The Widow of Zarephath: Part 4

In part 3, we saw the widow go from despair to a mountain top experience.  In the final part of this study, we’re going to see that for every mountain top there is a valley close by and the widow of Zarephath was about to experience a very deep and grievous valley.

Fast forward to a time referred to as “after these things” in I Kings 17:17 and we find the widow grieving over her sick son.  The Scriptures say that “the sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him.”  In other words, he was dead.  The widow had just come through a period of time where God had sustained her and her son completely and now her son was dead.  This mother’s emotions must surely have been all over the place … disbelief, confusion, shock and more.  

As this tragedy unfolds, the widow takes a look inward.  In verse 18 she seems to lash out at Elijah, “What have I to do with you, O man of God?  You have come to me to bring my iniquity to remembrance and to put my son to death.”  Apparently, the widow was thinking that the death of her son was the consequence of some sin she had committed in the past.  That’s quite a change in her attitude isn’t it, but then, doesn’t grief do that to us sometime?  In our attempts to deal with or in some cases rationalize great tragedies in our lives, we blame ourselves or lash out at those we know who represent God.  Maybe that’s what the widow was doing.

In response to the widow’s outburst, Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.”  He didn’t respond harshly or ‘give as good as he got,’ he simply said, “Give me your son.”  Then he took him from her bosom and carried him up to the upper room where he was living and laid him on his own bed.”  (verse 19)

There are two things I noticed from this verse:  (1) the widow was holding her dead child to her bosom (can’t you just see this distraught mother crying and holding the lifeless body of her child close) and (2) Elijah carried the boy’s body to the upper room where he was living and laid him on his own bed, indicating that he was still staying at the home of the widow.

Then Elijah prayed … “Then he stretched himself upon the child three times, and called to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, I pray You, let this child’s life return to him.” (I Kings 17:21) … and God answered.  The Lord heard the voice of Elijah, and the life of the child returned to him and he revived (verse 22).

Did you notice what Elijah did?  He immediately turned to God!

Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house and gave him to this mother; and Elijah said, “See, your son is alive.” (verse 23).

The emotions the widow surely experienced when Elijah brought her son back to her, not dead, but alive overflowed from her heart and she said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is true.” (verse 24). 

This widow has now witnessed two miracles which directly affected her and her son, the provision of food and her son’s life restored. If, up to this point, the widow has had any doubt about Elijah and his source of power she doesn’t anymore.  I think we can safely assume that she is now a staunch believer in the God of Israel.

That’s the last we read of this widow in Zarephath, one wonders how many people she influenced for God after these incidents.  Wouldn’t you have told anyone and everyone about God and about what He had done if you had been the widow, I’m pretty sure I would have!

Looking back at this study and passage of Scriptures I see the following:

(1) The widow and Elijah were both part of God’s plan.

(2) The widow’s heart was open to learning about the one true God and God provided the opportunity for her to do just that.

(3) Elijah got the opportunity to teach in a heavily populated Gentile area where many others were able to learn about the one true God.

(4) God can use bad things to grow His Kingdom.

(5) God is sovereign, the Great I AM

I’d love it if you’d share any take-aways or insights you’ve gotten from this study.

May you be blessed by what you’ve read!

patsy @ From This Heart Of Mine

(c) 2023 by Patsy Norwood.  All Rights Reserved.