The Widow with Debt

II Kings 4:1-7
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. 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. Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. 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. 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. 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. 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.

We see that the woman is bereft of her husband and now the creditors are hard on her to the point where they want to take her two sons as bondmen if she cannot pay them back. She is in sorrow at the loss of her husband and the creditors are about to multiply her sorrow by taking away her two sons. For us who are in Christ, James 1:27 says, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” The woman in her pain reached out to the man of God, Elisha. Elisha is like Christ and is ready to help the needy woman here. If somebody in need knocks on our door may we respond like the way Elisha and Christ did. Elisha asked her what he can do for her. He is willing to help her right away and his question speaks that he is trying to understand her need so that he could help her. Oh, let us also find the need of the needy people and follow the leading of the Spirit of God in helping them. Let us not be like the creditors who are hard on the widow and the fatherless for that is not true Christianity.

Elisha questioned what she had in her house. He was going to use what she had to satisfy her need. God can use our life as it is and can do mighty wonders if we surrender to Him and allow Him to wield our life to His glory. He uses the talents and gifts He has granted for His honor. The woman said she only had a pot of oil. What could a man without the gift of God, do with just a pot of oil? With a mere pot of oil Elisha was going to provide for the needs of the widow and her sons.

Elisha asked the woman to borrow empty vessels and then shut the door and pour out the oil into the empty vessels. When a vessel was full he asked her to put it aside. The woman obeyed the words of Elisha and she did what he asked her to do. After all the vessels are filled with oil she asked her son for yet another vessel. If there were more empty vessels she could have filled them with oil too. The oil here represents the Holy Spirit. Vessel represents human beings like you and me. When an empty vessel (human) is brought before the Lord, the Lord can fill the vessel with oil (Holy Spirit). There will be enough oil (Holy Spirit) to as many empty vessels (humans) as are brought before Him (God). Elisha asked her to borrow empty vessels; this means we are to reach out to others and bring them before the Lord to be filled with His oil (Spirit). Oil has the potential to burn and only when there is oil, the lamp will burn. You and I can be zealous to know God and live out the life for His glory only when we are filled with the Spirit of God. Acts 1:8 says, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth”. These words were spoken by Jesus to His disciples before His ascension. Holy Spirit is in us who have accepted Christ as our Savior and this Spirit of God gives us power to be His mighty witnesses wherever we go. The oil was full in all the vessels that the woman had and she was asked to fill them by shutting the doors. Shut doors signify the importance of prayers offered to God in secret (Matthew 6:6). We got to lift up our voices and cry out to the Lord to make His power known to all the empty vessels in the world i.e., to all the people in the world who are yet to come into the awesome Light of Jesus Christ. May we make this secret prayer our business everyday and the power of Holy Ghost can touch the people of the world and fill them amazingly with His grace and mercy. The oil stayed; this means once we are filled with the Spirit of God, He stays within us and works His wonders in us and through us! In Psalm 51:11, David’s prayer was: “Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me”. This is my prayer too and it is something I never want for me or anyone in Christ. We who are embellished and adorned by the Holy Spirit know how awesome His presence is and we just cannot afford to bear the thought of living a single moment without the Spirit of God in us. Lord, give me oil in my lamp; keep it burning always!

Elisha asked the woman to sell the oil and pay the debt and live the life with the rest of the oil. This woman has all her needs met for now and even for future. The oil will help her pay her debts and thus get herself free off the creditors and also supply her with her future needs. When we are filled with the Spirit of God, He will make a way for us to live through our struggles by providing us with peace that passes all understanding. He will help us live our life if we only have faith in His provision for us, not just for now but also forever. When the going gets tough, submit all your anxieties and petitions to Him with thanksgiving and He will get you through your tough times and help you lie on the green pastures and walk you beside the still waters (Psalm 23:2).

Tomorrow: The Shunammite Woman Blessed with a Son