"Then the Lord said to
Elijah, ‘Now go to the town
of Zarephath, near Sidon,
and stay there. I have
commanded a widow there to
feed you.’" 1 Kings 17:8-9
Because of sin in the land
during the reign of wicked
King Ahab, Elijah reached
out his hand and shut up the
heavens so that it would not
rain. As a result a severe
famine spread across the
land and people began to
starve. For a while Elijah
lived near a brook and God
commanded ravens to bring
him food. It was after the
brook dried up that God gave
the instruction in our text
for today.
God told Elijah that He had
commanded a widow in
Zarephath to provide for
him, but when he arrived
there it was obvious that
she was unaware of it.
Elijah asked her for a drink
of water and a piece of
bread, but she told him that
she had only enough flour
for a meal for herself and
her son, then she was
expecting to lay down and
die from starvation. It must
have surprised her when
Elijah told her to make him
some bread first and
promised that her jar of
flour and oil would never
run out.
The woman was a Gentile and
a pagan, not an Israelite
and was a stranger to the
God of Israel. Nevertheless,
she did as Elijah asked and
the jar never became empty.
She also provided a room for
Elijah during this period.
God could have provided for
His prophet without the aid
of this widow, but He chose
to use a person. Elijah
learned that he was only one
person away from what he
needed to survive the
famine.
One day the widow’s son
suddenly fell dead. When the
poor woman cried to Elijah,
he laid the boy on his bed
and prayed for God to
restore life to his body.
After entreating the Lord
three times breath came back
into him. The woman rejoiced
and learned that she was
only one person away from
the miracle that she needed.
God provides through people.
We are called to bless
others and receive blessings
from others. There is always
a person who needs what you
can provide, and there is
always a person who has what
you need. The Bible teaches
that we reap what we sow -we
get what we give. If we sow
blessings we will reap
blessings. When we give to
the poor we are giving to
God and He will repay.
