Matthew Henry Commentary 2 Kings 4:1-7

"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.