God cares for the weak and the helpless

of thousands of refugees in camps all around Central Europe and maybe we think well that story

! sounds more fitting for there rather than for us here in nice comfortable relatively affluent

! Edinburgh. But when we recognize the reality that desperation takes many forms then I think we begin to see

! that there is relevance for us.

as we are invited to recognize that the God who sees is the God of compassion.

As Calvin put it, the Christ who put on our feelings also put on our flesh.

So God's willing to meet our desperation with this compassion and we're going to see that

and the second and it's related truth for ourselves is that God is ready to meet our lack with his

overflowing grace. And again this is a pattern we see it in this one woman's story but it's a pattern we

see and we could trace all through the Bible that God often chooses to demonstrate his grace and his

power in the context of our weakness. To show to us and to show to the world that our life depends on God.

That the life of faith is a daily and a constantly placing our weak hands into God's almighty hand.

It is about learning to discover and to rediscover that God is glorious and God is good.

So you and I, we need this little story and the truths that it conveys and we need to claim the truths of this story for our lives.

So let's get into the first couple of verses and help us to recognize that God meets desperation with his compassion.

Because what we see is a human tragedy developing.

So there's a company of the prophets and we've encountered them before and a wife from one of the prophets comes

and explains to us the extent of the tragedy that is beginning to develop.

So her husband, the prophet has died and he has died leaving a debt of some kind significant enough

that the creditor is now claiming the debt. She cannot pay the debt and so what's going to happen

is that her two sons are going to be sold into slavery. And standing behind all that is the reality that this

woman appears to be going through all this by herself. And we say this because in the Old Testament,

there were poor laws that spoke about the help that a community would provide.

And in particular, it spoke to us of a kinsman redeemer, that within God's Old Testament law,

there was provision for a family member who would take responsibility for settling debts.

There is no kinsman redeemer here. And so in desperation, her faith cries out to Elisha,

to the Lord's prophet. She has nothing. Her only hope rests in God.

And what's Elisha's response to this situation?

How can I help you?

He is God's man and he has God's heart and he longs to help. His heart is moved instinctively with compassion

for this woman of God in her suffering.

As I was thinking about this story, I remembered back in, I think it was 2012,

teaching the story of the Good Samaritan to a group of Chinese students who had never heard it before.

And as we were talking about what Jesus teaches about if you see someone on the road,

you know, that invitation to help and to use one's resources, they were sharing a story, a true story,

that had happened in their country in 2011. It became a huge story across all the news networks of

a little girl in a busy market who was knocked over by a van, not just once, but twice.

And over the course of some 10 or 15 minutes, multiple people who had witnessed what happened,

they did nothing. And so it led to the country asking big questions of themselves. Why did people

not get involved? How could people just walk by as if nothing had ever happened?

God's man is not unconcerned. God's prophet is willing to enter in. And this speaks hope to the women,

because now she knows she will have access to God in her troubles. It's wonderful to look at the life

of Elisha and to recognize that Elisha mirrors for us the compassion of God. In Exodus chapter 34,

Exodus 34 · chapter mention

when Moses says to God, God, show me yourself. God says, no one can see my glory and live,

but here's what I'll do. I'll tell you my name. I'll tell you my character. And as God begins to talk

about what he is like, he says, I am the Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God.

And as we read, for example, the book of Exodus, it's the compassion of God that explains why he

acted to redeem his people from slavery. It is God's compassion that moved him to respond

to their cries of misery and their distress, sending Moses to be a deliverer, working those great miracles

of his power so that the people of God would be free to know their God and to know the heart of their God,

that he is compassionate. It's the same God who established within the Old Testament those poor laws

that express the particular care that God has for widows and orphans for the weak and the helpless and that he

expects the people of God to have. In the New Testament, the religion that God approves of

is when we care for the widow and the orphan, because then the people of God are reflecting a heart like his.

But to think still further, the emotional response of Elisha in this woman's story speaks to us again of the emotional life of the Lord Jesus.

If you want to read a good essay on that, B.B. Warfield has a wonderful essay on the emotional life of the Lord Jesus.

