Sunday, November 3 – 2 Kings 4, 5 – Additional Reading: Patriarchs and Prophets*, Chapter 20, “Naaman”

1. Why did Elisha ask the widow, “What do you have in your house?” (2 Kings 4:2)

2. How did Elisha perceive the sorrow of the Shunammite woman? (2 Kings 4:27-28)

3. What was Elisha’s attitude toward Naaman’s offer? (2 Kings 5:16)

Commentary and Reflection:

In the widow’s case, Elisha wanted to demonstrate that God always uses what we already possess and then meets our needs, adding His blessing. He knew that God could have met the woman’s need without using her jar of oil. The same principle applies today to God’s servants. They may not have extraordinary natural abilities or material resources. Still, if they consecrate what they have to God and His service, seeking His blessing, that little will undoubtedly be multiplied.

When helping the poor, it is wise to consider ways to enable them to become self-sufficient. The poor should be taught to use the resources they possess. Otherwise, charity can result in increased poverty, potentially causing more harm than good. The widow’s jar of oil seemed insignificant, but it was enough to meet all her needs in God’s hands and with His blessing. Her oil jar symbolized her absolute poverty, but it was also the means through which the Lord satisfied her needs.

A true child of God, filled with love and tenderness, will be moved by those who bear heavy burdens and, like their Master, will seek to give them rest. Elisha immediately perceived that some sorrow weighed heavily on the Shunammite woman, and he was filled with tender sympathy for her. True love is compassionate and kind, always responding to the cries of those in need.

Sometimes, the Lord finds it fitting to reveal a person’s circumstances to His servant, but this does not always happen. No prophet knows everything. Revelations occur only according to God’s will. The fact that a servant of God does not know all the details related to a particular matter is not evidence that they are not a true prophet of the Lord. Prophets are human, and their knowledge and judgment are limited, like everyone else’s. In this case, Elisha immediately sensed that something was wrong. Let us pray that the Lord grants us spiritual sensitivity to recognize the veiled needs and sorrows many carry in their hearts.

According to the customs of those times, Naaman asked Elisha to accept an expensive gift. But the prophet refused, knowing it was not his place to receive payment for a blessing that God had granted. He declared, “As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing.” A prophet of the Lord does not serve for gain or rewards. Elisha had already been rewarded by witnessing Naaman’s healing. The laborer is worthy of his wages, and those who receive God’s blessings can express their gratitude. However, it was best for Elisha to decline the gifts in this situation. Naaman should not have the impression that the prophets of the true God could be bought with gifts. Elisha’s attitude was exemplary, and we should follow his example.

Paul said: “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning” (Romans 15:4). Today, we have learned from our reading that God only needs our faith and trust to bless us. As inspiration says: “Our heavenly Father has a thousand ways to provide for us of which we know nothing. Those who accept the one principle of making the service of God supreme, will find perplexities vanish and a plain path before their feet.” (The Ministry of Healing, 481)

Let us ask the Lord to help us always be merciful and compassionate and give us the spiritual sensitivity to understand and assist those suffering. May He also grant us generous hearts so we may freely share the grace we have received with others, expecting nothing in return.