God can show how much he values us
Every day we're reading or listening to part of the Bible together and sharing thoughts with you. Today it’s Bern Leckie:
What did I like about today’s passage?
In case we were in any doubt about where the power is in this story, God pours it out through Elisha. Does he remind you of anyone? He asked Elijah for a double dose of Spirit and there are exactly double the number of miracles credited to him. But it’s not just that amazing things happened, it’s what they mean to people that shows God at work.
I love the scope of what gets done through Elisha – blessings, healings, faith building, life changing stuff. Prophecy is far more than speaking about the future. It affirms life and value because it is passing on God’s affirmation of life and value for us.
I especially love how the widow was freed in so many ways by the multiplying oil – not just from debts and slavery for her sons but from low expectations of herself and her value. God did not treasure her only because she was the wife of a prophet, even though society might only have supported her because of that status. The challenge for her was to avoid shrinking back and ask around for jars – “don’t ask for just a few.” She was blessed in proportion to her response, which I guess was also in proportion to her faith that she could receive something of value by asking. God wanted her to know how valuable she would always be.
I think that’s important to remember when hearing the gory stories of battles, here and the ones to come. Many of them make some life look like it has little value, and these are challenging stories. Does God only really love a few people, the ones who love him?
What did it show me about Father God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?
While God moves leaders, kingdoms and all kinds of opposition to the life he wants people to enjoy, I think there is a clue in chapter 6 that people whose hearts are close to God know how God values everyone, even enemies of his chosen people.
The army from Aram was blinded and stopped from attacking Israel, then led to a place where they could have been slaughtered. The king of Israel seemed keen to do this. But Elisha asked God to open their eyes, then asked the king to feed them. Having seen God’s power, can we trust that Elisha’s request showed God’s will here? This was for restoration and, as it turned out at least for a time, this is why “the bands from Aram stopped raiding.”
What am I going to do differently as a result?
I’ve come to realise that when I get angry or resistant to people, it’s often because I don’t value them as much as I do myself, or anywhere near as much as God does. I don’t like to think of myself as unloving, but I want to grow in how much I value (and, in practice, love) others. To do this, I need to spend more time seeking God’s perspective like Elisha had.
Who am I going to share this with?
My family, where our top priority for parenting is for our son to know how loved/valued he is, followed by helping him practise and know how good he can be at loving/valuing others.