Introduction
Our narrator is once again taking a break from telling us about the kings of Israel and Judah and he’s focussing instead on Elisha who succeeded Elijah as the Lord’s prophet in those days.
And in today’s chapter he records for us four stories of the miracles which Elisha performed. And it almost feels that we’re reading one of the gospels, because the miracles which Elisha performed anticipate the miracles which the Lord Jesus performed when he was on the earth. The miracles which Elisha performed and the miracles which the Lord Jesus performed show that they were both mighty prophets sent from God, because who else could do these things except for men who were sent from God? But while Elisha was able to do great things, the Lord Jesus was able to do even greater things than Elisha; and he will do even more for us when he comes again in glory and with power to raise the dead and to give his people eternal life in the presence of God.
Verses 1 to 7
Let’s turn to the passage. And in verses 1 to 7 we have the story of the widow’s oil.
Our narrator tells us that the widow of one of the Lord’s prophets cried out to Elisha. The narrator refers to the company of prophets in verse 1; and we’ve seen before that Elijah and Elisha were not the only prophets of the Lord in those days. There were other, lesser prophets. And one of them has now died and his widow is in trouble, because her husband had taken out a loan and now the creditor wants the debt to be repaid. And presumably the widow is poor and doesn’t have the money to clear the debt. And so, the creditor is threatening to take her two sons as slaves. Presumably he would make them work for him in order to pay off the debt. And so, this woman, who had lost her husband to death, was about to lose her sons to slavery.
And we feel for the woman, don’t we? No doubt when her husband took out the loan, they all expected him to live on for many more years and to pay off his debt in due course. No one anticipated that he would die before the debt was paid off. No one anticipated that his wife would be saddled with a debt. No one anticipated that her sons’ freedom would be at risk. There are lots of things in life which we do not anticipate. But sadly, those things which we don’t anticipate still happen to us. And when something unexpected happens to us, what should we do?
Well, this woman went to the Lord’s prophet. She doesn’t exactly ask for help, but she wants him to know what she’s facing. And perhaps she’s hoping that he’ll be able to help her in some way. And take a look at verse 2 now: he is willing to help. ‘How can I help you?’ he asks. So: ‘You’ve told me your problem. Now, what can I do to help you. Just tell me what I can do for you?’
And Elisha goes on to ask her about what she has in her house. And she replies that there’s really nothing in her house. Like Old Mother Hubbard, the cupboard was bare. All she had was a little oil. But what can you do with a little oil? If she had flour, she could make bread with the oil. If she had meat, she could fry the meat. But she doesn’t have flour or meat. All she has is a little oil. What good is that?
But Elisha tells her to go round her friends and neighbours and to ask them for as many empty jars as possible. Don’t ask for just a few, he says. Get as many as you can. And then go into your house, shut the door behind you and your sons, and start pouring. Pour oil into all the jars you’ve collected; and as each is filled, put it to one side.
I wonder did she ask him to repeat those last words. Did he really say what she thinks he said? Did he really say ‘as each is filled’? All she has is a little oil, but is he really saying that she’ll have enough to fill all the jars she collects? Did he really say that?
Well, he did really say that. And so, she went away and did what he said. They went into the house and closed the door. And her sons brought one jar after another and she poured oil into each one and they kept going, one jar after another, until all the jars were filled and there were no more. And when there were no more, the oil stopped flowing.
And now what? Well, she went and told Elisha what happened; and he told her to take the oil and sell it to pay off her husband’s debt. And there was so much oil to sell that she and her sons would be able to live on the money that was left after she’s paid off the debt. And so, not only was the debt paid off, but she and her sons would not have to worry about the future.
Verses 8 to 37
That’s the first story of miracles. The second is in verses 8 to 37 where we have the story of the Shunammite’s son.
Our narrator tells us that Elisha went to this place called Shunem. And a well-to-do woman was there. So, the first story was about a poor widow woman; this one is about a wealthy woman. And she invited Elisha to stay at her home for a meal. And it seems that she invited him to drop in for a meal whenever he was in the area. And after a while, she suggested to her husband that since Elisha passed that way often, why not build a little bedroom for him so that he can stay the night. And presumably her husband agreed and the room was built on the roof of their home. They wanted to show kindness to Elisha, this holy man of God, and to support him in his ministry.
And Elisha appreciated their kindness; and he now wants to do something for her in return. He asked his servant, Gehazi, to find out from the woman if there was anything she needed. And he gives a ‘for instance’. For instance, can we speak on your behalf to the king? Or is there anything else we can do for you?
But she replied that she has a home among her own people. Do you see that at the end of verse 13? It means that she’s got everything she needs and she’s content. What more do I need, when I’ve got my own home and I’m surrounded by friends and family?
But Elisha isn’t satisfied. There must be something she needs? And so, he asked Gehazi for ideas; and Gehazi tells Elisha that the woman has no son and her husband is old. In other words, it’s unlikely that she’ll ever have a son. And from other stories in the Old Testament, we know that in those day being childless was not only a great source of sorrow and sadness to women, but it was even a source of shame for them. And so, Elisha called for the woman and told her that she would soon have a son of her own.
