The prophet’s widow felt rejected by God. Her husband had been a godly man, studying in the prophecy school with Elisha, but he’d died, leaving behind a large debt.
Struggling to take care of her young sons in the midst of her grief, her troubles were compounded when the debt collector came knocking on her door, threatening to take away her sons and turn them into slaves if she couldn’t repay the debt right away.
Though the prophet’s widow was so frantic she could hardly think straight, she knew where to go during her time of trouble. The prophet’s widow ran to Elisha in despair. She pleaded for help, reminding him how her husband had been a man of God and this was how God repaid him.
Rather than giving her money or offering to pay off the debt, Elisha asked her what she had to offer.
All she had in the house was a pot of oil. So he gave her specific instructions. Go get as many empty containers as you can borrow from your neighbors. Be sure to get plenty. Then, once you’ve got them all, shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour oil into each of the containers; and set them aside as you fill them.
They did as he told her. When they filled up the last jar, the oil flow stopped.
The prophet’s widow went back to Elisha and asked him what to do with all the oil. He told her to sell it to pay off her debt, then they could live off of what was left over.
God took care of this little family in their time of need.
Read about the Prophet’s Widow in Scripture: 2 Kings 4
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