A man came from Baal Shalishah, bringing the man of God twenty loaves of barley bread baked from the first ripe grain, along with some heads of new grain. “Give it to the people to eat,” Elisha said. “How can I set this before a hundred men?” his servant asked. But Elisha answered, “Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the Lord says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.’” Then he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the Lord. 2 Kings 4:42-44
“When Elisha told the man to use this food to feed a hundred people, he knew it would not be enough. But he obeyed and his small gift fed so many people that they had enough and there was some left over. This story resembles the Lord’s feeding of the multitude and may explain whey the people were so ready to hail Jesus as a prophet.”
Musa Gotom (Nigeria) in “2 Kings” in Africa Bible Commentary, Tokunboh Adeyemo, General Editor (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006) 447.
Notice the prophet said the instructions two times: “Give it to the people to eat.” In between, the man had a question. And with the reply the prophet gave him assurance from the Lord. We too might have had the same doubts. It’s okay to ask questions of the Lord. But in the end, the key is to obey.
As Gotom writes, “he obeyed and his small gift fed so many people that they had enough and there was some left over.” What can we make of these giving instructions? We must obey God’s voice and give, not because we think we have the funds to solve a problem, but in obedience to the call of God.
Yesterday we focused on prayer and fellowship together. Today we “feed” 50 influential pastors, ministry administrators, and other professionals. Pray that like the 100, that they leave well fed and satisfied by the spiritual food we will offer.
We will provide biblical teaching and practical tools on this topic: “Stewardship and Standards – Two Keys to Strengthen Sustainable Ministries.” I see the sacrifices of core workers in Benin and confident that God sees and will honor them. He will “feed” the people of Benin with their small gift of service.
As Paul served with Silas and Timothy, I am serving with Samson Adoungbe (GTP Regional Facilitator for Francophone Africa) and Sylvie Bekoun (GTP Benin Country Coordinator). I appreciate your prayers for us and for my French translator, Pastor Roguy Barboza.