Bible Objects: Jar of Oil

How could a nearly empty jar of oil sustain a family when there was nothing left to give?

To uncover the mystery, we return to the days of Elijah, when God was showing His power in a land consumed by famine and idolatry.

Because of Israel’s rebellion and worship of Baal, Elijah had announced that there would be no rain. As the drought continued, food became scarce throughout the land. Eventually, God sent Elijah outside Israel to Zarephath, where he encountered a widow gathering sticks for what she believed would be her final meal with her son.

Elijah asked her for water and then for a small piece of bread. She explained that she had only a handful of flour and a little oil left. She was preparing to make one last meal before she and her son faced starvation.

But Elijah told her not to be afraid. If she trusted God’s word and prepared the food as he instructed, the flour would not run out and the oil would not fail until God sent rain upon the land.

The widow believed him.

She used the last of what she had, and the miracle began. The flour remained, and the oil continued to flow. Day after day, the little household survived because God provided what they could not provide for themselves.

And there is another remarkable detail: this woman was not an Israelite. In the midst of a famine brought upon Israel because of its unfaithfulness, God showed His provision to a foreign woman who trusted His word.

The little oil vessel was not valuable because of its size or material. Its significance came from what happened when a desperate woman trusted God with the little she had left.

A nearly empty jar became a testimony that God’s provision was greater than her poverty, and that His mercy could reach even beyond the borders of Israel.