Devotion to Justice
A series of devotions from the Justice table on the topics of
- Women and children
- Hunger and poverty
- Creation care
- Immigration
Saving the Sons of the Widow from Slavery
2 Kings 4:1-7
Her name could be Rose; she is single because her husband passed. They had two boys. He was a hard worker, an hourly employee with no retirement plan. They had gotten in credit card debt, beyond imagination. Now she has the creditors calling her everyday almost 24/7. She is terrified she could lose what she has; house, car, and even children if she can’t supply for their basic needs. She went to the local Pastor to seek help. They had a conversation.
This story clearly demonstrates that God cares for God’s people and that God works in sovereign and mighty ways that extend far beyond what we are able to do or think as God reaches out to meet needs according to God’s will. It does deal with a financial problem or need and as such it particularly speaks to our physical needs. This is a beautiful story of faith and provision.
Elisha readily received a poor widow's complaint. Those that leave their families under a load of debt know not what trouble they cause. Elisha put the widow in a way to pay her debt and to maintain herself and her family. The best method to assist those who are in distress is to help them to improve, by their own industry, what little they have. Becoming a mentor leads people to do things for themselves.
The widow must pay her debt with the money she received for her oil. Though her creditors were too hard with her, they must be paid, even before she made any provision for her children. We pay every just debt, and give everyone its own, though we leave ever so little for ourselves. Rose learned how to get out and stay out of debt. She realized that she needed to keep her children from making the same mistake — falling in the slavery of debt. Proverbs 22:7 say, "The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender" (ESV). Justice is taught by getting the children involved. There's an old Native American proverb that goes, "Tell me, and I'll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I'll understand."
The Pastor walked with this widow in a journey of getting out of debt by learning to use what she had (verse 2) and setting her and her children FREE for the rest of their lives!
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