But to think about the Gospels, we read the stories of the life of Jesus and we see the compassion that he had for huge crowds.

Sometimes he sees the crowds and he has compassion and so what he does is he heals all the sick within the crowd.

Sometimes he sees the crowd and he has compassion so that he feeds them because they're hungry.

Sometimes he has compassion and he teaches them because he sees them as like sheep without a shepherd.

They are ignorant. They don't know the way back to God and so he teaches.

But sometimes too we see in the Gospels that Jesus has compassion on individuals.

So he walks along a road and he sees a funeral procession and here is a widow who has lost her son and the son is in the coffin

and Jesus stops the procession, touches the coffin and commands the boy to live.

Or another time, a desperate father comes with a young son who's been possessed by a demon that is trying to destroy him

and Jesus, moved with compassion, drives out the demon.

Or as the lepers, those untouchables who had to stay a great distance from other people,

as they cried out to Jesus for help,

it was compassion that saw Jesus move towards them and touch them and heal them.

Our Savior has a heart of compassion and that compassion leads to action.

And we can go further as well and recognize that in the heart of the Gospel,

there is compassion for a lost and a broken and a sinful world.

To think about that great parable of the Good Samaritan is to recognize that in the Gospel,

Jesus becomes for us the Great Samaritan.

He sees our misery, our desperation.

And of course, when we look honestly at the Bible and our own lives,

we realize that our spiritual misery is actually a mess of our own making.

Because we are the ones who have turned our back on God.

We are those who are treating God shamefully.

Yet the Holy Lord Jesus, who could have stayed at a distance,

passed by on the other side, he enters in.

And his heart of compassion, his holding nothing back commitment to be a Savior,

leads him to go to the cross to give his life in our place to pay the ransom price.

God meets desperation with his compassion.

It's in his nature and it's the heart of the Gospel.

But I think it's worth us taking a little sort of pause and a little sidebar at this point.

Because we need to recognize that what's true for this woman is not true for every person.

Our God is in control of all things.

Nothing happens apart from his will.

And our God is good all the time.

But yet even within our story, there is a point of tension.

Because we have a prophet and we're told that he revered the Lord.

He honored the Lord.

That was what he lived for.

But he has died and his family are suffering.

And that at least invites us to consider that painful mystery that has always probably provided questions for people of faith and people without faith.

Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?

Why does he allow bad things to happen to his people?

You know, in this story and in every miracle story that we read in the Bible,

the God of compassion acts in a particular way to bring a particular deliverance,

to bring an immediate end to the desperation,

to draw them out of the miry clay.

But you and I know that's not always the case.

And part of the life of faith is wrestling with those things that we know to be true while living in the tension of the way life is,

to trust that God is good.

That this one who reveals himself as gracious and compassionate,

he will either, because he must be faithful to himself and to his people,

he will either take us out of the trouble that we are in,

or he will and he must be with us to give us grace,

even for as long as he leaves us in those trials and troubles.

But in this woman's story,

the compassion on display will lead to complete transformation.

But here's why I think you and I need to hear this story.

Firstly, because we need to remind ourselves

some truths about God.

The first time God is named by a human being,

in the book of Genesis, Hagar,

who's in desperate trouble,

and God came and spoke and delivered and gave hope.

And she said,

you're the God who sees me.

God says,

I see you.

And he knows where our troubles are.

He knows that desperation takes many forms.

Our story is not this woman's story.

And the God who is altogether wise,

he knows exactly the trials and the troubles

that you and I are facing.

Now, they may not mirror the size and the complexity of her story,

but they are real nonetheless.

Perhaps it's loneliness and isolation.

Perhaps you find yourself in a city and full of crowds,

but you feel alone.

You're desperate for friendship.

Maybe your trouble is rejection or bullying.

Maybe you find yourself excluded because of faith.

Maybe persecuted online for your beliefs.

And it hurts.

Maybe it's in the workplace

or where you study or go to school.

Maybe you're struggling to keep up with the workload.

Maybe you're kind of breaking under the burdens of responsibilities.

Maybe it's uncertainty about the future.

Career prospects.

Maybe it's a very basic fear and anxiety.

