Studying the Old Testament Narratives
Passage: 2 Kings 4:1-7
- Observation
A.
- Yes
- No
- Identify the basic elements of the story you are studying
- Main characters: (List them)
- Elisha
- God
- The Widow
- The widow’s sons
- Plot:
A widow whose sons were held as slaves by the creditor came to Elisha. The husband to this woman was a God-fearing servant of Elisha. When the woman frontier herself to Elisha, he asks her, what can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house? ” (2 Kings 4:2). The woman replied, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” (2 Kings 4:2)
- Narrative structure:
Introduction: A widow came to Elisha to inform that a servant, her husband, is now dead.
Inciting incident: Because of this death, creditors were threatening to take the widow’s sons into slavery as a form of payment.
Rising action: Elisha responded, “What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house? ” (2 Kings 4:2), the widow responded, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” (2 Kings 4:2)
Climax: Elisha instructs the widow to collect empty jars from her home and neighbors and pour the oil into these jars.
Falling Action: When all the jars were full, the widow said to her son, “Bring me another container.” (2 Kgs 4:6) The son replied, “There aren’t any more.” (2 Kgs 4:6)
Resolution: The widow then went to the man of God and he said, “Go sell the oil and pay your debt; you and your sons can live on the rest.” (2 Kgs 4:7)
C.
- Who:
- Widow
- Elisha
- God
- Son
- Creditor
- What:
Collecting empty jars from the neighbors to fill them with oil.
- Where:
- The widow’s house and surrounding neighbors.
- When:
- This happened during Elisha’s ministry
- Why:
- Why does the window need help?
Her sons are being threatened into slavery for an unpaid debt.
- Why does the widow go to Elisha for assistance?
Because her husband was a servant to Elisha and thought that he could help.
- How:
- By collecting empty jars and filling them with oil, the widow was able to sell the oil to pay her dead husband’s debt and free her sons from slavery.
- Interpretation
A.
I believe that this story is saying that God will get you through anything if you persevere and God will help you to come up with creative ways to make things work. No matter how difficult the situation can be, God is with you all the time, leading the way. The widow went to Elisha. She was looking for guidance because her husband was Elisha’s servant.
Even though the widow only had one jar of oil, she was able to fill many jars and pay her dead husbands’ debt to the creditor to keep her sons free from slavery. When the jars stopped coming, the oil stopped flowing and that means that there was enough for the widow to sell and pay the debt. God was with the widow and knew when the oil needed to stop flowing to keep her sons from slavery. (2 Kgs 4:1-7)
B.
God helps everyone to overcome the obstacles that life throws at any one person.
III. Correlation
A.
I would say that this is a story of redemption. God works through his people to overcome obstacles and sends help to those who need it. From the surface, it may seem there is nothing that can be done, but with the help of God and his people, the widow was able to settle her dead husbands’ debt by selling jars of oil. God helped the widow into redemption so that her sons could remain free. God sent the widow to Elisha for guidance and through God and Elisha, the widow was able to overcome the obstacle that was put in front of her.
B.
Sometimes when we struggle with life, we tend to forget that God is there for you to ask for help. When the widow needed help, God spoke through Elisha because God knew that Elisha would be the one to help the widow. Elisha was able to help the widow see that God would keep the oil flowing to fill the jars to repay a debt to a creditor so her sons could remain free from slavery. Because the widow believed in God, she could accomplish her task to protect her sons. The widow was able to redeem herself through faith.
C.
This narrative reflects the person and work of Jesus Christ because the widow went to Elisha for help And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” (2 Kgs 4:2) She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.” (2 Kgs 4:7) God is always with you through the good times and the bad times. You must remember to ask for help when you need it.
- Application
- The question of duty
Responsibility: Everyone has the responsibility to take care of their families. Whether it is a pet, children, husband, wife, etc., the responsibility lays with everyone. If the respondent was not there, the family would not thrive. The widow had a responsibility to take care of her sons and she had a duty to protect them from danger. The widow needed help to make money to pay off her husbands’ debt because the creditor was going to take the widow’s sons into slavery. When the sons went to the neighbors to collect empty jars, it was the responsibility of the neighbors to help other neighbors.
- The question of character
When a mother’s children are in trouble, it is a maternal instinct to want to protect them and do whatever it takes to keep them safe. In this story, the widow pleaded for help to keep her sons safe and Elisha was the one that she went to for guidance. The widow could have let the creditor take her sons, but instead, she chose to protect them through God. God guided Elisha to the widow to fill the jars with oil to repay the debt to the creditor. God questioned the character of the widow, but in the end, he was reassured of her faith in Him.
- The question of goals
The goal for the widow and her sons was to collect many empty jars to fill them with oil. God kept the oil pouring until all jars were full and she was able to sell the jars of oil, pay off the debt, and keep her sons from slavery. Elisha’s goal was to guide the widow on how to keep her sons safe, but not do the work for the widow. God’s goal was to work through Elisha to restore the widow’s faith that everything would be ok; the debt would be paid off and her sons would remain free from slavery.
- The question of discernment
God is above all living things as a creator of this world. He works through many people to help their families and neighbors. Because God sent Elisha to guide the widow, God wanted to ensure that the widow had faith in God by allowing the oil to keep flowing until all empty jars were full. Elisha knew the widows’ husband and felt that he needed to help the widow find a way to keep her sons safe from danger. The widow’s faith remained, and she was able to sell the oil to repay the debt and her sons were free from slavery.