Filling the Empty Vessels with the Holy Spirit

On Sunday morning while Pastor Sam was preaching about the woman who was about to lose her two sons into slavery. Elisha told the woman to gather up every vessel that she could and to fill them with the oil to sell them. I saw a different meaning in this passage.

The verses I’m want to look at are 2 Kings 4:3-7 which reads

Then he (Elisha) said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few, and when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.” So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. 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 live on the rest.”

The meaning I got from this passage is people are the vessels. They come in different shapes, sizes, color, and conditions. 2 Timothy 2:20 says but in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some for honor and some for dishonor. Every person is going to receive the oil different than the other person. Elisha wanted the woman to collect empty vessels, because these empty vessels represented the people that needed God. Not those who were already close to Him. The oil represented the Holy Spirit.

The woman took all of the people that wanted God and poured the oil to fill them with the Holy Spirit. Now why would Elisha want the woman to take the people and sell them? Actually, he wanted her to take the people into the world so they could find their own empty vessels and to fill those vessels with the Holy Spirit. When we continue to fill empty vessel with the oil then we can live our lives as children of God. Are we taking the opportunity of going out into the world to find empty vessels and to fill them with the Holy Spirit?

Kathleen Sterling