ANOTHER PROVISION

I Kings 17:8-11 “And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. 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. 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.”

It’s interesting to see how God provided for his servants in the Word of God. One such individual who experienced the hand of God in providing for him was the prophet Elijah. After God demonstrated His power in the conflict Elijah had with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, Elijah received provisions by way of a brook and ravens. As strange as that was, the next step in Elijah’s dependence upon God for his daily needs was even more testing. This test takes him right into the land of the Gentile city of Zarephath. Not only to the land of idolatry, but he is going to be sustained by a widow, of all people.

1. THE COMMAND – vs 9 “Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.”

I understand that this command will take Elijah some 100 miles through hostile country ruled by King Ahab who is on the hunt for him. This may test our common sense, but remember, God doesn’t have to work according to our thinking. I’m sure building the ark didn’t make sense, or walking around the walls of Jericho, or even looking at a brass serpent on a pole to heal a snake bite.

2. THE CHALLENGE – vs 9 “. . .and dwell there:. . .” That means that Elijah is to go there and stay till further notice.

This is a very difficult issue for most of us. We don’t like tests, but to think there’s no guarantee as to how long the test will last is hard to accept. If you’re like me, it sometimes takes a long time for the Potter to accomplish what is needed with this clump of clay.

To realize that he has no guarantee in the length of this stay in heathen territory is bad enough, but the next part of Elijah’s experience at Zeraphath is a greater test.

Notice the phrase “. . . behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.”

You talk about a blow to a prophet’s ego, this is it. In those days, widows were the poorest of the poor. Instead of God telling the prophet to go take care of the widow, he is going to be taken care of by the widow.

The name Zaraphath has a very interesting meaning. It means “Smelting Furnace of Refining.” I believe Elijah is about to find out that this town is going to live up to its name. Elijah had his knees cut out from under him at the Brook Cherith in that he had to depend on ravens to bring his food, and now he’s going to feel the fires of refining. In this Gentile town Elijah is going to have his pride and self-reliance stripped away.

Most of us believers are self-reliant people. We want to believe that we can make it on our own. We want to handle and be in control of all circumstances.

When God has something very special for His children, He will send us to “Zarephath” where we have to learn to depend on nothing but Him. It’s at this place that we learn Who is in control. We learn that God is still on the throne and He’s the one who calls all the shots.

Submission to His will is what God wants out of each of His children. God wants each of us to live by faith. We read in Romans 1:17 “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”

It’s at “Zarephath” that we learn that God will provide everything we need. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

In this journey of faith Elijah has been given a command. He has also faced a test which has been a great challenge. But now this great prophet of God is going to be given some encouragement in the midst of the challenge.

3. THE COMFORT – vs 10-11 “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. 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.”

After the great victory on Mount Carmel, Elijah dropped to one of the lowest points in his spiritual life. This is very easy to do. In his book "Be Strong," Dr. Warren Wiersbe writes “After we’ve experienced an exciting victory of faith, God often permits us to be tested. . .Since great victories can lead to great pride, God allows us to be tested in order to remind us to depend on Him.” In that same book Dr. Wiersbe quotes the Scottish preacher Andrew Bonar (1810-92) “Let us be as watchful after the victory as before the battle.” Elijah should have known that truth.

But now Elijah is growing one day at a time. When he gets the command, he doesn’t balk, question, or even hesitate. He obeys and sets out immediately on his cross-country hike. And when he gets to Zarephath there is something very special awaiting him. At the gate to the city, he sees “the” widow picking up sticks. It is not just an ordinary widow, it’s “the” widow that God has chosen for this task. God is not going to leave His growing prophet out in the cold wondering if this is the one. He directs him to the exact Widow that’s to supply his need. When Elijah sees her, he calls to her to fetch him a drink of water. It must have been a real comfort to his heart to see her turn to fetch his drink. It must have appeared as if God had things lined up for him.

This is reminiscent of the way God directed the servant of Abraham to the exact well where the right young lady was waiting for him, when he was sent to get a bride for his son Isaac. Elijah probably could have sung a duet with Abraham’s servant when he said “. . . I being in the way, the LORD led me. . .” (Gen 24:27)

I have learned through my study and through experience that when God is working to provide needs in our lives, He usually works on both ends:

* When Jacob and his sons needed food, God provided and allowed Joseph to be sold into slavery and then elevated to second in command of the nation of Egypt.

* When the spies needed protecting in the city of Jericho, God provided “the” harlot named Rahab to be available.

* When the Jews faced slaughter at the hands of wicked Haman, God provided “the” young lady named Esther.

*When the Ethiopian Eunuch needed salvation, God broke up a revival and sent “the” evangelist named Phillip to the desert with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

When your time of need comes, you can rest assured that your Heavenly Father has already gone ahead of you to spread the table of provision on your behalf.

Elijah has learned a tremendous lesson about the provision of God. But this story has a lesson also for this dear widow. We’ll look at that lesson next week.

That’s my view; how about you?