g4345U77nI4 · 2019. 9. 18. · Gehazi, “Tell her, You have gone to all this trouble for us. “Now what can we do for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or the commander

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OT12.11 Elisha and the Shunammite Woman ©Beverly Wilson 2019

Unit 12: Elijah and Elisha OT12.11 Elisha and the Shunammite Woman

Scripture: 2 Kings 4:8-37

Lesson Goal: Elisha was a prophet that God had chosen to take over the ministry of Elijah In this lesson we will learn how God used Elisha to help a Shunammite woman and her son. God used this miracle to show that He gives life over death.

Introduction: This lesson is found in the book of 2 Kings. This book tells the history of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah. It is in the second group of Old Testament books called the historical books. These books begin with Joshua and go through Esther. Let's say these books--Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther

Attention Getter: “Hospitality” Have you ever had company over to your house? Perhaps you have had people over to your house to celebrate an important holiday. You might have helped your mom cook a big dinner so everyone had lots to eat. Perhaps you had to give up your bed for one night so the company would have a place to sleep. Sometimes that means that all the children sleep on the floor! That is how people who host guests in their home show love and kindness.

In this lesson we will learn about a woman and her husband in the town of Shunam who showed great hospitality to Elisha and his servant. They invited them to stay in their home overnight and enjoy many meals.

Opening Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, Thank you for loving and caring for us and always being there then we go through difficult situations. Teach us to trust that You can turn the bad things in our lives into blessings. Thank you that You came from heaven to bring us new life in Christ. Just like You brought the woman’s son back to life You want to give us eternal life in heaven with you. We trust in You as our Savior. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Memory Verse: The memory verse is Deuteronomy 7:9 “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.”

Lesson Video: https://youtu.be/g4345U77nI4 Elisha was a prophet in the land of Israel during the reign of the kings. Elisha followed in Elijah’s footsteps and demonstrated the power of God to perform many miracles. He often showed great compassion for those who were around him. People who trusted in God soon learned that if they had a problem they could go to the prophet Elisha for help. Elisha’s name even meant “God is Salvation.”

Elisha had helped the people of Jericho by providing them with fresh water and fertile land. God had told Elisha to pour a bowl of salt into the water spring and that He would heal the water. Never again did it cause death or make the land not grow crops! When the people tasted the water it was fresh and clean. This miracle helped the people know that God was the only One who could help them with their needs.

On another occasion a poor widow woman had come to ask Elisha for help. A man whom her husband owed a great deal of money to was going to take her sons and make them slaves. Elisha told her to

https://youtu.be/g4345U77nI4

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gather as many pots as she could find. Elisha then told the woman to take her little jug of oil and fill all the pots! God performed a miracle that day in supplying oil for all the jugs. The woman took the oil and sold it so she could pay off her debt. There was even extra money for things the widow and her sons needed. God showed the widow and her sons that He is our great Provider.

One day the prophet Elisha was going to the town of Shunem. He often visited this place as he traveled around the nation of Israel preaching and teaching the people about God. A wealthy woman lived there, who urged him to stay for a meal. So whenever Elisha passed through Shunem, he would stop in to eat with her and her husband. This couple became very fond of Elisha.

One day the woman said to her husband, “I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God. Let’s make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to visit us.” So they built a guest room for Elisha to use whenever he was in the area. The room was on roof of their house. They wanted to show Elisha kindness and hospitality. Elisha was very thankful for the couple’s thoughtfulness.

One day, when Elisha came, he went up to his room and lay down there. He then said to his servant Gehazi, “Call the Shunammite woman.” So he called her and she stood before him. Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tell her, You have gone to all this trouble for us. “Now what can we do for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or the commander of the army? What can we do for you?” The woman told him that she was happy with what she had and didn’t need anything else.

Even though she told Elisha that she didn’t need anything, he still wanted to do something for her. Finally Gehazi said, “Well, she has no son and her husband is old.”

Then Elisha said, “Call her.” So he called her and the woman came and stood in the doorway. “About this time next year, you will hold a son in your arms,” Elisha told her.

