When we do this we are also forgetting the loving kindness of LORD God. Do not be afraid. Go in and do as you said. } Claim and trust Gods promises. What do you have? He stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this childs soul come into him again. The LORD heard the cries of Elijah and revived the child. The prophet had to take out a loan in order to provide for his family. The worship of the true God was at an all time low. Your email address will not be published. Elijah prayed that God give him the key of the resurrection of the dead, but he was told from Heaven: Three keys were not entrusted to an agent [i.e., an agent responsible for them], but remained with God, namely: the key of the woman giving birth, the key of rain and the key of the resurrection of the dead. The city serves as part of her identification. So inspiring and, encouraging and hope-giving. What was she expecting when she went to Elisha for help? There is a widow there who will feed you. For him to pay the debt? Were not told of her praying to God herself, but she did know to go to Gods man for direction, and possibly, a miracle. Life Story of Prophet W.M.B - Part 1; Mystery Of The Godhead Revealed? Just as Elijah promised, Jehovah added to her supply of food so that there was enough to feed Elijah, her, and her son until the drought ended. This woman didn't know that the LORD is a loving LORD. Daily provision for food for three years. She was a widow living in Zarephath, a city in Zidon about where Lebanon is today. Then behind her, she hears him ask for a piece of bread. The woman from Zarephath wasn't a Jew, but a Phoenician. If only her husband were alive to squeeze a harvest from the fields. Moses, too, received his food from a woman, when Jethro sent his daughters to bring him from the well (Ex. The Widow of Zarephath. The same held true for food: when he came to the widows house, she and he ate from his [that is, both the widow of Zarephath and Elijah partook of Elijahs food, which was miraculously provided to sustain him in the widows house]. The Widow of Zarephath was desperately poor! But she showed faith, trusted in Jehovah, and fed Elijah first. Lord God, these are difficult times for so many. We are never alone, He hears our every prayers, He answers our prayers in ways we would never imagine. The widow didnt have much. And for those of us who struggle in our faith, He always meets us where we are in our imperfect faith and helps us grow. When God sends Elijah to the Widow, the instruction was that he had commanded her to feed. // check if at least one field is required We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. The Widow of Zarephath is a picture of faith. It was ironic since generally, Israelites were not supposed to be mixing with the surrounding nations. This was the case with the faith of the Widow of Zarephath. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we have a living prophet again on the earth! Our lives are intertwined for mutual provision and blessing. Right now, feel free to press pause, and get on your knees and pour out your heart to the Lord Jesus. If we have faith, it said, we will get the blessing; if we do not [have faith], we will lose it.. FACT #3 Elijah knew she was a widow because of what she was wearing. No one repented, and Elijah was forced to live in hiding. Indeed April. Her character: A Phoenician woman, she showed extraordinary hospitality to one of God's prophets, providing a safe harbor for him during a period of famine. Remember, she was looking at the possibility of dying a bit earlier if she gave away her very last meal. She was obedient and faithful to the LORD. (Psalm 23:3). New International Version (NIV). The midrash apparently understands that the food eaten by Elijah during his stay with the widow was of miraculous origin, since the entire land was suffering from a severe drought. As she decided to care for Gods spokesperson, God provided miraculously for her household. Have you ever been in debt? She was not an Israelite. Shes angry. These two boys were facing a terrible future unless God intervened. The widow could see that Elijah was an Israelite who served God. But know this God is in the business of performing miracles for which only he can get the glory. The account in 1Kings chapter17 says no more about this woman. For the rest of their lives, those boys would always remember that time when they were facing being sold into slavery but God interviewed by multiplying a pot of oil. Reinforce vocabulary and Bible studies with a fun printable wordsearch puzzle. Its easy to not deny Him when we are in love with Jesus. But God sent Elijah out of Israel, to the town of Zarephath in Sidon instead. Chicago Style Citation: In her mind, the end is near. Beg for His mercy and provision. Soon after, her son dies, and Elijah pleads to God for the power to resurrect him. Elijah must have been shocked by both the death of the widows son and the idea that the prophet somehow caused it. So glad you were encouraged. They had to be scared. