2 Kings 4:1-7 - Homiletics

The seed of the righteous never forsaken by God.

The whole ground of appeal on which the poor widow relies, and which proves so entirely adequate, is the fidelity to God of her deceased husband. "Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord" ( 2 Kings 4:1 ). She assumes that Elisha is on this account almost, bound to interfere on behalf of the man's two sons, who are in danger of being carried into slavery. And Elisha allows the validity of her claim, and straightway comes to their relief. The example may well recall the emphatic words of the psalmist, which the minister and director cannot too strongly impress on anxious and doubting mothers, "I have been young, and now am old; and yet saw I never the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging their bread" ( Psalms 37:25 ). A blessing rests upon the seed of the righteous—

I. BY DIVINE PROMISE . "I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments" ( Exodus 20:5 , Exodus 20:6 ); "The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children ' s children " ( Psalms 103:17 ); "The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee ( Psalms 102:28 ).

II. BY THE SYMPATHY INVOLVED IN GOD 'S FATHERHOOD . After God all fatherhood ( πᾶσα πατρία ) in heaven and earth is named ( Ephesians 3:15 ). As a Father, he sympathizes with all fathers, knows their hearts, understands their longings, is tender towards their tenderness. Them that love him he will love, and will reward them where they would most wish to be rewarded, in their children. The seed of the righteous may often, does often, wander into devious ways, depart from righteousness, provoke God, draw down upon himself God's chastisements; but in the end how seldom does he wholly fall away, completely forget the lessons of his youth, the example of godly parents, the precepts so carefully instilled into his mind in early life, day by day and year by year! how seldom does he become a blasphemer, or an unbeliever, or an utterly hardened reprobate! How often, on the other hand, does he recover from grievous falls, retrains to God, repeat, amend, and "do the first works"! God's tender care not only saves the children of the righteous from begging their bread, or falling into utter destitution, but watches over their spiritual welfare, and in a thousand ways checks their wanderings, weans them from their evil courses, and at last brings them to himself.