Elisha and the Shunammite’s Son
2 Kings 4:18-37
March 8, 2015
The children will understand:
 The story of Elisha restoring life to the Shunammite woman’s son.
 Elisha had compassion for the determined Shunammite woman.
 That we should be compassionate people who do what we can to help others.
Game
Supplies:
empty 2-liter bottles
You will need 5 empty 2-liter bottles. Lay these on their sides at one end of the room and
position one child by each bottle. Divide all the other kids evenly into 5 teams and place them at
the other end of the room. (Feel free to change the number according to how many kids you
have.) Each team is assigned a bottle.
At the signal, one person from each team will run to their bottle and stomp on it, right in the
middle across the label, and then return to their team. (Do NOT stomp the length of the bottle,
but go across it sideways.) The bottle will collapse under the stomp. The kid stationed at the
bottle will bend over and blow into the bottle to re-inflate it while the player returns to their
team. That player will tag the next team member who will run to the bottle and stomp on it. As
soon as the bottle collapses, that team member will return to the team while the kid stationed at
the bottle re-inflates it, again. Continue doing this until all the kids have had a turn (or as many
turns as you like). Make sure that the same kid is re-inflating each bottle.
That was a lot of work to blow life back into those bottles. Today, we’re going to learn about a
man named Elisha, and how God used Elisha to breathe life back into a boy from Shunem.
Let’s listen, I believe I hear Elisha coming … (Elisha enters the room.)
Bible Account
Supplies:
biblical costume
staff
The actor portraying Elisha will be dressed in biblical attire and will be holding a staff. He’ll
enter and begin speaking to the children. The Elisha actor will tell this story in first person.
Oh, hello there, boys and girls. My name is Elisha, and I’m a prophet of God. Being a prophet
means that God gives me messages to give to His people. I was just thinking about an amazing
time in my life when God used me to heal a Shunammite’s son. Oh, I see the question marks
on your faces … what’s a Shunammite? A Shunammite is someone who came from Shunem,
which is the name of a small town.
A very special family to me lived in Shunem. Whenever I visited that little town, this family
gave me and my servant food and shelter. (He smiles as he thinks about them.) They even built
a room on the roof of their house for me! Isn’t that incredible! They wanted me to feel so at
home when I was with them that they built me my very own room. This man and woman were
so unbelievably generous and kind. There was one thing, though, that brought sadness into
their lives. They had no children, and they were getting up in years—the grey hair was
showing, if you know what I mean. The Lord told me—His prophet—to tell them that they
would soon have a son of their own. Oh my goodness, they were thrilled. Sure enough, about a
year after I told them God’s good news, the woman gave birth to a son. That’s only the
beginning of the miraculous story, though; it gets even better. Listen to this!
When the boy was young, he was out in the field with his father. All of a sudden, his head
started hurting terribly! He had such a monstrous headache that the boy’s father had a
servant CARRY him back home to his mother. The mother held her hurting child just like any
mom would do with a sick child. But this time, it was different. She held him and rocked him
… until he died in her lap! She was absolutely devastated! How horrible for her!
The mother immediately wanted to come to visit me. That was the first thing she thought of
when her little boy died in her arms. I was in a nearby town at the time, but she believed that I
was a prophet of God—the one true God! She laid her son on the bed in my guest room at
their house, and asked her husband for a donkey to ride to the town that I was in. She didn’t
tell anyone about the boy’s death. No one! She was determined to see me and she didn’t want
anyone to stop her!
I saw the Shunammite woman coming from a distance and sent my servant to her. She didn’t
stop to explain the situation to him, but ran straight to me and fell at my feet. I could tell
something was terribly wrong, but for some reason God hadn’t revealed it to me yet. My
servant tried to push the woman off of my feet, but I could see she was extremely upset, so I
asked her if something was wrong with her husband or her son. She told me that her son had
died. (Show children a staff.) I immediately gave my servant my staff and instructed him to go
to the boy and lay the staff on his face. My servant did as I said, but the boy didn’t wake up.
So I went to Shunem. I went alone to the boy. He was lying in my bed in the guest room. He
was surely dead, so I went in and prayed to the Lord to help me know what to do. This is when
it got really strange! I felt God giving me some rather unique instructions. I got on the bed
and laid my body on top of the lifeless body of the boy. Let me show you here on the floor.
