"Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper."
2 Chronicles 20:20b
THE PROPHET'S REWARD by Dr. John David Kirby - Part 3
2 Kings 4:8 goes on to say …as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.
Elisha continued to stop by at the home of the woman every time he came into Shunem. The woman “initiated” the relationship with the man of God. She “constrained him” to come to her home to eat bread. She “activated” the relationship by blessing the man of God. She “received” the prophet in the name of a prophet.
The man of God received the hospitality of the woman and came into covenant relationship with her.
She continued to bless him and he continued to come to her home.
She enjoyed the presence of the man of God in her home. But the greatest thing about this relationship wasn’t just the presence of the man of God, it was “the Presence of God” in her home! When the man of God came into her home, God came into her home! That is the greatest blessing of this covenant relationship with the man of God. When you come into a covenant relationship with a man of God, you can be assured of the blessings of God flowing into your life.
“Covenant relationship with a man of God will bring the Anointing of God into your life and your family’s life.”
2 Kings 4:9
And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.
The woman told her husband that she had “discerned” the spirit and heart of Elisha. She told him that she had “perceived” him to be a “true” and “genuine” man of God. By welcoming Elisha into her home, and by feeding him she “spent time” with the man of God. I encourage you to spend time with your “man of God.” Spend time with your Pastor or Leader.
I encourage you to invite your Pastor or Leader over for lunch or dinner. It is very important that you spend time with your Spiritual Leaders. Get to know them in a personal setting. You want their anointing in your home! You want the “Presence of God” that is on your Pastor or Leader in your home! I encourage you to “make a demand” on the Anointing on your Pastor or Leader, not just in the church service, not just in the Pastor’s office, but in your home! You need the anointing of God in your home and in your family, right where you live!
2 Kings 4:10
Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither.
The next thing the woman did was talk to her husband about “securing the blessing.” She “perceived” Elisha to be a “true” prophet of God and wanted her husband to be included in the blessing of the Lord. She wanted her husband to be a part of the “sowing” so he could be a part of the “reaping” !
She wanted her husband to be in agreement and in unity with her concerning her “giving”. She said to her husband in essence, “Let us together bless the man of God, so we together can enjoy the blessing of the Lord”!
She wanted to build the man of God a place to stay when he came to her home. She didn’t want the man of God to “eat and run”!
She wanted him to “come and stay”! She didn’t want the Presence of God to just come and go. She wanted the Presence of God to stay! She wanted the man of God to stay in her house because she wanted the Presence of God to stay in her house. So she “did something” about it! She built the man of God a “little chamber” to dwell in. She had a room built onto her house for the man of God. She built a “Prophet’s Chamber”! She didn’t just have a room built for the man of God, she also had it furnished! She went “first class” with her blessing! She wanted to give the man of God her best because she knew that God would give her His best!
**Stay Tuned for part 4**
