Let's Pour Some Oil II Kings 4:5

And she went from him and shut the door upon her and upon her sons who brought the vessels unto her and she poured out.



A widow of a prophet of God came to Elisha because one of her husband's creditors had come to her demanding payment and he was going to take her two sons from her. Elisha asked her what she had and her response was "nothing but a pot of oil."

Elisha told her to have her sons go through the neighborhood and borrow as many vessels as she could get and when they had the vessels in her house, she was to shut herself up with her sons and pour oil from the vessel that she had into the other vessels. This woman did what the man of God told her to do.

There are a couple of comments that deserve our thoughts today with respect to this story. First of all, the woman had a need and she came to the man of God for help. We need to make sure that we seek God in our situations as well and not as a last resort! God does not want to be our last resort but rather our first response.

Elisha told her to go and borrow vessels form her neighbors. This woman was no doubt a good neighbor herself because otherwise no one would have lent her the vessels that she needed to complete the task that Elisha gave to her. You and I need to be good neighbors or good friends to those around us. Someone has said "the number of friends we have is determined by the number of people that we have befriended." It is impossible for us to have too many friends and it is godlike to befriend as many as the opportunity arises!

Now to the story itself. This woman trusted the man of God and did what he told her to do. She could have heard what Elisha told her to do and looked at the vessel of oil that she had and thought, what is the use going around and getting these vessels when I have nothing to pour into them. Her sons could have heard what their mom told them to do and they too could have thought, mom has lost it and refused to go ask their neighbors for vessels that they could borrow.

The woman took the vessels that they collected and she began to pour oil into them and one vessel filled and then the second until all of the vessels were full! She asked her sons for another vessel and they said, that is all we have. Elisha told her to go and sell the oil that she had and pay off the creditor and then live on what was left over.

One final thought. Elisha did not tell the woman how many vessels to gather. He told her that all the vessels that she gathered would be filled. God's blessings are limited by our own obedience. Today, won't you take God at His Word and make decisions that bring Him glory as you allow Him to be God in your life? Just like this woman in the Old Testament, you may be surprised at what God has planned for you and your family today! Let's pour some oil today!