The news seemed to her to be too good to be true. Was Elisha deceiving her? Was he playing a trick on her? But no, because the woman became pregnant and had a son of her own the very next year, just as Elisha had said.
And you’d think that might be the end of that woman’s story, because this childless woman now had a child. But it’s not the end of her story. It’s really only the beginning. We don’t know how much time has passed between verse 17 and verse 18, but her baby is no longer a baby, but a child. And one day, his head began to hurt him. The servant carried the boy to his mother and she sat him on her lap. But hours later, he died. She laid his dead body on the bed in Elisha’s room; and she announced to her husband that she wanted to visit Elisha who was at Mount Carmel. She tells her servant not to slow down for her, which tells us how urgently she wanted to see Elisha.
Elisha saw her coming and sent Gehazi to find out what the trouble was. But she didn’t want to stop and tell Gehazi. And so, she hurried on until she came to Elisha. Again we see her urgency and her desperation in the way that she took hold of Elisha’s feet to beg with him for the life of her son. Gehazi was about to push her away, but Elisha stopped him. He can sees that she’s in bitter distress, but he doesn’t know why. But when she mentioned her son, the penny dropped and he understood that something had happened to the boy. And immediately he sent Gehazi to lay Elisha’s staff over the boy. And presumably Elisha expected the mother to go home. But she insisted that she won’t leave Elisha. And so, he got up and went with her back to her home. And it’s just as well that he did, because nothing happened when Gehazi reached the boy. But when Elisha got to the house where the boy was, he went in and shut the door and prayed to the Lord. And after stretching his body over the boy’s body, the child’s life returned. His body grew warm and he sneezed seven times and then he opened his eyes. And Elisha was able to call the woman and he told her to take her son, who once was dead, but who was now alive again.
Verses 38 to 41
That’s the second story of miracles. The third is in verses 38 to 41 where we have the story of the deadly stew.
This time Elisha is in Gilgal. And there was a famine in the region. And so, food was scarce. Nevertheless, there must have been some food available for this company of prophets, because Elisha said to his servant to put on the large pot and cook some stew for the men.
And one of the men went foraging. Foraging these days is quite popular and you’ll see chefs on TV talk about all the interesting herbs and plants they use as ingredients. However, I suspect this man went foraging because of the famine and he wanted to bulk up what was in the pot with whatever wild things he could collect. We’re told he found a wild vine and gathered some of its gourds. That is, he gathered its fruit. In fact, our narrator tells us that he filled his cloak with them. He probably thought that this was his lucky day, because he’d been able to find so much free food. And when he got back to the camp, he sliced them up and tossed them into the pot…. though no one knew what they were. Let me repeat that: no one knew what they were. I don’t know much about foraging, but I guess the first rule is don’t eat anything if you don’t know what it is. If you don’t know what it is, it might well be bad for you. And sure enough, these things were bad for them. When the stew was poured out, and the men began to eat it, they all cried out that there was death in the pot.
I don’t know how they can tell, but the commentators think they know what this plant was; and that the fruit is commonly called ‘bitter apples’; and they look a little like small melons; and they act as a strong laxative. Taking them in large quantities can be fatal.
And so, the stew was ruined. Under normal circumstances, this would be an inconvenience. Dinner is off! But remember that there was a famine in the region at that time. And so, who knows when they will eat again? It’s a disaster.
Fortunately, Elisha is there. He asks for some flour, which he put in the pot. And when they now served the stew, it was fine. Whatever was harmful was gone. But it wasn’t the flour which cured the stew. It was the Lord.
Verses 42 to 44
That’s the third story of miracles. The fourth is in verses 42 to 44 where we have the story of the feeding of a hundred.
A man came to Elisha with twenty loaves of barley bread. Elisha told him to give it to the people who were with him so that they could eat. The man is puzzled because, although twenty barley loaves is more than Elisha needs for himself, it won’t be enough for the one hundred men with Elisha. But Elisha repeated what he said: give the bread to the people to eat. And this time he adds what the Lord has said: ‘They will eat and have some left over.’ And so, the man set the bread before the people and they all ate. And there was even some left over, as the Lord had said they would be.
NT Connections
There you have the four stories of miracles: first, the story of the widow’s oil which filled many jars; second, the story of the Shunammite’s son whose birth was a miracle and who was later brought back to life; third, the story of the deadly stew which was made harmless; and fourth, the story of the feeding of a hundred.
Each of these miracles made clear that Elisha was a mighty prophet, who had come from the Lord, because who else but one of the Lord’s true servants could do such might miracles?
And they anticipate the miraculous signs which the Lord Jesus performed. Didn’t he feed a crowd of five thousand men plus women and children in the wilderness with only a few loaves of bread and some small fish? And on another occasion, he fed a crowd of four thousand men plus women and children with a few loaves of bread and small fish. And on both occasions, the people ate until they were full and there were leftovers.
