Restoration with Compensation

2 Kings 8:1-6 (KJV)

A chapter of Israel’s story which was a time of profound darkness is revealed in 2 Kings. It was a time of political instability, idol worship, and moral decline. The absence of spiritual integrity amongst the leaders led to compromise and chaos in Israel. 

Sin was in Israel and corruption was at its peak.

And because Israel failed to repent of her sins… idolatry being one of them, (Exodus 20:3) “Thou shalt have no other gods before me”) God judged the land with famine, which was a drastic intervention to capture the attention of His people who had strayed from Him. 

Famines in the Old Testament were often both natural and divinely permitted as a form of punishment as the Bible says in Leviticus 26:19-20 and 1 Kings 17.

God was always good to Israel, and it was never His intention to punish His people in this manner, but they had forgotten what He had done for them. When Israel took the goodness and blessings they received from God for granted, they were lured away into idolatry.

The story in 2 Kings 4:8-37 recounts the story of the Shunammite woman who built a room for Elisha the prophet and was rewarded a son she didn’t pray for. Her story highlight’s themes of hospitality, obedience, restoration, and the favor of Almighty God.

As Elisha’s servant Gehazi, was relating the story of Elisha’s encounter with the woman to the king, the woman and her son walked into the palace at the same time to request her house and land which she learned was taken away. 

This is a reminder to us that our omnipotent God uses people and moments to fulfill His purpose in our lives. How providential is it that this woman would walk in at the same time her story was being told. We serve a God of perfect timing, a God who is never early, a God who is never late, and a God who is always on time.

Her obedience in leaving Israel at the time when Elisha spoke to her about the impending famine, and her past kindness was her set-up for the restoration of her house and land. Not only her house and land were restored, but the king ordered that she should be compensated with the proceeds made from the land from the time she left to the time of her return. 

What a God!

This woman asked only for her house and land, and God rewarded her more than she asked for… she got double for her trouble.

The woman’s past with the prophet regarding the birth and restoration of her son gave her the confidence to trust the prophet when he told her to leave Israel due to the impending famine. She didn’t question him nor was she hesitant to leave. She knew the man of God and his excellent track record.

You see, obedience is key. 1 Samuel 15:22 says Obedience is better than sacrifice… (NIV)

Please note, the Philistines were past enemies of Israel, and this woman lived there peacefully until the time of her return.

This woman lived in the land of the Philistines for the seven years the famine lasted. She knew that the famine would last for seven years, but she didn’t know what the in-between would be entail. I believe that during this season, she deepened her relationship with her God through prayer, fasting, and the word. Hence, she returned a faithful remnant in Israel.

God cares for the faithful, and He rewards faithfulness. Amidst the corruption and chaos in Israel, God saw, remembered, and blessed the woman who trusted and honored Him. This woman’s son was restored earlier, and later her house and land were restored, plus compensation for all that the enemy had stolen during her absence.

Be encouraged today. We serve the same God of the Shunammite woman. Whatever you have lost, and whoever has robbed you, the same God will grant you restoration if you remain faithful to Him, honor Him, and obey Him!

BIOGRAPHY

Dorett Walker, an ordained minister with the Church of God, is the wife of Bishop Lennox Walker who is a member of the Council of Eighteen, serves as the National Bishop of Canada, and is the Senior Pastor of Praise Cathedral Worship Centre in Mississauga, Ontario.

Married for 43 years, the Walkers have 3 sons, 2 daughters, and 6 grandchildren. A registered early childhood educator and licensed chaplain by profession, she also serves as the director of women’s ministries at Praise Cathedral Worship Centre. 

A woman of great faith, First Lady Walker lives in the promise of her favorite scripture found in Jeremiah 33:3… Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.