(Lay on your stomach on the floor.) I placed my mouth over his mouth. I placed my eyes over
his eyes. I placed my hands over his hands. The most amazing thing started to happen. I could
feel his body getting warm. (stand) I turned away and began walking back and forth in the
room. Then, I laid on the boy a second time. The boy sneezed … yes, he sneezed … 7 times
and opened his eyes. He was alive! It was truly a miracle of God!
I called my servant and the boy’s mother into the room. She fell at my feet and bowed to the
ground in gratitude to God. Then, she took her son and left. That, boys and girls, is a true
story. Every word of it! God is so powerful! God gave breath to that boy through my breath.
God gave sight to that boy through my sight. And God gave strength to that boy’s hands
through my hands. Amazing! That’s the story. That’s how I, Elisha, gave life back to the
Shunammite woman’s son. If that’s difficult for you to believe, you can read all about it for
yourself in 2 Kings, chapter 4 of your Bibles. (Elisha exits lesson area, mumbling to himself,
“Amazing … I’ll never forget that day … unbelievable … thank you, Lord, that you allow me to
be your prophet … bless you, Lord.”)
Game
Supplies:
dice
I would say that the Shunammite woman had an emergency, wouldn’t you? If we were in this
woman’s situation in today’s times, would we run to borrow a donkey? NO! What would be
one of the first things we would do? We would definitely call 9-1-1. We would pick up our cell
phone and dial in the emergency! We’re going to play the game “Emergency Telephone” to
see how well you know the Bible account today.
Divide the children into groups of 4-6 and give each group a pair of dice. The groups should sit
in a circle on the floor or around tables. At the signal, one person in the group will roll both dice.
They are trying to get the dice to add up to 9 (5:4, 6:3). If their roll does not produce a total of 9,
they will pass the dice to the next person to roll. As soon as one person gets a “9”, then they will
take one dice out of the game and now roll for a “1”. Once someone gets a “1”, then they will
roll for another “1”. When a group rolls 9-1-1, they will all yell “Emergency! Call 9-1-1!” That
group will be asked the first question below. Give the signal again and all groups will roll again
(starting with what they had already rolled in the previous round) to see who can get 9-1-1 first,
so they can answer the next question. Continue doing this until all the questions have been
answered.
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What was the name of the prophet of God in this Bible account?
(Elisha)
What did the Shunammite family build for Elisha in their home?
(his own guest room)
What was the one thing in the couple’s lives that caused them sadness?
(They had no children.)
What happened to the Shunammite woman’s son?
(His head started hurting and he died.)
Where did the woman lay her dead son?
(on Elisha’s bed)
After getting a donkey from her husband, where did the woman immediately go?
(to find Elisha)
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What did Elisha tell his servant to do after hearing about the boy’s death?
(go to the boy and lay the staff on his face)
What did Elisha do to the boy after he prayed for him?
(laid on top of him, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, and hand to hand)
What did Elisha feel happening to the boy’s body?
(It was getting warmer.)
What did the boy do after Elisha laid on him a second time?
(sneezed 7 times)
What did the Shunammite mother do when she saw her boy alive again?
(fell at Elisha’s feet)
Activity
Supplies:
PowerPoint slides of optical illusions
What do you focus on? Show the children the following three optical illusions:
1. The children will study the first slide. What do you see? Do you see an Eskimo? Or, do
you see a head? Point out both of these in the one slide.
2. The children will study the second slide. What do you see? Do you see an old woman
with a big nose? Or, do you see a sophisticated woman dressed up for a night on the
town? Point out both of these in the one slide.
3. The children will study the third slide. What do you see? Do you see a duck? Or, do you
see a rabbit? Point out both of these in the one slide.
In the Bible account today, the Shunammite woman could have focused on her son and made
his death the only thing she could see. She could have stayed home and cried. She could have
focused on how sad she was … on her emergency, but she didn’t! She saw something
different. She saw an opportunity for God’s power. Her first thought went right to God and
His prophet, and that led her straight to Elisha!
When you have an emergency … when something goes wrong … what’s your first thought?
