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.” 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 small jar of olive oil.” 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.” She left him and 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. 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 4:1-7
“But I seem to hear, even though they are silent, those who are wont to say such things as these to their teachers: “How shall we continue to live, if we do not care for the getting of money? and how shall we satisfy our needs? How are loans to be repaid, and how shall a gift be bestowed upon him who asks it, if we are all to follow your admonition and be poor?”
This is the objection of an unbeliever, the speech of one devoid of understanding, who does not know that God is our Master, the director of our life, and that he himself furnishes the living creature what it needs, the means of getting both necessary food and needful clothing. For the providence of God is over all his works, and the misfortune of poverty never overtakes one who is rich in faith.
By presenting one of the divine narratives in proof of what I now affirm I shall, I think, offer sufficient evidence of it. In the history of the kings a widow woman is mentioned who, on account of her solitary condition was greatly oppressed. A greedy and churlish creditor pestered her, threatening to take away as pledges for her debts, her sons who were all she had left. And when the crisis in her affairs came and none of the rich had pity on her, she went to him who had humanity and faith.
Now this was Elisha the prophet, a man poor in this world’s goods, but abounding in immaterial wealth; an unworldly soul from among the plowmen, houseless, homeless, clad with but one garment; who had just had a legacy, and had received as his inheritance a cheap sheepskin and an invisible blessing, which fell from the chariot of fire.
Yet he did not send away the suppliant disappointed, nor did he despair of helping her because he had not what she asked, nor did he utter any sordid and doubting words, as many would have done, such as, “And where am I to get money to pay your debt?” but, like a most excellent physician when there are no medicines to be had, by an unexpected device he found a remedy for the disease and said, “Woman, what have you in the house?
Call to mind whether you have anything within, however small. For no one is so poor as to have absolutely nothing.” And when she replied that she had a cruse with a little oil remaining in it, he said, “Prepare me a multitude of vessels.” So she got them ready and filled them from the cruse.
Thus the debt was paid to the money-lender, and the woman departed, having found a way out of her difficulties. For the very little oil which she had told the prophet she possessed, contrary to her expectation gushed forth and filled all the jars she had made ready, and it ceased to flow only when there was not another vessel to receive it. And the gift was commensurate with her need. That was indeed oil which no plant, but the mercies of God, produced.”
Asterius of Amasea (350-410) in his sermon, “Against Coveteousness.”
In the climax of this sermon, Asterius removes the last device that the devil uses to cast doubt in our lives keep us in the clutches of coveteousness. It’s the question of provision.
“How shall we continue to live, if we do not care for the getting of money? and how shall we satisfy our needs? How are loans to be repaid, and how shall a gift be bestowed upon him who asks it, if we are all to follow your admonition and be poor?”
The best and only answer to this is the providence of God. We see this illustrated in the story of the widow and articulated by Jesus Christ Himself in the sermon on the mount.
In plain terms we worry about what we will eat, drink, and what we will wear. We think it is our role to provide when Scripture tells us that is God’s job.
This lesson today also reveals the key to generous living. We must put the immaterial wealth to work that is trusting in the providence of God in order to tap into resources for enjoyment and sharing.