“One day Elisha went on to Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived, who urged him to eat some food. So whenever he passed that way, he would turn in there to eat food. And she said to her husband, ‘Behold now, I know that this is a holy man of God who is continually passing our way. Let us make a small room on the roof with walls and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so that whenever he comes to us, he can go in there.’
“One day he came there, and he turned into the chamber and rested there. And he said to Gehazi his servant, ‘Call this Shunammite.’ When he had called her, she stood before him. And he said to him, ‘Say now to her, “See, you have taken all this trouble for us; what is to be done for you? Would you have a word spoken on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?”’ She answered, ‘I dwell among my own people.’ And he said, ‘What then is to be done for her?’ Gehazi answered, ‘Well, she has no son, and her husband is old.’ He said, ‘Call her.’ And when he had called her, she stood in the doorway. And he said, ‘At this season, about this time next year, you shall embrace a son.’ And she said, ‘No, my lord, O man of God; do not lie to your servant.’ But the woman conceived, and she bore a son about that time the following spring, as Elisha had said to her.” [1]
Let’s admit a truth that we Christians may acknowledge, but seldom speak aloud. Older listeners will know whereof I speak at this time, though the experience is universal. Drawing nearer to the time when we will pass out of this present life into that life which lies beyond the moment we call “now,” most rational people discover that they have fewer wants; and the wants they do have are simpler, less complex. A warm home, shoes that don’t hurt the feet, a comfortable bed, tasty food that doesn’t cause indigestion, good friends who accept us for who we are—we discover that we have fewer wants and the needs that do arise are mostly brought into focus so that we are able to see more clearly the value of these aspects of life than when we did when were younger. Life changes, dramatically so as we approach the end of this life.
In the text before us, we will meet a woman who was content with her lot in life. She not only had no particular needs, she wasn’t burdened with the common desires of others. She was a woman of means, and she was generous with what she had. Because she was generous, she blessed others that could have been overlooked by others.
THE BACKGROUND OF THE MESSAGE — We are introduced to Elisha, who received a double portion of the power of Elijah. Elijah and Elisha define the Hebrew prophet—austere, stern, fearless, his eyes fixed on the LORD Whom he served. Elijah was utterly committed to his task of faithfully declaring the message of the LORD. Elijah set the standard for a prophet of God, and according to the conditions he announced as he was about to be taken up into Heaven, Elisha received a double portion of the spirit of Elijah. Elisha continued and even strengthened the standard for a prophet of God.
The text before us gives us opportunity to witness an event in the life of Elisha, the stern prophet of God. If I was strictly precise, what takes place in the text set the stage for a dramatic demonstration of the grace and power of God as Elisha would become God’s instrument to raise a dead child to life. However, before that event, Elisha was God’s means to bless a childless woman, blessing her by announcing her pregnancy when nature appeared to have ensured that she would never hold a child of her own.
In order to prepare us to understand what was taking place, I want us to focus on what is revealed concerning this woman. Perusing the text, we will discover that the woman to whom we are introduced was sensitive to the needs of others; she didn’t need to be solicited. There is no indication that she was focused primarily on her own needs, but she was clearly aware of the needs of others. As the text opens, we read, “One day Elisha went on to Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived, who urged him to eat some food. So whenever he passed that way, he would turn in there to eat food” [2 KINGS 4:8].
There is no indication that Elisha ever asked this woman to feed him. Rather, the text is clear that “she urged him to eat some food.” She was generously disposed toward God’s Prophet, and I might speculate that she was motivated by the fact she recognised this was God’s Prophet and that he had walked some distance to come to Shunem to care for whatever task he was appointed to perform. That she urged him to eat indicates that he politely dismissed her offer at first. Nevertheless, this woman persisted in pressing her offer, leading me to conclude that she was genuinely concerned that he not be neglected. Perhaps one could suggest that she wanted to honour the LORD, but I cannot help but think that she was genuinely concerned for the welfare of the LORD’s Prophet.
This opening verse is careful to inform us of what will prove to be an important fact: she was a wealthy woman. Understand that the concept of wealth would be relative when attempting to compare the concept to this present day. Today, by the standards of that ancient day, those we call poor are wealthy. Even the poorest among us have small, handheld computers we call smartphones. It is an unusual home that does not have a colour television, and perhaps even several televisions. Even the poorest among us have microwave ovens, an automobile, refrigerators. “Poor” in western culture doesn’t mean destitute of things. Poor in that distant day would have meant insufficient food for the next day. Poor would speak of absolute need and mere hours until destitution set in.