Message
Supplies:
Bibles
(show slide #2) Look at things God’s way!
We just saw that in one drawing you can see two different things. One person saw a duck and
another saw a rabbit. One person saw an Eskimo and another saw a head. One person saw an
old woman with a big nose and the other person saw a woman dressed up in fancy clothes.
In our story today, a young man dies. His mother sees something that others wouldn’t see.
They would’ve seen a lifeless boy. She saw the power of God and a son who was once again
alive, because she had a tremendous faith in the God who could do that.
God can take a situation that everyone thinks is done for and use it for His glory. God can
take a marriage that seems there’s no way for it to ever work out, and bring it back to life.
Instead of a destroyed marriage, God sees how His power could be seen in that marriage. We
see with our eyes. God sees with His eyes. Let’s pray that God gives us His eyes.
God can take a situation where a bully is terrifying the kids around him and change that bully
into a follower of Christ. God can use a scared kid to reach a despicable bully. When there’s
no other way to make it happen, God can make things happen! We see with our eyes. God sees
differently. Let’s pray that God gives us His eyes.
Name some other times when we see hopeless situations. Then, tell how God might see those
same situations. What can God do with a hopeless situation?
(show slide #3) It’s a chance to show compassion.
Elisha had compassion on the woman. He could see how upset she was and he decided to do
something about it. When things seem hopeless, it’s an opportunity for God’s people to show
compassion … compassion that only God gives.
Have you ever seen a commercial or read a letter about starving children in a different
country? Do you feel sorry for them? Do you have compassion for them? Real compassion
leads to action! After you watch that commercial, or read that letter, do you act?
Have you ever watched a kid at school drop all of her books or maybe an adult drop a bag of
groceries? Did you feel sorry for them? Did you have compassion for them? Did your
compassion lead you to action? Did you help her pick up the things she dropped?
In our Bible account today, Elisha had compassion for the woman holding onto his feet. He
didn’t just say, “Awww, that’s too bad.” No, his compassion moved him. It moved him to do a
pretty amazing thing! If Elisha had not been moved to act, to go to the woman’s house, the
boy would not have come back to life. Elisha’s servant was not able to restore life back to the
boy. Elisha acted on his feelings of compassion and the boy lived!
You may never breathe life back into a dead person, but how can you act on compassion in
your own school? In your own home? In your own community? In a different country?
(show slide #4) Do what you can.
The Shunammite mother did what she could. She was persistent! She was a fighter! In this
part of the Bible account, Elisha was going to send his servant to try to bring the boy back to
life with Elisha’s staff. The boy’s mother said, “NO WAY!” This mother was going to cling to
Elisha’s feet until he himself came to Shunem to see the boy! She didn’t care how silly she
looked or how inappropriate her actions may have seemed. She was determined! She was not
going to give up! That’s what she could do and she did it.
Elisha did what he could. He listened to God and then did what God directed Him to do. It
took both the Shunammite mother and Elisha for this boy to be brought back to life. God used
both of them to make this happen. What would’ve happened if the mother hadn’t been
persistent and done her part? What would’ve happened if Elisha slammed the door in her face
when she came with her persistent plea? Both of them had to do what they could—what God
prompted them to do.
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What can you do to serve God?
What is He prompting you to do?
What breaks your heart when you see it happen?
What is the part you play and what CAN you do?
Activity
Supplies:
YouTube video
Beforehand, download the YouTube video called “The Real ‘Soul Surfer’ Bethany Hamilton
Shares Her Story” submitted by Fox News Insider.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MzKZJqcHqQ
Bethany Hamilton lost her left arm at the age of 13 when a shark attacked her as she was
surfing. A movie was made about her, called “Soul Surfer.” She lost 60% of her blood that
day, which should’ve meant her death. But God used the emergency professionals and kept
her alive. Within a month, she was back in the water learning how to surf with only one arm.
She could’ve given up surfing after the shark bit her arm off. Nobody would’ve thought it
wrong if she chose not to surf again, BUT Bethany was determined. She was not going to give
up. Let’s listen to what Bethany has to say in this interview.
