2 Kings 4:1-7

2 Kings 4:1-7

[1] Now there cried  a certain  woman  of the sons  of the prophets  unto Elisha,  saying,  Thy servant  my husband  is dead;  and thou knowest  that thy servant  the LORD:  and the creditor  is come  to take  unto him my two  sons  to be bondmen.  [2] And Elisha  said  unto her, What shall I do  for thee? 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.  [3] Then he said,  borrow  thee vessels  abroad  of all thy neighbours,  even empty  vessels;  borrow not a few.  [4] And when thou art come in,  thou shalt shut  the door  upon thee and upon thy sons,  and shalt pour out  into all those vessels,  and thou shalt set aside  that which is full.  [5] from him, and shut  the door  upon her and upon  her sons,  who  brought  the vessels to her; and she poured out.  [6] And it came to pass, when the vessels  were full,  that she said  unto her son,  Bring  me yet a vessel.  And he said  unto her, There is not a vessel  more. And the oil  stayed.  [7] Then she came  and told  the man  of God.  And he said,  sell  the oil,  and pay  thy debt,  and live  thou and thy children  of the rest. 

What does 2 Kings 4:1-7 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

It was common in the ancient Near East for creditors to enslave the children of debtors who could not pay. The Mosaic Law also permitted this practice ( Exodus 21:2-4, Leviticus 25:39). However, servitude in Israel was to end on the Year of Jubilee. God provided miraculously for the dire needs of this widow who had put God first, in contrast to the majority who did not do so in Israel (cf. Matthew 6:33). God"s miraculous multiplication of oil symbolized the adequacy of God"s Spirit to provide all that the widow needed. This seems clear from the significance of oil elsewhere in Scripture. It is a symbol of the Holy Spirit (cf. Leviticus 8; 1 Samuel 10:1; 1 Samuel 16:13; Luke 11:13; et al.). [1]
"The vessels were the measure of the oil. In other words, divine power waited on faith-faith measured the active resources of God on the occasion." [2]