The Plumbline

Elisha said, “I wonder how I can be of help. Tell me, what do you have in your house?” “Nothing,” she said. “ Well, I do have a little oil.” (2 Kings 4:2) A widow woman facing a debt she cannot repay. She is worried that she will lose her two sons - simply because they would become the "means" of repaying her debt as they would be forced to become the slaves to the debtor if she could not repay the debt. Her husband has been a prophet - a godly man. I imagine she wonders why this catastrophe is upon her since she likely has lived a "set apart" lifestyle for a good many years. She comes to Elisha - one of the major prophets of the Old Testament - seeking his help. She implores him to consider her plight. In response, he begins to wonder what he might be able to do to assist. In those days, prophets were rarely wealthy men or women - they lived by the standards of the day, occupying their time with the normal pursuits of the day such as farming, tending the ani

Exercising good judgment as evidence by our conduct is an outflow of listening well to wisdom's call.  Learning to speak when in makes sense and then remain prudently silent when it does not is also an outcome of having learned the lessons of wisdom.  Knowing when to keep quiet and when to speak up is difficult, isn't it?  Realizing when action is the course desired, but also when inaction is the best means of attack is also an art.  There is a fine balance which must be learned and it is learned by paying attention and listening carefully - we become "readers" of the signs, so to speak.  I think God gives us the ability to "read" the circumstances, know when it is the right moment to move, and holds us back with some check in our inner man when the time is not right - but these "skills" are learned at his feet, not simply by trial and error.  When we do err, if we bring those things back to him, he is quite willing to help us learn where the actio