Preschool
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me (Revelation 22:12).
Windows of Heaven Opened
Memory Verses
Primary
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be (Revelation 22:12).
Junior
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be (Revelation 22:12).
Background Scripture: 2 Kings 6:24-33; 7
Lesson Scripture: 2 Kings 7:1-11
Introduction
The term “the windows of heaven” appears three times in the Old Testament as a figure of speech. The first example is in Genesis 7:11, when the rain came down in torrents, bringing on the great flood. The second one is in this lesson’s text. The third one is in the key verse and signifies a pouring out of blessings from God. There are no literal windows in the skies, but the term is used as descriptive imagery to aid in our understanding of a spiritual truth.
At times we find ourselves in situations that appear to be very bleak or hopeless. We wonder how things will turn out. As we pray to God, He hears and answers in his own way. Sometimes things do not change for the better, and we need to bear that which God allows. However, there are times when the figurative windows of heaven really do open, and we are blessed far beyond our expectations.
When the windows of heaven do not open as we would like, we should not openly question God’s power. Nevertheless, are we not doing just that when we complain about our circumstances or when we become discouraged? True faith enables us to believe that what God has promised is true and will come to pass, although it might happen very differently than we had expected or imagined.
Let this lesson stimulate your trust and hope in God, who ultimately has control of all things in heaven and on the earth.
Key Verse
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it (Mal. 3:10).
Lesson Scripture
2 Kings 7:1 Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.
2 Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.
3 And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?
4 If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.
5 And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there.
6 For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.
7 Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.
8 And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it.
9 Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king’s household.
10 So they came and called unto the porter of the city: and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were.
11 And he called the porters; and they told it to the king’s house within.
Studying the Lesson
The key verse indicates there are conditions to be met in order to experience the opening of the windows of heaven. It takes submission to God and working together with Him if we want to experience the outflow of his blessings.
The lesson text took place after a lengthy and dire siege of the city of Samaria. It had been surrounded for so long that there was an extreme famine among the people and their livestock. Then Elisha made a prophecy that sounded utterly impossible to the king’s attendant, but the words of the Lord through Elisha were true, and it came to pass just as Elisha had prophesied.
The king’s attendant was unable to fathom how that food would again be bought in the city within just a day, but we see in this account, as it continues beyond the lesson text, it did take place just as Elisha had predicted. The people found great provisions after God had caused the enemies to flee, leaving everything behind. As the masses of people rushed out in pursuit of the plunder, the king’s officer who had doubted Elisha’s words was trampled to death and did not get to see the deliverance from the famine.
The account does not tell us how many other people heard Elijah’s prophecy, nor does it say if others doubted the prophecy just like the king’s attendant. There may have been many or perhaps only a few, but from a human viewpoint, some misgiving seems reasonable. Nevertheless, they lacked the vital element of believing God’s word. In the course of time, most Christians will also face circumstances that will cause doubts to arise within that threaten their trust and confidence in God.
Four despised lepers in their own desperation discovered that the enemy army had fled and had left behind many things for the taking. They then made a commendable decision by concluding that they needed to share the good news with all the people in the city. That news caused the likeness of a riot as the people scrambled to claim the plunder.
Practical Truths for Today
Many self-centered folks today enjoy the blessings that God showers over all the earth. The windows of heaven are open to everyone in ways we likely are taking for granted. God routinely makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, He sends rain on the just and on the unjust, and seedtime and harvest continually bring us provision of food. Additionally, there are many other ways in which we enjoy blessings from the Lord. God’s mercies and forgiveness, which are new every morning, are an outstanding spiritual blessing descending upon us out of the windows of heaven. The spiritual blessings that God sends to humanity, often unnoticed and underappreciated, are many and uncountable together with the natural provision He showers upon all.
There are special blessings, however, for those who walk in the Bible’s way. Some might say they honestly desire God’s blessing on their lives, their finances, and on their material efforts, but they have their side of the window shuttered by deliberate disobedience or refusal to comply with God’s order, so his blessings cannot be discharged upon them. The key verse illustrates this point—a selfish way of life obstructs the flow of blessings, but giving will allow God’s blessings to fall upon us. The key verse is also a conditional promise; God’s people were required to perform a prescribed tithe in order for the windows of heaven to open toward them.
Another example of where the windows of heaven stayed closed is found in Haggai 1:9-11: “Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit. And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.” This is a clear-cut case of misplaced priorities, which closed up the windows of heaven.
We find more about this in 2 Timothy 2:4-5: “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.” If we want the windows of heaven to open for us, we need to live by this rule.
On a different note, we find caution and instruction in 1 Timothy 6:17-19 on how to manage financial success. Should the windows of heaven indeed open in this manner, it says, “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”
Perhaps the most important requisite for open windows is the admonition in Matthew 6:33: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Illustration
Job serves as a good example of one who remained faithful despite losing all his possessions, his children, and even his health. In the end, the windows of heaven opened wide for him.
Elijah was a recipient of God’s open window when the raven brought him sustenance. Later again, he and the widow of Zarephath were blessed with a supernatural supply of oil and meal as long as the need remained.
In the New Testament, we find two cases where Jesus fed thousands of people, beginning with only meager provisions. After everyone was satisfied, there was more left over than He started out with. Where did it come from? Apparently, God opened the windows of heaven and blessed his Son.
There is an old, but supposedly true, story from 1905 about a young widow with two small girls who were in very dire straits. The mother was a talented seamstress, but try as she might, she was not able to earn enough for their livelihood. The kitchen cupboards were nearly bare, and the six-year-old girl’s shoes were getting to be painfully tight, but there simply was no money for bigger shoes. The mother felt constrained to give her last little bit of money as an offering even though they were in need of food as well as shoes. After the tithe money was given, the mother took the girls to herself, and they prayed to God about their desperate needs. Later in that same day, the windows of heaven opened when some relatives came by with a gift of an ample supply of food and shoes for both girls. The mother considered it all a gift from God in answer to their prayer.
Questions
- When people live according to God’s commands, occasionally the windows of heaven will open to a financial success, but time and again, a surge of material increase becomes a stumbling block. Why does God open these windows?
- Should youth and young married couples expect the windows of heaven to open for them as they start out in life?
- How would you explain the phrase in the key verse “that there shall not be room enough to receive it”?
- Can you relate a present-day experience of your own or someone you know on this lesson subject?
Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).