“Please, man of God, don’t be kidding me about this! This would be too good to be true!” she said.

But the woman did become pregnant and the following year she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her. What a miracle the birth of this son was! The Shunammite woman and her husband were old and they had given up hope of ever having children. Now the Lord had miraculously given them a great gift! Nothing is impossible with God!

The child grew into a boy. Then one morning something terrible happened. The boy had gone out to his father, who was with the reapers. He wanted to help his father and the servants as they harvested the grain. He suddenly cried to his father, “My head! My head!” His father told a servant to carry him to his mother.” Quickly a servant carried the boy back to the house.

When the mother saw them coming to the house, she was concerned. What could be wrong? The boy sat on his mother’s lap until noon, and then he died. She had done everything she could but nothing had helped. How sad, the promised son was dead! The Shunamite woman was so sad. She carried the boy upstairs to Elisha’s room and laid him on the bed of the man of God, in the guest room and shut the door.

She called her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and a donkey so I can quickly go to the man of God and return.

“Why go to him now?” asked her husband. “It’s not the new moon or the Sabbath or any other holy day.”

She did not tell him but set off immediately. She saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Lead on. Don’t slow down for me unless I tell you.”

They travelled as quickly as they could to Elisha who was at Mount Carmel. The Shunammite woman had not lost hope. She was trusting in God that He had a plan in all this trouble.

When she found Elisha, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone! She is in bitter distress, but the Lord has not told me why.”

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“Did I ask you for a son, my lord?” she said. “Didn’t I tell you, “Don’t raise my hopes”? She told Elisha all that had happened.

As soon as Elisha heard the news, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Tuck your cloak into your belt, take my staff in your hand and run. Don’t greet anyone you meet, and if anyone greets you, do not answer. Lay my staff on the boy’s face.”

Elisha wanted Gehazi to run as fast as he could to the boy! Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or response.

So Gehazi went back to meet Elisha who was on his way to the house along with the child’s mother. “The boy has not awakened,” he reported.

When Elisha reached the house, he went upstairs and found the boy lying dead on his couch. Elisha went into the room alone, shut the door and prayed to the Lord. Elisha believed that God’s power could bring this boy back to life!

"God, You gave this miracle child to the woman," Elisha prayed, "and now I beg You to bring him back to life." Elisha then stretched his own body out on the boy. He put his mouth on the boy’s mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. As Elisha stretched himself out on the child, the boy’s body grew warm. But still there was no sign of life. Elisha walked up and down the room then lay on the boy again. This time the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.

The miracle had happened! He was now breathing again. Elisha told Gehazi to call his mother. When she came in, Elisha said with great happiness in his voice, “Take your son.” She fell at Elisha’s feet and bowed to the ground in thanksgiving. Overjoyed she took her son and hugged him tight. God had given him to her when he was born, and now He had given him back to her from death!

In this story the Shunammite woman showed great hospitality to Elisha and his servant. She and her husband loved God so much that they wanted to help God’s servant Elisha by building him a room to stay in when he came to visit.

Did you know that one of the spiritual gifts that God gives to us today is to be hospitable? That means we not only invite friends over to stay in our home but we serve and minister to their needs. We show the love of God to them. Sometimes that means we offer them a meal or a place to stay or perhaps meeting a need that they have.

In this lesson we learned that a very bad thing happened to a godly woman who loved God and served him. When her son died, she still trusted in God. She decided to go get her fastest donkey and go find Elisha and tell him what happened!

Sometimes when bad things happen to good people we wonder if God is still in control. But even in hard situations like this, God is still faithful. He always keeps His promises. He has promised to love us with an everlasting love and that He will never leave us. God loves you and is always with you no matter what happens. If we face a difficult situation we too should trust in God. He is the only One who truly loves us and can help us!

Our memory verse is Deuteronomy 7:9 “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.” This verse says that God is faithful. That means that God never lies. He will keep his promises. He does not change in His love to us. Let’s say our verse again together. Deuteronomy 7:9 “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.”

