2 Kings 4:8-37 The woman from Shunem (PART 2)

2 Kings 4:12

Gehazi calls the woman from Sunem.

Now the name of Elisha’s servant is Gehazi.

The name Gehazi is Strong’s H 1522, and that means: valley of visions. So now we have five names. Let’s list them again:

Elisha, Shunem, Jezreel (Esdraelon), Gehazi.

When translated they say: God is salvation – two resting places – God scatters / sows and God makes fruitful – valley of visions.

Again, i think about how Yeshua ha Mashiach will establish rest between the two the houses of Yisrael. When the time of the exile is over for the Israelites, He will bring them, and those who are attached to Ephraim, in the valley of visions.

We read the following in the book of Joel:

Joel 2: 28-32

Thereafter (read Joel 2:1-27) it will come to pass that I will pour out My

Spirit on all flesh: your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your elders will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Yes, even on the servants and on the servants I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will give miracle signs to heaven and on the earth: blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon in blood, for that day it will come to pass that every who will invoke the name of YHWH will be preserved.

For on the mountain Tzion and in Yerushalayim will be escape, as YHWH has said, namely from those who have escaped, who will call YHWH.

2 Kings 4:15

“And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door.”

The Hebrew letter Dalet, the D, is associated with the word "door".

When we take the Name YHWH and add a D (a door) to it you get the name YeHu(W)DaH.

The door that offered access to the sacred courtyard of the Tabernacle in the desert was located on the east. Yeshua is The Door.

We can know by paying attention to the seemingly insignificant details in the story that the woman from Shunem is going to be a part of the story of Yeshua ha Mashiach.

Simply, ... by standing in a doorway.

2Kings 4:16

"And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord,thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid."

Here we read that the prophet Elisha is giving a prophecy not unlike the one we read in Genesis 18.

Genesis 18: 14

"And He said: I will surely come back to you in a year's time; and behold, Then Sarah, your wife, will have a son! Sarah heard that at the entrance to the tent, which was behind Him. Now Abraham and Sara were old and days up; it did not go Sarah more to the manner of the women. That's why Sara laughed at herself: I'll still have love, now that I've grown old and also is my lord old? And YHWH said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, "Would I really give birth now that I have grown old?" Would anything be too wonderful for YHWH?

At the set time, in a year, I will come back to you, and Sarah will have a son!"

The phrase "set time" is a Hebraism that means it concerns one of the Feasts of the YHWH, namely Passover (not easter) . (Set time is H4150 mo`ed )

Passover (not easter) is the Feast of The Lamb of God who is also the Good Shepherd.

So again, we can clearly see that the life of the woman is strongly connected to the life of Yeshua ha Mashiach.

We should also note that this woman's son is her firstborn.

God, the Father says of Yeshua in John 3:16 that He is His only born (unique) Son.

But about Ephraim He says in Jeremiah 31 :9 ...... . for I am Israel to a Father, and Ephraim – My firstborn he is. (Ex. 4:22)

2 Kings 4:19

"And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, carry him to his mother."

The child that is born unto the woman, has grown up and is in the field with his father when the boy screams out about (pain?) his head.

This reminds me of the following verses.

Psalm 60:8-10

"God has spoken in His sanctuary, which is why I will spring for joy; I will divide Sichem, the valley of Sukkot I will measure. Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine, Ephraim the protection (Literally: the power.) for my head, Judah is my legislator. Moab is my laundry bowl, on Edom I will throw my shoe. Cheer on me, Philistine!"

2 Kings 4:19

The boy (Ephraim) is brought home by a servant.

Here I read a reference to the importance of evangelism by the servants of Yeshua who can bring home Ephraim through their preaching.

2 Kings 4: 29

"Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the child."

Gehazi has to put Elisa's staff on the boy's face, in a sense the boy is put under the rod.

That is something that is mentioned in Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 20:34-38

"I will lead you from the nations and bring you together from the lands under which you are scattered, with strong hand, with outstretched arm and with outpouring of grimness. Then I will take you to the desert of the nations and bring a trial with you face to face. Just as I have filed a lawsuit with your fathers in the desert of the land of Egypt, so I will pursue a trial with you, YHWH says. I will put you under the ((shepherds)) stick and bring you into the band of the covenant. I will purge from you who rebel and who violates me. I will lead them out of the land where they are strangers, but they will not enter the territory of Israel. Then you will know that I am YHWH.

The word translated with stick into Ezekiel 20 is H7626 shebet https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?t=kjv&strongs=h7626

In 2 Kings the word translated with staff into 2 Kings is H4938 mishena

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?t=kjv&strongs=h4938

I invite you to make word studies of this. Very interesting, I might say.

So, the boy is dead (as is Ephraim who is (spiritually) dead and lost it`s identity) is put under the (shepherd) rod. To be put under the shepherd’s rod is a Hebrew idiom which means that the (sheep) herd is counted (accounted for).

2 Kings 4: 31-34

"And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he went again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awakened.

And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed.

He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto YHWH."

The child remains dead. (Ephraim is accounted for but stays dead for just a little while longer)

Elisha lays down on the child and brings it back to life. (The coming of Elijah?)

Elisa has received enough parts of the Spirit of the LORD (2 parts) to accomplish his task as giver and restorer of life. We know from Christ that He possessed the Spirit without measure.

Isaiah 11:1-3

"For there will be a Twig growing up from the carved stump of Isai, and a Loot from his roots will produce fruit. On Him will rest the Spirit of YHWH: the Spirit of wisdom and insight, Jes. 9:5 the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of YHWH.

His smell will be in the fear of YHWH.

John 3:34,35

"For He who has sent God speaks the words of God, for God gives Him the Spirit Ephesus. 4:7 without measure. The Father loves the Son Matt. 11:27;; 28:18; Luke 10:22; Joh. 5:22; 17:2; Hebr. 2:8 and has given all things in His hand."

Remarkably, Elisha touches the unclean to restore life in the boy's dead body.

(To touch a dead body meant you were unclean and needed to be cleansed.)

Markus 1:40-42

Matt. 8:2; Luke 5:12 And a leper came to Him, who begged him and fell to Him on his knees and said to Him, "If you will, you can move me cleanse and Yeshua, inwardly with compassion, reach out his hand, touch him, and say to him, I want it, be cleansed! And when He said this, the leprosy immediately departed from him, and he was cleansed.

It is Yeshua ha Mashiach who will touch the body of the spiritually dead Ephraim and will restore life in it. He has the rod to count His people, He will account for it (none will be lost)

He will sent His Holy Spirit (and Elijah before His return) to regenerate Ephraim back to life, He will also purge out the rebels. !!!

Of course anyone who has put his faith into The Son of God will be accounted for, will be brought to life and eventually will live in His Kingdom.

In this treatise, I wanted to highlight that Elisha is a type of Christ.

But also touch on the narrative that seems to be lost in the eyes of many. This has to be restored. The Biblical stories are soaked with references to Ephraim.

Mind you, this is not the only woman (mother) in the Bible who mourns her son and who is brought back to life. It's a theme that comes back again and again.

And not without reason.

We know that there is a crimson thread running through the Bible, the blood of the Savior. There is another thread running through the Bible that is underexposed, it is a blue thread.......

The thread of Ephraim and it's regathering.

And it must be coincidence that when the color red and blue are mixed, ....... you get purple.

The color of royalty.

Coincidence.

Surely.