The Widow of Zarephath, part 1
(c) 2023 by patsy norwood All rights reserved!
Background:
It’s been an ‘on again – off again’ relationship that the
children of Israel, through their own choice, have had with God since Moses
brought them out of Egypt. They turned
away from God on more than one occasion only to be led back to Him through
godly leaders.
This study takes place under the reign of King Ahab. King Ahab was a very wicked king who ruled over
the 10 northern tribes of Israel, known as the Northern Kingdom, he was evil
and had no compassion for the people he ruled over.
I Kings 16:30- 33
Ahab son of Omri did more evil in
the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him. 31 He not only considered it
trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married
Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and
worship him. 32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built
in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger
of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him.
I Kings 21: 25-26 There certainly was no one like
Ahab who gave himself over to do evil in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel
his wife incited him. 26 He also acted very despicably in following idols,
conforming to everything that the Amorites had done, whom the Lord drove out
from the sons of Israel.
There are two things that stand out to me in these
Scriptures: (1) Ahab did more to arouse the anger of the Lord,
the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him (I Kings 16:33)
and (2) that Jezebel his wife incited him to do evil (I Kings 21:25).
May I never incite my husband to do wrong and may I always be mindful
that my actions matter to God.
As a result of King Ahab’s wickedness God sent a famine on the
land and He sent the prophet Elijah to make the announcement to the king.
I Kings 17: 1, Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of
the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel lives,
before whom I stand, there shall certainly be neither dew nor rain during these
years, except by my word.”
I wonder what King Ahab’s immediate reaction was to Elijah’s
announcement. I’m assuming it was quite
threatening for in the very next verses, we find God giving Elijah further
instructions that included hiding himself … (it seems that God is giving Elijah
his instructions one step at a time.
This surely was a faith affirming journey for Elijah!)
2 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 3
“Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith,
which is east of the Jordan. 4 And it shall be that you will drink from the
brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide food for you there.” 5 So he
went and did everything according to the word of the Lord, for he went and
lived by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 6 And the ravens
brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening,
and he would drink from the brook.
(The Brook of Cherith was about 30 miles from where King Ahab
was in Samaria.)
Did you notice that God was taking care of Elijah’s physical
needs and protecting him at the same time? I find that comforting and reassuring!
Then in verse 7, some time later, things change … 7 But it
happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in
the land.
It was time for more instructions from God and He immediately showed up …
8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 9
“Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there; behold, I have
commanded a widow there to provide food for you.”
God tells Elijah to go to Zarephath of Sidon some 100 miles
away where paganism was rampant and where Jezebel’s father, Ethbaal, was
king. It seems that God is providing for
Elijah right under Ahab and Jezebel’s nose!
(I Kings 16:31)
Meanwhile King Ahab has everyone looking for Elijah so this would
have been a dangerous journey for him. (Poor Elijah, do you think he was scared?)
I Kings 18:10 … 10 As the Lord your God lives,
there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent to search for you;
and when they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made the kingdom or nation swear that
they could not find you.
This seems to be a pretty intense political situation, involving other nations and kingdoms, revolving around God’s faithful servant, during some very godless times! The players thus far are (1) the God of creation, (2) a powerful and
wicked king and his wicked wife and (3) a faithful servant of God.
And then God’s provision for Elijah continues via a widow … a very specific widow! (I Kings 17:9) We’ll talk more about that in part 2, but for now and in closing I’d like to share some take-aways I came up with from our study thus far:
(1) God provided a way for His faithful servant (When God guides, He provides!)
(2) Elijah’s obedience to God’s instructions was imperative (I shudder to think what would have happened to Elijah had he not obeyed God!)
(3) God can be trusted
(4) God is always right on time
(5) No human, no matter how powerful, is a match for God
I’d love it if you’d share any take-aways or insights you have
over what we’ve studied so far.
What stood out for me was v. 26 that Ahab behaved despicably by “conforming” to everything that the Amorites had done. It makes me mindful of my behaviour especially, but also of that of our culture. Are we conforming to the world’s values?
ReplyDeleteSarah
Sarah, that's a very good observation! Regular 'lifestyle' checks using God's Word as the measuring instrument should be a part of our walk with God. None of us are immune to being drawn into the culture around us.
DeleteSarah, Wow, the culture has such a strong pull that I don't think I have ever seen before in my lifetime. There are so many lies that we can believe and just be drawn away so easily.
ReplyDeleteThe kind of trust that Elijah had in God is the trust that is learned by seeing that God is always faithful and that He can be trusted in all things. When my husband almost died from a heart attack and was in a coma for ten days I was told that I had to take him off life support on day three. This was repeated and I was even belittled day after day but I knew the whole story and I knew that it was not God's plan for my husband to die. God had worked everything for His purpose the night my husband did not come home from running an errand. Before he even had the heart attack in the parking lot of a grocery store God had sent a couple to rescue him. Someone we did not even know had planned to stop at Walmart for groceries and she suddenly told her husband to drive to a store about 7 miles away where they never shop. God had sent them to find my husband laying in that parking lot and they called 911. How could I think that God's plan was anything other than life! That was a turning point for my trust in God. I just have never known such peace or trust since then and I am thankful that He allowed me to see His faithfulness!
Lana, I love, love, love hearing about the faithfulness of God! We need so much more of this, it's faith building and isn't that what we all need especially now with so much going on in our world.
DeleteWhat always stands out to me in reading about Ahab and Jezebel is how much influence Jezebel had in inciting her husband to do evil, repeatedly. We all have some type of influence over our husbands, and I pray for us Christian women that our words, actions, and examples draw them towards God and righteousness, not wickedness and sin. Colton and I have been reading through Proverbs together, and last night he remarked on how many times the "contentious wife" is mentioned and warned against. It's a big deal!
ReplyDeleteYou have pointed out some things that I haven't noticed before. One, Elijah fled to where Jezebel's father was king. Two, God led Elijah one step at a time. I know my disposition is to prefer everything laid out, knowing the plan. But that is not usually how God works, is it? How would our faith increase if it was? But looking back over my walk with God, he has never ever failed to provide our needs, many times at the last minute or in the most unexpected ways.
Sarah, that is a very good point about conforming to the culture.
Kelsey, we wives have so much influence over our husbands, I pray continually about my influence over mine. Yes, it is a BIG deal!
DeleteMy disposition is the same as yours, and no, that's not usually how God works! I have to be reminded of this from time to time. God's ways are not my ways, but His ways are always the best. He has always provided a way, He is trustworthy! It is the most interesting journey when we let God lead!