And didn’t the Lord bring the dead back to life? There’s the story of the raising of Lazarus who had died and had been buried. But when the Lord stood outside his tomb and called him, Lazarus came out to the tomb alive. And then there was the story of Jairus’s daughter, who died. But the Lord brought her back to life. And there’s the story of the time when the Lord went to a town called Nain. And as he approached the town, there was a funeral procession: the only son of a widow had died and was being buried. The widow now had no one to look after her. And the Lord went up to the coffin and touched it and he told the dead man to get up. And the man, who had died, sat up and he began to talk. And the people were filled with awe and praised God, because, they said, a great prophet had appeared among them.
There are no recorded stories of the Lord curing food and making it harmless, but there are plenty of stories of the Lord curing people of their illnesses. He cleansed those who had skin diseases and he made the lame walk and he gave sight to the blind. And while there are no recorded stories of the Lord multiplying oil, I’ve already said that he multiplied bread and fish when he fed the five thousand and the four thousand. And just as the widow woman cried out to Elisha and he responded by asking her how he could help her, so we have the story of the time when Blind Bartimaeus cried out to the Lord; and the Lord responded by asking him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’
So, while there’s not an exact match between the miracles Elisha performed and the miracles the Lord Jesus performed, there are similarities between them. And the miracles they both performed show that they were mighty prophets, sent from God.
Christ is greater
And yet, just as the Lord Jesus is greater than Elisha, because the Lord Jesus is God’s Only Begotten Son, so what he does for us is so much greater than Elisha did.
Elisha was able to clear the widow’s financial debt, but the Lord Jesus is able to clear the debt of your sin and guilt. We all, by nature, are in debt to God, because all of us owe him a life of perfect obedience. He made us so that we would love and serve him always. But since all of us are sinners who disobey him continually, then all of us are debtors. We owe him a life of perfect obedience; and none of us has given it to him.
But the Lord Jesus Christ gave up his life on the cross to pay the debt we owe to God for our disobedience. By his death on the cross, he took the blame for our sins and he made up for all that we have done wrong. He cancelled the debt we owed to God. And then he shares with us his own perfect obedience.
And so, whoever believes in Christ is no longer in debt to God, because our disobedience has been paid for by Christ; and we’re able to share Christ’s perfect obedience. Though we were once in debt to God, because we have done so much which is wrong, God now treats us as those who have done everything right.
Elisha was able to bring the woman’s son back to life. However, when the Lord Jesus Christ comes again, in glory and with power, he will raise all of the dead. Everyone in their graves will be raised when Christ comes again. Those who never believed in him will be raised to face condemnation and eternal punishment away from the presence of God. But those who trusted in Christ will be raised to enter eternal life in the presence of God and they will live with God forever and forever. Elisha brought that boy back to life. But Elisha was not able to give him eternal life. But that’s what the Lord Jesus gives to all who trust in him.
And Elisha was able to cure the deadly stew. He was able to cleanse it of the deadly fruit. But the Lord Jesus Christ can do so much more, because he cleanses us of our sin. First, he cleanses us of our guilt. That, by itself, is wonderful, because now we don’t need to fear the judgment. But second, he also cleanses us of the presence of sin in our lives, because he fills his believing people with his Spirit, who works in us from the inside. When he enters our hearts, our hearts are full of unclean and bitter thoughts and attitudes and desires and inclinations. And slowly, but surely, he removes those things from our hearts; and he replaces them with good things like love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and goodness and faithfulness and gentleness and self-control. He takes away the bitter fruit in our hearts and replaces it with his own good fruit. Elisha was able to cleanse the stew of the bitter fruit, but the Lord Jesus, by his Spirit, cleanses our hearts.
And Elisha was able to feed a hundred men with bread. But the Lord Jesus is himself the bread of life, who came down from heaven to earth to give life, not to a hundred men, but to the world. He came to give life to all who believe in him.
The men ate Elisha’s bread. And so they were able to keep on living. But, of course, eventually they died, just as we will all die. But whoever believes in Jesus Christ, who is the bread of life from heaven, will live forever. That’s the promise he gives to his people. He promises that whoever believes in him will live forever, because after we die, our souls go to be with the Lord and to wait for the resurrection of our bodies when Christ comes again. And when he comes again, we will always be with the Lord in the new heavens and earth, where we will see God in the face of Christ; and where we will be with him; and where will become like him; and where we’ll be happy forever, because in the new heavens and earth, there will be nothing to hurt us or to worry us. And we’ll praise God forever and forever.
Conclusion
Elisha was able to do marvellous things, because he was the Lord’s prophet. But the Lord Jesus Christ can do so much more, because not only is he the Lord’s prophet, but he’s God’s Only Begotten Son and our Saviour.
And if he’s your Saviour, if you’re trusting in him, then rejoice, because your sins have been paid for and your debt has been cancelled. And if he’s your Saviour, if you’re trusting in him, then rejoice, because he will raise your body from the grave when he comes again. And if he’s your Saviour, if you’re trusting in him, then rejoice, because right now he’s working in you by his Spirit to cleanse your heart and your life of sin. And if he’s your Saviour, if you’re trusting in him, then rejoice, because he is the bread of life who came down from heaven to give life to the world.
Sermons and Stuff 