The wealthy in that distant day as revealed in the Bible were generally farmers. It was an agricultural society in that day. People’s wealth consisted of their livestock which required them to work to care for the animals. Housing would be what we might call a hovel, a simple shelter consisting of a few rooms at most, sparsely furnished with a table, perhaps a stool or two, a fireplace, and a bed. Most of those living in the house would sleep on a mat on the floor. Eating utensils would be few, probably consisting of a spoon carved from horn or wood, a knife, and a clay bowl for each person living in the home. Everything would appear to be pretty rudimentary by our standards. However, the wealthy might have a few more things to indicate their wealth, but the primary evidence of their wealth would be that they had the means to provide a meal the following day.
As we read the text, we note that this woman was childless. As the account unfolds, Elisha wants to do something to bless this woman, and he appears stymied at each suggestion until his servant, Gehazi, observes, “She has no son” [see VERSE 14]. Children were seen as evidence of God’s goodness. Children were a blessing from God! That seems so different from this day in which children appear almost to be disposable.
Modern society trains young families to focus on acquiring things, and we who are older are not immune to succumbing to the temptation to tacitly embrace this concept. Let me illustrate what I mean. Modern corporations will spend thousands of dollars in an effort to induce women to abort their children. Increasingly, they are committed even to paying them to cross state lines in the United States in order to rid themselves of the child they are carrying. This is not because these corporations are concerned for the welfare of those women; it is because the corporations want these young women to work without the distraction of children so they can generate more money for the corporation!
Here’s what I’d ask any young woman who may consider such an offer today. Who will hold your hand when you lie dying in a hospice bed thirty or forty years from now? When your life is swiftly ebbing and you are facing death all alone, will those corporate heads take notice of your isolation and step from behind their large desks to come sit with you as you are dying? Let me tell you, a fruit basket or a vase of flowers will prove far less meaningful when you are lying on your death bed or when you are lying in a hospital bed than will children who will sit with you, stroking your fevered brow and holding your hand. In those final hours, if your life has been defined by the acquisition of “things,” that fruit basket will mock you and leave you with a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach. If you life has been defined by investing yourself in the life of your children, their presence in the dark day will bless you and enrich those moments of transition from this life to that eternal home. It is relationships, the intimacy of interacting with those who love us and whom we love, that matter in the final analysis.
Children are demanding, and they certainly can get in the way of making one’s fortune, and there is always a risk that they will grow up to be incredibly self-centred. There is a tension between what is being instilled in children through the education system of this dying world and what parents are able to teach their children because they love them. Let me stress that it is the responsibility of parents to teach their own children instilling moral standards, it is not the responsibility of professional teachers who are more beholden to their union than to the children they teach. Let me assure you that the greatest joy you will ever have will be the children whom God gives. Yes, there may be times of stress and sadness because of your children; but I assure you that the joy children will bring will far outweigh any sorrow you may experience because of their presence.
There is one final matter to point out before we move further into the text. We are told that her husband was old [see VERSE 14]. I suppose it would be natural to draw the conclusion that the woman was also advanced in years, but that isn’t necessarily the case. While it is possible that she was advanced in years, we cannot exclude the possibility that her husband was quite a bit older than she was. In that ancient culture, marriages were arranged by parents, and it is possible that her parents had arranged her marriage to an older man. If the man was well-to-do and unmarried, it would have been a sound move for her parents to arrange a marriage to him. We simply don’t know her age since the Word of God doesn’t inform us. Thus, we will confine ourselves to what is revealed, understanding that the Lord has given us the information that is necessary for us.
We know this woman was wealthy, that she was childless, and that she was married to a man who is identified as being old. The text certainly indicates that this woman was considerate of others and generous toward the work of God. These facts will come together to provide the necessary background for our study.
BLESSING OTHERS — God intended that His people should be a blessing to others. When the LORD was instructing Abraham, He promised, “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing” [GENESIS 12:2]. Promising to restore Israel, the Lord GOD promised that Israel would be a blessing to other nations. The LORD promised, “As you have been a byword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong” [ZECHARIAH 8:13].
We who follow the Risen Lord of Glory are called to bless others, just as we witness when Peter instructs us, “Do not return evil for evil or insult for insult, but instead bless others because you were called to inherit a blessing” [1 PETER 3:9 NET BIBLE]. As Christians, we are called to bless others. We do this individually and collectively.
