2 Kings 4:42-44 (NRSV)
Read 2 Kings 4:42-44 on biblegateway.com
Verse 42A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing food from the first fruits to the man of God: twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. Elisha said, "Give it to the people and let them eat." Verse 43But his servant said, "How can I set this before a hundred people?" So he repeated, "Give it to the people and let them eat, for thus says the Lord, 'They shall eat and have some left.'" Verse 44He set it before them, they ate, and had some left, according to the word of the Lord.
Devotion
This week's Old Testament reading is a short and sweet story. It was a time of famine in the Northern Kingdom. One faithful man (from Baal Shalishah) brings his "first fruits" offering of 12 small loaves of bread and some ears of corn. A confident prophet (Elisha) instructs his servant to distribute this food to 100 people.
The skeptical servant replies, "How can I set this before 100 men?" He is a great example of a theology of scarcity. In our congregations, during difficult economic times, we ask, "How can we afford to start a new ministry?" or "how can we do this or that with the limited resources we have?" We ask on an individual level, "How can I ever get through this loss? How will I ever recover from this problem?"
Elisha confronted the attitude of scarcity by trusting God to provide even in adverse times. And, of course, God did not disappoint!
Prayer
Faithful God, help us to have faith and confidence in your goodness and provision in times of scarcity and of abundance. Amen.