Faith First
2 Kings 4:1-7
Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” 2 And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” 3 Then he said, “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few. 4 Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels. And when one is full, set it aside.” 5 So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her. 6 When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing. 7 She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”
Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” 2 And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” 3 Then he said, “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few. 4 Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels. And when one is full, set it aside.” 5 So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her. 6 When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing. 7 She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”
The next few chapters of text revolve around the ministry and miracles of Elisha. He has helped the armies of Israel and Judah survive in a battle against Moab. Now he deals with the day to day lives of the people around him. First we have a story of personal interaction between Elisha and the widow of one of Elijah's (now Elisha's) prophets. The widow's husband left her with a sizeable debt. As was the custom of the times, the dead man's sons could be sold into slavery to cover his debt. (They would not be life-long slaves, but would be such until the year of Jubilee which could be up to 7 years later according to Mosaic law.) Of course, the widow is devastated by the thought that her sons would be enslaved. Elisha has a strange solution to her problem.
The woman's only available resource is a small quantity of olive oil. This was a valuable commodity in those times, but her supply was extremely small. Elisha advises her to come up with as many empty containers as possible. Imagine her going door to door, asking her neighbors for thier empty jars. When she has gathered as many as she can find, she goes behind closed doors and begins to pour oil from her small container. The oil continues to flow until the jars run out. With the sale of this oil she is able to pay off her husband's debt and have enough for her small family to live on for the rest of their lives. Her children are spared from slavery and her troubles are dissolved.
The actions of faith are very telling. Just think what would have happened if she has just closed her door and assumed that she and her sons were doomed. But instead she acts with faith, not really knowing how this was going to turn out. Her neighbors probably thought she was a little crazy when she asked for empty jars. (And by jars, we need to realize that they were probably not little jelly jars like we have. These were probably large water jars that held several gallons each! Imagine a waist high vase.) But she most likely gathered every single one she could find and it paid off! She was set for life because she acted with faith without knowing how things would turn out.
This gentle story is such a great reminder of how we can live each day, trusting that when we live in faith God provides. Our actions are important, for they speak to what we believe and who we trust.
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