1. Elisha's prophetic ministry, which is especially highlighted in chapters 4-8, clearly demonstrates that God cares for His people and that He sometimes works in sovereign and mighty ways that extend far beyond that which we are able to do or think as He reaches out to meet needs according to His will. But before we look at the details of this story, we should note the contrast between chapter 3 and chapters 4-8. We are taken from the prophet's ministry before royalty to that of the very poor. In chapter 3 God used him to save these kings from death and defeat. Without the ministry of a man like Elisha, where would the kings be? Dying of thirst in the desert! We would expect that they might have at least tried to honor him in some way, but if they did, it is certainly not mentioned in Scripture. I rather suspect no such honor or even thank you was offered.

2. Elisha's day was also a time of great national degeneracy and apostasy, much like the times in which we live. The world as a whole was unsympathetic to God's people and to the ministry of His Word. It was tough to be a believer and to stand for the things of God. For many believers it was often hard to even make ends meet.

3. Such was the case with the widow in our passage. She was evidently a believer and her husband had been a prophet, a man of God who was involved in the ministry and teaching of Elisha. But one of the lessons of the passage is that regardless of the times in which we live and the problems we face there is no problem or need which God cannot meet if we will simply trust and obey Him. God cares (1 Pet. 5:6-7). The real issue is not the problem, but in our response to the Lord in the face of problems. How do we respond or react? This is the crucial issue!

4. Though the lessons of the passage are many, it does deal with a financial problem or need and as such this passages speaks to our physical needs.

5. READ: 2 Kings 4:1-17

1. Each one of us are personally known and loved of God; we are the personal objects of His love.

2. Our needs are never unknown to our sovereign Lord. Though our God is transcendent, above and sovereign over this world, He is also immanent, very much involved with His creation and with His people and the details of their lives. This will be clearly emphasized in the story of the ax head that will follow in chapter 6.

3. Since her husband was one who feared the Lord and since she appealed to the prophet, she was certainly a believer, an Old Testament saint who had a relationship with God. As an Old Testament believer she was the special recipient of God's very personal care as one of His special children.

1. Her appeal was based on two facts: (a) as one of the sons of the prophets, her husband had been a servant and student of Elisha, and (b) her husband had revered (had been faithful to) the Lord.

3. Though we are to pray according to the will of God and with godly motives, we are still commanded to take our needs to the Lord and to entreat others to pray for us. God wants us to come to Him as His children and in faith, with His glory always in view, to ask for our needs according to the will of God. Too often we either take Him for granted or act as though He does not care.

4. Interestingly, Elisha did not wait for an answer, at least one is not recorded. Why? Well, because her needs were obvious and she had already come to him and declared her problem which also indicated her request--income to pay off her financial obligation and save her sons from slavery.

5. In verse two Elisha says, 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. Oil was a very important commodity; it was like money or gold. Oil is often a picture or type of the Holy Spirit inasmuch as the Old Testament practice of anointing priests and kings served as a type of the ministry of the Spirit.

6. But that does not seem to be the emphasis here. Rather, the focus in this passage is on the way the Lord takes what He has given us like our talents, gifts, physical abilities, financial provisions and multiplies them if we have faith to trust Him to take what we have and multiply it.

7. She was so destitute, that the only thing she had was this oil, which was used for anointing the body or for cooking--or she may have been saving it for her burial. But there is a principle here which we find repeated in Scripture: the way God generally meets our needs is to take what we have and to multiply it as we turn our lives over to Him and obey the principles of His Word. This is true of our talents, gifts, finances, or physical assets.

8. We need to investigate what we have in every area of our life, and then, using those blessings as good stewards of God's grace, however small they may seem, surrender them to the Lord and trust the Lord to bless and provide as He sees fit. Many today want to win the sweepstakes or lottery rather than have to trust God with whatever He has allotted them. Sometimes God does supply from places unknown and in ways beyond our imagination. But our responsibility is to take what we have no matter how small or large and turn it over to Him.

9. In verse 3 the widow was told to go and borrow "empty vessels." God can't or will not put anything into full vessels without at least emptying the vessels first. As long as there were empty vessels there was God's supply to fill them with the oil. The oil only stopped flowing when there were no more empty vessels to fill.

10. There are some important lessons for us here:

(1) The number of empty vessels brought into the house showed the woman's faith, obedience, and her submission to God and His promise to her through the prophet.

(2) If we find that the supply of God stops, then either the need has been supplied according to His will, or there are no more empty vessels. If she had brought only a few, that would suggest there was insufficient faith, obedience or submission to God as her sovereign Lord and supplier of her need. This is why Elisha warned her to “borrow not a few.”

(3) God's supply would be (and was) as large as her faith and obedience, without greediness. The moment we become greedy and selfish in our request, we not only stop the flow of God's provision (Jam. 4:3), but we end up going in circles like a dog chasing his tail.

11. I believe this godly woman brought vessels sufficient for her needs and stopped before greed took over. The amount of vessels was limited by the size of her room. God has promised to meet our need, but not our greed. But I wonder what I would have done? Would I have gone out and borrowed and borrowed until my whole house and yard was full?

13. Furthermore, Elisha's absence when the miracle took place would demonstrate that the power came from God alone, not Elisha. This was certainly designed to encourage her to greater faith and dependence on the Lord. Devout faith and obedience produces an abundance of spiritual blessings.

1. Elisha was a man who had a heart for serving others whether wealthy or poor. He did not minister to people based on how they might promote him or provide for him. He was only concerned that people might know and experience God's grace and power in their lives. How available am I to do the same?

2. Like the poor widow, we all have certain needs--spiritual, emotional, and physical, but God knows those needs completely and He cares about them personally. Our most fundamental need is to come to him in faith, but with empty vessels that He might multiply our lives according to His purposes. While trusting Him to meet our need and never our greed, let us come not with just a few vessels. In other words, let's not limit our loving and gracious God by our lack of faith and obedience to Him. He is the One who is able to do superabundantly above all we ask or think, but He has promised to do as the Psalmist said, in due season, in His own timing according to His perfect understanding.

1. God will fill any empty vessels that are brought to Him to be filled. The widow was able to take all the vessels of oil and pay her debts. What would happen if every believer at NEBC was filled with the Holy Spirit of God at the same time? If that has not happened is that God’s fault or our fault? I think you know the answer to that one.

2. Is there some area of spiritual poverty in our lives that needs to be filled? God will fill if we will let Him.