May 5, 2024

The widow of a prophet came to Elisha for help; her husband had died and owed debts, and his lenders would soon come to collect her sons to be their bond servants for seven years. He was a good man and was likely one of the seven thousand who hadn't bowed down to Baal. Being a prophet living during the time of Jezebel couldn't have been easy, which is most likely why he had debt. Elisha told the woman to go and borrow containers from her neighbors, close the door behind her and her sons, and pour what little oil she had into those containers. Every vessel was filled with oil, giving her an abundance to sell and pay off her husband's debt and provide a living for her and her sons. She had likely sold everything she had to pay off the debt, giving a reason she needed to borrow the containers. Pay attention to what happened; she didn't just sit back and watch Elisha fill those jars with oil. No, she and her sons were actively involved and grew a business with what little God had given them. They worked. Not only did they fill the jars, but they also had to find a way to sell the oil, just like any business today. Don't expect God to bless you while sitting around doing nothing; he expects our participation in whatever capacity we have. 

A spiritual comparison is the filling of the Holy Spirit, often presented Biblically as oil. When we accepted Christ as our Savior, we were an empty vessel, and God filled us with his Spirit to overflow. He anoints our heads with oil, and our cup overflows. 

And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet 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 thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest. 2 Kings 4:6-7