|
|
2 Kings Chapter 4
Elisha and the Widow's Oil
- 2Kings 4:1 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.
- 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.
- 3 Then he said, Go,
borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty
vessels; borrow not a few.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Often widows had no way to make a
living if she had no sons in those days. Men were the wage earners
and women usually had to remarry to survive even. By taking her sons
away the creditors were taking her whole way to make a living away.
The law of Moses allowed this but the sons were not to be bondmen
but hired servants and they were to be released in the year of
jubilee which was every 50th year. So we see this woman was
desparate to get help.
Elisha by the wisdom he had gotten from
the Lord, thought of a way to help. The widow had to do her part.
She showed her faith by going to borrow vessels from her neighbors.
She borrowed as many as she could find. This too was an act of faith
and obedience to the words of the prophet. She had a little bit of
oil and started pouring. Another act of faith. She kept pouring
until they were all full and was then instructed to sell the oil to
pay back the debt. Awesome story. Shows the mercy of God upon the
poor widow.
Elisha and the Shunammite Woman
- 2Kings 4:8 And it
fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great
woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that
as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.
- 9 And she said unto
her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of
God, which passeth by us continually.
- 10 Let us make a
little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him
there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it
shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither.
- 11 And it fell on a
day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and
lay there.
- 12 And he said to
Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called
her, she stood before him.
- 13 And he said unto
him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us
with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou
be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And
she answered, I dwell among mine own people.
- 14 And he said, What
then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath
no child, and her husband is old.
- 15 And he said, Call
her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door.
- 16 And he said,
About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt
embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do
not lie unto thine handmaid.
- 17 And the woman
conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said
unto her, according to the time of life.
This woman was a woman of wealth that
had compassion on Elisha and was hospitable by providing food for
him every time he passed by. When she perceived that he was a man of
God, she went further by making him a special room for him to sleep
in if he needed to rest. It was a way to serve God by taking care of
one of His prophets.
Elisha didn't let this go unrewarded
and desired to find out how he could repay the woman for her
kindness to him. The woman however, didn't want any reward but when
Elisha found out she was without any children, now that she was old
and her husband was old. He said to her that she would have a son
about the time one carries a child to term.
She wasn't being rude here by thinking
he was lying. She just thought it was an impossible thing to do
since she passed the point in her life where she could conceive a
child. This happened to Sarah in the days of Abraham and also
Elizabeth with John the Baptist. Nothing is impossible with God.
It happened to her just as Elisha said.
Elisha Raises the Shunammite's Son
- 2Kings 4:18 And when
the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his
father to the reapers.
- 19 And he said unto
his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to
his mother.
- 20 And when he had
taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees
till noon, and then died.
- 21 And she went up,
and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door
upon him, and went out.
- 22 And she called
unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the
young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of
God, and come again.
- 23 And he said,
Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? it is neither new moon,
nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well.
- 24 Then she saddled
an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack
not thy riding for me, except I bid thee.
- 25 So she went and
came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass,
when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his
servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite:
- 26 Run now, I pray
thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it
well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she
answered, It is well.
- 27 And when she came
to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but
Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said,
Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the LORD
hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.
Elisha's servant was protective of his
master it seems. Elisha however, was more interested in what
troubled the woman. He admitted that this was something the Lord
didn't show him ahead of time. Elisha was a true servant of the Lord
that was truly concerned about this woman's distress and what was
troubling her. Her husband wondered why she was seeking out the
prophet when it wasn't a holy day or a time of worship. It would
seem as if she hoped the prophet could resurrect her son. Perhaps
also she was blaming the one who prophesided that she would have a
son for the death of her son.
- 2Kings 4:28 Then she
said, Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not
deceive me?
- 29 Then he said to
Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and
go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any
salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the
face of the child.
- 30 And the mother of
the child said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I
will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her.
She wanted to make sure Elisha came and
not just his servant. She also felt she would rather not have had a
child than to have one and lose him at such a young age. She felt
deceived but yet we see in her a glimmer of hope.
