II Kings Chapter 4
Please read: II Kings 4 –
There are several beautiful miracles recorded here in this chapter that God blessed various people with through the hand of His prophet Elisha. As you read through these different accounts you may find yourself wondering as I did, if there were many more miracles that were never recorded in the Bible. My guess would be that there were since the people respected and listened to the teachings of Elisha.
Another thing that is important to notice as you read through each account is that Elisha presented a test of faith for each of these people that were in need of a miracle. They had to do something to show that they were stepping out in faith, believing that God would answer, in order to receive God’s blessings.
One might wonder why God sent prophets and miracles in the middle of a culture of kings who were evil and a people who forgot the one who had rescued them from Egypt and brought them to the promised land. Idolatry and pagan worship ran rampant throughout the land. But God is always merciful and loving and wanting to reach into the heart, offering an opportunity to repent and believe. In fact, He is still doing that today. He is still reaching into hearts that have not yet surrendered to Him and offering them life and peace.
Let's Reflect
1. The widow who talked to Elisha about her financial situation was the wife of someone whom Elisha would have known well. Who was her deceased husband?
2. The widow told Elisha she didn’t have anything of value in her house that she could sell. All she had was one jar of oil. This was most likely olive oil. Elisha gave her instructions to borrow empty vessels from her neighbors. What did he specifically say about how many vessels she should borrow?
3. She poured oil from her own vessel into the empty ones. Miraculously the oil kept flowing until what happened?
4. A wealthy Shumanite woman invited Elisha to have dinner with her and her husband. This became a standing invitation whenever Elisha came to town. They even built a guest room on top of their roof for him to stay in when he came to visit. Elisha wanted to do something for the woman. She didn’t think there was anything she needed, she was wealthy. But God knew her true heart. What miracle did God bless this woman with for her kindness to Elisha?
5. There was another miracle later that occurred for the Shumanite woman when her son died. She got on a donkey and went herself to find Elisha to ask him to restore life to her son. What did Elisha first do that apparently did not work?
6. The first attempt may not have worked because the woman did not have enough faith that sending Elisha’s servant would be enough. She did not go back with Elisha’s servant. What did she tell Elisha?
7. When Elisha arrived at the house the boy was lying on his bed and still not showing any signs of life. Elisha closed the door, stretched out over his lifeless body, and prayed. What happened to the boy?
8. The last section tells the miracle of some poisonous stew being miraculously made whole. The prophets had gathered, presumably to hear the teaching of Elisha. They were hungry and food was scarce. Elisha sent them to gather what they could find to make a stew. Unfortunately, one of them picked some kind of vegetation that was poisonous. The men while eating the stew realized something did not taste right. There was probably a bitter taste to it. What miracle did Elisha do so that the men had food to eat?
9. Another miracle is recorded in verse 42 that will remind you of a New Testament miracle. What was this miracle?