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. By sending Elijah to this widow, Jehovah showed that He notices sincere people who are not yet serving Him. Just as Elijah promised, Jehovah multiplied her meager supplies so that they sustained Elijah, the widow, and her son until the drought ended. Another trial was going to test the widows faith. Her planwithout Gods miraculous intervention, which she must have hoped forshe and her son will starve to death. Upon seeing her son, the widow said to Elijah, Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is the truth (1 Kings 17:24 NKJV). He already knows, but He wants to hear it from you. Jehovah listened to Elijahs prayer and brought the child back to life. In honor of International Womens Day on March 8, 2022, we are spotlighting women who rocked in Bible times! The Widow of Zarephath had doubt, just like we all do when we have reached our breaking point. Try it FREE right now! Elijah was feed by ravens for many days. He wants us to lean on him and depend on him daily.It takes faith to deal with this. But anyone who is willing to open their hearts, God is ready to walk in. I will be praying for you my brother in Christ. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. We can learn a very important lesson from this. Ahab and Jezebel were ruling the Kingdom of Israel in wickedness. In all your ways take notice of him, and he will make your paths straight.Proverbs 3:5,6. 1 Kings 17:17 tells us it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so bad, that there was no breath left in him. Here we find reciprocal hospitality: a Phoenician widow (a non-Israelite) feeding a Jewish prophet who will eventually save her son. Titus 3:1-7 is a reminder that we all have been foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. While that is often a part of his plan, our eyes usually rest on ourselves, when in fact it has less to do with us and more to do with what He wants to do through our relationships with the people to whom He connects us. if( checkboxFields.length ) { This request was a huge test of faith. She replied: As surely as Jehovah your God is living, I have no bread, only a handful of flour in the large jar and a little oil in the small jar. This a very short Widow of Zarephath lesson about the power of fear versus the power of faith.. The Widow of Zarephath had nothing for her own family to eat, much less a prophet. The widow of Zarephath plays a small but important role in Elijah's story. Her sorrow: To suffer extreme poverty, famine, and the loss of husband and son. When the brook dried up, God sent Elijah to Zarephath with instruction to look to a widow to sustain him. Elijah tells her not to be afraid, but instead to Go home and do as you have said. They saw first hand how the oil from one jar filled enough jars to not only pay off their fathers debt, but for the family to live off of. When this happened, she was ready to be used by God.And used her he did. Have reminders sent directly to your email, Pause your devotional at any time to read at your own pace. Then Jehovah told Elijah: Rise up, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.. 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). There was a famine of food. Later, the widow's faith would again be tested when her young son died. Join with other women in theAll Gods Women Bible Study Facebook group. Elijah lived with her for 2 years and God provided enough for each day.God did not provide a whole barrel full at once. There is much curiosity about what he was called but there is no record of his name in all of Scripture. Have an update or correction? Our God is still a miraculous provider, granting what we need sometimes in the most unexpected ways. To make matters worse, he died, leaving her with a debt she had no way of paying. There it was the promise of a miracle. Every night she hoped for rain, but every morning she woke to a brilliant sky. Elijah undergoes a process of change: the death of the son enables him to understand Gods suffering at the sight of His starving handiwork and he is therefore willing to return the key of rain. He encouraged her to gather as many as she could. God bless. Then Elisha had the widow and her sons closing the door before filling the jars. First, go directly to God. This is so insightful and inspiring. She depended on her husband to provide for her and their sons, but he was so busy studying and serving that he didnt bring in enough income to meet their basic needs. In this post I will list just a few characters and stories of faith you can study to uplift your, Continue reading Faith in Bible stories: 30+ inspirational examples and stories from ScriptureContinue, The daughters of Zelophehad in the Bible were no ordinary women. The faith of Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath helps us to realize that God wants to trust Him each day. They further state that when Elijah revived the widows son, he could have resurrected his dead relatives, as well. God tells us to go here or thereto do this or thatand its easy to think its about us. Comfort her when shes feeling overwhelmed. There are so many people of faith in the Bible. Today she had scraped the last bit of flour from the barrel and poured the last drop of oil from the jug. So he made the request for food on faith, knowing that God would no doubt watch over his word and make it come to pass. Here are a few details about her that will help you to understand her story. Gods purposes are so much higher and wider than what we imagine. Elisha asked her what she had in her house. You already have the key of rain, and you [also] want the key of the resurrection of the dead? FACT #3 - Elijah knew she was a widow because of what