Preschool
He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted. Luke 4:18
The Lord Multiplies
Memory Verses
Primary
He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind. Luke 4:18
Junior
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. Luke 4:18
Background Scripture: 2 Kings 4; Matthew 14
Lesson Scripture: 2 Kings 4:1–7; Matthew 14:15–21
Introduction
The Lord has provided humanity with the capacity to dream, research, engineer, and build almost anything he sets his mind to. But there is one thing we cannot do—we cannot make something out of nothing. Everything we accomplish in this life is within the confines of God’s order of creation. Every discovery is only revealing what the infinite mind of Christ has already set in place. We must acknowledge not only God’s power in creation but also his power to take our meager efforts and resources and turn them into something useful. Our Lord has proved many times in Scripture, as well as in our lives, that in time of need He has the power to multiply our resources above our capacity and our efforts beyond our capabilities.
Key Verse
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19).
Lesson Scripture
2 Kings 4:1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.
2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.
4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.
6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.
Matthew 14:15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.
16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.
17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.
18 He said, Bring them hither to me.
19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.
21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.
Studying the Lesson
Jesus performed many miracles as He began his earthly ministry. Often as He taught the people, He countered the disbelieving and self-righteous Jews who came to criticize Him by performing a miracle, such as turning water into wine, feeding a large crowd of people with meager food supplies, or even raising someone from the dead. His purpose was to prove that He was truly the Son of God so that they would believe in Him. His miracles proved that He had power over creation to do as He pleased. God working through his Son showed to the world then, as well as now, that He has our best in mind. He longs to provide us with the things that will bless us in life and prepare us for eternity.
May this lesson inspire us to lean on God and allow him to prove Himself to us in ways beyond our comprehension. “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Cor. 2:9).
Practical Truths for Today
A minister approaches his responsibility of feeding the congregation with a prayerful mind as he considers what the Lord wants him to bring to the people. He reads his Bible, considers its many truths, and begs the Lord for an inspiration.
Maybe it is just a devotional time of reading the Scriptures, a conversation with a neighbor, or a song that steals into his heart that gives him direction for the message. Often, when that inspiration settles in his heart, he thanks the Lord for his goodness and grace. The Lord begins with a few small loaves and fishes and multiplies them to fill the many needs around him. Such is the experience of the servants of God who are called to serve his people.
We appreciate to hear of those who are delivered from the snare of the wicked one and who receive clear vision of what God can do. Some have tried and failed to deal with what was binding them and keeping them from true freedom. Then the Lord works a miracle. We thank and praise the Lord for these experiences of freedom and renewed vision. We clearly see that other than our willingness to be obedient, it is the Lord who works the miracle of grace and places us where we can humbly serve Him effectively. The Lord multiplies our meager efforts; we stand back and marvel at the unmerited grace He bestows upon us. “I wonder, often wonder . . . and then do I remember, His grace is rich and free.” 1
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Heb. 11:6). To have faith in God is to believe that his way is always right. With faith in God’s providence we will experience the blessing of the Lord always suppling our needs. With prayer and supplication, we make our requests for help. In surrendering our will to God, we give Him the right to care for us as He sees fit.
God is very interested in the welfare of his children; He is always seeking both their physical and spiritual well-being. God’s people can share many practical experiences of how the Lord has helped them, even when the circumstances were such that it became difficult to determine the best way.
In times of trouble the world often uses the law and the court system to resist those that take advantage of them and to mete out supposed justice. The Lord has a better way to settle differences; however, that way may require loss on our part. Many times God moves in the hearts of men, making a way to peace that seems unlikely or even impossible. In this way God multiplies our humility and meekness into something that testifies of his love and grace. “When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Prov. 16:7).
Another practical application of God’s divine multiplication is his law of tithing. In the Old Testament, the commandment was to give ten percent of the increase to the Lord. This came with promises of God’s material blessings to those who would obey. In the New Testament, Luke 6:38 says, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Though this may not be describing tithing directly, the same promise of increase applies.
The Lord invites us to give our time, talents, and resources, as well as our money. All are to be given as part of faithful obedience. To be a steward of all that we have is to realize that everything belongs to God and that we are to use it as He directs whether for our own needs or for others. When we give from our hearts, God brings it back to us in one way or another. Some have testified that by faithful almsgiving all the bills were paid, even when it seemed unlikely. “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7).
God multiplies our resources in so many ways as we faithfully share what we have with others. May we thank Him, not only in word, but in deed, for his gracious blessings to us.
Questions
- Tell an experience where God multiplied your efforts to fill a need.
- What are ways to build faith in what the Lord multiplies rather than focusing on what we have done?
- Are we as conscious of God’s provisions in our affluent times as poor people of yesteryear were? How about people in other countries who experience poverty and need?
- What are the ways God rewards tithing?
- 1 Elisha A. Hoffman (1839–1929), “I Wonder, Often Wonder”
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Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).