Walking Among Them: The Widow of Zarephath
May 9, 2009 by Lori
The object of this study is to take some time out of our busy, often chaotic days and spend some time with women who have gone before us. Not just any women, but 26 women of the Bible. We’ll “Walk Among Them” and see how their stories relate to our lives. It’s my hope that we will discover God’s presence and grace in our own lives as the lives and lessons of these women unfold before us this year.
The Widow of Zarephath
Begin by reading 1 Kings 17:8 and Luke 4:25 – 26 to become familiar with the woman we’ll walk with today.
In 1 Kings 17:8 we meet the Widow of Zarephath and that is the only name we’ll know her by. We have no clue as to her name, but the legacy that she leaves is a lasting one.
In order to understand the significance of this woman, we have to take a few steps back and look at what is going on at the time which led to Elijah’s encounter with this woman. It is when Elijah is commanded by God to go to Zarephath of Sidon that we meet this woman. At this time in history Ahab is ruling Israel and along with being a notoriously EVIL king, he married Jezebel and had all of the land worshiping Baal. Elijah tells Ahab (1 Kings 17:1) that;
“As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except by my word.”
Did Ahab listen? Noooooooo, of course not.
Elijah was told by the Lord to;
“Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there. So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan and stayed there. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening and he drank from the brook.” (1 Kings 17:2-6)
It was over time that this brook which quenched Elijah’s thirst dried up because there was no rain. THEN, the Lord told him to head out to Zarephath. Zarephath was a Mediterranean town on the coast of Phonecia. The town was worshiping Baal and Elijah was not just told, COMMANDED to go there where he would encounter a widow. God told him that this widow would provide him food.
Elijah, the prophet, does as God commands. He makes his way to the town and he finds the woman who is gathering sticks and in this first encounter he asks her;
“Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.” As surely as the Lord your God lives, she replied, “I don’t have any bread, only 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.”
(1 Kings 17: 10 – 12)
Elijah tells assures her to not be afraid, knowing that fear plagues her heart, in that giving away this food will ensure that her and her son will die of starvation. She believes the prophet and obeys his command when asks her to make a small cake of bread for him. He tells her that doing this is God’s plan.
Guess what she did?
She went and did EXACTLY what Elijah said.
GUESS WHAT? God rewarded this by providing for the widow and her son.
“For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.” (1 Kings 17: 16)
The story continues on in 1 Kings 17:17 where we read that the widow’s son has become ill and she tells Elijah, “What did you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?” Elijah then takes her son off into an upper room and cries out to the Lord on behalf of the boy. He begs the Lord to return life to the boy. This woman is the FIRST to witness the power of God to raise up the dead.
The woman is angry and upset and distraught. She has lost a husband and now is losing a son. She blames Elijah for causing it but when Elijah, after begging God, the boy’s life is returned to him, the woman KNOWS that he is a man of God and that the word of the Lord from his mouth is true. This woman again experiences the miracles that only God can provide. It’s in through her faithful acts that we see her rewards through all of her pain. God indeed displays his mercy and power to a woman who by society’s standards is worthless. We see God’s grace in meeting us right where we are to provide us with what we need most…..faith.
Reflections from the Walk
With each woman that we study, I’ll have some thoughts and ideas for reflection, meditation and journaling that will be called “Reflections from the Walk.” It’s in Walking Among Them that we can learn lessons that we can take with us on our daily walks.
1. One of the parts of this story which reveals the widow’s character is when this STRANGER calls to her, as she is gathering sticks, to fetch him some water for a drink. As she ever so graciously moves to do as he asks, he calls to her, “and bring me, please, a piece of bread.”
HUH?
I paused and admittedly I thought to myself, had I not known that this “stranger” was a prophet from God, as she didn’t, what would my reaction have been.
I’m somewhat embarrassed to say that it wouldn’t have been along the lines of, “Hey listen buddy, you interrupt my stick gathering, which I’m doing because my son and I are STARVING, to ask for a drink. Being the NICE gal I am, I said sure, but buddy, you’re pushing it here, with asking for a piece of bread too.”
She didn’t just sigh and mumble under her breath, we are told that she replied, “As surely as the Lord your God lives, I don’t have any bread…” She is honest with him and tells him that he’s asking the wrong gal. When the Prophet tells her not to be afraid and that this is what God commands, she doesn’t’ curse him, or make snide remarks, she does as he’s asked. What a LESSON in that!
I don’t know about you, but I saw myself in this exchange. I saw myself as the woman who is asked, and asked and asked to DO things by my family and friends. It caused me to pause and reflect on HOW DO I RESPOND?
Spend some time noticing the times that OTHERS, family or otherwise, call on you to DO things. Keep a record of your reaction.
Did you respond in faith like the widow or did you allow your earthly emotions dictate your reaction?
Work to change your heart if this proves to be an issue in your life. Meditate on Luke 4: 24 - 27. Consider that just as God chose the widow of Zarephath when there were plenty of widows in the land, perhaps HE is choosing you. It’s in a new light that we may find ourselves changing our attitudes, for God.
2. The needs of those who are hurting can not be ignored. Often it’s those who are in the most need that are ignored the most and cast out of society. Notice those around you. Pay attention to what you hear and ask the Holy Spirit to guide your heart into action regarding the needs of others. This need not be an expensive or exhausting exercise, just an extension of Christ’s hand to those near to you. It just may be that your simple act of kindness shown to a woman or family in need could mean more than you’ll ever know!
3. Elijah reminds the woman not be afraid. We have heard it before, but she believes it. If worry is something that burdens your heart, journal the things in your life that are a source of worry. Then spend time in fervent prayer asking God to take worry away.
Some Scriptures to reflect and memorize include:
Isaiah 41:10
Psalm 56: 3-4
Psalm 61:2-3
Isaiah 41:13
Matthew 6:34
Again we see a woman whose mention in Scripture is brief and yet in walking with her a brief way, we take away so much. It continues to amaze me that relevant lessons that apply just as much to OUR lives as they did to those women of ancient days. Walking among them, even for the brief time we are given, is indeed a blessing.
A PDF of this study is here
Lori is a 5 year homeschool mom to 3. Currently a 8th grader, a 6th grader and a 4th grader. Lori insists that when she was wrestling with the decision to home school, a gentle voice guided her with the words, “you know what you should do.” Never looking back, accepting the challenges and rewards and CONSTANTLY clinging to THE ROCK…”No Storm can shake my inmost calm when to this ROCK I’m clinging.” Lori hopes to impart peace and inspiration amidst the daily chaos. Be sure to visit her blog at All You Have to Give.
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