Show the video. Now that’s determination! I’ve heard that surfing is all about balance. It
would be extremely difficult to balance yourself on a moving wave without both arms! We
must be just as determined to seek out God in our difficult times as Bethany was determined to
surf again! How does listening to Bethany make you feel?
Puppets
Supplies:
one puppet
one actor
wagon
cans of food
The skit will start with the actor pulling a wagon full of canned foods to the puppet’s front door.
The actor knocks on the puppet’s door.
Puppet:
I’m coming. I’m coming. Hold your horses out there. (opens door) Oh, hello.
What are you doing at my door today?
Actor:
(pulling wagon with cans in it) I’m out collecting cans of food for the local food
pantry.
Puppet:
I thought you were going to the park to watch the baseball game today.
Actor: I was planning on that, but I changed my mind.
Puppet:
Changed your mind? But you love watching those games. You’re the most
obnoxious fan in the bleachers!
Actor: Obnoxious? I like to call myself animated!
Puppet:
Okay, Ms. Animated, so why aren’t you at the game?
Actor:
Well, I got this thing in the mail that told me that the local food pantry was getting
low on food.
Puppet:
What local food pantry?
Actor:
Yeah, see? You didn’t know about it either. Our town has a place where you can
donate food, and then people who can’t afford to buy a lot of groceries can go to
this place and get what they need.
Puppet:
For free?
Actor: Yep! For free! Isn’t that a great idea?
Puppet:
Sounds like it! So, what exactly are you doing?
Actor: I’m doing what I can!
Puppet:
What do you mean you’re doing what you can?
Actor:
When that postcard in the mail made me realize there was a lack of food in the
food pantry, I decided to do something about it. I may not be able to stock all of
the shelves until they’re overflowing with food, but I can do something!
Puppet:
Something is better than nothing, isn’t it?
Actor:
Yep! It’s sad, but a lot of people don’t do anything when they see a problem,
because the problem seems so huge. People don’t think that they can make a
difference! But if a lot of people just did what they could, the problem wouldn’t
seem so huge!
Puppet:
Isn’t that the truth! That totally makes sense … to do what you can!
Actor:
So, back to why I knocked on your door. Do you have any food that you would
like to donate to the food pantry?
Puppet:
Absolutely! Let me go get some stuff! Hey, I have a better idea!
Actor: What’s that?
Puppet:
How about I get my shoes on and hit the pavement with you? That way we could
both be doing what we can, and we’ll be able to hit twice as many houses!
Actor:
Great idea! (starts to walk away pulling the wagon) I’ll just be next door, doing
what I can!
Puppet:
I’ll be right behind ya, doing what I CAN! (both chuckle)
Activity
Supplies:
pieces of PVC pipe
PVC joints
You will need an assortment of lengths of PVC, but all the same diameter. Cut the PVC in pieces
that are 6” to 12” in length. Also, you’ll need matching size of PVC joints. Give each child a
length of PVC or a joint.
Like the prophet Elisha, we want to be compassionate people who “do what we can” to help
others. The leader will point to a child with a piece of PVC and a child with a PVC joint while
saying the next part. If you are a compassionate person and do what you can do to help in a
needy situation, (point to one child) and if you are a compassionate person who is willing to do
what you can do in a needy situation (point to the other child), then, together you’re going to
make a difference—a bigger difference. You’re going to get something accomplished. Join
their pieces of PVC. Point to another child who is holding a piece of PVC. Now if you decide
that you’re going to do what you can do in this needy situation, you can join with these others
to get more accomplished. Connect this piece to the PVC joint. We’re getting somewhere now!
Give a signal and all the kids will find a place to attach their piece of PVC or the PVC joint they
have been given. At the end, all the pieces should be joined together in some fashion. Wow!
Look what all those little pieces became. When we all have compassion and contribute what
we can, we can accomplish a lot!
* Save these PVC pieces for other fun building projects with the kids.
Prayer
Supplies:
empty cans
large containers of sand
serving spoons
drop cloths
Place containers of sand around the room with some serving spoons in each one. You will want
to put a drop cloth under each container of sand for easy clean-up. Give each child an empty can.
The kids will station themselves close to one of the containers of sand.
