Sermon Notes + 10.12.2025
Sermon Notes
Is All Well With You?
2 Kings 4
Dr. Tony Chute, Lead Pastor
Overview: The fourth chapter of 2 Kings recounts a series of miraculous works performed by the Lord through the prophet Elisha. In the first instance, a widow of a prophet faces financial ruin and the loss of her two sons. Elisha instructs her to borrow empty vessels from her neighbors, which are later miraculously filled from a single jar of oil, thus enabling her to pay her creditors. In the second instance, Elisha prophetically reveals that the Shunamite woman, who has shown kindness to him, will bear a son in her old age. Some years later, her son dies unexpectedly; in her grief, she pursues Elisha, who returns to her home and is enabled by the Lord to raise the child from the dead. In the third and fourth instances, possible food poisoning and a food shortage prove to be no obstacles to the prophet Elisha, whose actions confirm the protection and the provision of the Lord. While such miraculous occurrences may seem far removed from our ordinary lives today, they carry great weight in pointing us to the Lord who always takes good care of His own.
01. At any given time in the life of our church, people are facing difficult trials of various kinds; let us learn to look for the needs around us and surround one another with compassion and care.
02. At certain appointed times in the life of the church, various kinds of miracles are more plentiful; let us continue to pray for the Lord to demonstrate His power in the miraculous and the ordinary.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION & DISCOVERY
1. Consider the plight of the widow in verse 1. How would you console such a person who has faced the loss of her husband and is also facing the loss of her sons and her home? How does Elisha’s response elevate the possibility that God will do something miraculous? Is the help one receives from others in a more humanly tangible way any less significant than Elisha’s miraculous provision?
2. Describe the relationship between Elisha and the Shunamite woman. What led her to extend kindness to him? What led Elisha to extend a kind, prophetic word to her? Is the extension of kindness between believers any less significant than the working of a miracle? Which of the two can we continue to rely upon in our times of need?
3. Why did the woman lay her deceased child on Elisha’s bed and then pursue him? Was she exercising faith beyond all expectation or being more discreet when she said “All is well” (verses 23, 26)? Why did she refuse to leave the presence of Elisha after he told Gehazi to return home with his staff (verse 29)? How does her love for her son provide a model for grieving mothers today?
4. What does Elisha do to raise the child from the dead? Is there any significance to the seven sneezes in verse 35? What is the mother’s response when she realizes her son has come back to life? How does her response offer hope to parents who will someday see their deceased loved ones alive again? How does this miracle point us to the greater miracles performed by Jesus in Mark 5:21-43?
5. What is the nature of the two food miracles in verses 38-44? How do these miracles point us to the greater miracles performed by Jesus in Mark 6:31-44 and Mark 8:1-10? Given the fact that such miracles are more common at certain times in the Bible, what hope do such passages provide for us today regarding the power of God to do as He will and the love of God for His people today?
For Further Reading: William Taylor, The Miracles of Our Savior (first published, 1890; Counted Faithful, 2017)