GOD WILL MULTIPLY WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE
Queen Jezebel had persecuted and killed the prophets of God. Obadiah hid the remaining prophets in a cave. (1 Kings 18:4). At the beginning of Elisha's ministry one of the men from the company of the prophets became his servant. The man died however, before he could pay off his indebtedness and this debt was oweing to his creditor. His widow was in a desperation situation, faced with the fact that her 2 sons could be taken as the creditors bondsmen until the debt was repaid, or until the year of Jubilee and she had no other means of support. (Lev. 25:39-40) In todays vernacular, she had an idea or two before she rushed off to the local blood bank to give a pint of her blood for some gas money for her automobile or mini-van! Her first move was to seek godly and wise counsel. Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked... (Psalm 1:1) As she sought Elisha's advise, and God's power she refers to her husband as thy servant." Although prophets received tithes of the first-fruits, (2 Kings 4:42) Elisha didn't discourage her with: I'm sorry lady, but your tithe money has already been spent! Learning that she had nothing in her house but a small flask of oil, such as one would use to anoint the body, Elisha instructed her to "borrow vessels" from her neighbors.
1) Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.The Hebrew phrase talmidey nebiyaiya translated as "sons of the prophets," means disciples of the prophets. Children were considered the property of their parents who had the right to dispose of them to pay personal debts. In cases of extreme poverty, the law allowed them to sell not only their children to pra a debt, but themselves also. (Exod. 21:7,Lev. 25:39) We hear many today speak of giving into the work of the Lord. In this story found in 2 Kings 4:1-7, the widow woman felt that the man of God owed her something because her husband had faithfully served God, Elisha and the ministry. How many years we do not know, but you get the feeling that the husband who was a son of the prophets, been part of this ministry for many years. She and her now grown sons knew Elisha well. She'd probably prepared meals for him many times, or perhaps lodged him in her home.
Her husband has taught her faith to some extent. She doesn't come saying: Well I have this lucky rabbits foot and if I'm lucky the man of God may give me a few bucks! She doesn't worry about being an imposition to this "busy spiritual leader," but shamelessly bases her request for Elisha's counsel upon covenant relationship between her husband and the Prophet.
2) And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
As a godly man, and a prophet of God, Elisha knew how God feels about widows. He did not feel that the relationship he'd enjoyed with this deceased son of the prophets was solely between he and the husband alone, or try to avoid the responsibility of this man's family as part of his covenant relationship. But prophets receive many of these "Have you got a word for me" requests. He asked the woman: "What can I do for you." Elisha was not a wealthy man. He must totally rely in faith upon God's will and power to serve the woman in this way. His answer to her required her to consider her own resources, which she had probably already spent considerable time doing, but nevertheless she replied: "Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil." This is where Elisha begins! Not with what he has but with that which she has.
3) Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.
Elisha did not tell the woman why he wanted her to collect empty vessels; nor he did not explain the miracle to her, and she did not question him. Faith was needed on this woman and her sons part to bring about the miraculous. How often as people lose a loved one, there is far more desire for seclusion than reaching out to neighbors. Here's the advice so many would most want to hear when the husband or wife dies, your eyes are swollen from grief, you're left you no large bank account to tide you over, and a pile of debts. But Elijah put God's cattle on a 1000 hills and the potential for a startling financial miracle right in she and her sons faces.
Some of you are thinking: Maybe she wasn't sad that he went to be with the Lord. Good! She will need that cheerful countenance when she must "Go and visit all the neighbors you can think of and tell them that you want something from them!" Today's widow might rush right over to Marge's house! Or she may call Julie and say: That's no prophet of God! A prophet would have told me which wall-board my husband hid the savings in! But in studying the miracles of scripture, many times these involve placing into God's hands by faith, what you already possess, and believing for God to turn it into a miracle.
4) And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
Some bible miracles were public miracles performed in front of others, whereby God received glory! In this case, she was to bring the empty vessels into her house and to pour the oil into them in private and set each aside as it was filled.
5) So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.
The woman's 2 sons did not have to sit idley by waiting to go to debtors prison. They were allowed to be part of the miracle, as they brought the vessels to her. In this compassionate way, Elisha became the spiritual mentor of the deceased prophet's 2 sons.
6) And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
The widow woman's miracle depended somewhat on her relationship with the 2 sons who also must have been grieving for their father. Elijah did not tell the widow how many vessels to obtain from the neighbors. He simply instructed "Borrow not a few." Had they been slothful sons, they may have gone to one or two neighbors and returned to her saying: "This is all we could find!"
7) Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.
The sale of the oil provided immediate and steady employment for the womans 2 sons.
Article in progress....
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