So, I've finally done it. I've been thinking about this for a while, and now I've gritted my teeth and put myself out there. This will be a little series of oneshots from the Bible, to really show you all how I see the Bible. It's not a musty old book, outdated and overtranslated -- it's life. It is the word of the Creator that He gave to us to prove His love. (As if He needed to prove anything to us!)
I've started this out with a well-known miracle. Please read it and leave me a review to let me know what you think. Thank you!
"Mommy, what did he want?"
The timid question arrested his mother's movements as readily as if he had pulled on her arm. She paused and set the jar of oil down, then turned to look at him, memories of Hassan's message attacking her heart.
"Don't worry about it, dear one," she said soothingly, tickling his chin with a calloused finger.
"Are we going to starve?"
The tired smile slipped from her face and she hugged him protectively.
"Now why would you wonder that?" she asked playfully, but she couldn't completely conceal her worry from the boy.
"Your tummy is always growling," he said through his mother's hair, "even after dinner. And you always give Bade and I more to eat than you."
She pulled away and beheld his young face, crumpled with concern. She swallowed past the ache that filled her heart; she couldn't imagine that Hassan would take her two sons to pay her debts.
"Don't doubt Jehovah-jireh, Fawzi," she said. "Now go play with Bade, I'm going to sell this oil; I'll be back soon, okay?"
"Okay," he agreed, and hugged her quickly again before racing out the door.
She sighed; how could she live without her two angels? Hassan's words had crushed her more than he could know, though he seemed loath to say them. She picked up the bottle of oil and started out the front door when Fawzi's face appeared in the window.
"Mommy?"
"Yes, dear?" she said, giving him her full attention.
How many more opportunities would she have to do that? Hassan said he would take them in the morning.
"I love you," he said, then smiled and disappeared.
Part of her heart left with him and she wiped away a tear as she walked out the door to purchase their last meal as a family.
Fawzi was just about as clueless as most little boys are to anything serious, but Mommy's sudden reluctance to smile was not lost on him. She no longer ran around with them and tickled them until their sides felt like they would burst. Bade had told him in his best big brother voice that Mommy was only missing how things were before, and she would be alright in a little while. Fawzi knew better than to contradict his twelve year old brother, who was a veritable tower of knowledge, but still, he didn't think that was all that was wrong.
After all, he and Bade missed Father, and they were still laughing and playing. Mommy said Father would like to look down from heaven and see his sons laughing, so they did. It made it hurt a little less, too, when he saw his friends' fathers and felt a little lump in his throat when they hugged and laughed together.
"Fawzi! Pay attention!" Bade called to his little brother.
Fawzi shook his head and smiled boyishly. If Mommy said she was alright, then she was alright. She was never sad for long, why worry now?
He caught the balled up rags that Bade threw at him and tossed it back deftly.
"I'm getting bored of this," he said. "Can we play tag?"
"You're it!" Bade shouted, and sprinted down the street.
Fawzi shouted his complaint, but laughed and tore after him. A long while passed in this playful manner, until Fawzi claimed he had tagged Bade, and Bade disagreed. This resulted in a quick tussle with no clear winner, so Bade took up the time-worn cry and dashed inside.
"I'm gonna tell!"
"No wait!" the other screeched in alarm, "I was only kidding! I just—! Oof!"
He ran straight into his mother, who was hushing Bade.
"Fawzi, good," she murmured. Her eyes were lit up, like they had always been before. "Listen carefully, I have an important job for you two."
"But Mom, he—"
"Please Bade, we will talk about this later. I need you and Fawzi to go and borrow empty vessels from our neighbors. Jars, bowls, anything."
"Empty – vessels?" Bade said strangely, but Fawzi was already halfway down the street.
He didn't need to question his mother's motives. If she wanted empty vessels, boy was he going to find the biggest emptiest vessels in the city! He knocked on his friend Gazali's door, huffing for breath.
"Hello, Fawzi," Gazali's mother said kindly, "Gazali is at Haruni's house."
"That's fine," Fawzi said quickly, "Mommy wants to borrow some empty things from you. Like jars or bowls. Vessels," he repeated, careful to pronounce the word just as his mother had done, unsure what exactly a vessel was and not wanting to get the wrong things.
"Of course," she said, though her eyebrows lifted in surprise, "what does she need them for?"
"I dunno," he said impatiently. Why did it matter? Mommy said so, so it must be important.
