Faith, Fear and Flour Part I

When God declared through the prophet Elijah that there would be no rain nor even dew in the land for some years, He made provision for His servant. Ravens brought him bread and meat, while a bubbling brook quenched his thirst—until the brook eventually dried up due to the very drought that Elijah had foretold (1 Kings 17:1-7).

The Uncooperative Widow

God’s next source of sustenance was a certain Gentile widow living in Zarephath, Sidon. The Lord said to Elijah, “I have commanded a widow there to provide for you” (1 Kings 17:8-9, NKJV). When the prophet arrived at the gate of the city, he did indeed find a widow there, gathering sticks.

Scripture does not tell us how Elijah knew she was a widow. Perhaps, she wore clothes associated with mourning. Maybe, the Lord identified her to him directly. Possibly, he asked a resident to point out any widows in the immediate vicinity. Surprisingly, even though God had told Elijah that he had commanded a widow of Zarephath to provide for him, it did not appear as if this woman had heard any instruction from Him. Her answer to Elijah’s request for a meal was: “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die” (1 Kings 17:12, NKJV).

In other words: “No. I cannot help you.”

Elijah was either approaching the wrong widow or worse, the right one was refusing to obey the instruction she had received from the Lord. The woman even referred to the Lord as “your God” rather than “my God” or even “our God”.

This was no faith-filled, water-walking, Kingdom-warrior widow. This was a worrying widow—and a hopeless one at that. She was broken, burdened and ready to die.

Persistence Pays

If I were Elijah, I would have gone on my way. I would have sought out the wealthy widows in Zarephath’s upper class until I met one who possessed a fearless faith in the Almighty—and who had heard the Lord's instruction to provide for me.

However, this is not what Elijah did. Rather, he responded to her avid refusal and woeful declaration with a blatant, even rude request.

He told her to feed him first.

If she did, God would ensure that she and her son would never go hungry, regardless of the drought. Her flour bin would never empty. The oil in her jar would not cease to flow.  

I find this gumption of Elijah fascinating—and inspiring. This is the level of trust he placed in the promise given to him by God.

God had promised him that a widow in Zarephath would provide for him. Here was a widow. She lived in Zarephath. She met the two requirements. If she would only feed him—even once—she would step into that promise and be part of its fulfilment.

What did the widow do? “So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah” (1 Kings 17:15-16, NKJV).

Elijah’s persistence paid off. The widow became the person chosen by God to provide for him—whether she was the Lord’s first choice or not. Both partook of the miracle. Both lived. Both became beneficiaries of the promise.

What can we learn from this story? Read Part 2 now.