II Kings 4:1-7 Analysis Introduction to “Elisha and the Widow’s Oil”: The book of first and second Kings is a continuation of the cyclical cycle that Israel follows throughout the Old Testament. The Israelites are unfaithful in their relationship to God, they are consequently disciplined by God through oppression, consequently they petition God for divine assistance, and God then sends a deliverer. In II Kings 4, the current deliverer for God’s people is a man named Elisha. In this particular scene of the Old Testament, readers are able to see Elisha’s miraculous power given by God in a time of Israel’s disobedience and discipline. This exegesis will explore the social and historical surroundings of the story, the contextual meaning behind the text, and its purpose in the Bible. Survey of the Text: At first glance of the text, many conclusions and questions can be drawn. From the initial look of the text it can be observed that “A man from the company of prophets has died, leaving his widow, destitute and on the verge of having to sell her sons into slavery to pay her debts… [Elisha] then instructs her to gather as many vessels as possible, then increases her oil until all jars are full. She sells the oil, which negates her need to sell her sons” (House 265). But many conclusions and underlying messages can be gathered further from this seemingly simple text of a woman in need. This section will explore some of these assumptions, and more importantly, questions that arise when analyzing the passage. The passage can be divided into four separate parts that will be labeled the backstory, command, fulfilling of promise, and solution to the problem. The backstory is seen in verse one of the text. From the information given, some ass... ... middle of paper ... ... ways I cannot even imagine or conceive. This lesson can also be transferred to the larger Christian community. Oftentimes, we place our trust in our large church buildings, governments, or self-ambition. We should instead look to God for protection and substance, and He will provide in ways that we cannot begin to imagine. He is actively seeking a way to work in the lives of the Christians and use their churches for His greater plan; showing all of mankind His never ending love. Too often though, we allow traditions, opinions, and personal beliefs hinder God’s work in our lives and the ministries of The Church. This story is a reminder that if God was able to provide for a widow, and the end of her rope, He can most certainly use the millions of Christians on Earth to shape the hearts and lives of everyone on this planet; all he asks is that we trust and obey Him.
...onsoled by her words that it was her time to go. We did not lose faith because of that instance, it just led us to believe that sometimes there is another plan in place. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9, NIV).
This has been a very impactful article that will hopefully spur on spiritual growth in my life. God has been using several situations like this to speak to my heart, and encourage me to come closer to Him. It is time for me to step up, so that God can step in.
My essay will challenge the comparison and differentiation between a scene from the sacred text in The Hebrew Bible and The Yusuf Sura of the Koran. The scene I will be focusing is the one in which Joseph is seduced by the king’s wife. More specifically, I will be demonstrating that in the Koran good and evil are made explicit in the world of the story and for the reader, while the Bible suggest that you should identify good and evil for yourself.
As I continued to chat with my pastor that day, I really sensed the hurt in his eyes – the anger that comes from an unsolvable injustice, the tiredness of a problem. “What’s wrong?” I finally asked, “Having a bad day?” Sensing that I was truly concerned, he let the truth be told. “I talked with a woman today whose baby died suddenly of unknown causes. As we worked through her grief, she talked about how numerous friends and family, even a religious leader had patted her on the back, shook their heads and said, ‘It was God’s will.’ I find few things worse to say to a grieving parent. Saying nothing at all would be of more help.” It was obvious from our conversation that he had an understanding greater than I about God’s will, and his insight created in me a curiosity and desire to learn more.
Brilliant and popular author Flannery O’Connor explained, “I write the way I do because and only because I am a Catholic. I feel that if I were not a Catholic I would have no reason to write, no reason to see, no reason to feel horrified or even to enjoy anything” (Lifto). In O’Connor’s short story, A Good Man is Hard to Find, fundamental questions about good and evil, morality and immorality, and faith and doubt are all raised. With this story O’Connor openly displays what she sees as a universal truth of God’s grace and love towards every man. Painting this grace with characters: “the grandmother” and “the Misfit”, the story serves as an intricate masterpiece of the grace that God is willing to pour out to and through all of humankind.
