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One of the most
compelling themes that runs throughout the Bible is God’s desire to set His
people free from everything that enslaves them - God desires to see you free
from debt, and that He’s on your side - if you and your family struggle with
debt, know that God wants to see you achieve freedom - His power inside of you
will give you the strength that you need to begin your journey out of slavery -
He may just move miraculously on our behalf as well
Brian Jewell
Have
you ever considered selling olive oil to get out of debt?
There’s
a fascinating story in II Kings 4 that deals with debt, olive oil and God’s
miraculous provision for one family.
It’s
a short story, and its financial implications are easy to miss if you don’t
read it carefully.
Pay
close attention, though, and this story can teach an important lesson about the
dangers of debt.
Borrowing
money makes slaves of us, and can force us into precarious financial situations.
Living
a lifestyle of debt can create a cycle of overspending that can trap your
descendants into poverty for generations.
God
has no intentions for His people
to live in debt (or
slavery of any kind), and He is powerful enough to help break those chains and
help us escape from financial bondage.
So,
let’s get into the text of this story, which is found in II Kings 4:1-7.
Pay
close attention to the small details of this story, because that’s where we’ll
find the most interesting parts of this lesson:
The wife of a man from the company of the prophets
cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he
revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys
as his slaves.”
2 Elisha
replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”
“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except
a small jar of olive oil.”
3 Elisha
said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just
a few. 4 Then go inside and shut the door behind you and
your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one
side.”
5 She
left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to
her and she kept pouring. 6 When all the jars were full,
she said to her son, “Bring me another one.”
But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil
stopped flowing.
7 She
went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your
debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”
When
we first read this story, we see an encouraging account of how God miraculously
provided for one of His people in need.
That’s
a perfectly good way to read the story, and I’m sure that there’s a lot to
learn from that side of it.
After
all, it was the bad financial decisions of the woman’s husband that got her
into this mess.
The
details of this story can teach us some important things about the dangers of
debt.
1) Even godly people can make stupid decisions
We’d
like to think that if we follow God with all of our hearts, we’ll never do
anything dumb.
Unfortunately,
that’s just not true, and this story is a perfect example.
The
man that got his family into so much trouble was a godly man — a prophet, even
— who walked in righteousness with the Lord.
At
the beginning of the story, we find out that this man was “from the company
of prophets.”
In
that day, that made him one of the few people that followed the God of Israel
instead of the idols that were prevalent in the land.
His
wife says that “he revered the Lord.”
And
he even had the supernatural gift of prophecy — he could hear the word of God
and speak on His behalf to the people.
What
the man did not have, unfortunately, was financial savvy. By borrowing money,
he created a financial mess that put his family at risk.
This
underscores the importance of wisdom in our lives. While it’s certainly
important to love God and walk in His presence, that doesn’t always keep us
safe from making mistakes.
In
order to avoid trouble, we need to pursue God’s wisdom by learning His
precepts, not just His presence.
2)
Debt leads to slavery
This
story spells out the link between debt and slavery more clearly than any other
in scripture.
The desperate woman tells Elisha that her husband’s
creditor “is coming to take my two boys as slaves.”
It’s
difficult to imagine that today: In our society, debts aren’t transferable from
one generation to the next.
But
in this Old Testament society they were; the prophet’s creditor had the right to
take his sons as slaves in order to satisfy the debt that the man left unpaid.
I’m
not saying that this is a good thing — certainly the way that our society
handles debt and death is much more merciful.
But
it does give a remarkable example of the relationship between debt and slavery.
The
lesson here is that debt can put your family into danger.
Even
though we don’t practice slavery of this kind today, borrowing money still
creates bondage, and can make a financial mess in your family that can endure
far beyond your own lifetime.
3) God
wants to set His people free
One
of the most compelling themes that runs throughout the Bible is God’s desire to
set His people free from everything that enslaves them, whether it be the
Egyptians in the Old Testament or the sinful heart of man in the New Testament.
In
this story, we see God demonstrating that desire by moving miraculously on this
family’s behalf.
God
and Elisha heard the cries of the widow and her sons, and they responded.
God
came through in this family’s hour of need and provided for them when they were
in no place to provide for themselves.
He
made a way when there was no way. He moved on their behalf to set them free
from slavery.
What
it means is that God desires to see you free from debt, and that He’s on your
side.
The
same power that delivered this family from debt and slavery now lives inside of
you and me.
If
you and your family struggle with debt, know that God wants to see you achieve
freedom.
His
power inside of you will give you the strength that you need to begin your
journey out of slavery.
And
if you are faithful in your pursuit, He may just move miraculously on our
behalf as well.
Brian
Jewell
is a writer and journalist who has authored hundreds of articles about faith
and personal finance.
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