Trouble's Final Word (2 Kin. 4:18-37) (Part 4)

5. WHEN TROUBLE CAME, ELISHA'S SERVANT DIDN'T HAVE THE FINAL WORD.

WELL MEANING AS GEHAZI MIGHT HAVE BEEN, HE SEEMED TO BE IN THE WAY. He seemed to be more of a hindrance than a help.

• He tried to stop the woman from grabbing onto Elisha's feet. 
• Elisha would have no part in turning her away and chose compassion instead.
• When trouble comes, expect that there will be attempts to interfere with your worshiping Jesus and depending on Him.
• He tried to assist his master by going on Elisha's errand.
• Gehazi's errand, however, failed.
• He recently tried to squelch spiritual essentials such as humility and dependence, and then he was going to perform a miracle with Elisha's stick?
• You have to wonder if Elisha sent Gehazi on the errand only to occupy him for a while.

6. WHEN TROUBLE CAME, ELAPSED TIME DIDN'T HAVE THE FINAL WORD.

IT WAS ABOUT 16 MILES FROM SHUNEM TO CARMEL. Going at an average page – not too fast and not too slow – the average-sized donkey travels between 6 and 8 miles per hour, assuming its rider is 155 pounds. The hotter the weather and longer the distance, the slower the donkey can become.¹ That means that, at minimum, the round-trip journey took 4 hours, assuming the woman and Elisha didn't have extended conversation between arrival and departure times. Four hours is a lot of time for her son to be lying motionless! It didn't matter, since Elisha was successful anyway.

1https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090311193844AAeqrYk (accessed 7-28-16)