God's Miraculous Provision - Part 3

(Part 3 of a sermon based on 2 Kings 4:1-7)

SIGN OF DRAMATIC REDEMPTION (v. 7)
As a sign, this miracle of the widow's oil points to something. It bespeaks of something more dramatic than this miracle that sets the widow free from her debt and sustains her life. For this miracle anticipates the complete redemption of God's people from all kinds of bondage and slavery unto life.

At this point in the story Elisha is back in the scene. He is called the man of God (v.7). The widow came to him and told him about the abundant provision of oil. We are not told, young boys and girls, how happy she was as she reports back to Elisha that his word came true. But we can just imagine how glad and joyful she and her sons would have been. Tears of joy could have flowed from her eyes knowing that she's not going to lose her two young boys anymore.

Elisha further instructed her to go and sell the oil and pay her debts. He assures her that the remaining amount from the sales will take care of her and her sons to stay alive and out of debt. He says, “You and your sons can live on what is left.” Elisha, in his office as the prophet of God, speaking to the widow, prefigures the prophetic work of our Lord Jesus Christ (Mark 1:14-15; Matt 4:12-17; 5-7) who is the living Word and the One who speaks the living word of life.

Through this miraculous provision of oil, the widow was not only saved from further anguish caused by the creditor's threat of slavery. She was also saved from sure hunger and eventual death. In other words, she was not only delivered from debt and slavery, she also was given a new life. She was about to lose everything – children, house, future, even life. No one was willing to redeem her.

So in performing this miracle, God once again has fulfilled His promise that He would defend the cause of the fatherless and the widow (Deut 10:18). Moreover, God has literally became a kinsman redeemer to the widow and her sons. The debt they could not pay was paid by the Lord. When no relative has claimed and helped her, God has assumed the role of the kinsman redeemer for her. Now she's free and alive. What a deliverance!

Maybe some of you have experienced some difficult times in life you couldn't see a way out. But I'm pretty sure you can testify how the Lord has provided you the way out. Each of us has our own story of deliverance by the Lord. Those stories are signs of God's divine power and grace.

This story of God’s miraculous provision causing the widow to be released from debt portrays a more dramatic redemption that God has effected in our Lord Jesus Christ. Do you know that God also became our kinsman redeemer? When He came as flesh and blood in the person of His Son Jesus Christ God has redeemed us from debt. The late Dr. Raymond Dillard was right when he says, “The greatest debt we all have is the mortgage on our soul. It is a debt we cannot pay. But God can pay it. He has paid it by giving his own Son as a ransom for our souls.” In Christ, we are brought into God's kingdom debt-free. Now God calls us to live in that freedom, in faith and obedience to His word.

Praise the Lord that through Jesus Christ He continues to supply our every need (Phil 4.19). He will never fail to add the blessings of His kingdom to those who seek it (Matt 6.33). In fact, He will cause His kingdom blessings to abound in us as we remain in Him (John 15.7). The widow and her sons have experienced a foretaste of that abundance in the kingdom of God, just as you and I have tasted and seen that the Lord is good.

But the fullness of it is yet to come when Christ the King returns. Through our Lord Jesus Christ God is going to effect the most dramatic redemption of all: the fullness of redemption of the elect, the bride of Christ. When Christ comes again, all the people of God would revel in the super-abundance of God's blessings and provisions in the new heaven and the new earth. Aren’t you excited of that? No more sin, no more sufferings. No more threat and terror. No more death. There is only life, life in its fullness in the presence of our triune God.

But as we wait for His glorious appearing LET US continue to walk in the way of faith, loving God and doing good to our neighbor.

You know what, I may not be able to live and see the freedom of our country from corruption, exploitation and idolaty. That dream might just remain as it is – a dream. But the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to take His people with Him and to bring them to His kingdom of glory and bliss, free from any bondage, is no dream. It is going to happen! And I know it's going to happen for He who has promised these things is faithful. And He will do it by His power and for His glory. May God find faith in us now and at His coming.

God's Miraculous Provision - Part 2

(Part 2 of a sermon based on 2 Kings 4:1-7)

ACT OF DIVINE COMPASSION (vv. 3-6)

In the second place, I say that this provision of oil is an act of divine compassion. This widow has a Savior. Thank God! Believe me God was there in Israel, just as He is with us today and He looks after not only the affairs of the nations but also the needs of His own people. For some of you who are widows or widowers, I want to remind you that God sees your sufferings and He knows your every need. His gracious protection and provision will come as a response to your faithful cry for help. The psalmist says, “A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling” (Ps.68:5).

