Down a Notch or Two: A Bible Story by Nancy R. Smith Many Bible stories, like the ones in 1 Kings 17:8-16 and 2 Kings 4:1-7, feature widows. In Biblical times, a widow had neither status nor income. An unmarried woman had no status in society, so both her status and income depended on her husband or a grown son.

In the story in 1 Kings 17:8-16, a widow has not only lost the income and status provided by her husband, but she has been left to care for a young son who is not yet able to take his father’s place in providing for her. She is truly destitute, having only enough meal and oil to provide one last meal for herself and her son. Then, with no resources left, she expects that they will die.

Into this story comes the prophet Elijah who has the audacity to ask her, first to bring him water, and then to prepare the bread and allow him to eat first, thus putting at risk the life of the widow and her son.

Don’t you wonder why she was willing to do such a thing? Most of us having lost a job ourselves, might say, “I’m sorry; I can’t help you. Here’s the number of the local food pantry or social service agency.”

But Elijah tells the widow not to be afraid and promises: “thus says the LORD the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the LORD sends rain on the earth.” ⁽¹⁾

The widow trusted Elijah and did as he said. She trusted and obeyed, and his promise was fulfilled. The widow and her son did, indeed, have enough! “The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah.”

Changing Our Focus

In a similar story in 2 Kings 4:1-7, another widow takes the initiative and appeals to the prophet Elisha (Elijah’s successor) for help. Not only has she lost her husband, but his creditors are demanding that she hand over her two sons as slaves in payment of the debt.

Basically Elisha says, “What do you want me to do about it? What do you have in your house?”

“Nothing in the house except a jar of oil,” she says.

When we focus too much on what we have lost, we underestimate what we have.

Continued in Down a Notch or Two: A Fable. (This series begins with Down a Notch or Two: Loss of Income and Status.)

(1) All Scripture references are from The New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Nancy Smith is a writer, educator, and ordained deacon whose ministry is to link faith and work, spirituality and justice, passion and ethics. From her own commitment to the Christian faith, she affirms the common spiritual experiences of people of all faiths and encourages inter-religious dialogue. Nancy offers Spiritual Life Retreats as well as workshops on Workplace Spirituality and Career Decisions. All are appropriate for both clergy and laity. Visit her web ministry at www.WorkplaceSpirituality.info