The Oil Pot

Laish was the only son of the largest olive-grower in the town of Chesulloth. He loved to help crush the olives and catch the fine olive oil in pottery vessels, which his father sold for a good price. After work Laish often played with the two sons of Obadiah the prophet, Levi and Samuel, who lived down the street. But when Obadiah, their father, died they were very sad and didn’t come out to play anymore.

“Obadiah was a good man, but he borrowed money,” Laish heard his mother say to his father. “Will the God whom they trusted help those poor boys now?”

“Jehoram will have no mercy,” his father said grimly. “He will sell both boys into captivity if their mother can’t pay her debts.”

Levi and Samuel sold as slaves? Laish felt terrible, but what could he do to help them? He had some pocket-money from working, but it wasn’t enough. Laish was still thinking about it when he saw his friends come up to the door with several jugs and pots on a cart.

“Do you have any empty vessels we can borrow?” they asked Laish’s mother. She looked surprised, but then smiled kindly.

“Laish, go get the big water pot,” she said.

“What are you doing with all these?” asked Laish, as he helped load the huge container onto the cart.

“Mother said to get all the containers that we can,” Levi said. “This is our ninth cart load,” Samuel added.

“I’ll help pull it to your house,” Laish offered.

When they got to the door, Levi and Samuel’s mother came out. “You must go home now,” she told Laish. “Thank you for helping.”

As Laish turned to go, he glanced through the open door. His friends must have gathered all the extra containers in the village, for the floor and table was covered with vessels! What were they going to do with them all? You can’t get money from empty containers, can you?

All the windows of Levi and Samuel’s home were closed tightly, but Laish knew there was a hole in the back window shutter. He squeezed behind the prickly pear bush and peeked in.

“Bring me a vessel,” Levi and Samuel’s mother was saying. Laish watched his friends pull the huge watering pot over to the table. He stared as the mother took a small jar of olive oil and began pouring it into the big pot. She poured… and poured… and poured… and poured. Laish couldn’t believe his eyes. He rubbed them, to see if he was dreaming. No, that huge pot was full of oil!

“Bring me another vessel, boys,” the mother said, a smile shining on her sad face. Laish felt a tingle of excitement go up his back as he watched her begin pouring into the next container. Sure enough the little jar kept pouring the olive oil on and on without running out. It must be magic! He watched while the boys fetched and the mother poured, until his back ached from crouching.

“That’s the last one,” Levi said at last. His mother put down the oil jar on the table with a sigh and rubbed her back. “Let’s go see Prophet Elisha, boys,” she said. They left, closing the door behind them.

Laish scrambled out from behind the house. Carefully he opened the door, and looked inside. There sat the magic olive pot and it was still full! Without thinking twice, he grabbed it and ran out to his father’s orchard. Sure enough, there was one of his father’s empty olive vessels. It was twenty times as big as the little oil jar. Laish poured the oil from the jar into the big pot. It wasn’t a magic jar after all, for soon it was empty. And the big pot had barely enough oil to cover the bottom! What was the secret?

“My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”* (Philippians 4:19)