Go Thy Way: Gehazi, On A Mission Of Mercy Series

Introduction:

Suppose your son or daughter died unexpectedly. Now suppose your child had been the result of a promise, but that child is gone, seemingly, forever. Then suppose you were able to find a prophet, especially the one who assured you that your child was going to be born. What might happen next?

Something like this actually did occur in the days of Elisha, the prophet. Elisha had been anointed to be God’s prophet by Elijah, shortly before Elijah was taken to Heaven. Elisha had already been able to perform several miracles, including the miracle of the Shunammite man and woman to have a child (2 Kings 4:15-17). Now, sadly, their child had died and the Shunammite woman is, understandably, upset. Verses 22 and following give some of the narrative leading to this occasion, when the prophet’s servant was told, “go thy way”.

I. The command from Elisha

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.

Soon after the child died, his mother—the Shunammite woman—saddled a donkey and headed for Elisha. The text (2 Kings 4:25-27) relates how Elisha sent Gehazi, his own servant, to find out why the woman was headed his way. Then once she found Elisha, she grabbed his feet and uttered her concerns to him.

Elisha sensed the urgency of that moment and promptly gave Gehazi some clear instructions. These consisted of two parts, namely take Elisha’s staff and get moving!; the second, don’t “salute” anyone on the way. I remember reading a book on Bible customs and manners, some years back, and had to laugh as I read a “transcript” of one of these “salutes”. The narrative read something like this (abbreviated, of course):

A The Lord bless you!

B. And you as well.

A. How is your health?

B. Thanks be to God.

A. That is a fine horse you have there.

B. He would like to carry you.

And the list went on. One preacher said that these “salutes” were rather elaborate ceremonies and to ignore a greeting, or fail to render a greeting, was a serious social offense in those days.

Elisha said, “Don’t do it. Don’t do any of that. Get to where the boy’s body is, and place my staff on his face.” Then Gehazi did so.

I’ve often wondered why Elisha wanted Gehazi to lay the staff (a wooden rod) on the child’s face. Miracles had happened with rods: Moses and Aaron had a rod apiece to demonstrate to Pharaoh that God was superior to any of the gods of Egypt (see Exodus 7, for example). Aaron’s own rod had budded with almond blossoms (Numbers 17) and Moses had seen his rod turn into a snake, and then back to a rod (Exodus 4). But never in the Bible had it been recorded that anyone had been raised from the dead by means of a rod applied to any part of the body!

2. The report from Gehazi

Gehazi left them and went on his mission, as directed by Elisha. We’re not told how far of a journey he had to make but Scripture gives us a clue. The woman, the Shunammite, rode on a donkey but had one of her servants come along with her. So, it was probably too far to walk (especially for a woman, alone) but not too far where she might have needed lodging, food and water for her and the donkey, etc. Gehazi, apparently, made the journey on foot as we don’t read of him finding or riding on any animals.

Now we read one of the saddest portions of Scripture. The mother is holding on to Elisha’s feet, grieved as any mother would be for the death of her only child, and Elisha is seeking to minister to her. Gehazi has a very important mission, and he doesn’t seem to waste any time in getting to the place where the dead child was. Ironically, according to David Guzik’s commentary, it’s in the same room, and the child is lying on the very same bed, which the Shunammite woman had prepared for Elisha! (Compare 2 Kings 4:10 with verse 21.)

Gehazi came back with a very unhappy report. Verse 31 reads, “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 awaked.”’

What can anyone say in a situation like this?

What can anyone do in a case like this?

The mother’s suffering from despair at losing her child. She has seen this first attempt to raise the child, her only child, from the dead, hoping for restoration.