2 Kings 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._ No JFB commentary on this verse....

1-7 Elisha's miracles were acts of real charity: Christ's were so; not only great wonders, but great favours to those for whom they were wrought. God magnifies his goodness with his power. Elisha readily received a poor widow's complaint. Those that leave their families under a load of debt, know not what trouble they cause. It is the duty of all who profess to follow the Lord, while they trust to God for daily bread, not to tempt him by carelessness or extravagance, nor to contract debts; for nothing tends more to bring reproach upon the gospel, or distresses their families more when they are gone. Elisha put the widow in a way to pay her debt, and to maintain herself and her family. This was done by miracle, but so as to show what is the best method to assist those who are in distress, which is, to help them to improve by their own industry what little they have. The oil, sent by mira...

Verse 2 Kings 4:7. _GO, SELL THE OIL, AND PAY THY DEBT_] He does not inveigh against the cruelty of this creditor, because the law and custom of the country gave him the authority on which he acted; and rather than permit a poor honest widow to have her children sold, or that even a Philistine should suffer loss who had given credit to a genuine Israelite, he would work a miracle to pay a debt which, in the course of providence, it was out of her power to discharge....

EXPOSITION 2 KINGS 4:1 TYPICAL MIRACLES WROUGHT BY ELISHA. General _introduction_._ _The miracles of this chapter are all of them miracles of mercy. The first and last consist in the multiplying of food, and thus belong to the same class as our Lord's feeding the four and the five thousands, and Elijah's increasing the meal and oil of the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:10). It serves no useful purpose to ask how miracles of this class were wrought. The inspired writers have not told us; and our own thoughts upon the subject can at the best be mere unfounded conjectures. The rationalistic attempts which have been made to solve the mystery exhibit a weakness and feeblen

THEN SHE CAME AND TOLD THE MAN OF GOD,.... Elisha the prophet, what had been done, what a quantity of oil she had, and advised with him what was to be done with it: AND HE SAID, GO, SELL THY OIL, AND PAY THY DEBT; what was thus miraculously produced was no doubt very good and excellent, and would fetch a good price; and she is therefore bid to turn it into money, and pay her debts with it; she was not to keep it all for her own use, and indulge to luxury with it, but first pay her just debt, as everyone ought to do that is able: AND LIVE THOU AND THY CHILDREN OF THE REST; so that it seems there was enough to pay her debt with it, rid her of her troubles, and somewhat remaining for the support of herself and children....

3. THE MIRACLES CHAPTER 4 _ 1. The widow's oil multiplied (2 Kings 4:1)_ 2. The Shunammite and her reward (2 Kings 4:8) 3. The son of the Shunammite raised from the dead (2 Kings 4:18) 4. The deadly pottage healed (2 Kings 4:38) 5. The multitude fed (2 Kings 4:42) In the previous chapter Elisha appeared as the saviour of Israel, and now he acts in behalf of the widow of one of the sons of the prophets. His name is not given. Elisha had known him as one who feared the Lord. And now the widow deeply in

2 KINGS 4:1 TO 2 KINGS 6:23. STORIES ABOUT ELISHA AS A WONDER-WORKER. The miracles of Elisha fill a considerable part of the early Chapter s of 2 K. They are mostly beneficent in character, and this prophet was evidently more in touch with the people than his stern predecessor. There is no reason to confine these tales to the reign of Jehoram, because the death of that king is recorded later in the book. The king of Israel is not mentioned by name, and was evidently on good terms with the prophet, which could hardly be expected of Jehoram. Probably some of the occurrences, especially in the Syrian wars, belong to the age of Jehu's dynasty. The biography of Elisha in 2 K. consists of 2 Kings 2:1;...

GOD. Hebrew. _Elohim._ App-4. DEBT. creditor. CHILDREN. sons....

_she came and told the man of God_ Feeling that the disposal of the oil should be made according to the direction of him who had told her what to do. It would seem to her that the unexpected supply could not be regarded as her own property. _pay thy debt_ Like several of Elisha's miracles, e.g. the curing the noxious water at Jericho (2 Kings 2:19-22), this multiplying of the widow's oil was wrought for the help of those connected with the colleges of prophets. And as we read the frequent mention of these bodies, in the histories both of Elijah and Elisha, we cannot but wonder at the righteous zeal which shewed itself in this way in the northern kingdom. Most of the places we read of as seats of prophetic schools were in the ten tribes, and nearly all the work of the two great leaders was done among the northern people. It would seem therefore that in spite of the prevalence

I. MIRACLES ON BEHALF OF TWO FAITHFUL WOMEN 4:1-37 Elisha performed three miracles for two faithful female disciples. For a destitute widow he performed a miracle of multiplication of oil so that she might have the wherewithal to pay her bills (2 Kings 4:1-7). For the wealthy woman of Shunem he made a wondrous prediction (2 Kings 4:8-17). Later for the same woman he performed what surely must have been his most stupendous miracle: the resurrection of a child (2 Kings 4:18-37). A. THE MIRACULOUS INCREASE OF OIL 4:1-7 TRANSLATION (1) Now a woman, one of the wives of the sons of the prophets, cried out unto Elisha, saying, Your servant, my husband died, and you yourself know that your se