How you respond to the generosity of others reveals a great deal about you and about your view of life. How do you honour the LORD Who blesses you when He sends godly teachers to guide you in life? You honour the LORD and respond to the generosity of others by blessing those whom God has sent. In the Word we are taught, “Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches” [GALATIANS 6:6].
Generosity toward those who serve the Lord is one means by which we can honour God. I don’t want anyone to imagine that I am rebuking this congregation because I feel slighted. My congregation has always been generous toward me in every way imaginable. I relate to what the Apostle wrote to the congregation in Philippi. Paul testified of that congregation, “I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
“Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen” [PHILIPPIANS 4:10-20].
As an assembly of the faithful, you have blessed me repeatedly, always supplying all that was required to ensure that I could serve without hindrance. And I thank God for your generosity. In acting as you do, you reveal the love of God working powerfully in your lives. I say what I have said to reenforce what you are doing so that you will always be a blessing to others. I know that you will do far more than I could ever expect when you have opportunity to honour our Saviour through blessing others in His Name.
Others serve us quietly; they labour in the shadows. We don’t see them, we take for granted the service they provide as they advance the cause of Christ. Musicians and singers ensure that our worship is lively and vibrant. Those who clean the church building and care for the grounds can be taken for granted, though their labour ensures that our time in the house of God is pleasant. No one should neglect those who serve.
I am aware that on occasion any of us who follow Christ may feel that no one takes notice of what we do on behalf of the Lord. Let me encourage you to remember that we who follow the Risen Saviour are serving the Living God, not people. For this reason we are admonished, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ” [COLOSSIANS 3:23-24]. This admonition is but an extension of the earlier emphasis delivered when Paul teaches, “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” [COLOSSIANS 3:17].
Though what I just said will have placed the responsibility on each one who hears and who follows the Risen Saviour for whatever work may be performed, we understand that we are to perform that work to honour the Lord and not in order to receive praise from our fellow worshippers. In all things we are to seek God’s glory and not praise for ourselves. Whatever labour we may be offering among the saints, we are serving God. Nevertheless, it is good and proper that when you have been blessed through the labour of another that you thank that one for the service he or she has performed. Your expressions of gratitude to those who share this Faith with you honours God when you take note of the smallest task performed by one of the brothers or sisters. You are acknowledging their work as an offering to the Lord, an offering that benefits each of us. Showing your gratitude is a way of giving thanks to God for His provision of that sister or that brother who blesses each of us through the service they have rendered.
In the pericope that serves as our text this day, the woman on whom we are focused recognised that she had been blessed by the LORD. The LORD had smiled on her and she recognised that God was the source of her good fortune. The Lord GOD had given her so much for which she was grateful. She could not be stinting in giving thanks to the LORD for the blessings He had poured out on her. And now she was again being blessed through the ministry of the Prophet Elisha as he served the Lord GOD. Therefore, this woman sought to honour God through blessing the servant whom God sent.
It may not appear to us in this day that it was a great thing that she proposed to do, but God saw it as great in that He instructed the one compiling the account we know as the Kings to include the account of what this woman did. Because she sought to honour God, she determined to show her love for Him by blessing His servant. Therefore, we discover through reading the text, that she built a “prophet’s room” on the roof of her home. By modern standards, the room was sparsely furnished, as would be true for essentially all facilities in that day. We are told that included in the room was a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp. All this was done as a way of expressing gratitude to God.
It is reasonable to imagine that the room which the woman had prepared for the Prophet ensured that there would be room for Elisha’s servant as well. Every indication we have is that this woman was exceptionally considerate in addition to being generous. This good woman willingly provided meals for the two men whenever they passed her way. While we are not told that her husband participated in building this prophet’s room, it is reasonable to infer from the silence of the text that in all probability he agreed with her. At least, there is no indication that he opposed the idea of blessing Elisha. So, it seems apparent that though the wife was the genesis for this particular act of blessing the servant of the LORD, this was a generous couple who honoured the LORD through blessing His servant. And God took note of this couple’s desire to honour Him.
While I stress that we who are Christians are called to bless the Lord and to bless our fellow saints who bless us, we are also called to the hard task of blessing those who seek to harm us. Listen to the Apostle as he speaks of his life as a servant of Christ. “I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands.” Then, note this next statement: “When reviled, we bless.” Paul will continue by stating, “When persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things” [1 CORINTHIANS 4:9-13].
In the context of the message before us at this hour, note that singular statement recorded in VERSE TWELVE: “When reviled, we bless.” We are Christians! We reveal that power of the Lord through the way in which we live, and especially in how we respond when we are assaulted. Whether through insults or through physical assaults, we bless others. This is but another application of the injunction Peter delivered when he wrote, “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing” [1 PETER 3:9].
