2 Kings 4:37-44: a reflection

37Then she went in, fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground; then she picked up her son, and went out. 38Elisha came again to Gilgal. There was a famine in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and he said to his servant, “Get the large pot, and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.” 39One went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered a lap full of wild gourds from it, and came and cut them up into the pot of stew; for they didn’t recognize them. 40So they poured out for the men to eat. As they were eating some of the stew, they cried out and said, “Man of God, there is death in the pot!” And they could not eat it. 41But he said, “Then bring meal.” He threw it into the pot; and he said, “Serve it to the people, that they may eat.” And there was nothing harmful in the pot. 42A man from Baal Shalishah came, and brought the man of God some bread of the first fruits: twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. Elisha said, “Give to the people, that they may eat.” 43His servant said, “What, should I set this before a hundred men?” But he said, “Give it to the people, that they may eat; for the LORD says, ‘They will eat, and will have some left over.’” 44So he set it before them and they ate and had some left over, according to the LORD’s word.

In a time of famine, when a man brings Elisha a small offering of firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley and some fresh grain, Elisha tells him to set it before a hundred men; and though his servant protests that it is far too little, at the LORD's word they all eat and have some left over. Give it to the people, that they may eat, Elisha says; for the LORD says, They will eat, and will have some left over. The little that was brought, clearly not enough for a hundred men, became in God's hands more than enough, so that all ate and there was food to spare. This shows how God can take the little we offer and make it more than enough. God multiplied the little offered into more than enough. The small offering became enough, with some left over. In God's hands, the little becomes more than enough. God can make what seems too little abundantly sufficient.

Notice the movement from too little to more than enough. A man brought a small gift of firstfruits in a time of famine, twenty loaves and some grain; and Elisha said to set it before a hundred men. The servant's protest was reasonable: how could so little feed so many? But at the LORD's word, the little was enough, and more than enough, so that all ate and food was left over. This foreshadows how Jesus would later feed thousands from a few loaves and fish, with baskets left over. It shows us that God is not limited by the smallness of what we bring. The little we offer, placed in God's hands, can become more than enough; he can multiply our small gifts and provisions to meet needs far beyond what they could naturally cover. We need not withhold our little because it seems too small to matter; offered to God, it can become more than enough in his hands. God is not limited by the smallness of what we bring. What seems too little, offered to God, can become abundant. Offer your little; God can make it more than enough. God multiplies the small gift placed in his hands.

That is worth resting in, for God can take the little we offer and make it more than enough, as the small gift of firstfruits fed a hundred men with some to spare. We can hold back our little, thinking it too small to matter, too little to make a difference; but the twenty loaves, clearly not enough for a hundred, became more than enough at the LORD's word. God is not limited by the smallness of what we bring. When what you have seems too little, offer it to God, who can make it more than enough, as he did the loaves of barley. Rest in the truth that God can take the little we offer and make it more than enough, as in a time of famine the small gift of twenty barley loaves and some fresh grain, which Elisha's servant protested was far too little for a hundred men, became at the LORD's word enough for all with some left over; for God is not limited by the smallness of what we bring, and the little we offer, placed in his hands, can become more than enough to meet needs far beyond what it could naturally cover, foreshadowing how Jesus would feed thousands from a few loaves with baskets to spare, so that we need not withhold our little because it seems too small to matter but can offer it to God, who can multiply it into abundance.

Lord, in a time of famine, when a man brings Elisha a small offering of firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley and some fresh grain, Elisha tells him to set it before a hundred men; and though his servant protests that it is far too little, at your word they all eat and have some left over. Give it to the people, that they may eat, Elisha says; for the LORD says, They will eat, and will have some left over. The little that was brought, clearly not enough for a hundred men, became in your hands more than enough, so that all ate and there was food to spare. This shows how you can take the little I offer and make it more than enough. Show me the movement from too little to more than enough. A man brought a small gift in a time of famine; and Elisha said to set it before a hundred men. The servant's protest was reasonable: how could so little feed so many? But at your word, the little was enough, and more than enough. This foreshadows how Jesus would later feed thousands from a few loaves and fish, with baskets left over. It shows me that you are not limited by the smallness of what I bring. The little I offer, placed in your hands, can become more than enough. I need not withhold my little because it seems too small to matter. Let me rest in that, for you can take the little I offer and make it more than enough. I can hold back my little, thinking it too small to matter; but the twenty loaves became more than enough at your word. When what I have seems too little, help me offer it to you, Lord, who can make it more than enough, as you did the loaves of barley, not withholding my little because it seems too small but trusting you to multiply it into abundance.