(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 Jehovah: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two children 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, Thy handmaid hath not anything in the house, save a pot of oil. (3) Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbors, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. (4) And thou shalt go in, and shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and pour out into all those vessels; and thou shalt set aside that which is full. (5) So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons; they 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, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy sons of the rest.”
Golden Text.—“Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.”Ps. 37:3.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
(1) Who cried unto Elisha? What was the burden of her cry? Verse 1. Note 1. (2) How did the prophet answer the woman's appeal? What did she say of her poverty? Verse 2. Note 2. (3) Then what did Elisha tell the woman to do? Verse 3. Note 3. (4) After gathering all the vessels they could borrow, what was the next duty? Verse 4. (5) In what spirit were all the directions followed? Verse 5. Note 4. (6) When all the vessels were full, what did the mother say to her son? What was his answer? Then what occurred? Verse 6. Note 5. (7) Having done all that had been told her, what did the woman do next? What further direction did the prophet give her? Verse 7. Note 6. Read again the memory verse.
NOTES.
1. The husband of this “certain woman” was formerly a student of one of the schools of the prophets, and therefore was known to the prophet Elisha. In her hour of grief and distress, the woman appeals to this acquaintance, and to the fact that Elisha knew of her husband's piety. This was her claim upon his sympathy, and the ground of her expectation of help. The ancient orientals exercised the prerogative of selling their children when so disposed, and this custom made the children a kind of chattel, subject to attachment and sale for debt. The law of Moses allowed of servitude for debt, but the custom of the heathen was modified by the Mosaic law and limited to a period of six years, or to the time of the jubilee year. The Roman law gave the father absolute authority over his children as long as he lived, no matter what their age or standing; but under the Emperors Diocletian and Maximilian it was greatly modified, and finally it was forbidden that any free person should be reduced to slavery because of debt.
2. Only a pot of oil.—To the people of that country the olive oil is a very important product. Thomson's “The Land and the Book” says: “Almost every kind of dish is cooked in oil, and without oil the good wife is utterly confounded. When the oil fails, the lamp in the dwelling of the poor expires. The supply of soap is from the product of the olive. After the gathering of olives by the owners, the few that are left are gleaned by the very poor, who have no trees of their own, and by industry they gather enough to keep a lamp in their habitation during the dismal nights of winter, and to cook their mess of potage and bitter herbs.”
3. Learning the woman's true condition, the first thing the prophet did was to set her and her sons to work, thus relieving their minds of the fatal idea that there was nothing for them to do. Going actively to work would inspire hope and courage. This command was also a test of their faith.
4. Going into the house and implicitly following the prophet's directions was a further proof of faith in the word of the servant of God.
5. The supply of oil stopped only when the preparation to receive it was exhausted. So it is with spiritual blessings; the Lord pours them out only as there is heart-room to contain them, and the will to make proper use of them.
6. Having obeyed instruction to the letter, the poor woman comes to the man of God for further direction. So, following in the way of perfect obedience, she finds the desire of her heart fully gratified, and a future supply added. Eph. 3:20. God deals with every one according to the measure of faith. “According to your faith be it unto you.” And He always gives good measure.