I want you to spoon sand into your can to show how much compassion you have. Be
completely honest. There is no winner or loser—just trying to help you understand something
about yourself. Do you notice when someone is in trouble or needs your help in some way? Do
you actually step forward and volunteer to help? If you do that a little—every once in a
while—then put a little sand in your can. If you can think of a few times when you’ve noticed
that someone needed your help and you did what you could, then scoop sand into your can
until it’s about half full. If you notice people needing help throughout your day every day and
you do what you can every time you see that happen, then scoop sand into your can until it’s
full.
Now, let’s think about how full our cans are. How many of you would like to be able to say
that you have more compassion than you do right now? God would LOVE for you to ask Him
to give you more compassion! He would LOVE to help you see the needs around you! He
would LOVE to have all of us do what we can to make a difference!
Dear God,
I love You and I know You love me. Thank You!
I want to serve You by being more compassionate.
Break my heart for people who need You.
Help me to do what I can, even when I think it’s awfully small.
I want my can to be much fuller than it is now.
With Your help and Your reminders, Lord, I will be more compassionate.
Amen.
*You may want to contact the kids to bring some empty cans with them this week. Some kids
will bring several and will be able to share with those who forgot.
Science Experiment
Supplies:
water
white craft glue
¼ c. measuring cup
liquid starch
food coloring
bowl
spoon
paper towels
Oh my goodness! The kids are going to love this experiment! God STRETCHED Elisha and his
willingness to do what he could. God also STRETCHED this Shunammite woman’s faith to
believe that Elisha could help her, even as her son was dead. Let’s do a little “stretching”
experiment.
Measure out ¼ c. of water, a ¼ c. of white glue, and a ¼ c. of liquid starch. Mix the water and
glue together in a bowl. Then, add about 8 drops of any color food coloring. Stir. Now, add the ¼
c. of liquid starch and stir some more. Keep stirring. A blob should be forming down in the
mixture. Reach your hand down into the bowl and pull out the slimy substance. As you pull it
out, it should stretch.
How did God stretch Elisha? When the kids answer, pull the goo out of the bowl and watch it
stretch. Put it back.
How did God stretch the Shunammite woman? When the kids answer, pull the goo out of the
bowl and watch it stretch. Put it back.
How does God stretch us? Each time the kids give an answer, pull the goo out of the bowl and
let it stretch. Being compassionate is often an exercise in stretching our faith. God wants you
to see things differently … not like everybody else sees … but through His eyes … and with
His compassion.
If you’re real adventurous, have lots of help, and aren’t afraid of a little chaos … let all the kids
make some stretching goo. Give them a plastic bag for safe keeping, and include a label that
says, “God stretches each of us.”
Blessing
May the LORD bless you with compassionate hearts that lead you to act.
EXTRA OPTIONS
Scripture Memorization
Supplies:
PowerPoint scripture slide
unopened cans
Psalm 18:2-3
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior … I called on the Lord, who is worthy of
praise, and he saved me from my enemies.”
Form groups of 6 kids and give each kid a can. At the signal each group will stack all 6 cans in
their group on top of one another to make one column. Each can can only be touched by the kid
it was initially given to. When the group’s column is complete, they will shout, “We can!” Then,
they will say the scripture passage together. Each time a group completes their tower, they will
shout “We can!” and then say the passage together.
Craft
Supplies:
empty vegetable cans
adhesive contact paper
scissors
stick-on letters
various craft supplies
small slips of paper
pencils
You will need an empty clean vegetable or soup can for each child, with the label removed.
You’ll also need some adhesive contact paper, which can be purchased at most discount
department stores. These now come in all kinds of stone patterns, so choose something that
doesn’t have an extremely dominant pattern. Beforehand, cut pieces of adhesive contact paper
about the size that will go around the can. The kids can make the final cuts so it fits their
particular can properly. They will peel off the protective back and adhere the contact paper
around their can.
The kids will then use stick-on letters (vinyl or foam letters) to spell, “I will do what I CAN.”
Using other miscellaneous craft items, they can continue to decorate their can to personalize it.
Encourage the kids to jot down on a slip of paper when they have recently done what they could
in a situation. Roll that slip into a coil and place it in the can to take home. Send some blank slips
home with each child, so that as they go through the coming weeks, each time they recognize a
time when they did what they could, they can add another slip to the can.