We don't know the name of the boy in this story, but we do know that he is a picture of all those who once were "dead in sin" but by God's miracle-working power now have new life—everlasting life—through God's Son.

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Jesus came from heaven to earth to show us the love of God. When He died on the cross He took the full punishment for our sin. Everyone who receives the Lord Jesus as his or her Savior are spiritually "raised from the dead" and given this wonderful, eternal life.

Would you like that today? You too can have the gift of salvation by repenting of your sins and asking Jesus to be your Savior. He loves you and wants you to trust in Him so He can give you eternal life in heaven. Will you believe in Him now as we pray?

Dear Father in heaven, Thank you for loving and caring for us and always being there then we go through difficult situations. Teach us to trust that You can turn the bad things in our lives into blessings. Thank you that You came from heaven to bring us new life in Christ. Just like You brought the woman’s son back to life You want to give us eternal life in heaven with you. We trust in You as our Savior. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Remember God gives us Eternal Life!

Review Questions/ Game: “Name Game” Preparation: You will need alphabet letters such as in scrabble. You can also print letters on small squares of cardboard. Place the letters in a small container or jar. Say: “In the lesson we learned that the Shunammite woman was kind to Elisha and Elisha was kind to her. God provided both of them their needs through their kindness. God loves us and is kind to us. He knows about all our needs. He even knows our names. Today we are going to play a review game that is about our names.” Procedure: The teacher or leader selects a letter from the scrabble letters and calls out the letter. If a student’s name begins with the letter they are to stand. If the student’s name does not begin with that letter then they stay seated. Select someone from those standing to answer the review question. Repeat until all students have had an opportunity to answer a question.

1. Who was Elisha? (Elisha was a prophet that God had chosen to take over the ministry of Elijah. God gave Elisha the power of the Holy Spirit to perform many miracles. These miracles proved that Elisha was God’s prophet and showed the people of Israel the character of God.)

2. What problem did Elisha solve for the city of Jericho? (The city had dry land and bitter water and Elisha used a bowl of salt to pour into the local water spring. God used Elisha to miraculously change the bitter water to sweet so the land would be productive. )

3. How did Elisha help the poor widow whose sons were about to be taken as slaves? (He told her to gather as many pots as she could find and then fill them all with the small jar of oil that she had. God miraculously provided the oil for all the pots so she could sell it and pay her debts.)

4. What was the name of the town where the woman lived that Elisha often visited? (Elisha often visited her in the town of Shunem.)

5. What did the woman and her husband do to show God’s love to Elisha? (They built him and his servant a guest room and invited him to stay with them.)

6. What did Elisha do to show God’s love to the Shunammite family? (He thanked them and asked God to give them a son.)

7. What terrible thing happened to the little boy? (He suddenly died.) 8. What did the woman do with the body of her son after he died? (She carried him up to Elisha’s

room and laid him on his bed.) 9. After she laid the boy on Elisha’s bed, what did the woman do? (She saddled up her fastest

donkey and went with her servant to find Elisha at Mt. Carmel.)

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10. What did the woman do when she found Elisha? (She bowed down at his feet weeping. She told him all that had happened to her son. She reminded Elisha that she had not asked for a son and yet God had given her the great blessing.)

11. When Elisha found out about the death of the boy, what did he tell his servant Gehazi to do? (Gehazi was to run as fast as he could to the dead boy and lay his staff on the face of the chil.)

12. What happened when Gehazi laid the staff on the dead boy? (He did not move or come back to life.)

13. What did Elisha do when he got to the house? (He entered the room where the boy was, shut the door, and prayed.)

14. After he prayed, what did Elisha do to bring warmth back to the boy’s body? (He lay on the child and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. He stretched himself out on the child.)

15. What did the boy do just before he woke up? (He sneezed seven times.) 16. What does the boy being raised from the dead teach us about our life in Christ? (We too are

raised from being dead in our sins to new life in Christ when we believe in Him and accept Him as our Savior.)

17. Elisha showed God’s love to the Shunammite woman. In what ways can we show God’s love to each other? (Pray for each other. Help each other. Think about other’s feelings. Do what someone else wants. Give up something you care about to help someone else. Be kind.)

