Women with a Story to Tell: The Unnamed Widow of an Unnamed Prophet.

 We have noted that not every Biblical woman with a story to tell has a name, and not every woman gets to tell her story. A few do get to tell their own story, like Ruth and Naomi. Some are characters in a story that is told by men reporting on events in Scripture, like Jael or Jezebel. Many appear only as “a woman” or “the wife of X,” or “a widow.” 

 The story today is one of a widow who does get to tell her own story. She does not complain about her misfortune in losing her husband, but rather about the awful truth that men in society often victimize the vulnerable. 

 “Now the wife of a member of the sons of prophets cried to Elisha, ‘Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD, but a creditor has come to take my two children as slaves’” (II Kings 4: 1).

 Now, right off the bat we have a phrase here that we might not understand: “the sons of the prophets.” The use of the word ‘sons’ is similar to ‘The Sons of Liberty,” which was an American organization founded in 1765 to resist a despotic king. In the Biblical case these 'sons' were a small group of disciples who travelled with a senior prophet, learned Scripture, and practiced the trade of preaching. They are not famous, but they show up in several other places as well. (I Samuel 10:5 and 19:18-24; I Kings 20: 35; II Kings 2: 1-7, 13-15, and 6: 1-2).

Most are not named, although Elisha seems to have been among the company of Elijah’s disciples. There are several other unnamed prophets, often introduced into a story as “a man of God.” (I Samuel 2: 27; I Kings 13: 1-3, 11, 20-22, 29; II Kings 23: 18).

 So, today, we have an unnamed woman, the widow of an unnamed prophet. She does not have much to recommend herself, does she? Well, it depends on who is doing the judging. Is every soul precious in the eyes of God? Particularly, vulnerable ones like aliens, orphans, and widows? Here is a widow with children orphaned by their father’s death. 

 A widow in patriarchal societies, such as those of Biblical times, in both Old and New Testament eras, faced this problem. You would think that there would be laws against taking advantage of vulnerable women and children. Oh, wait! There are, and God made these laws. 

 Widows typically did not have a large enough source of income to survive alone, as well as take care of children. If they were mistreated, they did not have standing in court because they had no man to speak for them. This woman fell into debt and she has no one to protect her from debtors. Of course, the debtors would say that they were just doing their job. Yeah, sure. Of course you would defend the system that is tipped in your favor. What recourse does she have in a society that offers little help to vulnerable people? 

“Elisha said to her, ‘What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?’ She answered, ‘Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil’. He said, ‘Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels—and not just a few. Then go in, shut the door behind you and your children, and start pouring into all these vessels; when each is full, set it aside’” (II Kings 4:  2-4).

 First, Elisha seeks to turn her gaze toward something that she does have, some resource that might be tapped to rescue her. She does have a jar of oil. What can she do with that?

 Second, Elisha recognizes that this woman does have neighbors. What difference does that make? Down through time, healthy communities have been made up of people who cared for each other. If someone is sick, neighbors bring food and medicine. If someone is mistreated by outsiders, whether by hoodlums or by the king’s men, neighbors gather to defend the victim. Remember Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan, which was a lesson in neighborly love, a sobering thought for the questioner who was looking for a way out of his obligation to others. 

Third, this sounds like a silly idea, doesn’t it? The widow woman probably thought so too. However, she is the wife of a prophet who was a disciple of Elisha. She declares that her husband “feared the LORD.” Does she share that kind of faith? 

“So she left him and shut the door behind her and her children; they kept bringing vessels to her, and she kept pouring. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, ‘Bring me another vessel’. But he said to her, ‘There are no more’. Then the oil stopped flowing” (II Kings 4: 5-6).

She had the faith to keep pouring oil out of a jar that should be empty by now. And she managed a household where children learn lessons of faith as well. A remarkable woman. She does not presume what to do next but goes again to Elisha who acts as a mediator between her and God.  

"She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your children can live on the rest” II Kings 4:7).

The story ends there. We are to presume that things went well for the widow. Elisha’s willingness to act to protect a vulnerable widow in a predatory male society reflects God’s interest as well. As you have heard me say before, God’s measure of a godly society is how well those at the edges of society are protected and empowered. The vulnerable are often represented by the phrase “the orphan, the widow, and the alien.” Sometimes they are just called 'the poor'. How they are treated is a measure of the justice, mercy, and righteousness in a society. 

 We know that this is God’s central concern because the orientation is reflected in the behavior of Jesus as well. A quick survey of the Gospel according to Luke shows that the main subject of Jesus' healing efforts as well as examples used in teaching includes a widow, orphan, or alien eight times. This is a significant theme in God’s salvation story and the reason Jesus said that he came "to bring good news to the poor, ... to proclaim release to the captives ... and to let the oppressed go free."