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| DEBT |
2 KING 4:1-7
[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.
[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, Go, 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] 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.
[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 children of the rest.
This is a true event in the Bible. We can see the miracle God made to a widow woman and to her sons who has debts that she has no money to pay all of it.
This verse is known for the faith of the widow woman, but today I will not focus on the faith of the widow (even this is also important), But I would like to focus today is the widow's hard situation.
WIDOW WOMAN
Widow woman in Bible times is very hard. Any widow woman has no power, and value in society.
The widow woman in this verse has two sons that will be a payment/ransom for their debts and will become a bondman of the lender. In Bible times, if someone has no money to pay all her debts; house, sons, daughters, or anything that has value will be the payment/ransom even there is nothing left in her.
That's why God is very much concerned about the widows, and He makes laws for them, like:
Exodus 22:22-24 Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. [23] If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry; [24] And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.
Exodus 22:22 Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.
Deuteronomy 14:28-29 At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates: [29] And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.
Deuteronomy 24:17 Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take a widow's raiment to pledge:
Deuteronomy 25:5-9 If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her. [6] And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel. [7] And if the man like not to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband's brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband's brother. [8] Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and if he stand to it, and say, I like not to take her; [9] Then shall his brother's wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother's house.
Deuteronomy 27:19 Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.
Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Therefore the widow is special in the sight of the Lord. Now, Prophet Elisha, knowing all these laws about widows, helped her to solve the problem.
AGAIN, WIDOWS PROBLEM: DEBT THAT CANNOT BE PAID
SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM: 2 KING 4:3-4
[3] Then he said, Go, 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.
I told you that there is also an important situation that we should see in this verse. It is how important to a widow to pay all her debts. Not because her children will be the ransom and bondmen, but the widow knows that SHE WILL NOT BE BLESSED, AND NOT BE A BLESSING BUT A CURSE, first to her sons and to the nations of Israel for not paying her debts.
How important for a widow woman to pay all her debts must be our perception too.
I am the one who is ashamed of a person who has a debt and not paying those. I also feel afraid of their own souls for not paying their debts to anyone.
Why I should feel all of these? Perhaps, I know what will be happened to them who are not paying their debts. Yes! Many people today thinking that borrowing money and letting their unpaid bills are just ordinary, decent, and right.
Nevertheless, not paying borrowed money and unpaid bills are not decent, right, and ordinary in the sight of God.
On how the lender is mad and angry with them who borrowed and not paying their debts is how the Lord feels for them.
FOR THE LORD POVERTY IS NOT AN EXCUSE FOR YOU NOT TO PAY YOUR DEBTS.
Read again the given event of the widow woman, she is in her poverty but she never thinks of this and makes an excuse, but rather think of how she will pay all her debts.
WHY THE WIDOW WOMAN CONSIDERED THAT SHE WILL BE A CURSED?
1. Proverbs 22:7 The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
2. Psalm 37:21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.
Those who are not paying their debt, read this carefully, you are a SERVANT of the lender, and considered as WICKED of the Bible.
To them who are not paying their debts and forgetting all of those, even their unpaid bills will NOT ENTER HEAVEN. For, there are no servants of the lender and wicked in heaven.
Would you not be afraid of knowing that you will not go in heaven but rather in hell? Maybe, the widow woman knows all about this, For this reason, the widow woman does anything to pay all her debts.
The Lord doesn't want Christian to be a borrower of money. How much more a borrower and not paying?
WHAT THE LORD WANTS TO ALL CHRISTIANS?
Deuteronomy 28:12 The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.
Deuteronomy 15:6 For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.
Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
God wants you to be a blessing and the source of blessing that comes to the Lord.
IF YOU WILL DO THE FOLLOWING:
Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
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| Pray with all your heart. |
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