1 Kings 1 – 16 “Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As surely as the LORD lives—the God of Israel before whom I stand—there will be neither dew nor rain in these years except at my word!”
Then a revelation from the LORD came to Elijah: “Leave here, turn eastward, and hide yourself by the Brook of Cherith, east of the Jordan. And you are to drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”
So Elijah did what the LORD had told him, and he went and lived by the Brook of Cherith, east of the Jordan. The ravens would bring him bread and meat in the morning and evening, and he would drink from the brook. Some time later, however, the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.
Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Get up and go to Zarephath of Sidon, and stay there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”
So Elijah got up and went to Zarephath. When he arrived at the city gate, there was a widow gathering sticks. Elijah called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, so that I may drink.” And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread.”
But she replied, “As surely as the LORD your God lives, I have no bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. Look, I am gathering a couple of sticks to take home and prepare a meal for myself and my son, so that we may eat it and die.”
“Do not be afraid,” Elijah said to her. “Go and do as you have said. But first make me a small cake of bread from what you have, and bring it out to me. Afterward, make some for yourself and your son, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be exhausted and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain upon the face of the earth.’ ”
So she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and there was food every day for Elijah and the woman and her household. The jar of flour was not exhausted and the jug of oil did not run dry, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through Elijah.”
Ahab, son of Omri, has married Jezebel, the daughter of the King of the Sidonians and most likely a priestess of Baal, Asherah, and any other demonic cult active at that point. Spurred on by Jezebel, Ahab, is leading the northern kingdom rapidly down the road to destruction. But God has called the Israelites out of Egypt and has repeatedly delivered them from their enemies. God is not about to give the northern kingdom over to Satan without fighting back, and Elijah is God’s secret weapon.
How old is Elijah when he begins his ministry? However old Elijah is, he is one tough cookie! After delivering a daunting message to King Ahab, Elijah moves east into the wilderness near the Brook of Cherith. While Ahab is sitting in an ivory – studded palace, Elijah is sheltering in caves, depending on ravens to bring him food. Later on, Elijah will do other strenuous physical exploits. While Ahab is really a wimp, Elijah is made of far sterner stuff.
One of the most amazing things about Elijah is his unwavering faith and trust in God. “You want me to decree three years of drought and famine, Lord? No problem! You want me to hide in the wilderness? I’m on my way!” How many of us would be ready to accept food from scavenger birds such as ravens? Now, perhaps Elijah does make small fires to cook that food, but still, ravens are unclean birds according to the Law of Moses and yet it is ravens that God uses. Elijah is bright enough to realize that sooner or later, the brook is going to dry up, but he’s trusting that the same God who has sent ravens as messengers will also provide for him when that happens.
The day the brook evaporates completely, God sends Elijah to Zarephath of Sidon, Jezebel’s people. God tells Elijah that He has commanded a widow in Zarephath to provide for Elijah; however, when Elijah meets the widow, she doesn’t appear to have heard from the Lord. But God knows this lady’s kind and generous heart; He knows that this woman will do everything she can, even if it costs her the last bit of meal in the house. This widow is the second person of great faith in this story. Look at this lady’s response: ““As surely as the LORD your God lives…” God has led Elijah to a woman who believes in the God of Israel, even if she fears to claim that God as her own. It is this woman’s faith and obedience that saves Elijah, this woman, her son, and everyone belonging to her household.
APPLICATION: One of the first questions we might have while reading this passage is this: does God really do this stuff? Yes! Let me tell you about the KFC miracle. Many years ago, I had a Christian surgeon friend, call him “M.”, who had left a lucrative general surgery practice to get training as a pediatric surgeon. This family had sold their dream home and had moved half – way across America so M. could receive the training he felt God calling him to have. Many family members thought M. was crazy, and the night I came to stay with them, his father – in – law was arriving to check out the situation. I was with M. when he swung by KFC to pick up food for supper, and I was worried. That night there would be four adults plus two ravenously hungry teen – agers; the amount of food we were buying would scarcely feed three people.
I had decided that I would eat very little that night so that my friends would not be embarrassed; however, the food just kept on coming and everyone had plenty. At the end of the meal, M.’s wife and I slowly realized that we had far more food left over than the modest amount originally purchased. Not only did God multiply the KFC food, but M.’s father – in – law was so impressed by the family’s faith that he became a supporter instead of a critic.
Now the interesting thing is that while my friends prayed over their food, they did not beg God to multiply it. But the same loving Heavenly Father who had already called M. into pediatric surgery provided bountifully, leaving a potential critic with no grounds for complaint.
I love the widow of Zarephath! Elijah has been called as a prophet and is obviously a man of faith. But that widow knows very little about the God of Israel, except that she KNOWS that He surely lives! That’s more faith than most of the citizens of Israel are exhibiting at this point. And it is this faith that leads this woman to fulfill Elijah’s request and to feed him before feeding her son and herself.
If God has cared so much for this nameless lady and her household, don’t you think God will also care for you? If God was willing to multiply food for my friends, He can multiply resources for you as well. The key is obedience. Both the widow of Zarephath and my friends were obedient to God’s instructions. If you want God’s provision, you must be careful to follow His orders.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help all those whose faith is failing to remember that You don’t play favorites and that You can supply our needs in an infinite number of ways. We pray in the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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