God will develop from what we have (2 Kings 4:1-7)
1. There my wife and slave, one of the disciples of the prophets, died; He is Jehovah You know that he was pious; Elisha shouted that now the debtor has come to take my two sons to be his slaves. 2. Elisha what do you want from me? Zeppu said I don’t know what is in your house. Therefore, in my servant’s house there is a jar of oil; There is nothing else except that. 3. And thou shalt go forth, and buy of all thy neighbors all the earthen vessels that thou canst find; 4. Then you come into your house and you and your sons shut the door from the inside, pour oil into all the vessels and put the full ones in one place. 6. After filling all the vessels, she asked her son to cut more vessels, but he said that there was none. I was stuck inside. 7. When she came to him, who was a godly man, and told the matter, he told her that you should go and sell that oil, settle your debt, and live with the rest for you and your children. – Let us meditate on this scene and receive blessings from God.
1. God expands what we have:
Elisha, the man of God, caused all the pots she brought to the manger to be filled with oil through the single pot of oil she had. “Jehovah – what is in your hand? asked him (Exodus 4:2). So he said stick. “Take this stick in your hand and do the signs with it” (Exodus 4:17) God tells us to take this stick, which Moses once took into the forest, into the harem. Because God appointed Pharaoh to show God’s power through Pharaoh and to spread God’s name throughout the world. (Romans 9:17). He said to perform miracles. The bundle was lifeless in Moses’ hands but God performed ten life-giving miracles with it, and caused the sea to divide, the rock to split and water springs to flow, ushering in the rebirth of the Israelites. 5 loaves of bread with the child, 2 He increased the number of fishes and fed five thousand people. (Matthew 14: 17-21) No matter how big the problem is, it becomes small if placed in God’s hands. The last one will be zero.
2. Time to test ourselves:
The woman was not depressed when her husband died. Even if her husband leaves her, her God will not leave herAfter knowing it, she did a self-examination for her future. She went to Elisha, a man of God, to solve her problem. Sometimes unexpected hardships come in our life. We have to examine why the sufferings come into our life. Efforts come to us in two ways. The first is the labor of sin. The second is the labor of purity. The toil of sin brings down our life. Hard work in sanctification pays off. “Search me, O God, and know my heart… and see if your righteous ways are in me”. (Psalm 139:23-24) David was always correcting his life before God. So God also always accompanied him and made him king. If we do not examine our lives before God we will lose everything like the prodigal son in Luke 15:18-19. It is that prodigal son who returns to self-examination, Repenting of his sin, he returned to his father and was lovingly welcomed into his home. Sin separates us from God. Holiness always keeps us close to God.
3. We realize what we have:
Godly man Elisha, what is in that woman’s house? When she asked that, she realized that there was an oil pot in her house. Abundance of oil is analogous to life. God has placed the spirit of life in our body. God, Jehovah, formed man from clay and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). We must realize that in our little body there is an abundant life spirit, and through this life spirit God wants to do abundant works. When does God do such great things in our lives? When having a soulful mind. Because the spirit mind is life and peace. (Romans 8:5-9) When we walk according to the Spirit that God has placed in us, it will bring peace in this world and life in heaven. A carnal mind is opposed to God. Because it contains the works of Galatians 5:19-21. God cannot do His works through these works. So it should be understood that God’s spirit is present in this body. If Christ is without the Spirit, he is not useless.
4. Dedication to ourselves and submission to God:
She came to Elisha and said, “Her husband is your ‘servant’. She then clarifies that she is Elisha’s ‘slave’. It means that not only her husband but also she has submitted herself to God that she is always ready to listen and bow down to the prophet. “He warned them that this generation, you fools, will not be saved” (Acts 2:40). Every person who has been baptized for the forgiveness of sins should distinguish himself according to the salvation given by the Lord, not following the foolish thoughts and practices of this world. “The king intended not to defile himself with the food he ate or the wine he drank” (Daniel 1:8). He politely declined the opportunity to defile him. Many today are falling into sinful ways when they have the opportunity, ruining the life that God has set them apart. Joseph did not give in to Potiphar’s wife’s temptation and fled away from her beauty, her beauty, and that place. In return for Joseph’s submission, God made him the head of Egypt. It was in front of Potiphar’s slanderous wife that he prospered and was glorified. Let us prepare to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord, keeping God’s saving life special.
5. We must be a week of suffering:
After the death of her husband, she was a good servant who did not blaspheme or hate God or God’s people. Do good people face tragic circumstances? Yes, they must face. Those who want to serve God with full dedication and live as God’s believers must face hardships. “If you groan in the day of trouble, you will be helpless” (Proverbs 24:10). You should look at Jesus who overcomes the sufferings and does not cringe at the sight of sufferings. Because Paul said in Romans 8:18, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth the glory that is to be revealed to us.” It is true that the sufferings of the Christians of those days are very different from the sufferings we experience now. In those days, many thousands of believers were burned in the fire, cut with saws, and while the skin was removed from the body, they offered their lives saying Lord Lord. According to 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 God’s power is made perfect in our weakness. We should be strong when we are weak. Let us be willing to face these hardships for the sake of God’s peaceful heavenly kingdom.
6. We should be a blessing to others:
She may have given as much oil as she could to please them, instead of re-drying the pots she had taken for manure from her husbands. Everyone who overcomes hardships will be blessed by God. Be a blessing to others. God blessed Abraham in this way. “I will make you a great nation and bless you and make your name great, and you will be a blessing” (Genesis 5:12:2). Esther saved the Jews (Esther 8:16-17). Joseph was a blessing to the Israelites and the Egyptians (Genesis 39:5). What is our situation? Is our life harmful to others? Or is it blessed? Check it out once. Ask the Lord if you are in that situation. He will remove your old life and give you a new life and use you as a powerful tool for many people.
7. When we go to God He is not a rejecting one:
The woman whose husband had died came to God and shed tears because of her pains and sufferings. Elisha understood her condition and fulfilled her every need and filled the house with great joy. Thus God’s happiness lasts for a lifetime. So you should come to God in whatever condition you are till now. He must protect and support you. Jesus said that those who come to me I will not cast out (John 6:37). God’s hand did not shrink from saving (Isaiah 59:1). God is stretching his hands for us day by day so that we can come into God’s embrace this day. Whenever we come to the Almighty, He will make us abundant from our meager salary. May such grace of Christ be with us all, Amen.
