“Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; BORROW NOT A FEW.” – 2 Kings 4:1-4
JimmySwaggart
The other day I was reading 2 Kings 4:1-7. It’s the story of the Widow’s Olive Oil. This widow came to the Prophet Elisha fearful because a creditor had threatened to take her two sons as slaves unless she paid the debt that she owed. Elisha asked her,”What do you have in your house?” (2 Kings 4:2).
7 Lessons from the widow with the olive oil
“Nothing except a small jar of olive oil,” she replied.
At that point, Elisha told her, âGo around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Donât ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.â
Once the jars were filled, Elisha told her to “sell the olive oil and pay your debts and there will be enough money left over to support you and your sons.”
She came to Elisha at her wit’s end – she was in desperation, and her back was against the wall. There are so many lessons here, but a few takeaways and my reason for this message is to encourage you with these
SEVEN LESSONS FROM THE WIDOW WITH THE OLIVE OIL
- When you are in “trouble,” seek Godly wisdom to gain a new perspective.
- Use what you have to get what you need.
- Sow where you want to go. This widow only had one small jar of olive oil. Yet, she was instructed to POUR IT OUT. Don’t be tempted to hold on to something because you can’t see where the next supply will come from. God’s math is different and He will multiply your seed if you trust Him.
- This poor widow woman became a distribution channel for the Kingdom of God with just one small jar of oil.
- She did not depend on just her own supply. She sought her neighbors and friends’ resources, and they invested in this new venture. Don’t be afraid to ask for help!
- She was quickly able to sell her product because she was providing something that everyone needed at the time.
- Even in the midst of her own problems, she was a solution. God gave her SUPERNATURAL ABUNDANCE, RESOURCES, AND PROVISION because she obeyed His Word.
In this widow’s indebted state, God made her an #entrepreneur. She used what she had, despite how weak/scared she felt, and the Lord turned her biggest misery into her greatest miracle, and He will do the same for you.
Be encouraged today. In your place of weakness, you will find your greatest strength – God.
And He said to me, âMy grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.â Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christâs sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Writer:Natasha Brown Watson
Note
2 Kings 4:6
âBring me another vesselâ but they said âThere is not another.â Then the oil stopped flowing.
Godâs blessing ended with the womanâs faith capacity not Godâs power. If she had more jars the supply would have continued.
âSell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on the rest.â
God is generous and is overflowing with blessing.
God provided more than asked or thought (cf. Eph 3:20-21).
Oil was a staple commodity in biblical times, and still is. Oil is useful for all sorts of different purposes: lighting, heating, cooking, anointing, healing, even cosmetics: Psalm 104:15 commends the use of âoil to make the face shineâ. A jar of oil was a definite asset. The Sunday school version of this story assumes it was a little jar, in order to emphasise the miraculous nature of what follows, and it may have been; but not necessarily. It could have been a large jar of oil, well capable in an entirely normal way of filling several smaller vessels. Whatever the size of the jar, Elisha sees it as replete with potential: an answer to the widowâs problem. As a man of God (which is how heâs repeatedly described) he believes God can stretch this asset to provide all the widowâs needs.
Notice the way he suggests she make use of this asset. She could simply have sold the jar as it was. But itâs unlikely that a single sale would have made her enough money to clear her debts, and it would have left her without any oil which she and her children needed as much as anyone else. So Elisha now gives his first piece of practical advice: âGo outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbours, empty vessels and not just a fewâ. The answer to the widowâs problems doesnât lie with her alone; her neighbours have a role to play. After all, the Jewish law told people to care for the widows in their midst. They supply the vessels that she and her children fill with oil.
Source:https://www.faithinbusiness.org/Articles/590322/Evaluating_Your_Assets.aspx
The woman produced a jar of oil that supernaturally increased, there is something that you have that you must release to God for Him to work upon. I pray the Lord open your eyes to see what it is. Today, I join my faith with yours and decree God is removing you from debt prone to the realm of abundance in Jesus name.
