“A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.”
2 So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”
3 Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few. 4 And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.”
5 So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. 6 Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.”
And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. 7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”
2 Kings 4:1-7
This widow had nothing left. Her husband had died. She was broke. Her husband was in so much debt. She had two sons.
The broker came and wanted to take her sons away in for slavery. She had lost everything. She couldn’t afford to lose the last thing she had. Her sons. In desperation, she went to the prophet Elisha. Her last hope. She told him how her husband was faithful in the Lord but left her and her sons in debt. Elisha asked her what he would want her to do for her. He asked her what she had. She said she only had a bit of oil in a jar. That oil was so little that even though olive oil was a precious commodity in those times, it was valueless at the moment.
When she needed it most, it was no use to her. It couldn’t get her out of debt! Elisha then told her to go home and fill as many jars as she could. She didn’t question it. She didn’t over think it.
She believed. She went home to her sons and began to fill jars of oil from the little jar of oil that she had. The jars began to fill until they ran over. Tell me about my cup overflowing without saying it. She filled more.
Until there were no jars that were empty in her home. She told her boys to go next door. Ask all their neighbors for empty. She continued to fill. Her neighbors also run out of extra jars.
Only then did that one little jar stop filling. She went back to Elisha and Elisha said use this to pay off your debts and the rest, you and your sons can live on. Just by a small little jar of oil her life and her boys’ lives were sorted for life. #sortedforlife
Now I can imagine this woman had lots of oil. What did she do with it so that it could last a lifetime? I can imagine she began an olive oil business. She made products from olive oil. She invested. She took care of what she had and meticulously planned. She stockpiled and saved.
She believed and trusted the Lord to lead and guide her in her motherhood and Homemaking to make it last a whole lifetime. What business ideas could she have made from oil? She could have sold pure olive oil.
She may have made products for skincare like balms (body, lip), soaps, bath salts, candles, bath or body oils, hair oils, anointing oils, foot soaks, foot oils, scrubs, salves, and versatile oils like medicinal herbal oils, lamp oil, leather polish, flavored cooking oils, flavored cooking salts, etc.
She may have supplied other homes and businesses with oil, etc. I bet she became the go to supplier of all things oil.
I am inspired and encouraged by this portion of scripture. The Lord instructed me to be like the widow and her oil. The basis for Natural Nest is Handmade Natural everything to do with salts 🧂, oils 🫒and flour.
This passage teaches us to run to the father for everything we need.
What would you do if you had a huge amount of oil? What would you make? What is it that you have in your hands right now? What business can you start? Comment below what ideas come to your mind when you hear the word oil.
This verse reminds me of the song:
“Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning.”
And another by Kim Walker ‘Throne Room’.
Shalom and Thank you Jesus
Following His ways
🌻Family 🌻 Earth 🌻 Faith
Natasha Chetty.
