Pay Your Debts First 4/9/2018

Good Morning,

Monday arrived and it was right on time. The beginning of the week finds me drinking a cup of Door County German Chocolate Cake Coffee and eating some grapes for breakfast. It's a solid start.

In our Bible text we find that Elisha a prophet of God encounters a widow who's husband was a Godly man. She is facing debt collectors and her sons will be taken into slavery to pay the debt.

2 Kings 4 New King James Version (NKJV)

Elisha and the Widow’s Oil

4 A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.”

² So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”
³ Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few. ⁴ And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.”
⁵ So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. ⁶ Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.”
And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. ⁷ Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”

We read that the woman was given specific instructions from Elisha the man of God. She followed the instructions perfectly and was awarded a large amount of oil from God which could be sold. This was a miracle that she and her sons experienced and witnessed. Their little jar of oil kept flowing until all the empty vessels she borrowed were filled up with oil.

Once she ran out of empty vessels the oil stopped and she went and told Elisha what had happened.  Elisha then gave her more instructions. He told her to go and pay her debt. Notice she wasn't told to go and spend any of it until her debt was paid. Elisha stressed that after the debt was paid, the remaining money was left for her to live on.

This is an important lesson. Once we are given money from God or a skill to sell we are to take the money or use the skill to pay off our debt. The debt is to be paid before we use the money for other things. Not only did the woman receive instructions in faith, but she followed directions completely. It is best to not be indebted to anyone. and best to pay our bills first. It would be a shame not to and have people say. "Look they were blessed by God and still they do not pay their bills."

 

Proverbs 22:19 English Standard Version (ESV)

¹⁹ That your trust may be in the Lord,
    I have made them known to you today, even to you.

 

Have a great day!

 

Marty