When the guys from Solace come on Friday night in November,

they'll be asking the question,

is there any hope for the future?

Maybe that's a question we find ourselves asking.

Well, the God who sees us is the God who says to us,

come to me.

Cry out to me in faith.

Ask Jesus.

Help me.

God also is saying to us through this story

and through what we discover in the Bible,

he's saying to us,

see my heart.

Learn to trust in my character.

To fix our eyes by faith on Jesus

who is described as our sympathetic high priest.

Don't believe the lie

that God is too distant,

that God is too big,

that God is too busy for the likes of me and you.

Don't tell yourself,

my troubles don't really matter to God.

I shouldn't really bother God with this.

And certainly don't say,

I should be able to deal with this by myself.

God wants to supply grace at all times,

in all circumstances,

in all our weakness.

Rather,

see the compassion of Jesus in the gospels.

See the compassionate Savior on the cross

and know his heart in heaven is unchanged.

He still loves us.

He still,

as we thought about this morning,

pours out the Spirit on his people.

There is grace for us from Jesus.

Jesus.

But I think God is also saying

to us as his church,

it's something about Elisha.

And I think God says to his church

through this story,

you go be my hands and feet.

I've been tidying up my bookshelves recently

and I came across an old book that my auntie,

some of you might know my auntie,

Katie Ann McKinnon.

She wrote a book called Love Breaks Through.

It's a really lovely book.

It's a really lovely title.

She went to Kenya as a nurse

and set up lots of baby homes and orphanages.

And what a wonderful mission

for a follower of Jesus

to let God's love break through.

To let the light of God's love

break through and into the darkness

and despair that people face.

Just like Elisha,

confronted by human suffering,

to see and to feel

and to act for Jesus,

following the pattern of Jesus.

What that looks like

will look very different for us all.

We won't go and set up baby homes in Kenya

or to think about Adam.

You know, we might not have a ministry

to refugee camps and medical ministry.

We all have our own circles.

We have our own particular communities.

We have our own gifts and abilities.

But there are things in common

by way of responding.

I think one of them

is the need for us to slow down.

To try and build some margins.

Perhaps to go unplugged

so that we can see

the people who are in front of us.

And to see the people in front of us

as people made in God's image.

People who matter to God.

It will help us to help others

if we are regularly reflecting on

the compassion of God for us in the gospel.

That's what will stop us becoming weary

or cynical or just saying

the job is too much.

If we recognize that God stopped at nothing

to love us and to save us

and to bring us to himself.

As we've been thinking from the book of Acts,

we need to rely on the spirit

to both guide our steps,

to guide our conversations,

and to give us the power

and the wisdom that we need

to know how best we can help.

We need to ask

for an increasing desire

to give God glory

in our lives

in this way

by following the pattern

that he says.

Because in this story,

it's God through his prophet Elisha

who meets desperation

with his compassion.

Well, let's think secondly

about another reality

we see in the story,

and it's this,

that God meets our lack

with his overflowing grace.

There's a quote from J.C. Royal

that I really appreciate

to do with friendship.

A friend is someone

who halves our sorrows

and doubles our joys.

And just think about

an experience perhaps

you have had

of going through a hard time

and a friend comes to the door

and they sit

and they spend time with you.

Or they cook

or they provide a meal for you.

Or they send you a message

and they tell you

you're praying for you.

Or they stand by you

and for you.

When we've had that experience,

we understand

that friendship,

friendship,

and Christian friendship

is a wonderful gift

to receive,

which also makes it

a wonderful gift

to give.

But to come back

to our story,

the impression

that we are given

is that this woman

has no one.

She has no friend

to stand by her

until Elisha steps in.

And so we get

this beautiful truth

of here is God's prophet,

here is the one

who represents God

in the world

and God through Elisha

becomes a true friend

to the helpless.

Again,

illustrating what the Bible

teaches,

that God's strength

is made perfect

in human weakness.

The story reveals it

in a different way.

You know,

to read the Old Testament,

you discover

that God's people,

there were battles

that they won

that only God

could win for them.

