The widow’s oil: Elisha, empty jars and provision in 2 Kings 4
A prophet's widow faced losing her two sons to a creditor. Elisha told her to gather empty jars and pour out her little oil. A teaching…
Tag
Old Testament
The Tower of Babel: pride, language and scattering in Genesis 11
In Genesis 11, people settle in Shinar and build a city with a tower reaching to the heavens to make a name for themselves. God confuses…
Rahab and the scarlet cord: faith in an unlikely place in Joshua 2
In Joshua 2, Rahab, a woman of Jericho, hides two Israelite spies and asks for mercy for her family. A scarlet cord in her window marks…
The Shunammite woman: hospitality, a promised son and faith in 2 Kings 4
In 2 Kings 4, a wealthy woman of Shunem builds a room for the prophet Elisha. He promises her a son, and when the boy later…
Samson and Delilah: strength, weakness and a final prayer in Judges 16
Samson, the strongman judge of Israel, was set apart as a Nazirite from birth. His story in Judges 13 to 16 ends with Delilah's betrayal, his…
The ornate robe: Joseph, his brothers and the pit in Genesis 37
In Genesis 37, Jacob gives his favourite son Joseph an ornate robe. Joseph's dreams of ruling his brothers deepen their hatred, and they throw him into…
A stone for a pillow: Jacob’s ladder at Bethel
Fleeing from his brother Esau, Jacob sleeps in the open with a stone for a pillow and dreams of a stairway reaching heaven. God promises to…
The last handful of flour: Elijah and the widow of Zarephath
In 1 Kings 17, during a severe drought, God sends Elijah to a widow in Zarephath who has only enough flour and oil for one last…
Stand still and see: the crossing of the Red Sea in Exodus 14
Trapped between Pharaoh's army and the sea, the Israelites panicked. Moses told them, "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." This…
The fish is the least surprising part of Jonah. The prophet was angry that God forgave his enemies
Most people remember Jonah for the great fish. The book itself ends with a question: the prophet sulks under a withered plant, angry that God spared…