Di Widow Oil

Inside one small house, behind one door wey dem close, one mama dey pour small jar of oil inside one big empty pot. Then another one. And another one. Her sons dey bring jars, and di oil just dey flow, e no stop.

Dis woman husband na one of di group of prophets, man wey dey honour Di Lord. Now e don die, and e leave her with two sons and one debt wey she no fit pay. Di man wey she owe don tire to wait. E dey come to take her two boys as im slaves, make dem work pay wetin di family owe. For her desperation, she go meet di prophet Elisha and cry to am. Your servant, my husband, don die, and you know say e dey fear Di Lord. And now di man wey we owe dey come to carry my two children go as slaves.

Elisha answer with question. Wetin I go do for you? Tell me, wetin you get for house? E almost hard her to talk am. Your servant no get anything at all for house, except one small jar of oil. Just small olive oil, di kind wey dem dey use cook and put for lamp. E no reach anything. But Elisha take dat small jar serious. Go round to all your neighbours, e talk, and borrow empty jars. And no borrow only few.

You fit see am for your mind? Di widow and her boys dey knock door from one end of di street reach di other. We fit borrow your jar? And your own? Any empty pot wey you get? Big jars, small jars, cooking pots and water pots, dem carry all go house come arrange dem for floor. Di neighbours go dey wonder wetin she dey do. Then Elisha next instruction come. Go inside close di door behind you and your sons. Pour oil inside all dat jars, and as each one full, put am one side. So she close di door. Na only her, her two sons, and one small jar of oil.

She tilt di jar. Di oil pour enter di first pot and full am reach di top. She put am one side. Her son bring another one. E full too. And another one. And another one. Di boys dey hurry go and come now, and still di oil dey flow. At last she talk, Bring me another jar. And her son talk, Jar no remain again. And dat very moment, di oil stop. No be one moment before. Di oil continue to flow as long as empty jars dey wey fit hold am.

She go tell Elisha, di man of God. And e talk, Go sell di oil and pay your debt. You and your sons fit live on wetin remain. Imagine her as she dey waka go house dat day. Her boys dey safe. She fit pay her debt finish. And e still remain wetin dem go live on. She come meet Elisha with nothing except one small jar and one big fear. God take di small wey she get, and through her trust, her obedience, and di jars wey she borrow from her neighbours, e make am more than enough.

Di danger for dis story real well well. For di old world, family wey no fit pay their debt fit lose their children, make dem go serve di person wey dem owe. Di law of Moses try to limit dis thing. E talk say make dem no work poor Israelite like slave, but make dem treat am like worker wey dem hire, and free am when di time reach. Di prophet Amos condemn di people wey dey sell poor people for silver. And hundreds of years after Elisha, for di time of Nehemiah, families still dey cry say dem dey take their sons and daughters like dis. So dis widow no dey face ordinary hard month. She dey face to lose her children.

Di widow oil. You go find am for Second Kings, chapter four, verse one reach seven. She think say she no get anything. Elisha ask wetin she get, and God start from there. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Which small thing you get wey you fit offer to God, and to di people wey dey around you?