Is this not what we are taught by our Master? You do remember the instruction we received when Jesus said, “I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them” [LUKE 6:27-31].
Speaking broadly, the Apostle to the Gentiles will admonish all who follow Christ, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” [ROMANS 12:14-21].
We followers of Christ reveal the power of our Lord through bearing up and through delivering a blessing to earth dwellers who strike out at the Lord by striking out at us. We honour the Lord when we refuse to respond in kind to evil. When the Risen Saviour delivered His message to the Seven Churches of Asia, He commended the saints in Ephesus because they were bearing up. They had taken to heart the command of the Master to refuse to respond in kind to the wicked about them. Opening His message to this church, we hear the Master say, “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary” [REVELATION 2:2-3].
I realise that it appears that I have wandered far afield from the text. However, it is important to see that we who know the Lord are to bless as He blessed. Our blessings are not meant to be delivered only to those who bless us, but we are to take the initiative to reveal the Saviour’s work in our lives through blessing others. And just as we are to bless those of this fallen world, so our blessings begin with those who are serving with us in the work of the Lord. Thus, this woman sought to honour the LORD through blessing the servant of the LORD. In blessing Elisha in a material fashion, she honoured the LORD.
SEEKING INPUT FROM THOSE WHO CAN ADVISE — I’m not trying to inflict you with a whiplash injury by making the transition I’m about to make, but the text does challenge readers to seek input from others. Here is the point that must not be overlooked: before acting on impulse, it is a mark of wisdom for us to seek input from others who may offer a perspective that we may have overlooked. We are not obligated to accept every piece of advice that we have solicited, and assuredly we are not obligated to accept unsolicited advice that has been offered, but we will find that the perspective of others does broaden our horizon before we act. Hearing how others see a matter may enable us to avoid a blind spot or keep us from making a serious misstep. Note that I didn’t say that we will avoid error, but I do insist that the broadened horizon may allow us to avoid a misstep.
It is disconcerting for those of us who are trapped in the modern mindset to observe that Elisha does not speak directly to this woman. She is standing right there, and yet the Prophet communicates through Gehazi, his servant. I am not about to speculate why the prophet acts in this fashion; what is apparent is that it was done. What must be recognised is that we are frequently guilty of presentism, the situation where we judge the actions of those in the past by contemporary practises. We do this because we are guilty of imagining that our culture is morally superior to all that have gone before, and we judge what was done in the past by what is acceptable in the present.
Therefore, we imagine ourselves to be superior to Thomas Jefferson or George Washington because we don’t own slaves as they did. We imagine ourselves superior to Sir John A. Macdonald because the policies of his government toward indigenous peoples fail to meet the paternalistic standards we hold today. Whenever our contemporaries see statues erected to honour notable people from the past, they are offended because… Well, the activists that infest contemporary society seem always to be able to find a reason why our present culture is superior to cultures that preceded ours. It is a gross arrogance that infiltrates contemporary thinking allowing us to boast against those who went before us to give us what we now have. We appear to forget that we are to serve as stewards of the wisdom of the past, and our stewardship is squandered if we insist on that wisdom being twisted to fit our present distorted superficial views.
The Wise Man emphasises this exact truth when he writes in multiple passages,
“When there is no guidance, a nation falls,
but there is success in the abundance of counselors.”
[PROVERBS 11:14 NET BIBLE]
“Without counsel plans fail,
but with many advisers they succeed.”
[PROVERBS 15:22]
Allow me to provide one further statement from the Proverbs to stress this truth.
“A wise man is full of strength,
and a man of knowledge enhances his might,
for by wise guidance you can wage your war,
and in abundance of counselors there is victory.”
[PROVERBS 24:5-6]
I commend you to seek advice from those capable of giving advice. This holds true before making personal decisions just as it holds true for making business decisions. And this assuredly holds true for the congregation of the faithful when we are faced with challenges or situations we have not faced before. This is why we have meetings that are open to the entire membership of the congregation before we make major decisions or before we respond to serious challenges that confront every assembly from time-to-time.
I am constrained to pause in order to point out that seeing the dissipation and debasement presented as entertainment today, especially witnessing what was presented and cheered by Hollywood elites during the recent Grammy Awards show, anyone with a shred of decency must be convinced that the degradation and degeneracy witnessed in the dark days of the Weimar Republic is not nearly so vile, so wicked, as what is routinely witnessed today. What should be especially worrying for anyone who thinks is to realise how the political climate that arose in reaction to that national debasement cursed the world. When a society runs wild, descending into the filth of the sewer, throwing off all restraint, God will intervene to the detriment of that culture. And the stench of the sewer assaults the nostrils of godly people as we wade in the septic tank known as contemporary culture.
