We’re in a series called "Seven" learning unforgettable lessons from forgotten lives of the Old Testament. This week we are going to take a look at a woman who is having a very difficult time in her life. In fact I’m not sure things can get worse. If you have a Bible, turn to the passage in 2 Kings 4:1 while I give you some background. It’s the time period, about 850 BC, when Israel has been split into two kingdoms - North and South. We find our story in the Northern Kingdom, which is run by a king who has ignored God. The nation is in turmoil, enemies are getting stronger, the economy is getting weaker and the leadership of the country is trusting more in their own wisdom rather than God’s. And in the midst of this, as a result of national crisis, family after family is facing personal crisis of their own. (Can anyone relate?) Here’s one of those stories:
The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves." 2 Kings 4:1
Okay, here’s her story. This woman married a man who served God as a prophet. He was in the ministry. He was a godly man in a very ungodly society. And in the middle of all Israel’s trouble, this man of God suddenly dies. He hasn’t done a very good job with the family debt and didn’t get the right amount of life insurance and has now left the family in a bind.
To make things worse, now the creditors are banging on the door, demanding payment. The creditors "size up" the situation. The woman is older and doesn’t have the ability to work and repay the debt, so the creditors decide that the only way to settle the her account is to take this woman’s sons and enslave them until the debt is paid.
Now, is anyone troubled by this story? Not just the enslaving of children, but the thought that this man of God would die and his family not be taken care of? Let’s be more general...anyone here frustrated with the situation where bad things happen to good people? Or even worse, when good things happen to bad people? What’s that all about?
Let’s take a few minutes to talk about that because I feel like it is a real issue for us today. I here a lot of "I don’t get it. Why would God do that?" kind of talk even in our situation today. A lot of people feel like their personal situations are unfair. We haven’t done as much bad, haven’t been as irresponsible as other people, yet it feels like we are experiencing the brunt of the consequences of this economy...struggling financially, losing jobs, homes, sense of peace...and we don’t get it. We’re thinking, "Okay, I started going to church, focusing on my family...c’mon God, what are you doing? That’s not...fair!"
A few thoughts: First, I would suggest that you and I do not want fair. Fair would mean that everyone in the world got equal treatment... Which would mean that, to be average, you and I would be living without electricity making less than $1000 a year. So you don’t want fair.
Second thought. When we say we want fair, what we really mean is we want favor. Our perspective on fairness is imbalanced at best. It’s tainted. Think about it, when bad things happen to good people, we get all bent. Be cause they didn’t "deserve it". Yet when the same thing happens to bad people we think "he had that coming". See, what we really believe is that good people deserve to be treated better by God, not equally. That they should have much less trouble in this world because they are good people. We’ll talk about that in a minute.
Third thought. We don’t like it when bad thing happen to good people, but it is even worse when good things happen to bad people. How do they get away with it? That’s not fair! You’re right. Here’s news if you haven’t figured it out: God is not into "fair". He’s not into fair. Now, I did not say we wasn’t consistent or just. But he’s definitely not into fair they way we think of fair. Here’s what I am saying: the fact that good things happen to bad people is not fair, it’s gracious. It’s a sign of God’s character. God is gracious. We serve a grace giving God. A God of second chances. A god who is slow to anger and shows compassion on those who don’t deserve it. And that is a good thing. The Bible mentions that in Romans 5:8 - God demonstrates his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Aren’t you glad God isn’t just fair?
As far as why bad things happen to good people, here is what the Bible teaches: First, it says that the world we live in is "fallen". That we live in a world tainted by sin, impacted by Adam and Eve’s fall. Romans 8 uses the term "in bondage to decay" and "frustration" to describe it. Gentlemen, when you look in the mirror tomorrow that your hair has migrated from above your ears into your ears and nose, you can just say "bondage to decay". You hit 40 and get glasses...bondage to decay. If you have developed "furniture disease" -- when your chest drops into your drawers, "bondage to decay".
And it is not just you, all of creation has been frustrated by sin. Hey America, I have news for you...this is not heaven. And no matter how hard you work, how smart you are, how many surgeries you have, no matter what you do to protect yourself...In an imperfect world, hard things are going to happen. Aren’t you glad you came?
