Handling Debt the Biblical Way

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."
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."
Then he said, "Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors--empty vessels; do not gather just a few. 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."
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. 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. 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."
2 Kings 4:1-7

Debt is not something new. It is not something that just came about in recent years when Visa and MasterCard became popular. It was not created just so Americans could buy larger and bigger homes with no-money-down and a convenient monthly payment. Debt has been around as long as there has been money. Chances are, after the first coin was minted someone asked to borrow it.

Fortunately, God is aware of our weakness for borrowing and addresses it several times in His Word. In these passages above, He even gives us some direct steps to take to become free of debt.

As we see, the widow was the wife of a God-fearing husband who passes away, leaving her straddled with the family debt and no means of being able to repay. The debt was so great that the creditor was coming to take her two sons, seemingly the only things she had of any value. However, instead of the story coming to sorrow it comes to joy as she follows these steps to becoming debt free:

Seek Godly Counsel - Unable to earn the money to pay back the debt she turns to our first line of defense for help, she sought out God's counsel. She brought her problem before God's representative and sought advice.

When we have problems, with debt or otherwise, we need humble ourselves to ask for help from someone who is capable of providing a Godly solution.

Seek Alternatives to Repaying Debt - The only thing that the widow had of any value was a small jar of oil, hardly enough to pay off even a small portion of the debt itself.

When we are faced with debt we may have to use whatever is at our disposal to repay that debt. We may have to get rid of the second car, auction off the comic book collection on eBay, or sell clothes on consignment. When dealing with debt, nothing should be overlooked as a means for God to work in your life.

Involve friends and family - As instructed, the widow asked her neighbors for jars and vessels to pour the oil into and had her sons helping her.

When it comes to getting out of debt, we shouldn't be afraid or worried to ask for assistance from those around us. Perhaps you could ask to borrow a neighbors lawnmower for a weekend so that you could earn some extra money cutting lawns, maybe a friend could use some part-time help in their business, or have the kids wash cars to help earn some cash.

Do what God tells you to do, no matter how crazy it may sound - What did the widow think when Elisha told her to go around and gather up vessels to pour her oil into? What would you think if your pastor told you to go around your neighborhood and collect pots, pans, and Tupperware to pour your bottle of Crisco into? And more importantly, would you even do it?

When God speaks to us, we need to listen and obey. Sometimes He tells us to do some things that don't make sense to us because we are thinking with our fleshly reasoning and not His divine spiritual reasoning.

Trust that God will provide for our needs - Above all, the widow stepped out in faith. When she went to Elisha for help she probably didn't know what to expect. I don't know if she expected the church to pay her debt or not but, being the wife of a God-fearing man she knew that God would intervene somehow.

If you are struggling with debt you need to turn it over to God, put your faith and hope in the fact that He will provide for our needs. Keep in mind though, He will do it in His timing, and in His way, not ours. He is capable of supernaturally providing for us supplying our needs if we allow Him to work.