FINDING CONTENTMENT BEFORE GOD — I am impressed by the actions of this woman. When Elisha asked what could be done for her, suggesting several things that he might do for her—speak to the king on her behalf or speak to the commander of the army, her answer was short and sweet: “I dwell among my own people.” In effect, she responded, “I’m quite secure.” Her words spoke of her contentment with things as they were. She accepted who she was and where she was as evidence of God’s goodness. Because her life was guided by the hand of the Unseen God, she had no need beyond her present state.
This woman was a living, breathing example of the divine command that would be given millennia later when an unknown writer would pen, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say,
‘The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?’”
[HEBREWS 13:5-6]
She was content with the life that the LORD had given her.
The words that are found in the verses just cited from the Hebrew Letter are but a restatement of the words Paul wrote in his first letter to Timothy. Call to mind how the Apostle wrote, “Godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” [1 TIMOTHY 6:6-10]. Wise words, these! You see that the contentment that is missing from so many lives begins and ends with where the focus of our life is. Are we focused on what we possess; or are we focused on who we are?
Contentment is a worthy pursuit for the people of God, according to the Word. We learn from what the Apostle has written. “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” [PHILIPPIANS 4:11b-13]. “In any and every circumstance…” That is an amazingly broad view of life that determines whether we are able to speak of contentment or whether we are always restless, searching for something more. And it insists that each of us is capable of learning how to be content with who we are and with where we are in life. The secret of contentment begins and ends with the knowledge that we are accepted in Christ and that we now rest in Him.
What was written in the passages just cited is but an application of the teaching that Jesus delivered one day while He was seated on a mountainside. Perhaps you will recall that the Son of God instructed us, “I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
“Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” [MATTHEW 6:25-34].
These biblical teachings are perhaps more essential for us than we might imagine. It is a common situation that whose who are living in this present era of plenty are discontented with our lot in life. Advertising informs us that we are somehow disadvantaged if we don’t have the latest innovation to cause us to feel fulfilled. Until the recent supply chain problems that began to restrict our options on purchases, we had so many choices that it was difficult for some people to make decisions concerning everyday items. Should I buy sourdough bread or whole wheat bread? Should I buy sliced bread or whole loaves? Gouda or Edam? Butter pickles or garlic dill?
When shopping for a new vehicle, we are conflicted over whether it should be a sedan or an SUV, a hatchback, or a full-size car? Should we choose a vehicle painted midnight blue or can it be a desert gold? Should the new computer I buy be built around an i9 processor or built around an Intel Xeon processor? Should it have an AMD CPU or an Intel CPU? We can be overwhelmed when it comes to purchasing even items that we require on a daily basis. The choices sometimes seem endless. And these endless choices set us up for discontent.
Advertisers primarily appeal to our wants to create discontent with what we have, and the discontent will impel us to consider changing to the brand being advertised. Ben Franklin was undoubtedly correct when he wrote, “Contentment makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor.” It is a folksy restatement of a biblical principle.
The woman in our text was already blessed, and whether she said the words or not, she recognised God’s goodness. And what of you? Did you have a bed in which to sleep last evening? Were you able to drive to the church service this morning? Or were you forced to walk? Did you have enough to eat last evening? Or did you go to sleep with hunger gnawing at your stomach? Do you have friends and family with whom you enjoy spending time? Or do you suffer through lonely days and even lonelier nights? If you allow yourself to think, you are richly blessed. Surely, God has blessed you richly.
The old hymn has some solid advice for us who are prone to grumble.
When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
when you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
count your many blessings—name them one by one,
and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. [2]
I would encourage us to determine that we will emulate the woman in our text, finding contentment in what God has done for us. Find contentment in where He has placed you. You know quite well that God has blessed you richly; His rich promises of peace and joy are yours, and His presence is always with you. As one who follows the Risen Saviour, know that God knows you and that He knows where you are. I have often found great solace in the words recorded by an unknown writer, who penned, “You must be content with what you have, for He has said, ‘I will never leave you and I will never abandon you.’ So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid. What can man do to me’” [HEBREWS 13:5b-6 NET BIBLE]. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] Johnson Oatman, Jr., “Count Your Blessings,” 1906
