The world surrounding Elisha had been spiraling downward for a long time. The golden age of Solomon, King David's son, was a hundred years behind them while a succession of bad leadership and worse moral decay had ravaged the land. The strong preyed on the weak, who in turn preyed on the weakest of all. As far as women were concerned, they were near the bottom of the feeding chain and widows lowest of all.

If a widow lacked the protection of a strong and/or rich relative, she had no way to make a living, no credit available, and no defense of the law. In fact, the law was often on the side of the crooks and bandits. It's no wonder the Bible says this young widow "cried out" to Elisha.[1] The word can mean shriek or plead or call with tears. She was in immediate, desperate trouble and had nowhere else to turn.

When Elisha took the place of Elijah, his heart was to restore the land by training young men to know the God of their fathers so they could prophesy to a faithless society. An army of dedicated men would be necessary to turn the nation and Elisha hoped to provide it.

They came to him from all over northern Israel and their numbers grew each day. Most were young, but some had families. Soon, he would have to begin building a facility equivalent to our seminaries with residences, food preparation centers, places to meet, etc. In the meantime, the families were doing the best they could under difficult circumstances. And, like many today, some had gone into debt to finance their education.

For one young man, the plan might have worked but he suddenly died leaving his wife and two young sons desperate. The creditors were demanding immediate payment and since she had nothing to give, they were taking the boys as slaves. Little wonder that she "cried out."

The Bible was written over a span of 1600 years yet it records only a hundred and fifty miraculous events and even these appear to be clustered around times of major change. This widow was about to receive a miracle but she had no reason to expect one. Miracles have always been rare, and Elisha's instructions would have seemed as weird to her as they do to us.

First, he asked what she had. God often begins miracles by drawing our attention to and using things we already possess.[2] All this young mother had was a small jar of oil, but starting at that point, Elisha knew what to do. He told her to borrow jars and pots from her neighbors, shut the door for privacy, and then fill all the vessels from the small amount of oil she already owned.

Jars and pots were possessed by even the poorest households but didn't mean they were cheap. Made of clay or hollowed gourds or carefully crafted wood, vessels of all sorts were necessary, labor intensive and often expensive. One didn't carelessly loan them to a neighbor. This family was already in trouble because of borrowed money they could not pay and news travels fast. Could they trust her with items they needed themselves? It speaks well of her reputation that her fellow students handed over personal items without fully understanding what she intended to do.

With the door closed, she tilted up the little jar and watched its contents trickle out as the first pot filled. Her boys scrambled shuttling pots two and fro as empty vessels replaced full ones and she held the source steady. I suppose she was afraid to put the jar down in order to grab a pot herself least the oil cease flowing when she picked it up again!

On and on the jar kept giving out oil as excitement built in the one room home. "Give me another!" she shouted as the pot before her filled past the brim.

The boys whirled looking in every direction. "There are no more, Mama!" And, the little jar of oil ran dry.

What would you have done in that situation? Run tell all the neighbors your problem was solved? Hide part of the windfall as security? Find the nearest oil merchant and begin cashing in? This woman did none of those things. Instead, she informed Elisha of the new circumstance and waited further instructions. [3]

I like to think I would have had her wisdom but, judging from the past, I don't know. She was patient as Elisha gave three new pieces of counsel. Basically, he advised: Manage well what you now have. Be responsible for your debts. And, rest in faith while you budget for the future and attend to daily living.

Those are wise recommendations for anyone living in any century and in the current financial situation, we would all do well to take them to heart.