Bible Moms

Lesson Nine: The Sidonian Widow and the Shunammite Woman Topics for Further Study: Hospitality, Tithing, and Our Bodies as Living Sacrifices 
Read 1 Kings 17:7–24; 2 Kings 4:8–37. 

Devotion: It is interesting to compare these two accounts that have so many similarities and some interesting differences, too. The woman at Sidon was widowed and living with her son in desperate poverty. She was down to her last meal with no hope to get more food. Helping Elijah was not an option for her, because she didn’t have anything to offer him. Despite this, we’re told in 1 Kings 17:9 that God commanded a widow to supply Elijah with food. We aren’t told how the Lord commanded her to feed Elijah; just that God commanded her to give something she didn’t have. To relate, think of something you don’t have, say $50,000. Imagine God commanding you to give that to your church. For a busy mom, imagine God commanding you to take on a leadership role at your church, demanding one more thing of your time, which you don’t have enough of as it is. The Shunammite woman was in completely different circumstances. She was well-to-do, living with her husband. In her wealth, she was generous to the Lord by providing meals and a place for Elisha to stay. 

There are important Biblical truths to learn from these accounts. First, the Lord blesses obedience, especially when it requires faith. Later in the Shunnamite woman’s life, Elisha told her to leave her house and go to another land in order to escape the famine that God was about to send for seven years on the land. She obeyed and when she returned seven years later, she went to the king to ask for her land back. Not only did he give her the land, but all the income that had been earned from the land during those seven years (2 Kings 8). It would not have been easy to leave her house and her country, but she obeyed and was rewarded for her obedience. The same was true for the Sidonian widow. She obeyed Elijah and made him some bread first, then found there was flour and oil enough for her and her son, not just that day, but every day after as well. 

Second, the Lord will supply all our needs, even in desperate circumstances. When we study tithing in greater depth, we will see that God said when we give to him He will pour out his blessing on us. Jesus, too, assured us our heavenly Father knows our needs and will provide for us (Matthew 6:32). 

The third principle is that how we treat others is the way we will be treated. In Luke 6:37 and 38, we are told, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” 

Solomon gives further testimony to the same principle in Proverbs 11: “He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed” (11:25), and, “He who seeks good finds goodwill, but evil comes to him who searches for it” (11:27). 

The widow at Sidon took care of Elijah, even if it was commanded of her, and God took care of her and her son, even raising the son from the dead. 

In both accounts, we see the prophets staying in the homes of these women. The Sidonian widow offered hospitality reluctantly, but the Shunammite woman’s hospitality was both willful and generous. The widow had a son already, whereas the Shunammite woman received a child in response to her generosity to the Lord. 

When the boys became ill we see an extraordinary difference. Despite witnessing the daily miracle of God’s provision, the widow watched her son die, and then accused Elijah of causing it. From her statement in 1 Kings 17:24 after Elijah raised her son, it’s apparent she doubted Elijah’s role as a prophet all along. 

The Shunammite woman never doubted Elisha was “a holy man of God” (2 Kings 4:9). When her child died, she sought Elisha, and in seeking him, she sought the help of the Lord. Her faith was apparent as she assured her husband and Elisha’s servant that everything was fine. She didn’t worry and bother her husband, and she didn’t wail and weep to the servant. She took all her emotions, her trust, and her faith and she fell at Elisha’s feet. She knew her son’s only hope was to be found at the feet of the Lord, and with unswerving faith she went there. What an example to us! So often in the depths of despair we waste precious time telling our woes to anyone who will listen, and we stress out our husbands and other family members instead of going to God, the only One able to help us. 

The Shunnamite’s response to Elisha bringing her son to life was to fall at Elisha’s feet and bow to the ground. Doing so cannot be construed as an act of worship toward Elisha, but rather complete and total submission to the Lord. All along she has acknowledged God’s existence and Elisha’s role as a servant of God. Observing God’s mercy and miraculous power firsthand, she couldn’t help but fall once again before the Lord, this time out of gratitude. 

These Biblical accounts show us that God uses all types of people to accomplish His will. He uses the rich and the poor, the willing heart and the reluctant, the person with a strong faith and the person struggling to believe. He bestowed the same miracle on both women, regardless of the attitude of the heart.