In 2 Kings 4:1-7 is a dramatic incident from the days of Elisha which has challenged the thinking of every Bible lover. In its appeal to life, it is unsurpassed in beauty. In its expression of God’s care for the minute things of one’s life, it is unexcelled in grandeur.
The story opens with a” … certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets … ” (verse 1) who was in distressing, heartbreaking trouble. Her husband, a prophet of God, had died, leaving her with two boys to care for, and with a debt to a cruel man who demanded payment at the expense of the son’s liberty. It would seem that God had let this widow down; that following the cause of righteousness had brought disaster. No day could have been darker.
The instruction given to this woman is worthy of our mediation,” … thou shalt shut the door upon thee … ” (verse 4).
Shut the door to opinion. Had she gone down the street asking for the opinions of the wise ones, those opinions would have been varied and contradictory; but they would have been unanimous, to follow the prophet’s advice was a foolish thing to do- it would be only a waste of precious time. The good woman would have been advised, “Use what time you have left in trying to refinance your loans.” But she shut the door to opinions.
You, too, will need to shut the door to the opinions of others if you would experience the supernatural manifestations of God, if you would escape the clutching hold of sin and the starving force of carnality.
Shut the door to fear. How filled our lives are with fear! From morning until night, from the cradle to the grave, fear stalks our pathway. We are afraid that we will not be accepted; we are afraid to start a new job; we are afraid move to another town; we are afraid of …the list is almost endless.
Shut the door to fear, and do it now. Look your problem squarely in the face; take one step toward it; you will discover that the closer you get to it the smaller it becomes.
Shut the door to unbelief. Unbelief said, “The borrowing of the extra vessels was only lost motion.” Unbelief said, “The whole experience of the race is against expecting a small bottle of oil to fill all those vessels.” This good woman closed the door to unbelief, and filled every cup that faith had brought in.
Close your door to unbelief. Believe in God! Believe in the God transcendent, personal, righteous, compassionate; God – big enough for this day of big things; God – powerful enough for your problems and wise enough to get you through life with honour.
Shut the door to everything that is little and mean and vile and selfish. There you will find the flowing oil, the manifestations of God, and the glow of a glorious experience of being closer to our Maker.