The mysteriously amazing ways of God’s providence… 1 Kings 17:1-16
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20kings%2017%3A1-16&version=ESV
1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe[a] in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 2 And the word of the Lord came to him: 3 “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4 You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” 5 So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that 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 drank from the brook. 7 And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” 11 And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” 12 And she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” 13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’” 15 And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.
How does a man survive drought and famine after he tells a bad king that there would be no rain until God says otherwise? v.1
1) Elijah had to hide after giving such bad news. v.3
2) God provided: Elijah was fed by ravens, and told to drink from the brook Cherith. Take note: bread and meat for breakfast; bread and meat for dinner. v.4-6
3) Then what? After a while, the brook dried up…hmmm how long was that? Imagine drinking up the whole brook – it went dry because there was no rain. v. 7
4) Again the word of the Lord came to Elijah.. what now? where now? God told Elijah to go to Zarepath. I researched that from Cherith to Zarepath is about 100-120 miles. hmmm.. how many days did Elijah travel? What did he drink or eat along the way? Why Zarepath? Who’s there? A widow.. v.8-9
5) What’s the widow doing? gathering stick to prepare her last meal with a handful of flour and a little oil in the jar v.10-12
6) Elijah: ‘Don’t worry. Go and prepare the bread – make one for me first. Then you may make one for yourself and your son.’ v.13
How? ‘The Lord God of Israel says: ‘The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth.’” v.14
Conclusion: v.15-16
So she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and she and he and her household ate for many days. The bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke through Elijah.
Lessons:
God provides through ways and means beyond man’s imagination. Ravens and starving widow… brook that dried up… one step at a time, one day at a time.
All we need to do: trust and obey. Trust God: believe that His Word never fail. He fulfils His promises. How to trust? Obey: do as he says.
Indeed it is sometimes difficult to trust and obey. If you were the widow, would you give your last meal to a stranger first even though he said there would be enough afterwards for you and your son? Even Elijah learned of God’s providence, step by step. First the ravens, then the widow. But before the raven, what did Elijah have? Only God’s Word! And he learned that God’s Word is more than enough.
