Recipe For A Great Mom

This woman had accepted her lot in life and was involved in serving the Lord, her husband and her community. Now suddenly, after many years, she is faced with the promise of a child with all the joy, responsibility and change that would bring.

Scripture does not describe her response, but I think we can begin to grasp what immediately went through her mind; the joy and hope as well as the fear of disappointment. The issue of children had been settled long ago; she had accepted it or resigned herself to life without a child, but once again it becomes an issue and a hope, but also a fear, a vulnerability.

With the prospects of this there was a short lapse in her faith—probably in two areas—both of which were a test of her faith which the Lord wanted to develop.

∙ First, this would require a sexual regenerating miracle in her husband. But then she probably remembered Abraham and Sarah and was able to rest this in God’s hands.

∙ But there was another test here. We must learn by faith to overcome and handle all of our fears as we trust in the good hand of God. We all tend to become settled and comfortable in our lives as they are. Any real change means becoming more vulnerable and susceptible to pain, pressure, and the things which can bring sorrow and suffering.

∙ Or it can even mean a test of our allegiance to our Lord because as He gives us our desires, it is so easy for us to cling to them rather than to the Lord. God gives us all things to enjoy, but we need to have a light grip on these things (1 Tim. 6:17-19). Its easier to give material things than your own kids.

A strong faith and one that is growing is one that learns to trust God with the whole of our lives. This means we must learn to step out in faith, to be vulnerable, to leave the future in the Lord’s hands, trusting Him daily and enjoying each day as the Lord gives it while obeying His Word.

The Hebrew words used in this passage may suggest this. The Hebrew word in verse 16 for “lie” is (kazab), which means “to lie or deceive by lies.” But it goes beyond that to mean “to disappoint,” to get one’s hopes up because of what is promised and then to become disappointed.

∙ Believing God for this promise not only included faith that He would do this, but faith beyond, faith that God would be sufficient for whatever might come later. She was afraid of getting her hopes up and then being disappointed.

But later in this chapter, when her child died, she reminded Elisha of her words, only there, she changed the verb to shala. This word means “to be quiet, at ease,” and then, “be prosperous, secure,” but in the hiphil stem as it used here, it means “to be deceived, misled.” In Psalm 30:6 the noun form, shalu, “prosperity,” is used. But there the context suggests the idea of being misled by the delusion that prosperity guarantees stability or security. Perhaps we can see in this choice of words the element of her fear of vulnerability. She was afraid that in this blessing and prosperity of having a child she might be deceived and find instead pain and sorrow; she had become comfortable and secure in her present life and she was afraid of her vulnerability.