Lesson 18 - The Gift of Hospitality
Read 2 Kings 4:8-17 https://www.bible.com/bible/59/2KI.4.ESV
Romans 12:13 – Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

One day, as Elisha was passing through a town, a wealthy woman who lived there encouraged him to stop and enjoy a meal with her and her husband. After that, whenever Elisha was walking through their town, he stopped and ate with them.

The woman said to her husband, “I am sure this man who stops and eats with us is a man of God. Let us make a room for him on the roof where there is a cool breeze, and furnish it with a desk, lamp, chair and a bed. That way he can stay with us and rest when he passes through our town.”

The next time Elisha stopped, he went up to his small room and took a nap. When he woke up, he asked his servant to call the woman; he wanted to see her. She came up to Elisha’s room. Elisha said, “You have shown us amazing hospitality. What can we do for you? Do you have a request for the king or the commander of the army?”

She replied, “No thank you. I am secure and content with my family here.”

When she left, Elisha said to his servant, “There has to be something we can do for this woman to try to repay her kindness to us. But what is it?”

His servant answered, “Well, she has no children, and her husband is an old man.”

“Call her again”, Elisha said. And she came and stood at the open door.

Elisha told her, “This time next year, you will be nursing an infant son.”

The woman replied, “Do not promise me something that cannot happen!”

But the next year, God blessed the woman with a son, just as Elisha had said.


Romans 12:9-13 – Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
1 Peter 4:8-10 – Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.

*When have you shown hospitality to a servant of God, and what were the results?