MOTIVATE

Being second is a high rank, but it’s not always satisfying. Second means you’re also the first loser (ouch). But being second means, you’ve accomplished something with there still being room for growth and improvement.

In our nation, the office of vice president is the second highest position and first in line of succession. But only a few VP have used this position to launch to the next office. Just 15 of the 49 who have served as VP have become president; and 8 of those did by taking over after the death of a president, and 1 after the president resigned… and it’s undetermined how to fully categorize present circumstances in 2024 beyond saying, “astounding chaos.”  

In 2Kings, we see a transfer from the 1^st prophet Elijah to the 2^nd w/ Elisha.

EXAMINE

Review

• Elijah performed 14 miracles.
• Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit (2Ki 2:9).
• Elisha will perform 28 miracles.

To capture the setting for today’s text, remember the nation of Israel was led by idolatrous kings and cities of immorality. People rejected God and His prophets were unpopular critics of the culture.

One of the incidents at the end of last week’s chapter is Elisha walking and a gang of young men mocks and threatens Elisha “Go up, you baldhead [repeatedly]” (2 Kings 2:23). The English text describes them as young boys, but the wording can refer to youths from twelve to thirty years old (cf. 1 Sam 16:11–12; 2 Sam 14:21; 18:5); old enough to show respect for God’s prophet but instead they’re calculated in threatening a prophet.^[1]

We don’t have to look beyond today’s social media contagion of gang intimidation and violent attacks, especially toward individuals, the elderly, and women to discern this threat is very real. So, let’s call them “Bad Boys from Bethel,” and we’ll note Elisha’s response: “Elisha cursed them in the name of the LORD. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys” (2Ki 2:24).[2] I’m guessing there were at least 43 boys, but likely more, because we know the story and indicative of the gang threat.^[3]

> Strikes fear to youth to respect their pastor… jk, sorta! Honestly, this vivid text should remind us to speak carefully not just toward prophets or pastors but to all people (Mt 5:22; Eph 4:29; James 3:9-10).

> Since God protected Elisha, we see how God supports His servants with unique capabilities. Again, Elisha will perform 28 miracles (2x more than Elijah). In the NT, Jesus performs far more miracles and not all are recorded (Jn 21:25). Yet, Jesus said that His followers would do even more greater works (Jn 14:12). This is true because the Holy Spirit fills thousands of believers throughout history, doing the work of God across nations. Thus, Elisha’s ministry is a foreshadowing of today’s church (us!).   

In 2KINGS 4, we’ll explore 3 actions for when life falls apart.

When life falls apart, ask for help (2Kings 4:1)

¹ Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.”

Here’s another story that instead of focusing on the chaos of national politics or wickedness of idolatrous kings, describes a helpless widow in triple desperation: she’s lost her husband and is on the verge of losing her sons. Her circumstances reveal how far Israel had strayed, as God’s Law condemned this practice.[4] Yet, even still today we have generational poverty that leads men, women, and children to unthinkable professions and tragic choices.

Some scholars suggest she’s the widow of Obadiah, who together hid 100 of God’s prophets during King Ahab and Jezebel’s search to destroy worshipers of Yahweh. Their provisions for the prophets would likely be how they grew in debt to creditors, and now on the brink of losing her sons into slavery for payment.

Do you feel the tension? The couple served God together but didn’t get to enjoy retirement years or celebrate grandchildren. The family was faithful to God against the culture, but the government still squeezes their livelihood and silences their joy. Their hopes and dreams fizzle too swiftly.

So, while this widow is unnamed and feels unnoticed, she’s not unknown to God. Her cries reach the prophet’s ears to speak to God.

• Psalm 68:5 “[God is a] father of the fatherless and protector of widows.”
• Psalm 146:9 “The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless.”
• Your Father in Heaven knows what you need and gives good gifts (Matthew 6:8; 7:11)-

While this woman’s life is falling apart, she knows what to do. She goes to the prophet of God. And notice what she does NOT do – she doesn’t blameshift to God or others; she doesn’t present as a victim, or self-efface as if everything is her own fault. She simply communicates her circumstances; operates in facts and reality; and entrusts herself to God through His prophet. She’s desperate but she’s principled in her desperation, not seeking quick fixes or shortcut solutions.

While this woman is grieving the loss of her husband, what are you grieving? [5]  

• Functional Loss: losing efficiency bc of physicality or age.
• Role loss: grief over changed roles in job transitions, or as a parent
• Relational Loss: a breakup / a friend who moved.
• Emotional Loss: aspirations for obtaining a degree / a job / a spouse / a child…

This world has groans and grief that we must learn how to manage, or we will turn away from God instead of to Him.

What are you grieving? This world has groans and grief that we must learn how to manage, or we will turn away from God instead of to Him.

> Ask for help. Asking for help is not easy. We must swallow our pride, reject fierce independence, and realize that asking for help is not a weakness but a strength. It’s acknowledging the strength of your friends. But that’s just it for many people – they don’t have strong friendships, so asking for help feels awkward and out of character.

> Give God your emptiness not your fullness. God doesn’t need our attempt to be at our best. Instead, God seeks our brokenness and dependence upon Him. Pride prevents God from doing a miracle or even making a change in our circumstances (James 4:6; 1Peter 5:5-7).

> Cry out to God. Let prayer be your first response not last resort.

• Psalm 34:17-18 “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
• Psalm 50:15 “call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
• Psalm 55:22 “Cast your burden on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.”
• What if Family/Small Groups met 1x month beyond Sunday specifically to pray for one another?
• What if people dedicated times (6:33) to pray daily for revival personally and corporately?
• What if worshipers gathered at the altar to pray for souls before and during church services?
• Normal praying will get normal results, but extraordinary prayer will get extraordinary results. Friends, our normal prayer life isn’t matching the extraordinary time we are living in. And unfortunately too many Christians are hoping in political influence rather than spiritual fervency.

