2Ki 4:1 | KingComments | STEP | There is much ‘death’ in this chapter: a student prophet ( ); the husband of the Shunammite, in his ‘dead body’ ( ); the son of the Shunammite ( ); death in the pot ( ). There is also a lot of life in this chapter, because death is always followed by life. Life, not death, has the last word. The history of the widow’s oil and the history of the three kings in the previous chapter are both about debtors. Mesha had to pay tribute and the woman also had to pay a debt. The difference is that the king of Moab could pay, but did not want to, while the woman wanted to, but couldn’t, because she was poor. The previous history was about three people, three kings, namely the king of Israel, Jehoram, the king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom. This history is also about three people, namely the widow and her two sons. There is despair in both histories. The kings were about to die due to lack of water and therefore appealed to the man of God. Then Elisha appears and helps. The woman also called on Elisha and he comes and helps. Both histories end with a son. In the first one a son is killed, in the second there is life for two sons. In the first history the man of God ordered to dig trenches, empty trenches. This required a lot of hard work. In the second the woman had to collect empty vessels. This also required hard work. In both histories what was empty is filled, but with a different content. The trenches are filled with water, the vessels are filled with oil. Water is a picture of the Word of God. This is how it was applied in the previous chapter. However, water is also a symbol of the Spirit of God, just like oil. Water and oil as a picture of the Holy Spirit we see in the “streams of living water” ( ) and in the “anointing from the Holy One” ( ). Water and oil represent different aspects of the work of the Spirit. How the Spirit works, we see for example in the Gospel of Luke, where we meet people filled with the Spirit: John, Elizabeth, Zacharias, Simeon (cf. ). A widow came with her need to Elisha, asking him for help. She reminded Elisha that he knew her husband, and testified that her husband had been faithful and obedient to the Word of God, as Elisha also knew. His wife and children followed his example. The man had feared God. A widow was a needy person (cf. ), someone who is dependent on the LORD. The woman told him her situation. Elisha did not contest the creditor’s right. In the person of the woman it is about a believer who is in miserable circumstances. She is a picture of a believer under the law. The law leads the spiritual life to slavery. This is about the righteousness of the flesh, the claims of the law, the slavery of the flesh. The sons were threatened to be made slaves. In Acts 15 we read about an attempt to subject the believers to the law and how the apostles reacted to it ( ; see also the letter to the Galatians). The law is opposed to the freedom of the Spirit.

‏ 2 Kings 4:1

Introduction

There is much ‘death’ in this chapter: a student prophet (2Kgs 4:1); the husband of the Shunammite, in his ‘dead body’ (2Kgs 4:14); the son of the Shunammite (2Kgs 4:20); death in the pot (2Kgs 4:40). There is also a lot of life in this chapter, because death is always followed by life. Life, not death, has the last word.

A Widow Comes to Elisha

The history of the widow’s oil and the history of the three kings in the previous chapter are both about debtors. Mesha had to pay tribute and the woman also had to pay a debt. The difference is that the king of Moab could pay, but did not want to, while the woman wanted to, but couldn’t, because she was poor.

The previous history was about three people, three kings, namely the king of Israel, Jehoram, the king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom. This history is also about three people, namely the widow and her two sons. There is despair in both histories. The kings were about to die due to lack of water and therefore appealed to the man of God. Then Elisha appears and helps. The woman also called on Elisha and he comes and helps. Both histories end with a son. In the first one a son is killed, in the second there is life for two sons.

In the first history the man of God ordered to dig trenches, empty trenches. This required a lot of hard work. In the second the woman had to collect empty vessels. This also required hard work. In both histories what was empty is filled, but with a different content. The trenches are filled with water, the vessels are filled with oil.

Water is a picture of the Word of God. This is how it was applied in the previous chapter. However, water is also a symbol of the Spirit of God, just like oil. Water and oil as a picture of the Holy Spirit we see in the “streams of living water” (Jn 7:39) and in the “anointing from the Holy One” (1Jn 2:20). Water and oil represent different aspects of the work of the Spirit. How the Spirit works, we see for example in the Gospel of Luke, where we meet people filled with the Spirit: John, Elizabeth, Zacharias, Simeon (cf. Eph 5:18b).

A widow came with her need to Elisha, asking him for help. She reminded Elisha that he knew her husband, and testified that her husband had been faithful and obedient to the Word of God, as Elisha also knew. His wife and children followed his example. The man had feared God.

A widow was a needy person (cf. Jam 1:27a), someone who is dependent on the LORD. The woman told him her situation. Elisha did not contest the creditor’s right. In the person of the woman it is about a believer who is in miserable circumstances. She is a picture of a believer under the law. The law leads the spiritual life to slavery.

This is about the righteousness of the flesh, the claims of the law, the slavery of the flesh. The sons were threatened to be made slaves. In Acts 15 we read about an attempt to subject the believers to the law and how the apostles reacted to it (Acts 15:1-31; see also the letter to the Galatians). The law is opposed to the freedom of the Spirit.