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The story of the widow at Zarephath in 1 Kings 17 is a reminder of how we are to hold fast to God.
To bring context, the Lord told Elijah to go to Zarephath and that, while there, he would be supplied with food by a widow. Elijah is obedient to God’s instruction and goes to Zarephath. He encounters the widow at the city gate. He asked her for a cup of water and a piece of bread. Her response in 1 Kings 17:12 (NKJV) states: “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.”
Despite what she just said, Elijah requested that she first make a small cake for him, bring it to him, and then make something for her and her son. In 1 Kings 17:14 (NKJV) Elijah then said: For thus says the Lord God of Israel: The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.
We must remember that the Lord told Elijah that the widow would supply him with food. Since every word spoken by God is true, we know that God would surely provide for Elijah and for the widow and her son. And God does!
1 Kings 17:15-16 (NKJV) states: 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.
Then something interesting happens. The widow’s son becomes ill. In fact, his condition worsened and he stopped breathing. In 1 Kings 17:18 (NKJV) the widow said to Elijah: “What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?”
Up until this point, the scriptures do not tell us what the widow thinks or feels about the way in which God has miraculously and faithfully provided the flour and the oil, just as Elijah had said. But now, with the thought of losing her son, the widow is quite vocal. She seems to be blaming Elijah. Although we do not know why. Her recalling a sin of the past lets us know that she is also somehow blaming herself.
Truth be told, I am not proud of the times when, much like the widow of Zarephath, in bad or uncertain times I behaved as if God was not trustworthy.
I am also not proud of the times when I behaved as if God was the type of God who loved me in one moment but was ready to punish me in the next. As if God was unstable.
Hebrews 13:8 (NKJV) states: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
The simple truth is that God does not change. God remains constant.
The widow at Zarephath had firsthand experience with God’s provision and God’s trustworthiness. When it looked like what was likely most precious to her – her son – would be lost, her experience with God’s trustworthiness should have spurred hope. Hope that the God who miraculously provided flour and oil, could also miraculously revive her son. This is a lesson for us.
As believers, we need to know, and we must find strength in, the truth that our God does not change. Our God is the faithful God. The God in whom we could put all of our trust.
Psalm 36:5 (NIV) states: Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.
Except where indicated, scripture references are from the American Standard Version (ASV), Darby Translation (DARBY), or King James Version (KJV) – all public domain.
