Useful Bible Studies > 2 Kings Commentary > chapter 4
David wrote that, in his long life, he had never known God to turn away from a good person. He had never known that such a person’s children had been unable to afford food (Psalm 37:25-26).
However, it often seems as if God has forgotten his people in their troubles (Psalm 34:19). That was the experience of this family. The father of these boys had been a good man. However, he had been unable to pay his debts before his death.
Maybe he was unable to pay his debts because he was a good man. As a good person, he was honest, perhaps when other people in the same business were not honest. As a good person, he helped other people, and often without any personal reward. Perhaps if he had lived selfishly, he would have been able to repay his debts.
Until God provided for this family, his sons seemed likely to become slaves. However, God permitted those sons to see how God gave them their freedom. Only they were with their mother when God provided the oil to repay the debts.
Those boys even had a part in how God did that astonishing thing. They passed the jars to their mother; she filled them with the oil that God provided. In that way, the oil from one jar filled many jars.
So, God provided enough oil to pay their debts. In fact, he even provided more than they needed at the present time (verse 7). However, God did not give them a permanent supply of oil. When they had filled the last jar, the wonderful supply of oil stopped.
Next part: Elisha advises the widow what she should do with the oil (2 Kings 4:7)
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