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Miracles of Abundance
Based on Lesson 4

The following exerpt is from "Ancient Texts, Modern Voices," essays which offer a fresh perspective on the lessons in the 2003--2004 Horizons Bible Study, "The Face is Familiar." To read the essays in their entirety, see the current issue of Horizons.

If the unnamed woman in 2 Kings 4:1--7 had been a man, would the prophet Elisha have asked him to borrow vessels from his neighbors? The answer is most likely no, because men of that culture just didn't go to neighbors and borrow household items. Even though neighbors in the Middle East are typically more connected to one another than neighbors in the United States, the strict role definitions for men and women, in Elisha's time and now, allow women more opportunities for interaction. Knowing this, it's clear that Elisha's miracle utilized and even depended on the widow's relational network.

This widow's help comes not just through a supernatural intervention from God, but also through the widow's social connections with her neighbors and community. This miraculous act--helping the widow out of financial trouble--was possible because of the amazing web of her relationships, with God, her children and her neighbors.

Lesson 3: A Lasting Wisdom

Patricia K. Tull is professor of Old Testament at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and author of the 2001--2002 Horizons Bible Study, Esther's Feast: A Study of the Book of Esther.

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The Face Is Familiar: Remembering Unamed Women in Scripture