The Widow of Zarephath: Introduction
Daily Threads
What do we know about the Widow of Zarephath whose story is found in I Kings 17:8-24? Well, very little. Even her name is lost to the history. We do know she was a Phoenician woman living in a pagan land and that she showed extraordinary hospitality by providing safe harbor for one of God’s prophets during a period of famine.
We certainly can imagine her sorrows as she suffered from the joint losses of both her husband and her son. She must have been as overwhelmed by grief as she was by poverty.
However, her sorrow, like our own, is not the end of her story. She found great joy in the sustaining miracles of God’s great provision in her life.
Key
Scripture
"But I tell you in truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut three years and six months when great famine was throughout all the land: and unto none of them was Elijah sent, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow."
Luke 4:25-26
She longed for the love and support of her husband as she worked to gather the kindling to start the fire. Her fears had been overwhelming her lately and without the support of her family she was left with her many worries and her meager meal. Her entire life had been lived at Zarephath just outside of Sidon, which was a territory ruled by the father of Jezebel.
The hunger pains in her stomach coupled with the tears that were threatening to escape her eyes as she pondered her seemingly hopeless lot. She had no one to comfort her. If only her husband was here to help reap a harvest from the field! He had not survived, though, and had left her a widow with a tiny son. If only her husband could wrap his arms around her and soothe her worries with a loving embrace and kind word! She starved herself in order to have enough food to provide for her child. As a Mother she felt she was an abject failure. She could not provide even the most basic necessities for her child.
She was thinking about her many failures as she prepared for a final super for herself and her child when she was startled by the voice of a stranger. The stranger had called out to her saying “Woman, would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” She generously went to fetch the water when the stranger said “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.” This man must be crazy, she thought. I am starving and, more importantly, my child is starving - but, sure, I will get to work immediately on your bread (and maybe a steak dinner to accompany the bread since we are not dealing in realities). She took a deep breath and replied, “As surely as the Lord your God lives, I don’t have any bread, just a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it-and die.” There, she had said it. The words came out in a torrent. In a strange way, she felt almost relieved to speak out loud to this stranger the devastating truth that had been tormenting her for months.
However, the man insisted saying “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: “The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord gives rain on the land.” She could have unleashed all of her anxieties by angrily calling him mad or cursing him for his foolhardiness. Instead, the woman did exactly what the stranger had requested of her. She was a pagan woman and not a follower of the Jewish religion. Because she was not a Jew, but a Phoenician, she had no idea that the stranger was the prophet Elijah. Elijah had informed King Ahab that God was withholding the rain to punish the idolatry of Israel. This humble, simple woman would have been shocked to learn that God has also told Elijah to “Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food.”
This woman, wracked with sorrow and yearning for comfort and aid had no way of knowing that God was watching over her and knew her heart. She did not know Elijah but she believed him and gave him everything all she had. The widow of Zarephath had felt utterly alone, not knowing God had His eye on her. Yet for some reason, she believed Elijah and acted accordingly, giving him everything she had. After this occurred, every time the widow dipped her hands into the flour or poured oil from the jug, she saw yet another miracle unfold. The miracles were of God’s provision. Elijah had promised her that her flour and oil would always replenish, and it never failed until at last the rains returned to the parched land.
God showed this pagan widow grace and favor in her moment of extreme need. Her faith not only saved her child but she was able to give Elijah refuge as well. Elijah must have wondered what God was thinking sending him into the territory of the evil Jezebel, but here in the land of his enemy he found safety and provision. The widow had been a witness to God’s grace, and yet her faith would again be tested at the death of her young son. She would be gifted to be a witness to God’s grace again in her life, for she would witness God’s power to raise the dead. God raised her young child when Elijah prayed unceasingly to Him for this never before seen miracle. This simple woman who had borne poverty, loss and knew hopeless desperation intimately would become a beneficiary of God’s grace and mercy. Her harvest sewn in faith reaped a bounty of grace.