she was wearing. He scooped him up and carried him back downstairs to his mother. Start for FREE. All He wants us to do is to love him back. Then sit back and listen to what He has to say. Elijah turns up and two things are obvious. APA Style Citation: The Widow of Zarephath helps us to better understand that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. And when she gave, something amazing happened. Background: 10 Century BC. Zarephath rest inside the region of Sidon, the native country of Queen Jezebel, the woman who married the wicked King Ahab . However, the contents of this blog post may not be modified, compiled, combined with other content, copied, recorded, synchronized, transmitted, translated, formatted, distributed, publicly displayed, publicly performed, reproduced, given away, used to create derivative works and otherwise used or exploited (including for-profit or commercial gain) without the creators expressed permission. While Ahab and Jezebel and Elijah were drawing swords on earth, that was just a representation of what was happening in the spiritual word. But then a stranger had called to her: "Woman, would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink? Did the woman remember a past sin that bothered her conscience? Elisha could have just given her the money she needed. If there was ever a Hallmark-worthy story in the Bible, this is it. If youre a listener in Nairobi, Id love to hear from you and pray with you. I am blessed that you have been encouraged. Rabbah 2:5:3). Although the poor widow of Zarephath lived in an area where many people worshipped idols, she showed faith in Jehovah. She heard, understood and walked that walk of faith. Can you imagine just a little attitude in her response to him? Tears escaped her eyes, try as she might to blink them back. The faith of the Widow of Zeraphath was absolutely stretched to limits! } That concludes this weeks episode of All Gods Women. Elijah orders the woman to prepare a small cake for him (v. 13). Did she expect a miracle or was she more practical minded? Then we should follow Jehovahs direction, no matter how difficult it may be to accept. BEST VALUE in digital Bible study. God never leaves his people without guidance and direction. After we eat it, well die (1 Kings 17:12 MSG). STOP delaying to get to know the Bible better! Elijah asks her for a piece of bread, and the destitute widow invites him to her home where she uses her last bit of flour and oil to bake for him. Rather, because she received him hospitably and attended to him, this hospitality is ascribed to her, and she also merited having Elijah revive her son (Cant. When her level of faith was compared to those who claimed to know God, she stood head and shoulders above them. At Zarephath the prophet was shown hospitality by a poor widow, whose flour and oil were miraculously sustained during a great famine and whose son Elijah, in God's power, subsequently raised from death. When Elijah arrived at Zarephath, he saw a poor widow collecting pieces of wood. The Mystery of the Four Kingdoms; The Revelation of The Seven Trumpets; The Seven Church Ages Commentary; WMB Books. For those who are being threatened by others and are feeling helpless, be their Defense. ". FACT #5 The son of the Widow at Zarephath remains nameless. We are totally dependent of the Lord in every aspect of our lives. Another tradition reveals Elijahs dislike of having to rely on other people. If everything was dying, she should have had more access to firewood. Give back the key of rain, and take the key of the resurrection of the dead. Accordingly, after Elijah revived the widows son, the Biblical text states (I Kings 18:1): Go, appear before Ahab; then I will send rain, because he had to return the key of rain and stop the drought (BT Sanhedrin 113a). God spoke to Elijah again and told him to go to Zarephath. This womans husband was one of those students. There the LORD provided safety from Jezebel. The widow's faith saved not only her son and herself but actually provided a refuge for Elijah, who may have wondered why God chose such flimsy protectiona destitute woman who lived in the territory of his worst enemy, Jezebel. She feeds Elijah in her home. The Bible account says: After these things, the son of the woman who owned the house fell sick, and his sickness became so severe that he stopped breathing. Trying to find a reason why this tragedy happened, the grieving mother said to Elijah: What do you have against me, Oman of the true God? The is a very powerful Sermon. Elijah began to entreat God, and said (v. 20): Will You bring calamity upon this widow whose guest I am, and let her son die? The Rabbis derive from this that if someone opens his house to you, you are responsible for that persons well-being. The Widow of Zarephath lessons that we will explore in this post might challenge you. And in each case, God showed them that they . And He needs to know youre listening. Elijah had to run for his life. } The widow's faith in Elijah's God, Jehovah, kept her and her son alive. His need condemned her. She needs a miracle. YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Lessons from the Canaanite Woman and her Faith. }); This man of God is asking for the last of. Elijah was staying with the widow and her household while there was a drought in the land. 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