Yes, this widow may have felt the whole weight of the world on her shoulder, but we need not ignore her boldness to approach Elisha for help. In doing so, she showed her faith in God. To those who walk by faith God shows Himself to them that with Him there are treasures of freedom and life, and in His mercy He graciously grants them.

Do you have the boldness to approach God in your helplessness or are you doubting whether God can help you in your desperation? Do you have faith in God to meet your need today? God assures you that if you walk by faith, believing His divine providence, you and I will enjoy real life and freedom that the world doesn't know. God promises great things in His Word but He also requires from us faith and obedience.

As we think about Elisha’s question to her, “How can I help you?” (v.2) we need to remember that Elisha was the prophet of God (v.7). In a very unique way, Elisha represented the person, power, and care of God. Now this widow is in the presence of Elisha. By crying out to him, she was seeking God’s intervention through Elisha, whose name literally means “My God is Salvation.” Elisha is like Jesus who is filled with compassion and looks at the oppressed with the heart of a shepherd (Matt 9:35-38).

In those dark days of apostasy, God had acted powerfully through Elijah and Elisha. Through His faithful prophets God authenticates His covenant care for Israel. When Elisha asked her, “How can I help you?” he was in essence saying, “What do you want God to do for you through me?” If you notice Elisha did not wait for an answer. He was eager to help her in her distress. It is obvious that Elisha bleeds for her. O congregation, your God is eager to listen to you and to act accordingly when you bring your troubles to Him. Do you have the confidence to cry out to God for help?

I am reminded of Matthew 6:8 and 32. God knows our needs before we ask. In fact He has known them from all eternity. And because of this we boldly ask and pray for prayer causes us to be dependent on Him. It demonstrates our faith and shows that it is He who ultimately meets our needs. To those of you who are in desperate need today, make your request known to God. Maybe you're wondering where to get the next payment for that housing loan, medical bill or rent. Or maybe your need is more than material or economic in nature. Do not be anxious. Pray in the name of Christ that God would meet that need. And when God meets your needs He shows that He cares for you, and you are led to thank Him.

The woman told Elisha that the only resource she has was a jar of oil. So Elisha instructed her what to do. He told her to go around and borrow as many empty jars from her neighbors. Then she has to go inside and shut the door, and start to pour the oil from her jar into the borrowed jars (vv.3-4). These are simple instructions that one can easily follow. But without faith in God, these words mean nothing at all. Who in his right mind would pour oil in empty jars out of a small jar of oil that was probably almost empty? That's crazy! But notice how the story continues (vv.5-6).

Though the text does not describe the woman going to her neighbors to borrow empty jars, we know that she did because she was able to acquire them. The narrative goes on with the widow shutting the door, filling vessel after vessel with oil from her jar. Elisha disappears from the scene. But we see the widow and her sons doing exactly what Elisha told her to do. I'm quite sure, boys and girls, that her two sons helped their mom in filling those empty jars with oil. I can just imagine how happy and amazed they were, seeing all those jars filled with oil. When all the borrowed jars were filled the supply of oil also stopped.

A miracle has taken place! It happened behind closed doors. No neighbor has seen the miraculous flowing of oil. No media coverage, so to speak.

This seems to be the way God operates in His kingdom. While the unbelieving world is blinded from the many blessings of God, His faithful people, on the other hand, are experiencing His gracious provisions. Israel, in her pursuit to serve Baal and everything he represents, has been missing the abundance of God's grace which this widow is now enjoying. It's just a matter of time that Israel would be banished from the Promised Land and be exiled to a foreign land because she persisted in her unbelief, unlike this widow who put her trust in God.

So this miracle, while it proves the goodness of God, also serves as an indictment to the unbelieving Israel who have forsaken her God for riches and 'good life' in the presence of Baal. For a while, this miracle was hidden but it would soon be known to the neighbors, and later in Israel, that this poor widow, whom some of them may have ignored and neglected, has been miraculously provided by God with a means to be freed from debt.