18. What characteristics of God did Elisha show the people through the miracles he performed? (God is our Provider. God is loving and kind. God gives life.)

19. What does the Bible mean when it says that God is faithful? (It means that God never lies. He will keep his promises. He does not change in His love to us. God can take bad things and change them into blessings.)

20. What is the memory verse? (Our memory verse is Deuteronomy 7:9 “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.”)

Bible Memory Verse Activity: “Stack and Twist Cups”

Our memory verse is Deuteronomy 7:9 “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.” Have students locate the verse in scripture and read it aloud together several times. Say: “This verse says that God is faithful. That means that God never lies. He will keep his promises. He does not change in His love to us.” Preparation: You will need one insulated cup for each word of the memory verse and marking pens. Before class you will need to stack the cups and draw three vertical lines along the sides to designate three equal sections around the cup. Procedure: Provide a marker and a set of insulated cups to each child in your class. Instruct everyone to stack their cups inside one another with the stack upside down. The lip of each cup should be visible. Have the students write each word of the memory verse along the visible portion of the cup. Be sure the word stays with within the section designated by the drawn lines. This means that each cup lip will have one word of the memory verse written on its lip. After the memory verse has been written one word on each cup lid, have the students mix the order of the cups and then stack them again in the wrong order. Have them write the memory verse again in another section of the cups.

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Group Learning Activity: “Elisha Puppets” (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need one sock per child in your class. Make sure the sock is long enough to cover the student’s arms. You will also need fabric markers, googly eyes, and craft items to create puppets such as buttons, pom-poms, craft glue, and felt, You will also need a large cardboard box for a stage, and other props to use in playing out the Bible story such as doll house furniture (bed, lamp, table, etc). Provide painting smocks for the children to wear while using the fabric markers. Say: “In this lesson we learned that the Shunammite woman and her husband helped Elisha by giving him a room to stay in when he came to visit. They also provided him many meals. What happened because they were willing to help him? (Elisha blessed them by asking God to give them a son.) The man and woman did not help Elisha to get something in return, but because God wanted them to help. They obeyed God. God wants our families to obey Him and help people. Let’s create a puppet show of our Bible story.” Procedure: Distribute the supplies. Guide the children in selecting a role for the puppet they will make. Have them choose between the Shunammite woman, Elisha, Gehazi, the Shunammite’s husband, the son, and the servant who accompanied the Shunammite woman on her trip to find Elisha. Have students slip the sock on over their hand. Once the sock is on, make a C-shape with their hand. Try to get the thumb into the heel part. If the child cannot reach it, tuck the sock into the groove between the thumb and fingers. Open and close your hand. The sock should already start looking like a puppet. Use a marker to make two dots above the seam for the eyes. If you want the puppet to have a nose, make a dot for that as well. Take the sock off. Spread it flat on the table. The marks for the eyes and nose may look out of place, but that’s fine. That is why you make them while wearing the sock. Glue the eyes onto the sock. You can use a hot glue gun, fabric glue or tacky glue. For the actual eyes you can use buttons, pompoms, or googly eyes. If the puppet is a girl, draw some eyelashes with a marker. Glue a small pompom just above the seam for the nose. You can also cut a triangle or circle out of felt and use that instead. A button can also make a cute nose. Add other decorations such as hair, head covering, or clothing. You can glue these features to the puppet as well. Assist the children as they create their puppets. Invite children to use the props as they play out the Bible story.

