Chapter 14
Empty Vessels Filled
The Reading: 2 Kings 4:1-7
The Problem:
The widow in this scripture passage was caught in a very serious situation. She had lost her husband and now, because of the debt he owed, the creditor was coming to take her two sons. The creditor planned to use her boys as slaves to pay the debt. She was between a rock and a hard place. Without a husband, her two sons had become her only means of support and security.
In verse 1, we learn that her husband had been a God-fearing man, a spiritual son of the prophets, and he revered the Lord. “Sons of the prophets” were men who studied under the prophets, as junior prophets and future prophets. Today we would call them Bible College or seminary students preparing for ministry. They lived in small faith communities throughout the land. This was a God-honoring family living in a time when Baal worship was prevalent. But they had gotten in trouble by borrowing money - as many believers have today.
This urgent matter led the woman to cry out to the Lord for help. And she came to Elisha expecting to hear God’s answer to her problem. She presented her need in a matter-of-fact way - without bitterness, complaining, or blaming. She didn’t talk against her husband who had borrowed the money, and she didn’t accuse the creditor of being unjust, as this was a common practice in those days.
Debt bondage, also known as debt slavery or bonded labor, is a practice that continues today in some countries. It consists of a person's pledge of labor or services as security for the repayment for a debt or other obligation, where there is no hope of actually repaying the debt. The services required to repay the debt may be undefined, and the services' duration may be undefined. Debt bondage can be passed on from generation to generation. Currently, debt bondage is the most common method of enslavement with an estimated 8.1 million people in the world bonded to slave labor this way (International Labor Organization, 2005).
Elisha saw how desperate the situation was and, recognizing the woman’s faith, he was willing to help. So he asked her what there might be of value in the house. Note that when the prophet asked the widow, “What do you have?” she started her answer with “Nothing. I have nothing.” Her focus was on what she did not have. We all have a tendency to focus on what we don’t have and what we can’t do. But God says, “Don’t tell me what you don’t have. Tell me what you do have,” because whatever we have in the house is enough for God! So the woman amended her statement to, “Well, there is a little jar of oil in the house.”
That “jar of oil” was a little flask of olive oil used for ceremonial anointing. In those days, oil could bring a high price, as it was an export product from Palestine. That flask of olive oil was the only valuable thing left by her husband.
The Turning Point:
At this point, Elisha got a Word from the Lord about how to help the woman. We know the Word came from God because Elisha’s instructions to the widow led to a miracle. Elisha told the widow and her sons to go around and ask all their neighbors for as many empty jars as they could spare, not just a few. Then he told her go inside with her sons and shut the door. She was to pour oil into all the jars and, as each was filled, to put it to one side.
Now Elisha’s instructions didn’t make much sense, but the widow and her sons knew he was a prophet, trusted his words, and responded in obedience - believing God would help. They didn’t question Elisha, or ask how on earth that was going to fix the situation. They simply acted upon what they heard.
The Miracle That Followed:
If this woman and her sons had heard Elisha’s command but done nothing, their needs would not have been met. But they did exactly as they were told and saw the miracle of God in the privacy of their own home. God not only produced enough oil for the widow to pay off her debts, there was also enough to sustain herself and her two sons for years to come.
God always provides more than enough, and we’ve seen that truth many other times in the Word:
- He provided manna for His people in the wilderness, and it was an all-you-can-eat buffet, day after day. (Exodus 16)
- He fed 5000 men, plus women and children, with five loaves of bread and two fish and there were 12 baskets full of leftovers. (Matthew 14:15-21)
- He fed 4000 men, plus women and children, with seven loaves and a few fish, and there were 7 baskets full of leftovers. (Matthew 15:32-38)
God specializes in making something out of nothing. The apostle Paul would say God is One “… Who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…” (Ephesians 3:20)
The Bottom Line:
Notice what Elisha didn’t tell her. Elisha did not say, “Ok, you should just let go and let God.” And Elisha did not say, “It’s okay. God will provide.” Instead, Elisha asked the widow and her sons to participate in a miracle of God.
The miracle came through the widow’s and her sons’ obedience. They went around the neighborhood and borrowed as many jars as they could. The widow, with her sons’ help, poured oil into the jars. They obeyed because they believed the words spoken by the prophet Elisha. Obedience and trust are like Siamese twins. We obey because we trust Him. If we trust Him, we will obey Him.