-
2Kings 4:31 And Gehazi
passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the
child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he
went again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not
awaked.
Gehazi did as he was instructed but the
child did not awaken. Now we see that sometimes we can't just give
up. Elisha doesn't give up.
- 2Kings 4:32 And when
Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and
laid upon his bed.
- 33 He went in
therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto
the LORD.
He wanted no interuptions or those with
unbelief or doubt. This was a serious time of seeking the Lord.
Sometimes when we pray, the matter can be so serious that we have to
pray alone without people of unbelief and doubt who could hinder our
faith. I've heard people who criticize those that believe in divine
healing by asking why they don't go in hospitals and just start
healing the sick.
This is a good example of why that
doesn't happen. Even though God has done miracles in hospitals,
usually those who work in hospitals rely so much on their
medications and surgeries to heal, that to just pray and see a
divine miracle is hard for them to trust in. There are those that
have faith but that God will use doctors to heal. Whether that is
good or bad, I don't know but what we believe for might come into
play in that area. It may be why we see more divine miracles in
places that have very little medical care. They are more desparate
because there is no one else to trust in but God.
I have heard of times when a praying
doctor has brought people back to life though. When my dad was a
child, he was hit by a rider on a bicycle. The bike handle went
through his skull. A team of doctors tried to save him and all but
one doctor refused to give up. Whether he was a praying man, I don't
know but he didn't give up and my dad lived. He did lose hearing in
one ear but he lived or else I wouldn't be writing this bible study.
I wouldn't be here. So I'm not against doctors or medical help. I'm
sure my grandparents were praying also. But when I hear of miracles
without any medical help I rejoice that God will get all the glory
and praise. God still heals. This
is a topic I want to study further. I guess we can't limit God to
any one way. He heals in His own timing and in His own way but
always by the prayers of faith coming from one who believes in Him.
- 2Kings 4:34 And he
went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his
mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands:
and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the
child waxed warm.
- 35 Then he returned,
and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched
himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the
child opened his eyes.
- 36 And he called
Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And
when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son.
- 37 Then she went in,
and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took
up her son, and went out.
Here we see an example of not giving
up. The healing was not instant like we prefer to see. Elisha
pursued, prayed, labored in prayer. He didn't give up and assume it
was not the will of God to heal this child. He kept on. Like the
doctor that worked on my dad, he just wouldn't give up. This too is
an act of faith. If Elisha didn't believe God could do it, he would
have accepted it when the child wasn't healed immediately. Perhaps
we give up too soon. The answer might be that we pursue until God
gives us the assurance of His will in divine healing. Once that
assurance comes, we receive it.
Elisha Purifies the Deadly Stew
- 2Kings 4:38 And
Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land;
and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he
said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage
for the sons of the prophets.
- 39 And one went out
into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and
gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred
them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not.
This is thought to be deadly poison but
can be used properly in medicines. Having someone around who is
familiar with herbs and other things growing in the wild, knowing
the difference between what is poison and what is safe would be a
good thing to study. It could prevent starvation in times of
famine.
-
2 Kings 4:40 So they poured
out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating
of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of
God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof.
Someone recognized the taste or smell
of something not quite right and prevented anyone from eating it.
-
2Kings 4:41 But he said,
Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour
out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in
the pot.
Elisha either by something he knew
would get rid of the poison or else it was a miracle from the Lord,
caused the stew to be safe. In the natural, this type of study would
benefit. I do know that there are safe and poisonous mushrooms for
example. It would pay to know the difference.
- 2Kings 4:42 And
there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God
bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears
of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people,
that they may eat.
- 43 And his servitor
said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said
again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the
LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.
- 44 So he set it
before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to
the word of the LORD.
This reminds me of the feeding of the 4
and 5 thousand when Jesus walked the earth and ministered to the
crowds. There was always enough. A good verse in the Psalms can go
along with this passage of scripture. DC
2 Kings Chapter 5
|
|