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This is an image showcasing lit candles with a bokeh effect in the background. Text reads "DESPERATION, OIL AND RESTORATION - 2 Kings 4:1-7 - April 28, 2024."
Bible Passage 2 Kings 4

2 Kings 4:1-7 Desperation, Oil and Restoration

  • Tony Raker
Date preached April 28, 2024

God’s plan is for the provision of His children…redeemed, faithful and dependent.

2 Kings 4:1: “Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha….”

  • Grammatical Usage: “cried” or in the Hebrew, “tsaaq” meaning, “distressed appeal.”
  • Literal Interpretation: “Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets made a distressed appeal to Elisha….”
  • Contextual/Comparison: God keeps His Word, God continually uses His Word. The event underscores a number of personal and cultural aspects of life: the ministry of the minister of God; faith and the faithful; challenged family dynamics; economic reality; God’s provision. These realities are ever present, hence:

 

  1. WE MUST ADMIT OUR GREAT NEED

How great was the need of this poor woman! She possessed nothing except for one little pot of oil. Then her creditors came and demanded payment and threatened to take away her sons. So, pocketing her pride, she admitted her emptiness and poverty to Elisha – and that was her first step into blessing! Every believer is in debt in a three-fold sense, and we can only discharge that debt when we are right relationship with God:

    1. We owe obedience to God (Luke 17:10).
    2. We owe love to our brethren (1 John 3:16).
    3. We owe the gospel to the lost (Romans 1:14).

There is only one way to meet our liability, and that is by a genuine relationship with God (repentance: Job 42:6); a genuine walk with God (relationship: Deuteronomy 5:33); and genuine growth in God (sanctification: Proverbs 2:6). We can never obey God, love our fellow-Christians and discharge our obligation to lost souls around us without being true sons and daughters of the Lord which begins with the admission of our need.

 

  1. WE MUST RECOGNISE WHAT WE HAVE

When this widow confessed her need, Elisha said, “Tell me, what do you have in your house?”, and she replied, “…nothing…except a little oil” (v. 2). If you are a Christian you can say the same: I have nothing in myself but for the Holy Spirit. The moment you believed, He entered your heart (John 14:16-17; 1 Corinthians 6:19). This is not a matter of feeling but of resting upon what the Lord says. Oil is often used as a symbol for the Holy Spirit in the Bible who leads us into all truth and “anoints” us continually with His grace and comfort: “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth” (1 John 2:20).We must therefore recognize what we have: we possess the “oil” – note Romans 5:5: “…God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Every Christian has the Holy Spirit.

 

  1. WE MUST RECOGNIZE WHAT WE DON’T HAVE

Verse 1 lays out the circumstance:

    • Family: leader and provider is dead
    • Household: no physical resources
    • Creditors: physically on-site to take the children in payment
    • Outlook: minimal existence for all parties

 

  1. WE MUST EMPLOY WHAT WE HAVE

Verse 2 tells us:

    • Attention to Elisha
    • Positions herself humbly
    • Answers the question
    • Identifies the jar of oil

  1. WE MUST BE ABSOLUTELY OBEDIENT

Verse 5 tells us:

    • The woman obeyed Elisha’s instructions implicitly.
    • She shut the door on the outside world and got alone with the Lord
    • God can only fill to the measure of our obedience
    • Are we consciously disobeying the Lord? – look up Psalm 139:23-24; John 2:5
    • Only as we open up in obedience does the Holy Spirit works in His fullness

 

  1. WE MUST TAKE THE STEP OF FAITH
    • We admit our need, recognize what we have, provide empty vessels, employ the shut door and be absolutely obedient
    • We must take God at His word and trust Him to do what He wants and waits to do for us (1 Corinthians 1:9).
    • According to 1 John 5:14-15, God will hear and answer our prayer if it is in accordance with His will.

 

  1. WE MUST USE WHAT GOD GIVES

Verse 7 tells us that the woman did exactly that. God’s fullness in our lives is not for our selfish enjoyment, but for daily living and effective, God-glorifying service. Remember:

    • He saves us: provides a way for us to be in a relationship with Him (John 14:6)
    • He provides for physical needs: ( 4:19; Mt. 6:31-32)
    • He gives us rest: not only promises rest, He commands it as well ( 20:8-11)
    • He provides direction: guides and directs our steps, so we can fulfill His great purpose for us (Proverbs 20:24)
    • He gives us grace: allows us to forgive someone who wrongs us, to put our spouses first, to serve our families, to forgive ourselves, or to simply have enough strength to get through the day (2 Corinthians 9:8).
    • He shows us how to escape temptation: gives us the resources we need to overcome those trials, including His Word and His Spirit (1 Corinthians 10:13)
    • He helps us when we’re hurting: when life is hard, run to God (Psalm 46:1)
    • He gives us peace: in any situation (Philippians 4:7; Romans 5:1)
    • He points us to the truth: the Bible is where we turn to know what’s true and what’s not, what’s of God and what’s not (2 Timothy 3:16; Psalm 119:105)

  • Conclusion: Obedience is evidence of faith; faith is rewarded by God. Are you faithful?