Group Learning Activity: “Practice Hospitality” (Grades K-3) Preparation: You will need some dishes, silverware, glasses, or other items that might be used to display hospitality. You can also use toy food items such as pizza, bread, or cookies. You can also include such items as a flower in a vase, iron, broom, dust rag, dishrag, and other cleaning supplies. Procedure: Divide the class into two teams. One team will be the servants and the other will be the guests. Have the servants serve the

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guests and be hospitable towards them. They can act out what it might be like to have them over for dinner and what kind of things they would do to show hospitality. After a short time, switch roles. Say: “Which team do you think were the best servants? Why? What things did they do that were special?” You can award a prize to the best team of servants, if desired. Gather the children together and review the story. Help the children to apply the story to their own lives and discover ways that they can be hospitable and bless the body of Christ. Say: “Do you have special guests who visit in your home? How do you feel when you know someone special is coming to visit? What does your family do to get ready for company? What do you do to help? This lesson was about a woman who wanted to make a special place for a special guest. She was being a blessing by being kind to others. How can we be kind to others?” Lead the children in a prayer of thankfulness for the kindness that the Lord and others have shown in their lives. Ask the Lord to help us be more hospitable and willing to serve.

Group Learning Activity: “E, E, Elisha” Game (Grades K-3) Purpose: This game is variation of “Duck, Duck, Goose” and reenacts the part of the story where the Shunammite woman goes to Mt. Carmel seeking to find the prophet Elisha. Say: “In our lesson today we learned about Elisha and the Shunammite woman. Elisha had blessed her by asking God to give her a son. When the son grew older, he became very sick and died. When the Shunammite woman realized her son was dead, she hurried to find the fastest donkey she had so she could travel to Mount Carmel to find Elisha. She trusted that God had a special plan for her family during this trial. Today we are going to play a game that will remind us of how the Shunammite woman went looking for Elisha. She ran to find him and fell at his feet. The game we are going to play is called, “E, E, Elisha!” Procedure: Have the children sit in a circle. Choose one child to be “it.” They will go around the circle of children saying, “E, E, E.” With each “E” they can tap one of the children. Then when they say, “Elisha!” the person they tag will get up and chase them around the circle. The “tagged” person must try to catch the child who tagged them before they run around the circle and sit down in the vacant spot. If they cannot catch them, the “tagged” child will become “it.” If they do catch them, the original child will remain “it” until someone cannot catch them. Allow a few rounds of this game. Say: “God blessed the Shunammite woman by having Elisha bring the boy back to life. God used Elisha to help her and bless her once again. We, too, can be used by God to bless others.”

Group Learning Activity: “Find Elisha” Game (Grades 2-5) Preparation: You will need blindfolds for every child in your class. Cut long strips of fabric approximately 10” and 36” for each child. Fold lengthwise to form a blindfold and tie to the back of the head covering the eyes. Say: “The Shunammite woman was looking for Elisha. She had faith that God would use him to solve the problem about her dead son. Today we are going to play a fun game of trying to find Elisha.”

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Procedure: Distribute the blindfolds and help each child put them over their eyes. Once all the children are blindfolded, have them stand at one end of the room. Remind them not to peek! Tell them that their goal is to find Elisha. You as the teacher are Elisha. When you say, “Go!” the children are to move forward towards you and try to find you as you try to elude them. As an option you could have them all hop on one leg only. Move around the room and say “Elisha’s over here!” Do this several times and see if any of the children can find you. Use this game as a review of the lesson or just to have fun!

Group Learning Activity: “Kindness Bounces Back” Game Preparation: You will need a large beach ball or a large rubber ball. This game Say: “In this lesson we learned that kindness was shown to others many times. Let’s name some of those times. (Examples include the following: Shunammite woman fed Elisha and his servant; Shunammite woman and her husband built a room for Elisha; Elisha gave the woman a son; Elisha raised the son from the dead.) What are some ways that we can show kindness to others? (Speak to people who are lonely; share our lunch with someone who has forgotten theirs; help someone with their homework; share a book or toy with others; bake cookies for someone who is sick; etc.) Today we are going to play a game called “Kindness Bounces Back.” When we do kind things for others, it always comes back to us!” Procedure: Have the students form two lines. Have the students bounce the ball back and forth between each line. Each time the students must say “Kindness Bounces Back” then they must name an act of kindness. They can tell an example from the Bible lesson or an example of how they can show kindness to others. Say: “Why do you think it is important to show God’s love instead of just talking about it? What are some words that describe the way people who show God’s love act? (joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle) What are some ways that other people have shown God’s love to you? What are some ways that you can show God’s love to someone this week?

