The Widow of Zarephath
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Thread One: "The Trials of Life"
“Get up, go to Zarephath in Sidonian territory, and live there. I have already told a widow who lives there to provide for you."
I Kings 17:9 NET
By the time the Prophet Elijah hears these words from God, he’s already been through a lot. He had confronted King Ahab over his wicked ways and prophesied there would be no rain or dew upon the earth for the next three years as punishment from God. Elijah then had to run for his life and hide by the brook of Cherith. While there, all alone and in fear every minute that Ahab would track him down, Elijah found himself dependent on ravens to bring him food each day. And then, to top it off, the brook dried up!
At this point, Elijah was probably seriously questioning God. It must have seemed that the only one suffering from the punishing drought was Elijah himself. Since the drought could be ended at his own command, how tempting it must have been for Elijah to just declare, “Enough!” and call for it to rain again. However, this man of God was soon to meet someone in much greater need than himself: the Widow of Zarephath.
The only information that Elijah was given about her was that she was (1) a widow and (2) lived in Sidon. Both of these pieces of information were bad news. A widow would barely be able to care for herself, much less a total stranger. There was no social safety net, no Judeo-Christian ethics to “Do Unto Others.” And to make things worse, this widow lived in a pagan city that was the homeland of Elijah’s mortal enemy. Elijah would be running from the frying pan of Israel straight into the fire of Queen Jezebel’s home country! Yet, Elijah faithfully obeyed God’s command as he trusted the Widow of Zarephath, a woman he had never met, to do the same.
It is interesting to note that when God first informed Elijah about this woman, it was with the understanding that she would be taking care of him. However, as we will see, it was only through caring for Elijah that the widow found her own needs met.
As Elijah journeyed to Zarephath, perhaps he tried to envision what this initial meeting would look like. How would he know her? Would she be looking for him? Would there be some kind of divine sign that would indicate exactly which widow God had entrusted his care? Would she come running up eagerly and say, “I’ve been waiting for you!” Or, would a pagan woman in a pagan land even be obedient to the command of the God of Israel?
We know much more about the widow as we read of this encounter than Elijah knew initially. Not only was she a widow, she was the sole support for a fatherless son. Not only was she the sole support for herself and her son, she was failing miserably and she knew it. Not only did she know she had failed, she knew that she and her son were going to die soon. Not only did she know they were both going to die, she knew that their deaths would be by starvation. Not only did she know they were going to starve to death, she knew that their next meal would be their last. Not only did she know their next meal would be their last, she knew that the sticks she was now gathering near the city gate would be used to light the fire that would cook the last meal they would ever eat. But she also knew the Lord God had commanded her to take care of His prophet. And when she heard Elijah asking her for a cup of water and then for a piece of bread, she knew she had a decision to make: would she focus on the overwhelming circumstances of her own life? Or would she be obedient to the command of God?
We never truly know what others are going through. It is human nature to focus on ourselves and our own needs and concerns first, second and always. This is why we must memorize, internalize and then actualize the Golden Rule of “Doing unto others as you would have them do unto you” in all our interactions. James 1:27 tells us, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” Focusing on and then acting upon the best interests of others helps us to forget about the troubles of our own lives while demonstrating the love of our Heavenly Father. As a spiritual bonus, Hebrews 13:2 reminds us “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Perhaps not every stranger in need is an angel, but why would we want to miss out on that chance?
Questions for Thought and Discussion
1. There are approximately 80 direct references to widows and orphans in the Bible. God refers to Himself as “ “a father of the fatherless, a defender of widows . . . in his holy habitation,” (Psalm 68:5). Why would our Heavenly Father focus so much attention on this particular group?
2. The Bible gives clear commands about our individual Christian responsibility to care for the widows and orphans within our communities. With the advent of Government programs such as Social Security and SSI, has our responsibility changed? How have secular organizations’ takeover of this role affected the reputation and effectiveness of the Church? What role can the local Church play that a Government bureaucracy is unable to?
3. Jesus has a special heart for widows. This is seen by his condemnation of the religious hypocrites of His day in Luke 20:46-47 “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation,” His raising of the Widow of Nain’s son as recorded in Luke 7 and His concern for the care of His own widowed Mother even while enduring the pain of the Cross. What specifically can you do today to be more Christlike in your daily walk by following His example in this area?