And Eat Bread There and Prophesy There but Never Again Prophesy in the Land of Judah

Question

What is the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath?

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Beginning Kings 17 introduces the prophet Elijah and gives the business relationship of his dealings with a widow from Zarephath. The chapter notes that the Lord was withholding rain from State of israel (verse 1). The drought was in judgment of the nation's rampant idolatry, led by the royal couple Ahab and Jezebel. In verse 8, the Lord commanded Elijah to go to Zarephath, a town outside of Israel, where a widow would provide food for him. He obeyed, finding a adult female gathering sticks. He said to her, "Bring me a niggling water in a vessel, that I may drink," and, "Bring me a morsel of breadstuff in your hand" (verses eleven–12).

The widow, notwithstanding, was in great need herself. She responded, "Equally the LORD your God lives, I have nothing broiled, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may become in and prepare it for myself and my son, that nosotros may eat it and die" (poesy xiii). She expected the meal she was about to fix to be the final for her family. She had no other prospect than to die of starvation.

Elijah's respond was surely a exam of her faith. He told her that she was to make some food for him, anyway, using the concluding of her ingredients for him. He added a promise: "For thus says the LORD, the God of State of israel, 'The jar of flour shall not exist spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth'" (ane Kings 17:fourteen). The widow'southward faith was evident in her obedience. And God was faithful to His promise: "She and he and her household ate for many days. The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil get empty, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah" (verses 15–sixteen). The widow's food supply was supernaturally extended, as promised.

Elijah stayed there for some time, living in an upper room of the widow'southward business firm. The woman's son afterward died of an disease and, in her acrimony and grief, she blamed Elijah for his death—she assumed God was judging her for her sin (1 Kings 17:17–18). But Elijah cried out to God: "Lord my God, allow this boy's life return to him!" (verse 21), and the child was restored to life. When the adult female saw this, she said, "At present I know that y'all are a human being of God and that the give-and-take of the Lord from your mouth is the truth" (verse 24).

This account is also mentioned in the New Testament. Early in His ministry, Jesus was speaking in the synagogue of His hometown, Nazareth. He said, "In truth, I tell yous, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were close upwards three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow" (Luke 4:25–26). Jesus' point was that no prophet is accustomed in his hometown. Just as Elijah found more faith outside of State of israel than within it, Jesus found little faith in His boyhood home. As if to bear witness His point, the people of Nazareth grew enraged and attempted to throw Jesus off a cliff (Luke 4:29).

The business relationship of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath offers many insights. Offset, God often uses unlikely people and sources to accomplish His purposes. Second, God's mercy extends to all people, both Jews and Gentiles, and the Sidonian widow was blessed for her religion (encounter Acts 10:34–35). Third, God requires faith (Hebrews eleven:6). The widow'southward phenomenon only came later she prepared a meal for Elijah—an act of sincere faith on her part.

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Questions nearly 1 Kings

What is the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath?

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This page last updated: January 4, 2022

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