Title:- Springs of Strawberry Jam
2 Kings 4:1
A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.”
So here was once a wonderful and honourable, hard-working prophet. However, you might want to cut this situation up to examine it a little more. Let’s look now shall we? This man was God’s servant, a prophet, Godly and yet, he was dirt poor. More than that, it would appear that he lived out his calling in struggling debt. Many British Pastors and Evangelists especially, do exactly the same.
As someone who ‘fears the Lord’ we can assume that this prophet did not by any means lead a profligate lifestyle. Yet the Scriptures present us with an obedient man who never the less lived a life in financial lack and subsequently, died in debt, bequeathing to his wife nothing, except the forthcoming slavery of their two sons, which by the way, were her only source of income in her old age. What a mess!
King David may never have seen the righteous begging bread but here is a righteous family, fallen over the edge of disasters cliff, and plummeting to a most horrendous crash. Begging bread! Good grief, they are selling themselves! Interestingly, the side margin notes in the Geneva Bible on this verse say that he “did not fall into debt by carelessness or excess but by the hand of the Lord.” Now there’s an interesting thought. Maybe what Jesus said about the man born blind, who was thus so ill equipped to see in this world, to function in this world, is also true of this man and his family in this world? “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.” John 9:3
At the beginning of the 21st Century, the British Governments national debt runs into the hundreds of billions! British personal debt has risen above the trillion barrier and rises ever still. Across the pond, the situation fairs little better for the national debt of the population of the USA rises in excess of nearly several billion dollars, per day! It’s obvious that the vast majority of people, are to some extent in financial crisis, even the whole global economy. It’s bust!
The answer to the problem of debt here in 2 Kings 4, was a miracle! As miraculous as if you were to discover springs of strawberry jam in Devon and the open mining of clotted cream in Cornwall! It’s a miracle as awesome as that! For the prophets widow was told to take her only asset of a jar of oil, then collect every single one of her neighbors empty jars, go into her house, close the doors and begin pouring and so she did and she poured and she poured and she poured, until she could pour no more.All Christians in want should pour! Yes, we too should get on our knees and pray for a miracle, even go hunting for powerful Elisha’s, carrying nothing with us but a big empty jar and some desperate hope? Shouldn’t we do that?
Well, when in financial need, we should certainly hope and pray for a miracle. God is clearly showing us here, that it is not beyond Him to act in such a miraculous fashion. He’s done it before and He can do it again, and all God’s people said amen and amen! However, let’s be honest, it doesn’t happen like this often. In fact, I know of no instance of this particular kind of miracle occurring in my lifetime just yet, anywhere. Why Lord? I mean, good grief, there are hundreds of thousands of the righteous in need of such a miracle. Why can’t we have some costly and consumable, self-replenishing item that will fill up every empty jar that we can lay our hands on? Sure, it would wreck the economy, but Lord, it’s wrecked already! Indeed, many Christians are wrecked already as well, for despite the gobal crisis, despite nations becoming bankrupt, debt is still a dirty word among us Christians and still brings chaos and confusion into Christian lives, yes, it still breaks hearts and families. So, what can we do O Lord? What can we do?
Well like this widow woman, we can call the man. Only Jesus can help us out of our mess. Nations and individuals do need to get down on their knees and call on Jesus for help. This is the first step, it is the vital step; call the man. When you do this, with compassion and grace, yes that’s it GRACE! Jesus will look upon you and may I say, even if you have been like the prodigal son, profligate in all your financial dealings, then still, with compassion and grace He will look upon you and help you! Undoubtedly He will then speak to us about our assets. Be they ever so meager, ever so exhausted, He will speak to us about them for even the poorest among us have jars of clay, and in those jars are dreams, in those jars are desires, in those jars are talents, in those jars are gifts, abilities, propensities, yes, in those jars are possibilities. So, let me ask you today, in the name of Jesus, “what is in your Jar of clay dear friend?”
If you read the rest of the passage from 2 Kings 4, you will notice that once the jar of oil was utilized, it was then miraculously enabled to keep on coming up with the goods. Indeed, the capacity for filling ended without the ability to pour ever diminishing in the slightest! The end product then was much more than ‘jam today’, it was a full clearing of the debt with provision of more than enough for the whole family to live on for the rest of their days! It was jam for today and jam for tomorrow!
Let’s ask Jesus, to fully utilize our assets within His fiscally secure and enormously enabled economy today.
Listen:- Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
Pray: - Lord, bathe our steps with cream and pour out rivers of oil for us all, that all our debts would be stilled and all our families provided for, in Jesus name we pray, Amen. Job 29:6
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