In the days of the prophet Elisha, there was a widow in the land of Israel whose husband had been a faithful servant of the Lord. He had been one of the sons of the prophets, a man who walked in the ways of the Lord and taught others to do the same. But when he died, he left behind a heavy burden for his family—a debt that his wife could not pay. The creditors came knocking at her door, their voices harsh and demanding, threatening to take her two sons as slaves to settle the debt. Desperate and with no one to turn to, the widow cried out to the Lord for help.
Word of her plight reached Elisha, the man of God, who was known for his compassion and the power of the Lord that worked through him. He sent for the woman and asked her, “Tell me, what do you have in your house?” The widow, her face streaked with tears, replied, “Your servant has nothing at all, except a small jar of olive oil.”
Elisha’s eyes softened with understanding, and he spoke to her with a voice full of authority and hope. “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. Then go inside your house, shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour oil into all the jars. As each one is filled, set it aside.”
The widow, though puzzled by the prophet’s instructions, obeyed without hesitation. She and her sons went out into the streets of their town, knocking on doors and gathering every empty jar they could find. The neighbors, curious but kind, handed over their vessels, some small, some large, until the widow’s house was filled with them.
Once inside, the widow shut the door as Elisha had commanded. Her sons stood by, their young faces filled with a mixture of hope and doubt. The widow picked up the small jar of oil, her hands trembling slightly, and began to pour. To her astonishment, the oil flowed freely, filling the first jar to the brim. She set it aside and reached for another. Again, the oil poured out, and again, until every jar in the house was filled to the top.
The widow turned to her sons, her eyes wide with wonder. “Bring me another jar,” she said, but her sons shook their heads. “There are no more jars, Mother,” they replied. And at that moment, the oil stopped flowing.
The widow rushed to Elisha, her heart pounding with gratitude and awe. She fell at his feet, weeping tears of joy. “What shall I do with all this oil?” she asked. Elisha smiled gently and said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”
The widow did as Elisha instructed. She sold the oil, paid off her debts, and with the remaining money, she and her sons were able to live in peace. The Lord had provided for her in her time of need, showing His faithfulness through the obedience of His servant Elisha.
Some time later, Elisha traveled to the town of Shunem, where a wealthy and influential woman lived. She was known for her kindness and her reverence for the Lord. When she saw Elisha passing through, she urged him to stay for a meal. Over time, she and her husband built a small room on the roof of their house for Elisha to stay in whenever he visited. The room was furnished with a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, a place of rest and refuge for the man of God.
One day, as Elisha rested in the room, he called for the woman and said, “You have gone to all this trouble for us. What can be done for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or the commander of the army?” But the woman shook her head. “I have all I need among my own people,” she replied.
Elisha, however, sensed that there was something deeper in her heart. He turned to his servant Gehazi and asked, “What can be done for her?” Gehazi thought for a moment and said, “She has no son, and her husband is old.”
Elisha called the woman back and said, “About this time next year, you will hold a son in your arms.” The woman’s eyes widened in disbelief. “No, my lord!” she exclaimed. “Do not lie to your servant.” But Elisha’s words were true, and the following year, the woman gave birth to a son, just as the prophet had promised.
The boy grew, strong and healthy, a joy to his parents. But one day, while working in the fields with his father, the boy cried out, “My head! My head!” His father, alarmed, sent him back to his mother. She held him in her lap, but by noon, the boy had died.
The woman’s heart was shattered, but her faith remained steadfast. She carried her son’s lifeless body up to Elisha’s room and laid him on the bed. Then she called for her husband and said, “Send me one of the servants and a donkey so I can go to the man of God quickly and return.”
Her husband, confused, asked, “Why go to him today? It’s not the New Moon or the Sabbath.” But the woman simply replied, “It’s all right.” She saddled the donkey and set off for Mount Carmel, where Elisha was staying.
When Elisha saw her approaching from a distance, he said to Gehazi, “Look! There’s the Shunammite woman! Run to meet her and ask her, ‘Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your child all right?’” The woman, her face pale with grief, replied, “Everything is all right.”
But when she reached Elisha, she fell at his feet and clung to him. Gehazi stepped forward to push her away, but Elisha stopped him. “Leave her alone,” he said. “She is in bitter distress, but the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me why.”
The woman looked up at Elisha, her eyes filled with tears. “Did I ask you for a son, my lord? Didn’t I say, ‘Don’t raise my hopes’?”
Elisha understood at once. He turned to Gehazi and said, “Tuck your cloak into your belt, take my staff in your hand, and run to her house. If you meet anyone, do not greet them. If anyone greets you, do not answer. Lay my staff on the boy’s face.”
But the woman refused to leave Elisha’s side. “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live,” she said, “I will not leave you.” So Elisha got up and followed her.
Gehazi went ahead and laid the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or response. He returned to meet Elisha and said, “The boy has not awakened.”
When Elisha reached the house, he went up to the room where the boy lay. He shut the door behind him and prayed to the Lord. Then he got on the bed and lay on the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched himself out on him, the boy’s body grew warm. Elisha got up, walked back and forth in the room, and then stretched himself out on the boy once more. This time, the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.
Elisha called for the woman and said, “Take your son.” She fell at his feet, overwhelmed with gratitude, and then took her son in her arms and left the room.
Through these miracles, the Lord demonstrated His power and compassion. He provided for the widow in her poverty, gave life to the barren woman, and raised the dead to life. And through Elisha, His servant, the people of Israel saw that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was still at work among them, faithful to His promises and mighty to save.