"Alright then," she said, and walked into the house.
She returned with a large bowl that had a few jars and smaller bowls nestled into it carefully.
"I don't know what size or how much she wanted," she said apologetically, "can you carry this?"
"Yes I can!" Fawzi said indignantly, and took the armload from the woman.
He almost staggered, but managed to steady his weight and his pride before they crashed into the ground.
"Thank you!" he said breathlessly, and brought home the precious cargo to his mother.
He and Bade worked at their chore all afternoon, racing each other to the houses and comparing the size and weight of their burdens as the pile in the kitchen steadily grew bigger. Bade kept asking Mommy what it was for, but she pressed a finger to her lips and smiled secretively, which made Fawzi grin. It was a secret, like they had always done before. A surprise, that would be absolutely wonderful.
Finally, after they had asked everyone they knew and the stack of vessels in their kitchen left hardly any room for them to walk, Mommy shut the door and beckoned them into the kitchen.
"When I ask for a vessel, Bade," she said, "hand it to me quick as you can. And Fawzi, when I give you one, put it carefully on the table and make sure it doesn't fall over, okay?"
"Okay," they chorused, though Bade's forehead was lined with confusion.
They stationed themselves on either side of Mommy, and Bade handed her an old jar, half again as big as his fist. She picked up their little jar that held the remainder of their oil and uncorked it, then poured it into the new container.
"Mommy, what—" Bade started, then was quiet.
The oil kept coming until the jar was filled up. She handed it to Fawzi, her fingers shaking slightly. Fawzi took it and placed it on the table, right in the middle, then came back. Bade looked like he had been punched. Mommy's cheeks were flushed and her eyes were practically giving off light. Fawzi waited for another vessel, wondering why they were acting funny.
"Another vessel, please," she said quietly to Bade, who handed her a huge bowl.
Again she poured, and the bowl was filled to the brim. This time, Fawzi understood what was going on. He stared at the little jar in wonder.
"Mommy, how's it doing that?" he asked, carrying the bowl over to the table with a little difficulty.
"God provides," his mother said, giggling, as she poured oil into another jar. "Jehovah-jireh. Always."
They spent the rest of the afternoon, laughing and joking with each other as the vessels slowly filled up the table and spilled onto the floor in the bedroom. Fawzi was mesmerized by the jar, and kept looking at it carefully, to see where the oil was coming from.
"Bring me another vessel," she said, holding out her hand to Bade.
"There is not one vessel more," Bade said, peeking under the table to make sure he hadn't missed any.
Fawzi clapped his hands delightedly, then pulled on Mommy's arm.
"Look, Mommy, look at all our oil!" he cried. "We should take a bath in it!"
Bade collapsed in hysterics at the thought, and Mommy laughed too, a loud happy laugh that they hadn't heard in a long time.
"We could, couldn't we? But I need to thank someone; come with me and we can all thank him together."
"Thank who?" Bade said curiously.
"His name is Elisha," Mommy said, leading them out the door.
She brought them to the outskirts of town, where an older man stood as if waiting for them.
"I have done as you said," Mommy said, in a voice that sounded like she was talking to a king.
Fawzi was stricken with shyness and he hid behind his mother's skirt, peeking out at the proceedings. The man walked closer to them, and Fawzi could see his twinkling eyes.
"Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest," he said gruffly, though kindly.
"Thank you," Mommy whispered, and nudged her sons.
"Thank you," Bade echoed in awe, looking up at the intimidating figure.
Fawzi buried his face in his mother's skirt, but she fished him out and held him in front of her.
"Now Fawzi, say thank you to the nice man," she said softly, "he helped us get all the oil."
"Thank you," he said bashfully, staring at the man's dirty sandaled feet.
"Thank Jehovah," the man replied, and smiled.
He turned and started to walk away. Mommy and Bade went back to the house, but he wanted to stay, so Mommy said to be back by sunset. Fawzi sat on the ground and watched the figure of the man toil down the road, wondering.
2 Kings 4: 1-7; NASB
1. Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD; and the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves."
2. Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?" And she said, "Your maidservant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil."
3. Then he said, "Go, borrow vessels at large for yourself from all your neighbors, even empty vessels; do not get a few.
4. "And you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour out into all these vessels, and you shall set aside what is full."
5. So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they were bringing the vessels to her and she poured.
6. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, "Bring me another vessel." And he said to her, "There is not one vessel more." And the oil stopped.
7. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest."