When we left the widow in part 2, she had encountered
Elijah at the entrance of the city gate where she was gathering sticks to
prepare the last bit of food she had for her and her son.
Elijah had just made a request for a cup of water and a
piece of bread from her and she had bared her soul telling him that she was
just now gathering sticks to prepare the last food she had for her and her son
to eat and then die.
In verse 13, Elijah picks up the conversation … However,
Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go, do as you have said. Just make me a
little bread loaf from it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may
make one for yourself and for your son.
Time Out!
Providing water for Elijah was one thing but giving him dibs on her last
morsels of food ‘first’ was quite another.
Do you think she thought about what that would mean for her and her son?
Do you think it even registered with her his first
command of ‘do not fear?’ As a mother, I
can tell you that my first thought would have been for my child. How could you not ‘fear’ in this situation?
Here is a pagan woman who has been instructed by God to
take care of Elijah … all she knows about the God of Abraham is what she has
heard. This is where the ‘rubber meets
the road’ for the widow, do you think she could have struggled with the reality
of it all? Do you think she could have
questioned herself over whether God actually made the command or do you think
she might have entertained the thought that she could have been so distraught
over her situation that she had imagined God’s command? In times of great duress, our minds can make
us question everything.
Maybe Elijah could sense her possible inner turmoil for
this is what he said next in verse 14 … For this is what the Lord, the God
of Israel says: ‘The bowl of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of
oil become empty, until the day that the Lord provides rain on the face of the
earth.’”
Do you think the widow had an attitude of ‘what have I
got to lose’ or do you think she could have struggled with putting Elijah’s
request first? Elijah tells the widow
some pretty remarkable things regarding her food supply, do you think she had
trouble believing him? Do you think she
struggled with Elijah’s assurances? This
was surely a time of inwardly questioning a faith in the God she knew little
about!
15 So she went and did everything in
accordance with the word of Elijah, and she and he and her household ate for
many days. 16 The bowl of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil become
empty, in accordance with the word of the Lord which He spoke through Elijah.
We see that if she struggled with her inner thoughts,
she didn’t dwell on them long, but instead made the decision quickly to trust
him and obeyed.
Can’t you just feel the amazement that the widow surely
felt as day after day, meal after meal, the flour and oil never ran out. What a faith building time for the
widow! Do you think the widow shared
what was happening with others? What a
witness that would have been for God if she did.
As Christians today might our witness be helpful to
others simply by sharing what God is doing in our lives and in the lives of
those we know?
I’d love
it if you’d share any take-aways or insights you have over what we’ve studied in
this lesson.
May you be blessed by what you’ve
read!
patsy @ From
This Heart Of Mine
(c) 2023
by Patsy Norwood. All Rights Reserved.
