Matthew Henry Commentary 2 Kings 4
Matthew Henry Commentary
2 Kings 4
Matthew Henry Commentary
2 Kings 4
"Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear Jehovah: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two children to be bondmen. And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me; what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thy handmaid hath not anything in the house, save a pot of oil. Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbors, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. And thou shalt go in, and shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and pour out into all those vessels; and thou shalt set aside that which is full. So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons; they brought [the vessels] to her, and she poured out. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy sons of the rest." — 2 Kings 4:1-7 (ASV)
Elisha's miracles were acts of genuine benevolence, and so were Christ's; they were not only great wonders but also great favors to those for whom they were performed. God magnifies His goodness with His power. Elisha readily received a poor widow's complaint. Those who leave their families under a load of debt do not know what trouble they cause.
It is the duty of all who profess to follow the Lord, while they trust God for daily bread, not to test Him by carelessness or extravagance, nor to accumulate debts. For nothing tends more to bring reproach upon the gospel or causes more distress to their families when they are gone. Elisha provided a way for the widow to pay her debt and to maintain herself and her family. This was done by a miracle, but in such a way as to show the best method to assist those in distress: to help them improve what little they have through their own industry.
The oil, sent by a miracle, continued flowing as long as she had empty vessels to receive it. We are never limited by God or by the riches of His grace; all our limitation is in ourselves. It is our faith that fails, not His promise. He gives more than we ask. If there were more vessels, there is enough in God to fill them—enough for all, enough for each. The Redeemer's all-sufficiency will only be prevented from supplying the needs of sinners and saving their souls when no more people come to Him for salvation.
The widow was to pay her debt with the money she received for her oil. Though her creditors were too harsh with her, they still had to be paid, even before she made any provision for her children. It is one of the main laws of the Christian religion that we pay every just debt and give everyone what is theirs, even if we leave very little for ourselves; and this, not out of compulsion, but for conscience' sake. Those who have an honest mind cannot with pleasure eat their daily bread unless it is their own bread.
She and her children were to live on the remainder—that is, on the money received for the oil, with which they were to find a way to earn an honest living. We cannot expect miracles now, yet we may expect mercies if we wait on God and seek Him. Let widows, in particular, depend upon Him. He who has all hearts in His hand can, without a miracle, send just as effective a supply.
"And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God, that passeth by us continually. Let us make, I pray thee, a little chamber on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a seat, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither. And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber and lay there. And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him. And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people. And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no son, and her husband is old. And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door. And he said, At this season, when the time cometh round, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thy handmaid. And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season, when the time came round, as Elisha had said unto her." — 2 Kings 4:8-17 (ASV)
Elisha was well thought of by the king of Israel for his recent services; a good man can take as much pleasure in serving others as in raising himself. But the Shunammite did not need any assistance of this kind.
It is a happiness to live among our own people, who love and respect us, and to whom we are able to do good. Many would be better off if they only knew when they are truly well off.
The Lord sees the secret wish that is suppressed in obedience to his will, and he will hear the prayers of his servants on behalf of their benefactors by sending unasked-for and unexpected mercies; nor should the professions of men of God be thought deceptive, like those of men of the world.
"And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers. And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to his servant, Carry him to his mother. And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut [the door] upon him, and went out. And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the servants, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again. And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to-day? it is neither new moon nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well. Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slacken me not the riding, except I bid thee. So she went, and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is the Shunammite: run, I pray thee, now to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well. And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came near to thrust her away; but the man of God said, Let her alone: for her soul is vexed within her; and Jehovah hath hid it from me, and hath not told me. Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me? Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thy hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the child. And the mother of the child said, As Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her. And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he returned to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked. And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed. He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto Jehovah. And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon him; and the flesh of the child waxed warm. Then he returned, and walked in the house once to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son. Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground; and she took up her son, and went out." — 2 Kings 4:18-37 (ASV)
Here is the sudden death of the child. All the mother's tenderness cannot keep alive a child of promise, a child of prayer, one given in love. But how admirably the prudent, pious mother guards her lips under this sudden affliction! Not one peevish word escapes from her. She had such confidence in God's goodness that she was ready to believe that he would restore what he had now taken away.
O woman, great is your faith! He who worked it would not disappoint it. The sorrowful mother asked her husband for permission to go to the prophet at once. She had not thought it enough to have Elisha's help sometimes in her own family, but, though a woman of rank, attended public worship. It is fitting for the men of God to inquire about the welfare of their friends and their families.
The answer was, It is well. All well, and yet the child dead in the house! Yes! All is well that God does; all is well with those who are gone, if they are gone to heaven; and all well with us who stay behind, if, by the affliction, we are furthered on our way there. When any creature-comfort is taken from us, it is well if we can say, through grace, that we did not set our hearts too much upon it; for if we did, we have reason to fear it was given in anger, and taken away in wrath.
Elisha cried out to God in faith, and the beloved son was restored alive to his mother. Those who seek to convey spiritual life to dead souls, must feel deeply for their condition and labor fervently in prayer for them. Though the minister cannot give Divine life to his fellow-sinners, he must use every means, with as much earnestness as if he could do so.
"And Elisha came again to Gilgal. And there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and boil pottage for the sons of the prophets. And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage; for they knew them not. So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof. But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot. And there came a man from Baal-shalishah, and brought the man of God bread of the first-fruits, twenty loaves of barley, and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat. And his servant said, What, should I set this before a hundred men? But he said, Give the people, that they may eat; for thus saith Jehovah, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof. So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of Jehovah." — 2 Kings 4:38-44 (ASV)
There was a famine of bread, but not of hearing the word of God, for Elisha had the sons of the prophets sitting before him, to hear his wisdom. Elisha made hurtful food to become safe and wholesome.
If a mess of pottage is all our dinner, remember that this great prophet had no better for himself and his guests. The table often becomes a snare, and that which should be for our welfare, proves a trap: this is a good reason why we should not feed ourselves without fear.
When we are receiving the supports and comforts of life, we must keep up an expectation of death, and a fear of sin. We must acknowledge God's goodness in making our food wholesome and nourishing; I am the Lord that healeth thee. Elisha also made a little food go a great way.
Having freely received, he freely gave. God has promised his church that he will abundantly bless her provision, and satisfy her poor with bread (Psalms 132:15); whom he feeds, he fills; and what he blesses, comes to much. Christ's feeding his hearers was a miracle far beyond this, but both teach us that those who wait upon God in the way of duty may hope to be supplied by Divine Providence.
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