Group Learning Activity: Scripture: “Falling at the Feet” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: Each student will need a Bible. Procedure: Distribute Bibles to every student. Say: "In this lesson we learned that when the Shunammite woman found out that her son was dead that she immediately sought out the help of Elisha the prophet. She took her servant and her fastest donkey and traveled to Mt. Carmel. When she found Elisha she fell at his feet. When Gehazi first saw the woman coming, she told him that “Everything is all right!” She had great faith that God would use Elisha to solve her problem.” “It is interesting to see how “falling at the feet” has a part in many stories in scripture. We are going to read some scriptures and see how this act plays out in the story.” Have students locate and read aloud the following scriptures. Discuss each story and the importance of “falling at the feet.”

2 Kings 4:24-27 24 “She saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Lead on; don’t slow down for me unless I tell you.” So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel. When he saw her in the distance, the man of God said to his servant Gehazi, “Look! There’s the

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Shunammite! Run to meet her and ask her, ‘Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your child all right?’” “Everything is all right,” she said. When she reached the man of God at the mountain, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone! She is in bitter distress, but the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me why.” The Shunammite woman fell at Elisha’s feet. She was in great distress and she was begging Elisha to have mercy on her son. Bowing at the feet of the prophet showed great humility and desire to show honor to the prophet as God’s messenger.

Ruth 3: 7-9 “When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went over to lie

down at the far end of the grain pile. Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down. In the middle of the night something startled the man; he turned—and there was a woman lying at his feet! “Who are you?” he asked. “I am your servant Ruth,” she said. “Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a guardian-redeemer of our family.” When Ruth fell at the feet of Boaz she was showing great humility in asking him to redeem her, her mother-in-law, and the land they had once owned. This was really a proposal of marriage and was a fulfillment of the requirements of the law. Falling at the feet of Boaz was an act of humility and trust in Boaz’s godliness to obey God’s plan for widows.

Matthew 28:8-10 “So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell

his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” This example of falling at the feet comes from the story of the women who came to the garden to anoint the body of Jesus on Resurrection Sunday. Instead of finding a dead body they enter the tomb and found that Jesus had risen from the dead. They were on their way back to tell the disciples about the news when Jesus miraculously appeared to them. They fell at Jesus feet and worshipped Him. This act of falling at Jesus’ feet was one of worship and recognition that Jesus was God. Only He could have the power over death!

Mark 5: 32-34 “But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing

what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” This scripture comes from the story of the woman who had a bleeding for twelve years and was healed by Christ. Jesus was surrounded by a large crowd and the woman reached through the crowd to touch the hem of his clothes. Jesus knew her faith and miraculously healed her body. When Jesus asked who touched him, she fell at His feet, and trembled with fear and told him the whole truth. Falling at the feet of Jesus was a recognition of the great miracle that had just been performed in her body. It also was a declaration that Jesus was the Great Healer. Jesus rewarded her faith with a miracle.

Ephesians 1: 7-10 “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in

accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.” God’s plan to redeem the world could not be fully understood until Jesus rose from the dead. God’s purpose was to unite all men into one body with Christ as the head. Many people do not understand God’s plan but someday they will! On that day all people will bow to Jesus as the Lord either because they love Him or because they will fear His power. Everyone will someday bow at the feet of Jesus.

Have students record what they have learned from these verses in their spiritual journals.