Prayer point: by the blood of Jesus, Lord cancel my debts and bring me to the realm of abundance in the name of Jesus.
Related Source:
(Winner Chapel International)
Translations
2 Kings 4:1-7 New American Standard Bible – NASB 1995 (NASB1995)
Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, âYour servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD; and the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.â Elisha said to her, âWhat shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?â And she said, âYour maidservant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.â Then he said, âGo, borrow vessels at large for yourself from all your neighbors, even empty vessels; do not get a few. And you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour out into all these vessels, and you shall set aside what is full.â So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they were bringing the vessels to her and she poured. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, âBring me another vessel.â And he said to her, âThere is not one vessel more.â And the oil stopped. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, âGo, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest.â
2 Kings 4:1-7 The Message (MSG)
One day the wife of a man from the guild of prophets called out to Elisha, âYour servant my husband is dead. You well know what a good man he was, devoted to GOD. And now the man to whom he was in debt is on his way to collect by taking my two children as slaves.â Elisha said, âI wonder how I can be of help. Tell me, what do you have in your house?â âNothing,â she said. âWell, I do have a little oil.â âHereâs what you do,â said Elisha. âGo up and down the street and borrow jugs and bowls from all your neighbors. And not just a fewâall you can get. Then come home and lock the door behind you, you and your sons. Pour oil into each container; when each is full, set it aside.â She did what he said. She locked the door behind her and her sons; as they brought the containers to her, she filled them. When all the jugs and bowls were full, she said to one of her sons, âAnother jug, please.â He said, âThatâs it. There are no more jugs.â Then the oil stopped. She went and told the story to the man of God. He said, âGo sell the oil and make good on your debts. Live, both you and your sons, on whatâs left.â * * *
2 Kings 4:1-7 King James Version (KJV)
Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. 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 4:1-7 New Living Translation (NLT)
One day the widow of a member of the group of prophets came to Elisha and cried out, âMy husband who served you is dead, and you know how he feared the LORD. But now a creditor has come, threatening to take my two sons as slaves.â âWhat can I do to help you?â Elisha asked. âTell me, what do you have in the house?â âNothing at all, except a flask of olive oil,â she replied. And Elisha said, âBorrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors. Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Pour olive oil from your flask into the jars, setting each one aside when it is filled.â So she did as she was told. Her sons kept bringing jars to her, and she filled one after another. Soon every container was full to the brim! âBring me another jar,â she said to one of her sons. âThere arenât any more!â he told her. And then the olive oil stopped flowing. When she told the man of God what had happened, he said to her, âNow sell the olive oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on what is left over.â
2 Kings 4:1-7 MEV
Now one of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, âYour servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD, but a creditor has come to take my two sons as slaves.â Elisha said to her, âWhat shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?â She said, âYour servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.â Then he said, âGo, ask for vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not just a few. Then go in, shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour the oil into all these vessels. When each is full, set it aside.â So she left him and shut the door behind her and her sons, and they kept bringing vessels to her, and she kept pouring. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, âBring me another vessel.â But he said to her, âThere is not another vessel.â And the oil ceased. Then she went and told the man of God. And he said, âGo, sell the oil, and pay your debt, and you and your children can live on the rest.â
MEV: Modern English Version
2 Kings 4:1-7 New Living Translation (NLT)
One day the widow of a member of the group of prophets came to Elisha and cried out, âMy husband who served you is dead, and you know how he feared the LORD. But now a creditor has come, threatening to take my two sons as slaves.â âWhat can I do to help you?â Elisha asked. âTell me, what do you have in the house?â âNothing at all, except a flask of olive oil,â she replied. And Elisha said, âBorrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors. Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Pour olive oil from your flask into the jars, setting each one aside when it is filled.â So she did as she was told. Her sons kept bringing jars to her, and she filled one after another. Soon every container was full to the brim! âBring me another jar,â she said to one of her sons. âThere arenât any more!â he told her. And then the olive oil stopped flowing. When she told the man of God what had happened, he said to her, âNow sell the olive oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on what is left over.â