Text: 2Kings 4:1-7
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 Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.”
2 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.”
3 Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors — empty vessels; do not gather just a few.
4 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.”
5 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.
6 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.
7 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.”
Introduction
Today we celebrate Mother’s and motherhood. We want to say to all mothers thank you for doing a great job. One thing we know is that one godly mother can make a huge difference in our world.
Today we’ll look at the story of a woman, a mother and a wife who stood up to be counted for her family.
We all can relate with this woman’s conditions in one way or the other.
She had Personal Pain (Widow) – No husband so she is grieving. Tragedy had struck her. *The problem of life doesn’t excuse your pain.
She had financial crisis: the creditors is coming to collect *People don’t forgive your debts.
Domestic Nightmare: she was about to loose her children
IMPLICATION – for a widow in Israel then, her children were her hope for the future. She could have endured any hardship for a promising future, but not this. What would you do when your last hope is forcefully taken away or you get disappointed because of the wickedness of men? Importance of hope – there is the need for faith, -an anchor for the soul, -strength to live thru’ bad day or bad experience.
She had a social stigma: because of the debt people tend to treat her with disrespect. When you own people they tend to devalue you.
She had spiritual disappointment: A man of God dies without solving his family’s financial problem – so she comes to the man of God with all these problems.
Thank God she knew where to go to-
Though disappointed, she still recognized the God factor in her life.
Her coming led to 2 questions
What shall I do for you?
What do you have?
In life, the questions you choose to respond to will determine the answers you get.
This woman took responsibility and decided to answer the 2nd question.
“I have nothing but a jar of oil”
As insignificant as the jar is, it has the potentials to solve her problem.
3THINGS TO NOTE
She realized she had something
It was in her house
It was readily available and could be used
Her contact with God’s servant opens her up to this.
He now gives her instructions.- 1Thes.2:13
For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.
Hos.12:13
By a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, And by a prophet he was preserved.
2Chro.20:20
So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.”
Vs 3-“Go borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbor – empty vessels do not gather just a few”.
3THINGS COME TO PLAY HERE
The jar of oil
Empty vessels from her neighbours
The word of God as the instruction from the man of God.
Make sure when you leave, your family does not suffer. Sell and pay your debt and live on the rest. So you don’t get back to the jar status.
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- Breakthrough By The Holy Spirit Sermon - September 19, 2010
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