#92. Godly Grief
So she said, “Did I ask a son of my lord? Did I not say, “Do not deceive me?”
II Kings 4:28 NKJV
For many years Job enjoyed prosperity, peace, and joy on a level few in history have experienced. He was not prideful about his 10 children, 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 donkeys, but would go often to worship and sacrifice before the Lord who had shown such great kindness to him. What are we to make of the removal of these blessings by the Lord for a time? Job fell down in dust and ashes and worshipped the Lord. The Shunammite rushed to the mountain of God and His prophet to discern the reason for the Lord’s providence in her life.
When she was finally able to speak she poured out her heart before Elisha and the Lord: “Did I ask for a son of my Lord?” Remember that in her humility, the Shunammite asked for nothing from Elisha in return for the kindness that she had shown to him. So Elisha told her she would be blessed with a son (vs. 16) who was a great gift and mercy from God but now was dead. ‘I did not ask for this mercy but you gave it and now have taken it away. Why?’
She then reminded Elisha that she had not wanted to be deceived with the news of a coming child. It was too good to be true to have a son at this time in life and She did not want to be crushed if it turned out to be a false hope. And it all came to pass as Elisha had prophesied. She had a son. But now the child was dead. The mercy of the Lord seemed to have been removed. In her grief she turned to Elisha and said in essence, “Isn’t this the one thing I asked you not to do… do not deceive me?” Do not cause my joy to be turned into sorrow like it has now. Did you bring my son to me only to give me more sorrow in his death than the joy I had in his life?”
These thoughts are not unknown to those who read this and have experienced losses of their own. Echos of Psalm 77 come to mind when the psalmist asks of God, “Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies?” How could God give such mercy, such a gift and then take it away?
Matthew Henry says this, “The loss of mercy should not make us undervalue the gift of it… The providence of God may disappoint us, we may be sure the promise of God never did, nor ever will, deceive us…” What are we then to make of the loss of God’s gift?
As we experience griefs and sorrows of life, let us do so while remembering the years of the right hand of the Most High. Remember the works of the Lord. Remember His wonders of old. Meditate on all His deeds. Talk about all of His works. He who gives such wonderful gifts will not destroy us by taking them away but will bring glory to His name. Life is a gift from God which He may take away, but He has given us His Word that we might know something of Him. He has comforted the grieving. He has raised the dead. He has forgiven sinners. And He will surely do it again. As we grieve, may the Lord enable us to grieve with hope in the Lord who has been faithful from the beginning and will in no way cease to be faithful in the present trial.
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