The next one has less to do with our circumstances and more to do with us. God uses difficulty to conform us into the image of Christ. When Jesus came into the world, he faced difficulty, did he not? So why is it that we don’t think we will? God allows difficulty to break us of our self-reliance and to show his power. He uses it to teach us to trust him. Second, He uses difficulty to help us know him personally and see his character. How could we know that he is the god of all comfort if we never needed to be comforted? How could we know His power if we never had trouble? Third, he uses difficulty to give us a story to tell. And it is our story that is irrefutable evidence of the power and grace of our God. A God who loves us with a love that is good an gracious and so audacious that there is nothing else in the world like it. Trouble is not an issue of God’s character, it’s an issue of ours.
We live in a tainted world. And this whole book (the Bible) was written about imperfect people in a fallen world looking to gracious God for guidance. The story of the widow is no exception. Stories like this one are here for us to learn that you will be tested, but God can be trusted.
Today we’re going to look at this woman’s life for just a few minutes to see
How to turn around a bad situation.
Here is Step One: Realize that the solution begins with what you do have, not what you don’t have.
Elisha replied to her, "How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?" "Your servant has nothing there at all," she said, "except a little oil."
2 Kings 4:2
This woman looks at her situation and is so frustrated that she doesn’t know where to begin. Elisha looks at her and says, "Tell me what you have." Nothing! I’ve got nothing... That wasn’t true. Often times in difficult situations, the strength of our emotions blinds us to the resources that we have. The man of God helps her think... C’mon, what do you have? "all I have is a little oil.
Here’s what we need to remember...when a problem arises, God wants us first to look for the solution in what we have, not what we don’t have. We just finished another season of Financial Peace University. Financial Peace is our tool to help the families of our church and community get right side up in their finances. One of the things Dave Ramsey teaches in that course is that when it comes to debt reduction, start with what you have. Make changes in the way you live and in what you think you need. To make choice to simplify. "If you want to one day live like no one else, then today you must live like no one else!" In this past season the average family reduced their debt by over $29,000. And they did it by starting with what they had.
By the way (and this is a bonus), if you find yourself in constant trouble, financially (if you’ve declared bankruptcy again, relationally (can’t seem to keep friends long) , marriage (third marriage falls apart) , or work (lost your job again) and you are mad at the world because it keeps happening again and again and you can’t figure our what is wrong with the world...I’ll give a hint. If you want to be able to see a big part of the problem, look for the common denominator. It’s you. And the solution to the issue will start with what you have (you), not with what you don’t have (them).
Back to the story, the good news is that God has always been able to do a lot with a little. He fed 5000 with 5 loaves and two fish, he changed the world with twelve ordinary men...and if we’re honest, his most amazing feet in doing a lot with a little is the fact that He even changed you and me! He is a God who defies the odds. The Bible says He is the God who made something out of nothing, who "gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they are." He can overcome any and every circumstance and will use whatever we surrender to Him.
Look at what you have. Those of you who lost jobs. What do you have? Opportunities? What skills do you have? How about Connections? Passions? Ideas?
Start with what you do have, not what you don’t have.
Step Two: Be willing to do whatever it takes.
Elisha said, "Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side." 2 Kings 4:3-4
Here God gives us a formula for overcoming difficulty... Here it is- humility and effort.
It takes effort. It takes intentional energy, right thinking, consistently doing the right things, building momentum toward the solution. We keep going, keep moving, keep trying and trusting, that God will honor our effort.
But that is not popular thinking. What do you do when life doesn’t go your way? A lot of us mope, get depressed, give up, retreat. Two types of people -- escapers and controllers. Escapers - eat, drink, get entertained, take vacation...come back and the issue is still there. Controllers -- steal, lie, cheat or get angry trying to manipulate our situation to suit us. Destroy relationships, burn bridges, blame and shame. And sometimes that works for the short term, but in the long run, it doesn’t work.
Here’s the problem. All of us want a miracle from God, but no one wants to work for it. Miracles are miracles because they don’t happen to everyone every day. If they did, it wouldn’t be a miracle. And in my experience, most of the time in order for God to do what only God can do, he first expects us to do what only we can do. If you are out of work, are you looking for a job?
