Elisha Dealing with Crises 2 Kings 4 1

Elisha: Dealing with Crises 2 Kings 4. 1 -7, 38 -41, 42 -44

In Major Crises in Life 2 Kings 4. 1 -7

2 Kings 4. 1 Now a certain woman, a wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha saying, "Your Servant, my husband is dead and you know that Your Servant feared Yahweh. The creditor is coming to take my two children to be his slaves!"

So Elisha said to her, "What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house? " And she said, "Your maidservant has nothing at all in the house, except for a jug of oil" 2 Kings 4. 2

2 Kings 4. 3 -4 "Go, " he said, "borrow containers from outside, from all your neighbors, empty containers and not just a few!" "Then go and close the door behind you and your sons, and pour into all the containers. What is full you will remove. "

2 Kings 4. 5 So she went from him and closed the door behind her and her sons. They kept bringing to her and she kept pouring. "

2 Kings 4. 6 When the containers were full, she said to (one of) her sons, "Bring me another container!" But he said to her, "There are no more containers. " Then the oil stopped.

2 Kings 4. 7 She came and told the Man of God, and he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debts so you and your sons can live on the left overs. "

An Outline of 2 Kgs 4. 1 -7 A Opening: Woman Presents the Problem – 4. 1 B Dialog: What have you got? = Nothing – 4. 2 C Elisha gives the woman instructions – 4. 3 -4 C' Woman carries out the instructions – 4. 5 B' Dialog: Another container? = No – 4. 6 A' Conclusion: Prophet Presents the Solution - 4. 7

Who is the Main Character? Elisha? What can I do for you? What do you have in the house? Go borrow Go sell The woman did come to him rather than the king of Israel The miracle was a secret – behind a closed door Elisha wasn't even there!

Who is the Main Character? Yahweh? "Sometimes God has the strongest influence when he is notoriously invisible, and even the silence around the center of the story, the unexpressed, is inspired. " [Fokkelman]

Who is the Main Character? The un-named Woman! Only the Woman and her sons saw the miracle! In verse 5 both the containers and oil are not mentioned. "They kept bringing to her and she kept pouring!" She and her sons lived on the remainder of the monies

Some Simple Lessons 1. Those who minister should have a caring heart and realize that it is only God working in the individual that can ultimately solve the crisis. 2. God works behind the scenes – Invisible

Some Simple Lessons 3. The Person in crisis is the center of gravity 3. 1 Problems are real 3. 2 Even the Miraculous takes participation

In Minor Crises in Life 2 Kings 4. 38 -41

2 Kings 4. 38 Elisha returned to Gilgal. There was a famine in the land the sons of the prophets were sitting before him. He said to his attendant, "put a large pot on and cook a stew for the sons of the prophets. "

2 Kings 4. 39 So one went out to the field to gather herbs and he found a wild vine and gathered from it wild gourds, his garment full. Then he came back and sliced them into the pot of stew, for they did not know. .

2 Kings 4. 40 And they poured for the men to eat. But while they were eating from the stew, they cried out and said, "O Man of God, there is death in the pot!" So they could not eat.

2 Kings 4. 41 "Fetch some flour!" he said He threw it into the pot and said, "Serve to the people so they can eat!" And there was nothing harmful in the pot.

Some Simple Lessons Even if the crisis is a minor one, it still must be treated as a real issue, with pastoral care. Problem of not knowing

Is this Really a Crisis? 2 Kgs 4. 42 -44

2 Kings 4. 42 A man came from Baal-shalishah and brought to the Man of God the bread of first fruits, twenty loves of barley bread and some fresh grain in his sack. So he said, "Give it to the people and let them eat!"

2 Kings 4. 43 His server said, "How can I set this before 100 men? " But he answered, "Give to the People and let them eat, for so Yahweh says, "Eat!. . . even some left overs!"

2 Kings 4. 44 So he set it before them. They ate and even had some left over, as according to the word of Yahweh.

Some Simple Lessons The Bible indicates God's concern for all levels of human problems. Food concerns in Exod 16, Num 11, even in the NT with the feeding of the Multitudes. . Just like the story of the Woman and the pots of oil there are "left overs. "

In All Crises