Elisha and the Widow’s Oil:
The widow showed great faith and obedience. The miracle of the widow’s oil proved the unlimited resources of the LORD God. The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
2 Kings 4:1–7
There was a woman who was one of the wives of the sons of the prophets who cried unto Elisha, saying, your servant my husband is dead; and he did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take my two sons to be bondmen.
And Elisha said unto her, what shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house? And she said, the handmaid told Elisha she did not have any thing in the house, except a pot of oil.
Elisha told her to go and borrow vessels from all her neighbors. She was told to borrow a lot of vessels not just a few. Even empty vessels.
Once she had all the vessels in the house she was to shut the door upon herself and her sons. She then was to out everything that was in the vessels and she shall set aside that which was full. She did what she was told to do.
And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, to bring her a vessel. And he said unto her, there is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay your debt, and live you and your children of the rest.
What Can This Story Teach Us?
A widow of one of the prophets came to Elisha and told him that her husband died in great indebtedness. She reminded Elisha her husband was a God fearing man. The creditors were threatening to take away her two sons as slaves unless she paid off the debts.
The woman followed the instructions of Elisha. When she began to pour out some oil into the first vessel, the oil kept on pouring until the vessel was full. Vessel after vessel was thus filled with oil. When all the vessels were filled, she cried to the boys to pass her another vessel, but they said there was no empty vessel left. Immediately the oil stopped.
It is important to understand that the oil was olive oil. It was important for their whole way of life. It was used in cooking, burned in oil lamps, and eaten as a substance similar to our butter.
The widow showed great faith and obedience. The oil paid her debt and she still had enough for her and her sons to live on. The LORD answered the request of the widow and gave her more to live on.
The miracle of the widow’s oil proved the unlimited resources of the LORD God.
The message also shows the compassionate loving LORD we serve. It also teaches us the importance of having faith and being obedient. Luke 18:27 is a great reminder: “And he said, the things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”
Cite Article Source
MLA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne “Elisha and the Widow’s Oil:.” Becker Bible Studies Library Feb 2015.< https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2250,>.
APA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2015, February) “Elisha and the Widow’s Oil:.” Becker Bible Studies Library. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2250,.
Chicago Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2015) “Elisha and the Widow’s Oil:.” Becker Bible Studies Library (Febuary), https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2250, (accessed).