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Craft Learning Activity: “Build a House” (Grades K-2) Preparation: You will need large sheets of construction paper, markers, measuring stick, scissors, building blocks, sheets of cardboard or poster board, transparent tape and toy people. Say: “In this lesson a man and his wife helped Elisha by building a room onto their house for him. Because the man and his wife built the room for him, Elisha was able to life with them when he came to their town. In Bible times houses had flat roofs and stairs on the outside. Let’s build some Bible times houses.” Procedure: Divide the class into groups of four to six children. Have the children cut the construction paper into a 4” X 8” strip and fold the strip accordion style to make outside steps to the roof. Children are to use block to build a Bible time house. Children can first outline the square of the house making it the same size as a sheet of cardboard. Then they can build the walls and place the sheet of cardboard on top to make a flat roof. Finally the children can use the transparent tape to attach paper strips to the sides of the Bible time house. Children can play with the toy people and the Bible time house to reenact the Bible lesson. Say: “God used the Shunammite woman and her husband to provide for Elisha what he needed. God gives us what we need. God gives us people to care for us and love us! Let’s thank God for helping us.” Craft Learning Activity: “Chain People Family” Preparation: You will need a sheet of 8 ½” X 11” drawing paper or you could substitute a 9” X 12” piece of flesh colored construction paper for each child. You will also need colored markers or crayons and scissors. Say: “In this lesson we learned that the Shunammite woman received a special gift from the Lord. She received a child which was a blessing that she thought would never happen to her. That child was a special gift from God. As children, God says that each one of you are a special gift from God. (Read Psalm 127:3-5 if desired.) Each of the people in your family are a special gift from God. Today we are going to make a paper chain family.” Procedure: Distribute the sheets of drawing paper or construction paper. Fold the sheet in half and then in half again, again, and one more time for a total of 4 times. You are folding the paper into eighths. Look for the edges. Start to draw the head on the fold, leaving about 1.2” for arms and feet to hold one another. It is important to line up the center part of the body on the fold of the paper. The hands and feet will go on the edge that has the “ends” of the paper. When you are finished drawing, cut around the edges and then open up. This should make 4 figures that are attached at the arms and feet. For younger child you will need to help them draw the outline and fold. Have students use crayons or colored markers to draw the features to the “family of people.”

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Say: “God was faithful to do all that He had promised the Shunammite woman through the prophet Elisha. God first gave her a son even though she and her husband were old. Then God restored her son after he became ill and died. What a joy this son was to his family! We too have great joy over all the members of our family.”

Craft Learning Activity: “Thank You Cards” (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need construction paper, markers, a variety of materials to decorate cards such as stickers, glitter glue, puff paint, ribbon, decorative edged scissors, textured paper, dried flowers, buttons, etc. You can also provide large envelopes for the cards. Say: “In our lesson today Elisha said Thank you to the Shunammite woman by asking God to give her a son. What are some ways we can say Thank you and show God’s love to someone who has been kind to us? (We can bake cookies for them. Give them a present. Invite them to do something fun with you. Help them with something they have to do.) Today we are going to make Thank You cards for someone you’d like to bless.” Procedure: Distribute materials to the students. Explain that the card made in class today is meant to be given or sent to someone the family wishes to thank. Encourage children to ask their parents if they can do something kind for the person they wish to thank. Optional: You can use non toxic finger paint to paint the student’s hands and then have them press their hand onto white cardstock. Paint the other hand and repeat. Let the handprints dry. Once the handprints are dry you can have children cut them out and glue them to the greeting card. This adds a personal touch to the card. You can also take printed photos of the children and glue them to the front of the card.

Life Application Challenge: “Hands of Blessing” Preparation: You will need a piece of paper and a pencil for each child to trace around their hands. You will also need crayons and scissors. Say: “In this lesson we have learned that the Shunammite woman was a blessing to Elisha and Elisha was a blessing to the Shunammite woman! That is way God wants us to interact with others. Today we are going to make some “Hands of Blessings.” Procedure: Assist the students in having them draw around their hands with the pencil. Have students put their handprint outlines so the small index fingers are joining. (See picture,) Have them color and cut the tracings. Students can decorate the handprints as they wish. Say: “Can you think of a special way that you can use your hands to be a blessing to someone this week? Write that person’s name on one hand and the way that you are planning to bless them on the other hand. You can take your “Hands of Blessing” home and share them with the person you want to bless this week. Let’s remember to be kind to one another and show others God’s blessing!” Close in prayer reminding everyone about how they can be a blessing to others.

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Elisha and the Shunammite Woman

Deuteronomy 7:9

“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a

thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.”

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Documents

g4345U77nI4 · 2019. 9. 18. · Gehazi, “Tell her, You have gone to all this trouble for us. “Now what can we do for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or the commander