Go to the Gospels,

there are healings

that people experience

that only Jesus

could give to them.

This woman finds

a help and a friend

that only God

could be and give.

She discovers

that God

is an incredibly

generous giver.

The God

who pours out

his spirit

on his people

like a monsoon rain

is the God

that David celebrates

in Psalm 23

of the overflowing cup

of goodness

and mercy.

Now we see

he's the God

of overflowing grace

as the oil

continues to flow.

So to just pick up

our story again,

Elisha asks the woman

in verse 2

about her resources

and he discovers

your servant

has nothing

except a small jar

of olive oil,

just a little jar

of oil.

A few weeks ago now

we were in

the life of Elijah

and Elijah

was sent

to a widow's

home

to be provided

for

in a time

of famine

by a woman

who has

just a little

olive oil

and just a little

bit of flour

and again

God miraculously

provided food

for her family

and for Elisha.

It's happening

again.

Notice in verse 3

and 4 that she's

called to

exercise faith.

This is a moment

that's going to be

public because she

has to go around

and ask all her

neighbors for

empty jars.

Why do you want

my jars?

Surely someone's

going to ask

well it's because

the prophet has

come and he said

I need to get

the jars and if

I get the jars

then my tiny little

jar is going to

fill them all.

God's going to

look after me.

She's exercising

faith in her

community

and as she

is invited

to go

and collect

and then to

pour and to

fill

she's invited

to take God

at his word.

Just like

Elijah's widow

just like

when Jesus

turned water

into wine

remember that

first miracle

where he reveals

his glory

the servants

are taking

these massive

jars of water

to the master

of ceremonies

taking Jesus

at his word

that by the time

it arrives

and by the time

it's drawn out

it's going to be

wine

and it is

and it's the

very best

of wine.

So we see in

verse 5 and 6

her obedience

she left him

and shut the door

behind her

and her sons

they brought

the jars to her

and she kept

pouring

when all the jars

were full

she said to her

son bring me

another one

but he replied

there's not a jar

left

then the oil

stopped

flowing.

And then we see

the outcome

and we see

the wonderful

overflowing

nature of

God's grace

so she goes

to tell

Elisha

and Elisha

said go

sell the oil

pay your debts

you and your

sons can live

on what is

left.

God doesn't

just give

her enough

to pay off

the debts

to stop

the slavery

God goes

above and

beyond.

Debts are

paid

and there's

plenty

left to

live on.

God's

miracle

shows the

women's

lack

being met

by a

generous

outpouring

of grace.

And this

absolutely

prepares us

for the

story of

the Lord

Jesus

and the

way

Jesus

operates.

So remember

Mark chapter

six

Jesus

asks

the

disciples

there's

this

great

big

hungry

crowd

he

asked

them

what

do

you

have

five

loaves

and we

have

two

fish

how will

that do

for

feeding

such a

great

crowd

God

then Jesus

prays

and one

loaf

becomes a

thousand

meals.

That's

generous

grace.