God says that solution is effort and humility. Listen, in bad situations, pride is not your friend. The Bible says that "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." It says that "pride comes before a fall." It takes humility. She has to humble herself and take the advice of someone else. (What about you? Who have you asked for help?) Then she has to go door to door to her neighbors asking for help. Can I borrow some jars? Embarrassing. But she is willing to do whatever it takes. What about you? You heard Chad say a few weeks ago that much of the time, the biggest barrier to a miracle of God in our lives is us! Humbly give your best effort.
Step Three: Act believing God will show up.
She left him and afterward shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, "Bring me another one." But he replied, "There is not a jar left." Then the oil stopped flowing. 2 Kings 4:5-6
First thought: God often requires you to take the first step of faith.
This woman shuts the door behind her in a house full of jars. And all she has is this one little flask of oil. She could of looked around the house and said, "this doesn’t make sense!" and just done nothing.
When the Israelites were headed to the promised land, they had to cross the Jordan river at flood stage. And God told them to step into the water. It was only after they stepped in that God caused the water to stop. In John 9 Jesus puts mud in a blind man’s eyes and tells him to wash. The man obeys and he can see. It may not make any sense in the moment, but God wants us to trust him. Here’s the principle -- to understand why, we submit and apply.
The woman does and the oil starts to flow. And she sees God as the God who supplies.
Here’s the thing. If God wanted to, couldn’t he have produced jars too? Why didn’t he? Because the collection of jars was a demonstration of her faith. And God wanted her to show faith before he showed up.
Second thought: Note the measure of her effort was directly proportional to the magnitude of the blessing of God. What do you think she was thinking when the oil started to flow and fill the jars? Wow! I imagine her faith in God grew with every filled flask. But when did she run out of oil? When she ran out of jars. What do you think would have happened is she had more jars? The measure of the miracle was her initial faith and initial efforts.
There are times when God supplies to the level of our faith. In the Bible it says it this way...by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you in return. There are at least three specific areas that this applies and they are all fond in Luke 6. It says that how 1) we judge others will determine how we are judged, and 2) our ability to forgive others impacts our forgiveness, and 3) our ability to give will impact what is given to us. Luke 6:38 says "give and it will be given to you, a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over it will pour into your lap, for by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you in return.
This is a big issue, because we tend to want God to bless us without showing any faith. And yet in these three arenas, God’s word says that we should live expecting God to show up. We should judge, forgive and give in such a way that we expect God to show up. Looking at those verse in Luke 6 made me think about myself and I’ll share them with you. If everyone viewed people the same way I do, would the world be a better place? If God had the same level of forgiveness as I do, would that be a good thing? If the heart and effort of my giving were the standard of generosity around the world, what impact would that make? What is it that I do in these areas that would compel God to say, wow! Now that’s someone I want to invest in!
Are you acting in such a way that believes that God will show up?
Step Four: Honor God with the results.
She went and told the man of God, and he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left." 2 Kings 4:7
Two quick observations:
First, If we want to honor God, we will use his blessing for the purpose God intended. The woman was told to take the money and pay her debts. Has anyone here made a promise to God in a tough situation? Maybe it was "God, if you get me through this I’ll... Fill in the blank. And then God gets you through it and you forget why God did what he did? How easy it is to forget God! The people of Israel did it all the time. In Deut 8
Second, God is often does more than we can ask or imagine. In the woman’s case, her issue was debt, but God gives her more than she needs ("live on the rest"). That’s the grace of God!
When that happens to you, when you get more than you need, what do you do? May I suggest to you that in our society, in these days, that if you have more than you need, it is to help those in need? Open Arms, Helping Hands, Boys and Girls club or the widow down the street. Whatever you decide, one thing is sure, we are supposed to honor God.
Let me close with this. It doesn’t matter what side of the issue you are on. Whether You are in a season of plenty or a season of want...the expectation is that you trust God. That you start with what you have, be willing to do whatever it takes, act believing God will show up and honor God with the results.
