18 MAR 2024 · Joshua 4:2-9 NKJV- A Corporate Miracle[1] The whole nation finished crossing the Jordan River. The Lord had told Joshua, [2] “Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from every tribe, [3] and command them, saying, ‘Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.’ ” [4] Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from every tribe; [5] and Joshua said to them: “Cross over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, [6] that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ [7] Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.” By these stones which they were ordered to take up God did, as it were, give them livery and seisin of this good land; it is all their own, let them enter and take possession;
Livery of seisin (/ˈsiːzɪn/) is an old-fashioned legal conveyancing ceremony, formerly practiced in old England and in other countries following English common law, used to convey holdings in property. (OWNERSHIP OR LEASE)
A conveyancer specialises in the legal transfer of ownership of immovable property and the hypothecation of immovable property by means of mortgage bonds.
The oldest forms of common law provided that a valid conveyance of a old-fashioned tenure in land required physical transfer by the transferor to the transferee in the presence of witnesses. A key to a building on that land, or other token.
[8] And the children of Israel did so, just as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the midst of the Jordan, as the Lord had spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them to the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. [9] Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood; and they are there to this day.V.9 Some way or other, it is likely, it was discernible, so as to notify the very place where the ark stood, and to serve for a duplicate to the other monument, which was to set up on dry land in Gilgal, for the confirming of its testimony and the preserving of its tradition. The sign being doubled, no doubt the thing was certain.
II Kings 4:1-7 NKJV- A Personal Miracle[1] A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.” [2] So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.” [3] Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few. [4] And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.” [5] So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. [6] Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. [7] Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”
The central essence of biblical worldview stewardship is managing everything God brings into the believer's life in a manner that honors God and impacts eternity.Stewardship begins and ends with the understanding of God's ownership of all.
In this distress the poor widow goes to Elisha, in dependence upon the promise that the seed of the righteous shall not be forsaken.A.The response to the widow was not some small matter for her present provision, but set her up to sell oil, and put a supply into her hand. This was done by miracle, this miracle to us is the greatest kindness one can do to poor people, which is, if possible, to help them find a way of improving what little they have by their own work and creativity.
- The oil was to be multiplied in the pouring. The way to increase what we have is to use it; to him that so hath shall be given. It is not withholding what we have, but trading with it, that doubles it.
- It must be poured out by herself, not by Elisha nor by any of the sons of the prophets, to personalize that it is in connection with our own careful and diligent attempts that we may expect the blessing of God to enrich us both for this world and the other. What we have will increase best in our own hand.. She did it as was instructed. She did not tell the prophet he designed to make a fool of her; but firmly believing the divine power and goodness, and in pure obedience to the prophet, she did borrow jars and poured til they were filled. Then the oil ceased. It wasn't to be wasted on the ground.
- It is our faith that fails, not his promise. He gives above what we ask: if she had got more jars they would also have been filled, God’s supply is enough to fill them—enough for all.
B.The prophet directed her what to do with the oil she had, 2 Kgs. 4:7.
- She must not keep it for her own use, to make her face to shine. She wasn't to use the oil to live in luxury or lift her lifestyle.
- She must sell the oil to those that were rich, and could afford to bestow it on themselves. This oil, being produced by miracle, was the best of its kind.
- She must pay her debt with the money she received for her oil. Though her creditors were too rigorous with her, yet they must not therefore lose their debt.
- The rest of the oil shouldn't be kept for herself, she was to use it as a means to make a living. Let those whom God has blessed with plenty use it for the glory of God and under the direction of his word: let them do justly with it, as this widow did.
James 4:2-3 GW[2] You want what you don’t have, so you commit murder. You’re determined to have things, but you can’t get what you want. You quarrel and fight. You don’t have the things you want, because you don’t pray for them. [3] When you pray for things, you don’t get them because you want them for the wrong reason—for your own pleasure.
James 4:2-3 NKJV[2] You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. [3] You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
that ye may consume, waste what ye receive, in luxurious indulgence —Spend, Spent: denotes(a) "to expend, spend," Mar 5:26 [for Act 21:24 see CHARGE, Note (5)]: 2Cr 12:15 (1st part: for "be spent," see No. 2);(b) "to consume, squander," Luk 15:14; Jam 4:3.See CONSUME, Note.
[19] Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. [20] And those twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal. [21] Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ [22] then you shall let your children know, saying, ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land’; [23] for the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over, [24] that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”