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Death- This young prophecy student, husband, and father of two boys, passed tragically at a young age. I’ve conducted many funerals in over three-plus decades as a pastor, with one of the toughest and saddest coming in my first couple of years. Jake, a young husband, faithful father and growing Christian in my first church, was shot in the stomach at close range while trying to protect his family in a domestic dispute.After several grueling hours of surgery, the doctor, once a battlefield surgeon, came into the waiting room. Diagramming the wounds on a piece of paper, he said bluntly, “It’s like this, he’s going to die,” which he did a few hours later. I can still visualize the stunned, strained face of this devastated widow as she grieved. Likewise, the young widow mourned the premature passing of a husband and father who had devoted himself to the service of the Lord.Yet. it wasn’t only the sting of death that she faced, but also: Debt- I witnessed families undergoing extreme sacrifice in preparing for vocational ministry during my time in seminary in the mid 1980s. My wife and I didn’t start a family until after gradu ation, so it wasn’t as stressful for us.Yet I knew many couples, often with children that barely survived financially. Such was the case with the servant and his wife, with matters growing even worse when creditors showed up to collect after his death. Since the poor widow was left with nothing, they were going to take her two boys away. Could they get away with this?Yes, actually. According to Jewish law, they could seize and detain them for up to seven years. So, this poor lady would end up losing not one, but three of those she loved. Describing similar times of wickedness, Job said, “The fatherless child is snatched from the breast; the infant of the poor is seized for a debt” (Job 24:9, NIV). Such was the case with this poor widow, prompting Elisha

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