God said that the poor would always be with you. Both the OT and NT attest to their continuing presence in the society, even today. The poor and the needy are always there. They exist not as objects of our ridicule and judgment but as objects of mercy and compassion. We cannot simply say that the government is now responsible for them because we pay our taxes anyway. So we just turn our backs on them.

If we truly desire to serve God we would also be careful to hear and obey the teaching of James when he said, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress” (1:27). This is something that you and I as the Church of Jesus Christ need to seriously think about: How the widows and widowers, the poor and the needy among and around us are ministered? When was the last time you visited a widow or ministered to an orphan? When was the last time you brought gifts to the poor or the needy in their home?

Israel should have known that God would not allow the poor to be oppressed or ignored or the widows and orphans to be neglected. He doesn't want His people to be indifferent and unconcerned of the plight of the needy. When His people are in need and God hears their cry for help, He comes to their rescue.

Praise the Lord for He has sent the One who said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Thank God that He has sent His Son Jesus Christ to us, poor and needy as we are, like the widow, because of our sins.

God's Miraculous Provision - Part 1

(First part of a sermon based on 2 Kings 4:1-7)

1 The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”
2 Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” “Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”
3 Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. 4 Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”
5 She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. 6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.”
But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.
7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”

As a Filipino I long for our beloved country to live out her reputation as a ‘Christian’ nation in the Far East. Sadly, although the Philippines is noted to be a 'Christian' nation yet the evils of corruption, injustice and idolatry are also widespread in the country.

Our situation as a ‘Christian’ nation known for corruption and idolatry is comparable to that in Israel during the time of Elisha. The Scripture tells us that Old Testament Israel is God’s chosen nation. God chose Israel and brought her out of slavery from Egypt to bring her to a land flowing with milk and honey. God has saved Israel so that she will be free to worship Him. And by living as God's chosen people who obey His laws Israel would be blessed and a blessing to the nations for the glory of God.

In many ways, God has blessed Israel with many blessings. Yet as soon as she has experienced abundance and prominence among the nations, Israel forgets the Lord and His covenant. She instead follows the ways of other nations which are detestable to the Lord. And one despicable practice in Israel is the evil of oppressing the poor and the helpless, which is the case in our text.

2 Kings 4 records four miracles which show that God is the giver and sustainer of life for those who come to Him in faith, whether Jew or Gentile. Our text pertains to the first miracle. Here we consider how “The Lord miraculously provides for the widow with oil.” God performs a miracle for the poor widow. We will consider three aspects of this miracle. First, this miraculous provision is a response to a desperate situation; second, it is an act of divine compassion, and third, it is a sign of dramatic redemption.

RESPONSE TO A DESPERATE SITUATION (vv. 1-2)

Our text begins with the wife of a prophet crying out to Elisha. Now we need to understand that this is no ordinary cry. Hers was a plea of a helpless person who is in a very serious situation. The word translated 'cried out' in verse 1 comes from a verb which means 'to cry out for help due to a great distress.' This verb is closely related to the word used in Exodus 2:23, which describes Israel crying out for help to the Lord because of her slavery. In this verb we must feel the anguish and pain in the woman's voice as she approaches her husband's master. “Your servant my husband is dead,” she cries out desperately. She had lost her husband by death. We do not know how he died, but to lose a husband in her time is to lose a human provider and protector. So can you see her helplessness?

But as if her troubles weren’t enough, another misfortune confronts her. She’s also on the brink of losing her children to slavery (v.1b). And you know what that means? She’s in danger of losing her means of support and her hope. Without a husband, her boys are a kind of security for a better future. But her boys are also about to be taken away from her.
We are not told how this debt was incurred. But it is there, bothering her, threatening her very soul. Boys and girls, it's like your parents have incurred a huge debt they cannot pay and the creditor insists that you go to jail instead of them. Isn't that scary? This widow feels distressed just as your parents would feel devastated if you are going to jail for unjust reason. She's in despair.

Now v. 1 also tells us that her husband had been part of a group called ‘the company (or sons) of the prophets.’ In 2 Kings 2 there are several places in Israel where this group exists: Gilgal, Bethel, and Jericho. Many of these men had wives and children, as in the case of the dead husband whose wife is crying out in v. 1.