While reflecting on all of the lessons learned during the first semester of seminary, I have come to the conclusion that the whole time has been an exercise in lectio divina. Never before have I read as many scholarly texts, spent so many hours meditating, praying, and pondering the words placed before me than in the past 3 months. Alas, II Kings 2 is the most challenging text with which I have had to grapple thus far. The idea of a prophet cursing children in the name of the Lord and then those same children, forty-two of them, being mauled by a she-bear required deep and intense prayer. Furthermore, after spending a considerable amount of time praying through II Kings, the text consumed my thoughts as I attempted to find God in the massacre of these precious, albeit mischievous, little ones. So the most beneficial aspect of lectio divina concerning 2 Kings is the reading component.
Gregory’s Episcopal Church. She had said that she became overwhelmed by the realization of God and that He became very real to her. Miles also talks about how unbalanced and emotional she was, and didn’t know how to handle herself, but continually came back for more (Miles, 58-59). I love hearing Sara talk about taking communion for the first time because it seems so beautiful, how Jesus was able to move through her and come to life inside of her. There have been a couple of times when I would go on retreats and mission trips and take communion in a more meaningful way because of the people I had become close to and had gotten to know on those trips would be with me. When I am take communion at the First United Methodist Church on a regular Sunday though, it can almost become just a regular thing you do at church without really remembering its sacredness. I still feel it is important, but because I’ve been doing it all my life and I think it is easy to forget all the things tied to it. Overall I feel as though this book has made me explore different ways of being a part of a community and enabled me to see that God works through all of us whether we believe it or not. It’s also extremely refreshing to see Sara’s excitement for her newfound faith and how she deals with the problems thrown at her. In Sara’s case I think God made the impossible possible. This story is an
Throughout her experience, she found comfort in her faith, although tested. In her writing, she praises the Lord for situations such as her using oak leaves to tend her wounds (31). As the minister’s wife, she makes sure to make known her devotion to the Lord, referencing the Bible often. She wants her readers to know the power of God and faith in hard times “here Read, you may see an instance of the Sovereignty of God, who doth what he will with his own as well as others; and who may say to him, what dost thou?... That God is indeed the supream Lord of the World”
1996. “Sacrifices and Offerings in Ancient Israel” in Community, Identity, and Ideology: Social Science approach to the Hebrew Bible., ed. Charles E. Carter.
After seeing though the eyes of my pastor I’ve come to realize the importance of faith and committing to one’s beliefs. Returning to church after two massive losses has helped my mother in many ways and it has also taught me as a young man how small things that I could do would turn to have a big impact on someone’s life the same way my pastor impacted my life and the life of my siblings.
After watching her family being led into the woods and hearing gunshots, the desperate grandmother tried to save herself. She called upon Jesus and tried to use every trick she could think of, including telling the Misfit, “You’ve got good b...
The God Elie had once spent hours learning about had left him on his own and was just somebody he used to know. There was no one to protect him, no one to go to get comfort, and no one just to talk to. Elie saw a future in which he was involved with the mighty God, which after God’s death was never going to happen. In his greatest time of need, Elie was abandoned by
Even though Mrs. Turpin is already “saved” because of her Christian faith, she needs a revelation from Mary grace to realize that her world view i...
He says to her, “If He did what He said, then it's nothing for you to do but throw away everything and follow Him, and if He didn't, then it's nothing for you to do but enjoy the few minutes you got left, (O’Connor 21).” The Misfit's doubt in Jesus leads him to think that there is no real right or wrong, and no ultimate point to life. When faced with a life-or-death situation the grandmother chooses to do whatever she can to preserve her existence for as long as she can, a very natural and human decision, but perhaps not the right one when viewed under the microscope of her religious beliefs. O’Connor, herself being a devout Catholic, uses this short story to
In the days of Christ’s life on this earth, believers did not have access to the Bible in its entirety as we know and are familiar with today. Believers in this ancient time period only had access to the Old Testament. However, through their access to the Old Testament, believers were provided a foundation for New Testament times. This foundation provided New Testament believers with the Lord’s established principles of right and wrong they were expected to follow. In addition, the Old Testament is overflowing with accounts of people whose lives exemplified the future life of Christ on this earth. These pictures allowed the Israelite nation to begin to have an understanding of why Christ needed to come as their Messiah and the work He needed to do on earth. Finally, there are common themes that are interwoven throughout the entire Old Testament. Three of these themes: transgression, redemption, and consummation point to the purpose of Christ’s atoning death on the cross. These themes portray God’s work both in the lives of Old Testament believers, but they also foreshadow God’s desire and plan for believers in New Testament times and beyond.