THE
The Teaching Ministry of Rick Trice
October 22, 2006, Trinity Fellowship, Raton,
2 Kings 4:1-7; Acts 9:10-22; 2 Corinthians 4:7-10
THE WIDOW’S OIL A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the L ORD . And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves." So Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?" And she said, "Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil." Then he said, "Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors--empty vessels; do not gather just a few. "And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones." So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, "Bring me another vessel." And he said to her, "There is not another vessel." So the oil ceased. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest." (2 KINGS 4:1-7; NKJV)
(V1) “THE WIFE OF ONE OF THE SONS OF THE PROPHETS.” NOW THIS WAS NOT NECESSARILY A FAMILY MEMBER, BUT WAS ASSOCIATED BY SERVANTHOOD. HER LATE HUSBAND PROBABLY SERVED IN THE HOUSEHOLD OF ONE OF THE PROPHETS.
THE CARE OF WIDOWS AND ORPHANS IS A MAJOR THEME IN BOTH THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS (JAMES 1:27: “…PURE AND UNDEFILED RELIGION BEFORE GOD AND THE FATHER IS THIS: TO VISIT ORPHANS AND WIDOWS IN THEIR TROUBLE, AND TO KEEP ONESELF UNSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD.”)
SO HERE, THE WIDOW APPEALS TO THE SPIRITUAL LEADER, ELISHA. NOW WE LEARN SEVERAL THINGS ABOUT THIS WOMAN JUST IN VERSE 1:
*THAT BY APPEALING TO THE SPIRITUAL HEAD OF HER EXTENDED FAMILY, IN THIS CASE ELISHA, SHE IS ACTUALLY APPEALING TO THE LORD GOD, (PS. 68:5 “A FATHER OF THE FATHERLESS, A DEFENDER OF WIDOWS, IS GOD IN HIS HOLY HABITATION.”)
*THAT HER LATE HUSBAND FEARED THE LORD. (THE BIBLE TEACHES WE THAT ARE CHILDREN OF GOD ARE TO FEAR NOTHING, EXCEPT GOD. THIS IS TO BE A HEALTHY FEAR; A FEAR BORN OUT OF RESPECT, AWE, AND WORSHIP OF GOD’S MAJESTY.) THE WIDOW APPEALS TO ELISHA’S WISDOM BY STATING THIS FACT ABOUT HER HUSBAND. (WE CAN DO THE SAME WITH GOD; WE CAN QUOTE HIS PROMISES BACK TO HIM; NOT TO CONVINCE GOD TO DO SOMETHING, BUT MORE TO REMIND OURSELVES OF GOD’S PROMISES.)
*THAT SHE IS ABOUT TO BECOME DESTITUTE (BY LOSING HER SONS, HER SUPPORT SYSTEM), AND THAT GOD IS ABOUT TO BE HER ONLY SOURCE OF SUSTENANCE
(V2) ELISHA: “WHAT SHALL I DO FOR YOU?” AGAIN, ELISHA KNOWS WHAT HE CAN DO FOR HER. GOD KNOWS WHAT HE CAN DO FOR US; SOMETIMES HE NEEDS TO ASK US TO PUT IT IN WORDS, AGAIN, NOT FOR HIS SAKE, BUT FOR OURS.
EVEN SO, THE WOMAN IS SILENT. SHE, LIKE US, DOESN’T ALWAYS HAVE THE ANSWER.
SO ELISHA ASKS HER IN ANOTHER WAY, “WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN YOUR HOUSE?” IN OTHER WORDS, WHEN WE GO TO THE LORD WITH OUR SUPPLICATIONS AND REQUESTS, WE NEED TO BE PREPARED FOR HIM TO TURN THE QUESTION BACK ON US: “WHAT DO YOU HAVE THAT I CAN USE.”
IN THIS CASE, THE WOMAN HAD NOTHING. BUT A SMALL JAR OF OIL. PERHAPS WORTH A FEW DOLLARS, BUT NOT MUCH OF AN ASSET. SHE ALSO HAD HER SONS.
(V3) ELISHA IMMEDIATELY KNOWS WHAT TO DO, AND TELLS HER TO GO FIND AS MANY EMPTY VESSELS AS SHE CAN FIND, GO TO NEIGHBORS, FRIENDS, FAMILY, AND BRING THEM BACK TO THE HOUSE.