So who were these men? They were the ones preparing for or engaged in prophetic ministry. Someone has noted that these 'sons of the prophets' may represent the closest Old Testament equivalent to a theological seminary. In that case her husband was a 'seminarian', studying or ministering under the supervision of Prophet Elisha, probably at Gilgal Theological Seminary. And he was a faithful seminarian, mind you. She tries to remind Elisha, “You know that he revered the LORD.”

The text does not tell us how this family ended up in a huge debt, but there are things we need to know why they may have incurred it.

First, it was certainly difficult to be a faithful prophet during this period of Israel's history. Do you know why? If you were a God-fearing prophet at this time you will not be well-supported by the people because they will hate you for the message you proclaim. The people comfortably serve the Canaanite god Baal and if you tell them to repent from their idolatry and follow the Lord, they will not like it. They will disdain you!

So if you are to survive as a prophet you may have to be dependent upon the gifts of the faithful Israelites at that time, and there were only a few of them. You may also have to sell your property or place it as collateral, or you may have to ‘earn your keep’, so to speak. Thus these prophets may have enjoyed just a little more than the barest necessities of life. The prophets and priests of Baal, however, are living ‘the lifestyle of the rich and famous.’

Second, for some years past Ahab and Jezebel were in power. Not only were the faithful followers of the Lord persecuted but also the prophets went in danger of their lives (1 Kings 18:4). The situation did not change a lot during the reign of Jehoram, the son of Ahab and Jezebel. And this story happened when Jehoram was Israel's king. Maybe it was not as bad as it was during Jezebel's time, but still it was a tough time for the servants of the Lord.

You may not be able to identify with the abject situation of these prophets. But you must see their struggle in living their faith in an environment that is cold, if not hostile, to the God of the Scripture. And when you do, you would understand them in their desire to live faithfully in an idolatrous society, just like ours, where the Lord or His word is not widely honored.

So when God's people are disobedient to His Word, they are also negligent to the preacher of that Word. In their unfaithfulness, those who are called to uphold God's honor in the world has instead joined the world in persecuting those who walk according to God's Word. Yes, if you remain faithful to God in a world that denies His rule, you will be persecuted, even impoverished, by the world. But in reality, you who are faithful are blessed in the eyes of God and are rich toward Him. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled,” says the Lord.

What I'm saying is that, Israel in general has abandoned her faith in God. She stopped loving the God who never stops loving His people. We see here how unfaithfulness and disobedience to God's law opens up to all kinds of misery. The widow's predicament would never happen in the first place if Israel faithfully obeys the covenant law of God.

Remember that God has instituted in Deut. 4:4, 7-11 a form of relief for the poor among them, which was to prevent this situation. There may be an instance when an Israelite falls into poverty that he had to sell himself as a slave. But then again, Leviticus 25:39-43 states that the master must treat such a person not as a slave but as a laborer.

In other words, God would never allow an Israelite to become a real slave of another Israelite. Nowhere in the law of the Lord can we find any provision granting a creditor to do what the widow in this story feared to happen, i.e., for the creditor to come and take her sons to make them his slaves. In fact, when things like this happen the prophets of the Lord are quick to denounce such injustice, as in the case of Amos (2:6; 8:6) and Isaiah (1:16-17).

God has also provided laws pertaining to kinsman redeemer. And how does this law function? A kinsman redeemer is the nearest relative who could step in and "buy back" what his relative was forced to sell (Lev.25:48ff). The kinsman redeemer is a rich benefactor or person who sets free the debtor by paying the ransom price (Lev.5:25; cf. Ruth 4:4, 6).

We are not told in this story whether the widow had relatives or not who can redeem her and her children from debt. Two things are sure: her children are about to be taken as slaves and she’s a poor widow who owns nothing except a jar of oil (v.2b). She was so destitute that the only thing she had was this oil. Now with these in mind you would understand her earnest plea, wouldn’t you?

We are not also told about the creditor who is coming after her children whether he was a fellow Israelite or not. Whatever the case may be, the creditor could have been a staunch follower of Baal, whose only aim was to become rich and successful even at the expense of others. One author says that the creditor here is the picture of a “stone-hard, a full-blooded materialist who stood on his rights and did not show even a token of mercy.” He is like the devil who oppresses people and treats them without mercy.

So who can save the widow and her sons now from such oppressor? Thank God there is someone in Israel who is full of mercy and compassion for people such as the widow in our story.