A MEDITATION ON GOD'S ALMIGHTY POWER TO PROVIDE: PART 1 - THE REDEMPTION OF THE WIDOW'S DEBT (2 KINGS 4:1-7)

Dear Members in Christ,

A meditation on God’s almighty power to provide: Part 1 - The redemption of the widow’s debt (2 Kings 4:1-7)

We often hear prayers for God’s help for physical provision. And we know that the Almighty God is able at any time to provide for His people. Such lessons from the Old Testament as the giving of manna from heaven and the provision of quails for God’s people are accounts of how God has been able to provide for His people. But at the same time, we abhor the idea of a “health and wealth Gospel.” This is the false notion based upon a believer being able to enjoy blessings and prosperity by trying to get more out of God by a form of arm-twisting prayer.

In this series of article on the miracles of Elisha, we will examine God’s gracious hand upon His servant. The miracles of Elisha had a two-fold purpose. Firstly, it authenticated his ministry as God’s servant and a successor to the prophet Elijah. Secondly, it shows God’s grace to His faithful despite the cruel oppression of sinful men. Today’s meditation is taken from 2 Kings 4:1-7 about a widow’s debtors being paid off by a miracle. This account begins in 2 Kings 4:1, during the ministry of the prophet Elisha.

“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.” 2 Kings 4:1

The narrative describes a widow’s cry for help. The widow of one of the prophets serving under the ministry of the prophet Elisha was in financial distress. The law of Moses prohibits the enslavement of the people of God, but these wicked creditors were about to take captive of her two sons as slaves for an unpaid debt. As the account unfolds, we see God’s gracious and mighty hand at work, and we will learn the lesson of faith in the providence of God.

A. God loves and cares for those who fear and serve Him

Who was this widow, and what was the circumstances that brought about her predicament? The Bible tells us that she was the widow of one of the “sons of the prophets”. Her late husband was a minister serving under the ministry of the prophet Elisha. The term “sons of the prophets” itself is honorific, to be associated with a prophet of God such as Elisha attests to the man’s devotion to God. This man could have been one amongst the group of about fifty men that witnessed Elijah and Elisha crossing the river Jordan in 2 Kings 1:27. The man was likely to be one of the “prophets in training,” a servant or assistant who helped in the prophetic ministry of Elisha.

This man’s family was probably living hand to mouth, to the extent that they were probably in debt. What a picture of a man dedicated to service. The scarcity and lack does not deter the man from continuing his service as one of the “sons of the prophets”. The widow herself also testified in 2 Kings 4:1 “thy servant did fear the Lord”. Beloved, know this that our Lord watches over every servant of His, and He knows the sincerity of their hearts. This man’s reverence and steadfastness in service is lauded and it is recorded for us in scripture. Let us not be weary in well-doing. Men may not appreciate our labour and service, but God knows His every one of His children and every servant of His.

B. God is debtor to no man

The narrative that follows is an astonishing account. A great miracle of God’s provision and grace. All she had was a pot of oil, and knowing its many uses, oil is undoubtedly a precious commodity in those days. In 2 Kings 4:3-6, the widow was instructed by Elisha to gather every vessel she could find, and pour out the oil from her pot into the vessels. In a wondrous miracle, every time the pot was poured, the vessels filled up, but the pot was never empty. She repeated the process, filling up vessel after vessel, until there were no more vessels to be found, and the Bible records in 2 Kings 4:6 “There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.” What a miracle! What a demonstration of God’s power!

When the widow came to Elisha, we read in 2 Kings 4:7 that, “he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest”. Dear brothers and sisters, God is debtor to no man. Those who have laboured and served God, He will remember each one and reward them accordingly. This reminds me of a verse from Psalm 37:25 which says, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread”.

God is gracious in dealing with this poor widow and her children. We can be assured that sincere service and reverence to God will not be unnoticed by the good Lord. Men may not appreciate our service or our labour for them, but God is always gracious to His servants.

Secondly, we must always have faith in God’s power to provide. Thus, even in the times of scarcity or economic hardship, we can say, truly that God is debtor to no man! May His name be glorified.

In Christ,
Dn. Lim Seh Beng