SCRIPTURE: 2 KINGS 4
THE WIDOW’S OIL (vs. 1-7)
A widow came to Elisha and told him creditors were coming to take his two boys as slaves. Elisha asked her what she had in her house. She said: “Nothing except a little oil” (v. 2). Elisha told her to ask as many empty bottles as she could from her neighbors. 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” (v. 3) All the jars were full and Elisha asked her to sell the oil and pay her debts.
THE SHUNAMMITE’S SON RESTORED TO LIFE (vs. 8-37)
A well-to-do woman in Shumen always invited Elisha to come to her house and stay for a meal. She also made a small room in the roof for Elisha to stay when he came. In response to her hospitality, Elisha promised her that she will have a son to hold in her arms next year. The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. The son grew but he died. Her mother laid him on the bed of Elisha, shut the door and went out. Then she saddled a donkey to meet Elisha at Mr. Carmel. She told Elisha that her son died. Elisha told Gehazi to take his staff and go with the child’s mother. Gehazi laid the staff at the boy’s face but there was no sound or response. So Gehazi went back to see Elisha. Elisha reached the house, shut the door and prayed to the Lord. Then he got in the bed and laid upon the boy mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched himself out upon him, the boy’s body grew warm. Elisha walked back and forth in the room and got on the bed and stretched out upon him once more. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. Elisha summoned Gehazi to call the Shunammite woman. When she came, she fell at his feet and bowed to the ground. Then she took her son and went out.
DEATH IN THE POT (vs. 38-41)
There was a famine in Gilgal. While the company of the prophets was meeting with Elisha, Elisha told his servant to put on the large pot and cook some stew for these men. One of them went out into the fields to gather herbs and found a wild vine. He gathered some of its gourds and filled the fold of his cloak. When he returned, he cut them up into the pot of stew. The stew was poured out for the men, but as they began to eat it, they cried out, “O man of God, there is death in the pot!”. And they could not eat it. Elisha told them to get some flour and put it into the pot and serve it to the people. There was nothing harmful in the pot.
FEEDING A HUNDRED (vs. 42-44)
A man from Baal Shalishah brought Elisha 20 loaves of barley bread baked from the first ripe grain along with some heads of new grain. Elisha told him to give it to the people to eat. But the man said: “How can I set this before a hundred men?”. But Elisha answered: “They will eat and have some left over. Then he set it before them and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the Lord.
THOUGHTS:
MIRACLES DONE BY ELIJAH WITH THE POWER OF GOD.
- He provided money for the poor stricken widow to pay her debts and save her sons from becoming slaves
- The woman was able to conceive even when her husband was old already.
- He raised the son of the Shunammite woman to life.
- He removed the poison in the pot by pouring some flour and saved a group of prophets.
- He gave the bread to a group of believers so that they would not die from hunger and starvation
The woman showed her faith by following what Elisha told her to do. She collected as many containers she could to fill it up with oil. Never limit God’s blessings by lack of faith in obedience to His word. God is able to do unmeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.