When life falls apart, apply our  resources (2Kings 4:2-4).

² And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” ³ Then he said, “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few. ⁴ Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels. And when one is full, set it aside.”

Elisha didn’t try to blindly solve this woman’s problems or assume he knew what she needed. He asked her two questions: “What shall I do for you?” “What have you in the house?”

Learning to ask questions aids our ability to share our faith and serve needs. Likewise, evangelism needs to feel less of a presentation and more like a conversation.[6] But the reason why many of us don’t ask questions is because we either don’t care, or we’re too preoccupied to really listen. We need to slow down and see people and opportunities that we have to share our faith and serve needs as God’s representatives on earth.

Asking what she has in the house revealed she had a jar of oil. I imagine the widow looking around her house with a sense of grief and pain – everything is empty, but then she sees a small jar with a little oil. God’s work almost always starts with something small. There are times God will intervene in our life through an entirely new manner, but He often uses everyday items and ordinary people we already have in our life to speak and work.

Oil was an indispensable commodity with multiple uses: cooking, medicinal, and even spiritual, as it was considered a blessing given by God (Dt 11:14).^[7]

It seems the woman’s neighbors were overlooked for their value, but Elisha is teaching her how to be vulnerable in asking for help and to exercise faith in asking for not too few empty vessels to fill with oil.

> What are you overlooking but God may want to utilize?

• Redeeming car rides for spiritual growth in listening to Christian music or devotions or sermons.
• Redeeming mealtimes to be spent with people for mentoring or witnessing.
• Redeeming circumstances that were/are painful, but God declares your pain has a purpose, and part of your healing comes through ministering to others.  
• Recognizing people or resources that God wants you to not overlook and bring into the equation of your spiritual life and obedience.  
  • Moses had a stick/staff. God used is to liberate a nation from slavery. David had a slingshot. God used it to defeat an enormous army. A little boy had a small lunch. God used it to feed over 5K.
  • Instead of focusing on what you do not have, pay attention to what you do have. We often have more than we realize.

When life falls apart, act in faith (2Kings 4:5-7).

⁵ So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her. ⁶ When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing. ⁷ She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”

The widow receives Elisha’s instruction, gathers her family to implement an action plan, and shuts the door behind herself to silence outside distractions. It is often the case that God waits to do a miracle in our life until we shut the door of distractions and get alone with Him.

Her act of faith made God’s blessing pour… and pour… and pour. The sons kept bringing vessels and the mother kept filling them up, sitting them aside, and then asking for another.

• If this widow’s house was anything like my house growing up, we used all kinds of containers for leftovers. You could be opening up a container and uncertain if you were getting “country crock butter” or roast beef; getting “cool whip” or mixed vegetables. So – this widow used every container & vessel she could get her hands on.
  
  
• Here’s two important takeaways about the vessels God uses:
  1) God fills empty vessels. If a vessel is already filled, God waits until it’s emptied. We cannot be full of God if we are overloaded with the world and full of ourselves.
  2 Cor 4:7 “we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us”
  2) God blesses clean vessels. Messy vessels are welcome in God’s house; but before God pours His blessings He wants to cleanse the dirt and prepare them for something fresh and new.  
  2 Tim 2:21 “if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.”

God fills empty vessels and blesses clean vessels. God will wait if we are overloaded with the world or full of ourselves. And while messy vessels are welcome in God’s house, His aim is to cleanse the dirt and prepare us for something fresh and new.

Eventually, the sons brought the last vessel. If they were able to find more vessels, they may still be pouring to this day! But the oil stopped flowing when there were no more vessels. God could have just Amazoned a giant bag of money to Elisha to give to the widow. Instead, God wanted the widow to exercise her faith and match the blessing according to her readiness to trust Him.

• Like the sailor unable to control the wind. Yet, he can prepare his sail for when the wind blows, he’s ready to voyage. – Similarly – we cannot control our circumstances, but if we’re able to trust God to do great things, then we are going to prepare ourselves for be available and take action when we notice the oil starting to flow.

By God’s grace, the widow received more than she could ask or think. Elisha said, “Sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on the rest.” “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor 2:9).

APPLY/TAKEAWAY

Amid a nation’s numerous leaders with the noise of national politics, ugliness of war, and the consequences of idolizing power and pleasure, God sees a woman in need. Whatever challenging circumstance or grieving loss you’re experiencing, God sees YOU. Don’t leave this place thinking you’re alone. Find a friend or speak with a pastor so we can pray with and counsel you in God’s word.

What jars of oil do you have? What resources or circumstances are you overlooking that God wants use to bring a breakthrough and blessing in your life?

Are you an empty or full vessel / messy or clean? There is fresh grace and new beginnings for all those who come to Jesus with a contrite spirit.

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^[1] Paul R. House, 1, 2 Kings, vol. 8, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995).

[2] Cursing from the LORD, cf. Leviticus 26:21-22; 2 Chronicles 26:16.

^[3] Dale Ralph Davis, 2 Kings: The Power and the Fury, Focus on the Bible Commentary (Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 2005), 38.

[4] Exodus 22:25-26; Deuteronomy 24:10-13.

[5] Six major types of losses by Kenneth R. Mitchell and Herbert Anderson, All our Losses All our Griefs: Resources for Pastoral Care (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1983) 36-46.

[6] Alvin Reid, How To Share Jesus Without Freaking Out: Effective Evangelism In The 21^st Century.

^[7] Claude F. Mariottini, “Oil,” ed. Chad Brand et al., Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003), 1214.