In the land of Israel there were both rich people and poor people, Just as there are in every land today. And Elisha, the prophet, visited the poor as well as the rich. He listened to their troubles and comforted them, as a true friend will do. And the poor people whom he visited loved him. They were glad, to see him coming toward their humble homes, and always made him feel that he was a welcomed guest.
In one of the humble homes where Elisha sometimes visited, two bright-eyed little boys lived. They were brothers, and their father was one of the young prophets who loved and served the true God. These two little boys were happy even though their parents were poor. Every day they could run and play, and do chores about the house for their mother. They did not know that a great sorrow was coming into their home, which would rob them of their dear father. But one day the sorrow came. Their father grew sick and died, leaving them alone with their poor, widowed mother.
Then another sorrow came. One day a stern, rich man stopped at the door of that humble home and asked for the money that the father had borrowed before he took sick and died. Because the poor widow had no money to give him, the rich man said, “Then I will take your two boys to be my slaves.” But he did not take the boys at once. He told the widow that he would give her a little time to collect enough money to pay the debt.
After the rich man had gone away the mother wondered what she should do. She had no money, and she did not know where she could earn enough to pay the debt. In her trouble she remembered the prophet Elisha, so she hurried to him and told her pitiful story.
Elisha listened, and he felt sorry for the poor woman. He wished to help her, so he asked, “What do you have in your house?” And the woman answered, “I have nothing except a pot of oil.” The prophet knew that would be enough to help if she would obey him, so he told her to go home and borrow empty jars and bowls and pots from her neighbors. He urged her to borrow very many. “Take all those empty vessels to your home,” he said, “and after you have shut the door, pour the oil from your pot into the empty vessels. When one vessel is full, set it aside and fill another.”,’
The widow hurried home and borrowed empty vessels from all her neighbors. When she had brought a great many into her humble home she called the boys into the room and shut the door, just as Elisha had told her to do. Perhaps her sons wondered, “What is mother going to do now?”!” Then she told them about Elisha’s words, and they were eager to help her fill the empty jars and bowls.
Never before had the boys seen so much oil as their mother poured out of her pot into the neighbors’ vessels. They knew God was causing the oil to increase, so there would be enough to fill every empty jar. They carried the empty vessels to their mother, and helped to set them aside after they were filled with oil. How hard they worked! Finally their mother said, “Bring me another jar”; but there was no other jar to bring, for all were filled with oil.
This wonderful oil was just like the oil that the poor widow had poured out of her own vessel. It did not disappear, like a dream, but it stayed in the pots and jars and bowls. And the widow hurried away again to speak with Elisha. She wanted to tell him what had happened to her pot of oil. And she wanted to ask him what she should do with all the oil that now stood in her humble home.
Elisha knew the widows would come again, and he was waiting to see her. He told her to go home and sell all the oil in her neighbors’ vessels, and take the money to pay off the debt that her husband owed the rich man. And he said there would be money left for her and for her sons.
We are sure it was a very thankful woman who hugged her boys to her breast after the debt was paid. She knew the God of Israel took notice of poor people and their needs. And she was glad to teach her boys to love and serve such a God, who, through the miracle of his prophet, Elisha, had spared them from becoming slaves.