2 Kings 4:8-37

I was catching up on my WordLive devotions from Scripture Union UK, and this was the entry for May 24. The story of the OT prophet Elisha and the hospitality he constantly received from a wealthy Shummanite woman and her husband is meant to show us the contrast he received from the people of Israel. But that's not my focus (nor was it the point of the devotion). Elisha is grateful for her kindnesses, and asks her if there is anything he can do for her. The devotion writer points out for us that she is content with her life - even content in accepting that she and her husband have no children - she is barren. This was a majorly big deal back in the Ancient Near East and the OT.

And Elisha and his servant Gehazi discuss that this is the desire of her heart. Elisha then goes on to pronounce to her that she and her husband will be holding their own child by this time next year. It's interesting that in spite of the woman's scoffing at such a word, the promise is still fulfilled. Maybe because she's not an Israelits? I don't know. But she has the child, and her life only seems richer than before.

But then the boy complains of headaches, and falls over, dead. And the Shummanite woman decides she's going to load up a donkey, and with her servant, goes out searching high and low for Elisha. When she finds him, his servant asks her what's wrong, and at first she says nothing, waiting until she can fall at the prophet's feet before she shares her weeping. Interestingly, the prophet can discern nothing from the will of God. But once he discovers what's happened, he sends his servant to go and try and raise the child (with the instructions, don't stop and talk to anyone!). Gehazi is unable to do anything, and reports back. By the time Elisha gets there, he literally lays over the boy's body, even stretching his arms over the boy's arms. There's a little response, but the boy still lays there. Then he stretches out a second time, and this time the boy sneezes seven times, and gets up.

This is a crazy story. And the devotion writer wants to make sure we note that even Elisha was puzzled as to why God allowed this to happen. It seems pointless. Note I have written "It seems". What I take away from this passage is that for all we can say we know about who God is, no matter how many years since we've first professed faith in Him, no matter how long we've been reading the Bible, God is still mysterious. I recall Mr. Beaver's words to the children in the C.S. Lewis book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, where he tells them Aslan's good, but he's not safe.

God, too, is good, but the reality is, He is not safe. I must be honest; even in the twenty-three or so years since I first made a profession of faith, I am still no closer to understanding God than that first day I realized I wanted Jesus as my Savior and Lord. And, as another confession of honesty, God scares me more now than that first season of faith. I've tried to stay away from praying for God to keep me safe - though I confess I've prayed it many a time for my wife and kids - I do pray for God's protection.

What's the difference? Some might say there is none. I would disagree. The main difference is in the fact that, at least in our current, Western culture, "safe" is associated with staying away from trouble or its effects. "Protection" on the other hand, as I understand it, is about keeping us alive and getting through the good, the bad, and the ugly. In any event, in my mind, God won't necessarily keep us "safe", but I do believe He will protect us. But even there, I think there's a caveat. Because God is so mysterious, I think that there are times where even He will allow us to experience what we might clearly define as the worst of circumstances - even death, or worse - and yet He will still protect us. How? Because God's protection is eternal. That is, even those who can destroy the body cannot destroy the soul; that is, nothing can pull us from the love of God for us that is in Jesus Christ. And that, too, is party of the mystery of God.

But I sit here this morning, and I think I know what those writers in Scripture meant when they said the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. As I look at where I think my life is going, just in the next few weeks and months, I must trust in God, for even though He isn't safe, He is good.

What do you think?