  see.
• 1.1 "Well . . . a son she does not have, and her
  husband is old." (vs. 14)?
• 1.2 ". . . he is the eternal bureaucrat, lacking
  in sensitivity and consideration, a gossip and
  intrigant . . . ." (Rofé)?

28
Gehazi

• 2. When the Shunammite woman seeks Elisha's help
  and she desperately grabs hold of his feet,
  Gehazi over-zealously tries to push her away.
• 2.1 ". . . Gehazi approached to push her away."
  (vs. 27)?
• 2.2 He is characterized as "crude and violent."
  "This is the type of person who often manages to
  seize the staff of the Great Man." (Rofé)?

29
Gehazi

• 3. Gehazi is responsible for running ahead of the
  Shunammite and Elisha, carrying the staff, but
  fails to see the boy revived.
• 3.1 "He put the staff on the boy's face, but
  there was not sound nor response. So he returned
  to meet him and told him, "the boy has not
  awakened." (vs. 31)?
• 3.2 "Gehazi is a vapid, worthless person who
  nevertheless has succeeded in achieving a
  position of respect as a result of his close
  relationship with Elisha." (Rofé)?

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The Shunammite

• 1. The Shunammite remains nameless in spite of
  several different appellatives
  "prominent/wealthy woman" 'issha gedolah (4.8)
  "this Shunammite" (4.12, 25, 36) "his mother"
  (4.19, 20) / "mother of the boy" (4.30)?
• 1.1 See also the unnamed woman of 4.1-7

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The Shunammite

• 2. As a "prominent/wealthy woman" she extends
  hospitality establishing herself as a female
  Abraham, asking and wanting nothing in return for
  her graciousness.
• 2.1 She prevailed (vchzq vs. 27) on him to eat
  a meal.
• 2.2 She has a well furnished upper chamber
  prepared.
• 2.3 Although she is mistreated, she maintains her
  hospitality.

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The Shunammite

• 3. Although Gehazi identified the fact that she
  did not have a child, she shows no sign of asking
  for or attempting to manipulate the man of God
  into working a miracle for her. She was content
  in her life. (Shields)?
• 3.1 She is not introduced as barren.
• 3.2 Nor are there the usual words or structures
  that are tale-tell signs of an annunciation story.

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The Shunammite

• 4. Although she clearly protests Elisha's miracle
  of birth, once the child was born, she is the
  model of Israelite motherhood.
• 4.1 "NO, my lord, O man of God! Do not deceive
  your maidservant!" (vs. 16) "Did I ask my lord
  for a son? Did I not say, 'NO do not mislead
  me'?" (vs. 28)?
• 4.2 "Drive hard! Go! Don't hold me back to ride,
  unless I tell you." (vs. 24)?
• 4.3 "she seized (vchzq) his feet." (vs. 27)?
• 4.4 "Upon Yahweh's life and your life, I will not
  let go of you!" (vs. 30, 16-17)?

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The Shunammite

• 5. Although she knew her son was dead, she was
  the one who believed for a miracle.
• 5.1 "She got up and laid him on the bed of the
  man of God. She closed the door behind him and
  went out." (vs. 21, 33, 4, 5)?
• 5.2 BTW, miracles are not for the "healing
  evangelists."

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Elisha

• 1. He is introduced with the unique title "holy
  man of God" (vs. 9) "man of God" (x8) "Elisha"
  (x3)?
• 1.1 The furnishing of the upper chamber reminds
  one of the furnishes of the Tabernacle or Temple.
  (Amit)?
• 1.2 The reason for the use of the term "trouble"
  (hrd) in vs. 13 - "hinneh you have troubled
  yourself for us with all this trouble." See its
  use in Exod 19, 16, 18.

36
Elisha

• 2. Elisha's Behavior is strange
• 2.1 Although even angels would eat and drink with
  their host, Elisha distances himself from the
  Shunammite and her family.
• 2.2 Elisha does not at first speak to her
  directly. He speaks through Gehazi who is
  standing before her (vss. 12-13).
• 2.3 Scornful attitude "that" or "the"
  Shunammite, or just "she" (vss. 12, 13, 14, 15,
  25, 27, 36)?

37
Elisha

• 3. Elisha's relationship with God is strange.
• 3.1 When he does not know what the Shunammite
  needs he does not seek God, but asks Gehazi.
• 3.2 Most miraculous birth announcements give
  credit to God (Gen 18.14 1 Sam 1.17), but here
  the narrator's matter-of-fact statement is
  central "The woman became pregnant and bore a
  son at the same season, according to the time of
  life, as Elisha had spoken to her."
• 3.3 There is no statement like "the word of
  Yahweh spoke through his servant. . . ." (1 Kgs
  14.18 15.29 16.12, etc.)?

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Elisha

• 4. Elisha realizes that God has not given him a
  revelation concerning the whole matter.
• 4.1 "Leave her alone! for her life is bitter to
  her, and Yahweh has concealed it from me and has
  not told me." (vs. 27b)?
• 4.2 In the context of 2 Kgs 5.26, where Elisha
  knows Gehazi's deception or the military plans of
  the king of Aram in 2 Kgs 6.8-14, the lack of
  divine revelations is interesting.

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Elisha

• 5. Sending of Gehazi with his staff is difficult
  to understand
• 5.1 Some have argued that it was Elisha's sign of
  power and prestige. (Gray)?
• 5.2 Was it used so that the body would not be
  removed? Was it an attempt to heal the boy?
• 5.3 Either way, it failed.

40
Elisha

• 6. Elisha learns
• 6.1 "hinneh the boy was dead, laid out on his
  bed." (vs. 32)?
• 6.2 "shut the door behind the two of them and
  prayed to Yahweh." (vs. 33)?
• 6.3 "He got up . . . and lay on the child. He put
  his mouth upon his mouth, his eyes upon his eyes,
  his palms upon his palms. He bent over him." (vs.
  34)?

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". . . I say to everyone among you not to think
too highly of oneself"

• Rom 12.3b