Daily Devotional

“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 Kings 4:1). 

Did you know that in 2014 and 2015, the world produced more than 175,000,000 metric tons of vegetable oil? Palm oil ranks the highest in global consumption, with soybean oil taking second place. 

We’re not certain what type of oil was on hand in the widow’s house when she came to the prophet Elisha to ask for help. This woman was the widow of one of the sons of the prophets, a faithful servant of God; her husband had possibly been one of the prophets who were murdered by the evil Jezebel. 

Whoever he had been, his widow was now desperate to save her sons from becoming debt slaves. Eager to help, Elisha asked what she had available. The only thing she had left was a jar of oil. 

Elisha instructed her: “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbours—empty vessels; do not gather just a few. 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” (2 Kings 4:3, 4). 

The woman did exactly as he had said, and when the containers had all been filled and she asked for another one, her son told her there were no more. When she told Elisha the containers were full, he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest” (verse 7). 

This real-life parable illustrates how the blessings that God gives us increase as we share them to help others. The widow’s one jar of oil kept flowing to fill every vessel until there were no more vessels. God will keep the supply flowing as long as we continue sharing our gifts to do good for others. 

Heavenly Father, give us a spirit of generosity to share with others the blessings You provide.