A Real Example of Faith-Episode #2

Today we are continuing to look at Elijah’s experiences and see not only his faith but another’s faith was tested by severe circumstances.  Looking further at the scriptures from I Kings 17--

I Kings 17:7-15

7          And it happened after a while, that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

8          Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying,

9          "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there; behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you."

10        So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to her and said, "Please get me a little water in a jar, that I may drink."

11        And as she was going to get {it,} he called to her and said, "Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand."

12        But she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have no bread, only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering a few sticks that I may go in and prepare for me and my son, that we may eat it and die."

13        Then Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go, do as you have said, but make me a little bread cake from it first, and bring {it} out to me, and afterward you may make {one} for yourself and for your son.

14        "For thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain on the face of the earth.'"

15a      So she went and did according to the word of Elijah, …..(NAS)

You remember from last week, I spoke of the fact that we don’t know how quickly that brook or stream of water dried up-whether it happened quickly or just turned into a dribble before drying up, but you can imagine how dismayed Elijah may have been on seeing this happen--until he heard the Word of the Lord again.  Once he heard from the Lord again and got instructions to go on to Zarephath, he set off.

We see in verse 10 that when he arrives at the gate of the city (this was a walled city--think of neighborhoods today that have security walls and gates for comparison to walled cities) there is this lady gathering sticks from the ground for firewood.  Remember, people in that day had to make fires in their homes for heating and cooking.  No electric or gas stoves.  So here she was getting wood for her cooking fire.  Elijah realizes immediately that this is the widow who was to provide for him, so he asks for water and as she goes to get some, he also asks for a bit of bread.  Now this woman, seeing his distinctive clothing, knows she is dealing with a Jew, and thanks to God she is not prejudiced.  She answers, “As the LORD your God lives, I have no bread.  Just a handful of flour and oil which I was getting ready to fix for my son and me for our last meal” (My paraphrase of what she was saying)  She really expected she would not be able to feed herself and her son again and they would starve to death.  Yet here is this guy asking her of all people for food.  Elijah’s answer is “Make some for me first and then for you and your son for the Lord God of Israel will see to it that you do not run out of flour or oil till the day that He sends rain again” (again my paraphrase)

Now here is where her faith had to come in-she just gets told by this stranger, a Jewish fellow she has never met, to go make some bread and expect that she would not run out of flour and oil till the next rain.  She knew very well what amount of flour she had left and what amount of oil, and that was barely enough for two people, much less three people for a meal.  She has a choice to make here.  Either she believed him or she doesn’t.  Now she doesn’t know him from Adam, yet she chooses to believe him and goes and does as he says.  She put her faith in Elijah’s word from the Lord, and went and made the bread.  She did not argue with Elijah whether the Lord really said that or would provide.  She and her son were about to starve and she really had nothing to lose even by obeying since by human understanding she and her boy were about to starve anyway and she isn’t so selfish that she would deny a hungry stranger some food.  So, by faith, she goes and makes this bread and serves it to him.  And who is it that always comes through for us when the chips are down, when we are at our wits end and can’t do for ourselves-God of course.  He waits many times for us to be in extreme need and looking to Him for help, before coming through on His promises of help.  She very well may have been praying to the God of Israel well before she met Elijah because she saw the flour running out and had no way to replenish her supply. Back to verse 15, the 2nd half

I Kings 17:15-16

15b      and she and he and her household ate for {many} days.

16        The bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke through Elijah. (NAS)

As we see, Elijah not only heard from God rightly, but God proved Himself true to His word and took care of this widow and Elijah during this time of famine.

Have you ever been at the end of yourself and God challenged you to obey Him in some area of your life and you could see no way of provision-whether you obeyed or not?  Have you ever been to the point where you could see no way out, and you had been praying and praying and praying and praying and not seemed to get an answer until you got an answer that challenged your faith that God could handle the provision and all the details.  You could see no guarantee of things working out right if you went and followed God’s will-you could not see how God could provide, or even ask of you what you were being asked to do.  Well, that was the situation the widow of Zarephath was in-all she had to go on was God’s Word thru Elijah.  She chose to trust him and God and chose to obey.  God did the rest.  You ever been in that situation? 

Next time you are faced with impossible circumstances, you have a choice-to believe God and do as He calls you to do, or to disbelieve Him and suffer the consequences of worse circumstances.

Have a blessed weekend.  The Good News Lady

P.S.  Did you notice?-God did not provide more than enough flour and oil.  He did not make the widow rich.  She and Elijah and her son had just what they needed every day.  Remember how God provided one day at a time for the people of Israel in the wilderness?  What will you do the next time God calls on you to follow Him by faith?