An uninterested person – who should have been the leader - of course, is the situation the Shunammite woman faced. In some families, the father is not following those guidelines on love, compassion, and so on.
Some people feel like they’re doing just fine without God. We don’t know how the Shunammite woman’s husband felt. But, he seems to have felt that way. At most, he was the fair weather type; the same as those who today go to church only on Christmas and Easter. The way she handled him is the same way you should handle a parent who is present physically, but not spiritually leading.
First, remember the ellipsis. Some things came before 2 Kings 4:9 that we don’t know. It’s possible, of course, that this woman only put her faith in God after hearing Elisha. That is doubtful, however. It’s more likely that she knew all about God earlier. And, that her husband knew she worshipped God, and wanted to build her treasure in Heaven, not on earth. Either way, however, she doesn’t go demanding that the prophet’s chamber be built. She explains to her husband what she sees – Elisha is a man of God. She honors him by saying that this is the way one should care for such great men. Not lecturing him, just stating facts.
We don’t know what the husband’s reaction was. Somehow, I can picture the indifferent “whatever” of some of today’s youth coming out of his mouth. I picture him, in today’s world, saying, “Do whatever you want, honey, just let me watch TV.” The point is, she gave him an opportunity to be involved.
This is important. You need to explain why you feel the need to follow Christ, and to be the spiritual leader for others; even if it’s only an adult or two and yourself. If your parents are not following Christ, they need shepherded, too.
This requires prayer, so God can show you how to approach it, and prepare the heart of the other person. In Luke 12:11-12, Jesus is telling His disciples how to handle it when the leaders of that day accuse them. However, that and other verses can certainly be applied to mean that He will guide you in what to say at the time. Of course, the disciples prayed beforehand. They simply didn’t have to be afraid. If something they didn’t expect came up, God would show them what to say in that situation.
The Shunammite woman does the same thing later. In verses 22-23, their son has died. This is where I said her husband had probably not lost total faith. But, he really didn’t realize what God could do.
She is a little more insistent here – which is to be expected. Still, she doesn’t just run off. She asks her husband to fetch one of the servants. This isn’t just because women didn’t own property or hire servants in those days. She wanted to honor him by letting him be part of things. You might do the same in your situation by asking your parents to get you a Bible, if you don’t have one at home.
He asks her why she wants to go see the man of God – “It is neither new moon, nor Sabbath,” he says. She replies, “It shall be well.” (2 Kings 4:23.)
What does she mean? Let’s apply that verse to your situation. You need to encourage such a parent that everything will be okay. In other words, that you are going to try to be a good, sound Christian who will try to get your siblings interested in the Bible, get them to church, and teach them to lead Godly lives.
Your dad might be thankful. He might wait to see what the results are. He might just say, “That’s fine, just don’t bother me with it.” Here is where you need God to lead you in how to handle whatever comes up. We have seen that your example is important. You can move others to action. You might have to pray for a parent or guardian for a long time. However, it may be that the Lord chose you because you are the only one who can reach that person. It’s just that if they don't' want to hear about God, you will have to do so mostly with your actions.
