FINANCIAL PROVISION

1  Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. 

2Ki 4:2  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. 

2Ki 4:3  Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. 

2Ki 4:4  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. 

2Ki 4:5  So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. 

2Ki 4:6  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. 

2Ki 4:7  Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest. 

Message Goal

The goal of this message today is to

apply the biblical principles regarding

giving, saving, and spending so you can

enjoy a spiritual worldview of stewardship

that honors God.

INTRODUCTION

We live in a nation known for the freedom

that it offers. We have freedom of

religion, freedom of speech, freedom of

assembly, and freedom of press, among

other freedoms. However, the one

freedom that very few Americans are

experiencing today is the freedom from

debt. Americans are drowning in a sea of

debt. Many have become slaves to the

lenders as we read in Proverbs 22:7(NIV)

“The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.” The word

Visa can be translated as “Volunteering

for Institutional Slavery Always.” Some

people can leave for work every morning

singing, “I owe, I owe, so off to work I go.”

I read where someone once said, “Money

talks, and it regularly says ‘Good-bye!’”

The average American household now

has close to $16,000 in credit card debt

alone. That’s not counting automobile

loans, student loans and home .

mortgages. Debt has become a way of life.

There are now three groups of people in

our nation: The Haves, the Have-Nots,

and the Have-Not-Paid-For-What-They-

Have. Instead of living for the future,

people are now paying for the past. Debt

has become the new addiction. Whatever

debt rules, debt ruins. Marriages have

divorced over fighting about bills and

money. Dreams have been sidelined as

people’s focus and time has to first go to

trying to stay afloat in a sea of debt.

Homes have been lost, businesses have

gone bankrupt, families have been

destroyed over this nemesis called debt.

While there is a lot of bad news about

debt, there is some good news as well.

That is, you don’t have to be a slave to.

debt. There is a way out. God has given

you a way to live without being a slave to

debit by following His principles.

THE FEAR OF GOD IS THE FIRST STEP IN LIVING IN FINANCIAL VICTORY

Take a look at verse 1 Now there cried a

certain woman of the wives of the sons of

the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy

servant my husband is dead; and thou

knowest that thy servant did fear the

LORD: and the creditor is come to take

unto him my two sons to be bondmen. 

• Your tithe reflects and demonstrates a fear of God (Deuteronomy 14:22–23)

• (Proverbs 9:10)The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom:

• Solomon said the most important thing we can do is fear God (Ecclesiastes

12:13)Let us hear the conclusion of the

whole matter: Fear God, and keep his

commandments: for this is the whole duty

of man. 

GOD WILL USE WHAT YOU HAVE

Read verse 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. 

All she had left was one pot of oil.

• When you save, you prepare for the future

• Joseph instructed Pharaoh to save

because of the impending famine (Genesis 41:34–36)

• Saving helps us during times of

unexpected economic hardship

• Everyone should not only save for

themselves but they should teach their

children how to save (Proverbs 13:22) A

good man leaveth an inheritance to his

children's children:  

LISTEN AND OBEY

2Ki 4:3  Then he said, Go, borrow thee

vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even

empty vessels; borrow not a few. 

2Ki 4:4  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. 

2Ki 4:5  So she went from him, and shut

the door upon her and upon her sons,

who brought the vessels to her; and she

poured out. 

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 4:2–7

Her little bit of oil was olive oil used for food and fuel. Elisha told her to collect empty jars; they would be filled with oil God would provide. The widow’s faith can be “measured” by the number of jars she collected in response to the prophet’s instructions. Shutting the door provided privacy for the task of pouring the oil. Not everyone was to see the miracle take place; only the widow and her sons, the direct beneficiaries of God’s grace, should see it.

OBEDIENCE BRINGS VICTORY

2Ki 4:6  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. 

2Ki 4:7  Then she came and told the man

of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and

pay thy debt, and live thou and thy

children of the rest. 

God provided enough oil to fill all the jars

the woman had collected. She returned to

Elisha with a report of the miracle and he

told her to sell the oil and pay her debts.

There was enough money left over for her

to live on after all her financial obligations

had been met.

Thomas L. Constable, “2 Kings,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 544.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary (4:2–7)

This miracle demonstrates God’s care for

His faithful people who lived in Israel at

this time. Widows were always vulnerable and the widow of a prophet

would have been even more needy. Yet

God miraculously cared for this faithful,

dependent believer.

Just as God provided for this widow he

will provide for you and I. Just as he

provided for Abraham in Genesis 22.

Gen 22:14  And Abraham called the name

of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to

this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall

be seen. 

Jehovahjireh, one meaning for this name

is the Lord will provide.

But as Abraham did and as the widow in

our text did, we must follow God’s

instructions.