*There was a famine n the land...
1 Kings 17:8 And the word of the LORD came unto him, (Elijah) saying,
9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.
(command - to direct authoritatively / exercise a dominating influence over)
10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
*The water didn’t cost her anything / it’s easy to give without cost.
11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
*He didn’t ask for the bread till she went after the water & she wasn’t aware that God had ‘commanded’ her to help Elijah.....
12 And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
*I doubt any of us can identify with the hunger & despair she felt - to her, giving him the cake would cost her everything. Look at the size of your hand - how much is a handful? there wasn’t enough to make a meal for her & her son -just a few bites to satisfy one more time before they starved to death.
13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said (make a cake for you & your son) but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. (thereof - from it)
*He didn’t say, make a cake & share it with me - He said, make me a cake first from what you have! He was asking her to give him the very thing that was going to sustain her life for a few more days! God hadn’t given her a revelation about this - all she knew was she & her son were hungry & they wanted to enjoy the taste of food one more time before death.
*Then the narrative changes - Here’s where the ‘command’ happens > Elijah says...
14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.
*She was putting her trust in a man! It wasn’t a still small voice, a burning bush, an angel - it was a man that said, “Thus saith the Lord” But there was power in that word because it was God’s word.
So, the spirit of God was working between Elijah & this woman. He had already spoken to Elijah so it was easy for him to ask for the bread. She didn’t have this relationship with God, but something compelled her to trust & give all that she had! The spirit of God made those words become truth to her - she believed - she trusted - she obeyed.
15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.
Luke 14:33 ...whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
But the story doesn’t end there ...
1 K. 17:17 - After a time, the woman’s son dies & she says to Elijah - Have you caused this - Have you come to call my sin to remembrance?
*One day, God moves miraculously for her & later she suffers this heartbreak!
We give our lives to God & expect everything to be blessings & joy - but even tho we’re in the kingdom - this isn’t heaven. We’re flesh & fleshly things are going to happen
Ecc. 9:11 - Time & chance happens to all. But he is faithful to hear the cries of the righteous!
Elijah cries unto the Lord:
1 Kings 17:20-23
...hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? (abide / dwell)
21 And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again.
22 And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.
23 And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.
*It’s a good thing the man of God was in the house!
Elijah represents the word & power of God - we must always have the word abiding in us!
(our house)
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