(V4-5) THEN HE ORDERS HER TO DO SOMETHING INTERESTING: “SHUT THE DOOR BEHIND YOU AND YOUR SONS; POUR THE OIL FROM YOUR SMALL JAR INTO ALL THE VESSELS, AND SET THEM ASIDE WHEN THEY BECOME FULL.”
SHE DOES WHAT HE ASKS, AND IT’S INTERESTING TO SEE THAT SHE ALSO UTILIZES HER TWO SONS TO HELP HER IN THE TASK. MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, WHEN GOD GIVES US A TASK OR A MINISTRY, IT MAY ALSO NEED TO INVOLVE YOUR FAMILY! IT DEFINITELY NEEDS TO INVOLVE YOUR FAMILY’S SUPPORT AND UNDERSTANDING AND PRAYERS. I’VE SEEN TOO MANY WELL-MEANING CHRISTIANS RUN OFF INTO
(V6) WHEN THE VESSELS WERE FULL, AND THERE WERE NO MORE VESSELS TO BE FILLED, THE OIL CEASED FLOWING!
LET ME SHOW YOU SOMETHING: WHEN GOD ANOINTS YOU ( WHICH IS SYMBOLIZED BY THE POURING OF OIL ON YOUR HEAD) HE ANOINTS YOU FOR A SPECIFIC PURPOSE. DAVID WAS ANOINTED AS A SHEPHERD BOY TO SERVE GOD; HE DIDN’T PHYSICALLY BECOME KING UNTIL MANY YEARS LATER, AFTER GOD MOLDED HIM THROUGH EXPERIENCES. HE WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO COULD DO IT AT THE TIME; JESUS WAS ANOINTED “THE CHRIST”, WHICH WAS NOT HIS LAST NAME, BUT MEANT THAT HE WAS TO BE THE SOLE REDEEMER AND MESSIAH OF HIS PEOPLE. HE WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO COULD DO IT.
AND WHEN THE PURPOSE IS ACCOMPLISHED, THE FLOW OF OIL CEASES; THE FLOW OF GOD’S ANOINTING IS ACCOMPLISHED.
GOD PROVIDED ENOUGH OIL FOR THE WIDOW AND HER SONS TO PAY OFF THE CREDITORS, SAVE HER SONS FROM SLAVERY, AND STILL PROVIDE ENOUGH LEFT OVER TO SUPPORT THEM THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.
THE
(V7) “…THAT THE EXCELLENCE OF THE POWER MAY BE OF GOD AND NOT OF US…”
GOD IDENTIFIES SAUL OF TARSUS AS HIS "CHOSEN VESSELL:" But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: (ACTS 9:15)
(V20) “IMMEDIATELY HE PREACHED THE CHRIST IN THE SYNAGOGUES, THAT HE IS THE SON OF GOD. THEN ALL WHO HEARD WERE AMAZED…”
WHEN GOD FILLS YOU UP WITH HIS ANOINTING, IT MAY ACCOMPLISH MANY THINGS, BUT IT IS FIRST IN FOREMOST FOR TWO REASONS:
*THAT THE EXCELLENCE OF HIS POWER IS OF HIM, NOT OF US;
*THAT HE WILL OVERFLOW INTO OTHER LIVES, INTO OTHER VESSELS THAT HE HAS GATHERED AROUND US.
AND WHEN THE OVERFLOWING IS ACCOMPLISHED, THE FLOW CEASES. . .UNTIL HE CALLS US TO FILL UP OTHER VESSELS.
ARE YOU IN GREAT NEED? IN GREAT CRISIS? HAVE YOU CONSIDERED THAT THIS MAY BE THE OPPORTUNE TIME IN YOUR LIFE TO ALLOW GOD TO USE YOU? EVEN THOUGH YOU THINK YOU HAVE NOTHING LEFT?
DID YOU KNOW THAT’S WHAT GOD USUALLY REQUIRES TO POUR OUT HIS EXCELLENCE INTO YOUR LIFE? THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT YOU YOURSELF HAVE NOTHING LEFT? THAT’S THE BIBILICAL DEFINITION A CHOSEN VESSEL; MOSES FIT THE DEFINITION; ABRAHAM; NOAH; DAVID; RUTH; SAUL OF TARSUS; JESUS OF NAZERETH ALL FIT THE DEFINITION OF A WILLING, EMPTY VESSEL.
IS HE CALLING YOU TO SHUT THE DOOR ON THE OUTSIDE WORLD, GATHER OTHER VESSELS AROUND YOU, AND START POURING YOUR OIL INTO THEM?
(c) 2006 Richard C. Trice and TriceTunes, all rights reserved.
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