Or to

think about

another

story

to think

about the

time when

Jairus

an official

came to

meet Jesus

and fell

at his

feet

to tell

Jesus

that his

daughter

was

seriously

ill

and then

a message

comes

later

from the

servants at

home

don't bother

Jesus

anymore

because

your

daughter

has

died

and

Jesus

at that

point

says

don't

be

afraid

just

believe

and as

the story

progresses

behind

closed

doors

Jesus

calls her

back to

life

in another

example of

his

lavish

grace

and these

miracles

provide us

a little

window into

the story

of God's

salvation

here is a

woman with

a debt

that she

cannot pay

the Bible

tells us

every human

being has

a massive

debt

not financial

but moral

we are made

to honor

God

we are made

to obey

God

we are made

to love

God

and to love

our neighbor

and every

time that we

fail in those

duties

we are

amassing

debt

and to

examine our

hearts and

our conscience

and to hear

the testimony

of God's

word

they all

speak the

same

message

that by

nature we

are guilty

of rebellion

by nature

we turn

our backs

by nature

we don't

do those

things that

we are

called to

do

and even

when we

try our

best

we still

fall short

of God's

glory

and so

the Bible

uses a

picture

of

slavery

not that

slavery

is a

prospect

to come

but by

nature

we are

slaves

to sin

this is a

condition

a situation

we cannot

pay God

back from

we cannot

earn our

way out

of

and so

we find

ourselves

the Bible

tells us

heading for

ultimate

death

the spiritual

death of

being separate

from God

and his

goodness

and into

that

desperate

situation

God

steps in

Jesus

the eternal

son of

God

this

sinless

one

enters

into

this world

that he

created

this world

that had

turned

its back

on God

he becomes

one of

us

in order

to become

our

kinsman

redeemer

remember

that figure

from the

old

testament

the close

relative

who agrees

to pay

the debt

in full

to set

a person

free

and to

restore

them

to good

standing

Jesus

came

to do

that

for us

on the

cross

he came

to serve

us

to give

his life

as a ransom

for many

he has

cancelled

the debt

that would

condemn

us

when our

faith is

in Jesus

we're told

it's as if

our record

of debt

is nailed

to the

cross

of Christ

and it

is marked

paid

in

full

as a

free

gift

of

God's

grace

and not

only

that

not only

is our

debt

cancelled

the God

of overflowing

grace

goes above

and beyond

he invites

us into

his family

he invites

us into

a life

where we

have peace

with

God

where we

have

eternal

life

with

God

knowing

him

now

with

a

promise

of

knowing

him

and

enjoying

him

forever

and when

we understand

what the

Bible

tells us

about

ourselves

and about

our God

about the

problem of

sin

and the

reality

of salvation

then how

we can

have

this

becomes

the

question

for our

lives

and here

again we

return to

the woman

who gives

us the

answer

to see

our

distress

to see

our need

we are to

call out

to Jesus

for his

help

for his

salvation

and remember

he is the

one who

encourages

us to

ask

and to

seek

and to

knock

to come

to a

God

who is

generous

to

bank

everything

on

God's

kindness

and

compassion

to

place

our

hope

squarely

in the

truth

of who

God

is

as

revealed

in his

son

Jesus

he is a

God

of love

and

kindness

and

forgiveness

for people

like you

and me

and so

as the

story

shows us

God

meeting

our

lack

with his

overflowing

grace

it's a

story

that

invites

us

to

humble

faith

like the

hymn

writer

to say

nothing

in my

hands

I bring

simply

to your

cross

I

cling

this

woman

was wise

to know

her

resources

were not

up to

the task

of meeting

her

needs

your

human

resources

my human

resources

cannot

meet

our

basic

need

to be

right

with

God

but

Jesus

can

and so

we are

called

to go

to him

because

he is

able

and he

is

willing

the story

as we

hear it

as well

invites us

to heartfelt

worship

of our

God

as we

place

ourselves

within

this

story

to reflect

on

the desperate

trouble

that we

were in

because of

sin

to think

about the

incredible

the indescribable

gift

of love

that God

the Father

has sent

his own

son to

be our

savior

then that

causes our

hearts

to recognize

he is of

supreme

worth and

value

it leads

to joy

it opens

our mouth

to sing

his praise

it opens

our hearts

that we

would live

with grateful

obedience

and then

this story

too

invites us

to an

even greater

happy ending

than we

find in

this story

it's

wonderful

to see

the

transforming

work of

God

from the

threat of

slavery

from having

nothing

that now

her debts

are cancelled

her families

together

they have

enough to

live on

that's a

happy ending

that's a

work of

God

but the

story invites

us into

a still

greater

happy ending

so whenever

the Bible

tells stories

of miracles

those miracles

are redemptive

in their

nature

we see that

here

those sons

are not

sold as

slaves

but every

miracle provides

for us a

window

a window

into the

new creation

a window

into the

kingdom

of God

and in

the kingdom

of God

there is

and there

never will

be any

lack

there will

be no

suffering

there will

be no

separation

there will

be no

sin

there will

be no

death

it is a

place where

we will

live eternally

under the

waterfall of

God's love

and grace

and we

are invited

to live

in that

grace

today

understanding

that someday

we will

feast in a

new way

and that

will last

forever