Widow of Zarephath ~ The Gift of Enough

The gnawing growls of her stomach and the anguish of her heart goaded her forward. Death and despair surrounded her. As the drought continued, her dreams had dried up with the wadi. First, her husband had died, and now she and her son faced certain death. With just enough oil and flour for one meal, the widow of Zarephath was searching for firewood to cook their last bit of food. Then they would die of starvation—alone.

Perhaps you’re standing today where the widow of Zarephath was—desperate, worried about your family, and finding hope is a distant memory. Maybe you’ve lost your job, or someone you love is sick, or you’re alone and afraid, wondering how you can make it through the next 24 hours. Do you fear God has forgotten or forsaken you? That you’re on your own, and your resources are disappearing? What secrets did the widow of Zarephath discover that can rekindle our hope?

Backstory

Ahab, king of Israel, followed the path of his predecessors and led his people—God’s chosen people—to worship idols. When he married Jezebel, he also added her god Baal to the gods he served, intensifying the Lord’s anger. So, God sent the prophet Elijah to alert Ahab that there would be no rain or dew for the next few years. (1 Kings 17) Then Elijah disappeared. Since Ahab thought Baal was the rain-giving god, he dismissed Elijah’s warning of divine judgment. But days turned into weeks, which turned into months. Rivers dried up; crops died; people and animals were starving. And not just in Israel; the drought also affected Israel’s neighbors.

First, God directed Elijah to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan River. After the brook dried up, God told Elijah to leave Israel and go to Zarephath near Sidon, the homeland of Jezebel and Baal worship. The Lord assured Elijah he would provide for him in that pagan land.

Elijah’s Encounter with the Widow of Zarephath

As Elijah neared the town of Zarephath, he saw a woman gathering sticks. Worn out from his journey, he called to her, asking her to share her precious water with him. A Westerner might see his request as insensitive, but in her culture, meeting the needs of guests was an honor. Without hesitation, she turned to get what he requested. The tradition of hospitality among her people demanded she comply, despite his ethnicity and her limited resources. But when Elijah also asked for bread, she admitted her desperate circumstances, that she didn’t have enough to share. However, like most of us, the widow of Zarephath wasn’t in the best position to measure whether she had enough.

“Don’t be afraid,” Elijah counseled her.

First, make a small loaf 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 sends rain on the land.”

1 Kings 17:13-14

Relationships in honor/shame cultures are reciprocal. Therefore, Elijah needed to erase his social debt to the widow by giving something in return, so he gave her God’s promise. As she trusted God for his provision, he proved himself trustworthy by protecting her supply of flour and oil. Scripture offers no sign that she had an abundance, only that she had enough for each day.

Application for Us

Many people in our world question how they can survive with the limitations they’re facing. What was the widow’s secret? She wasn’t an Israelite; she had no history with the God of the Hebrews, and she had doubts about Elijah. Yet, when God made a promise, she acted on it. And every day, as she reached in the flour jar and poured oil out of the jug, she discovered the One Who Is Enough. 

If you’re like I am, you wish God would share the five-year plan with you, or at least the 30-day plan. But he wants the relationship that comes from our need to rely on him every day. As we walk in faith and obedience, keeping our minds focused on him, he proves himself faithful, giving us enough for today.

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

Matthew 6:34, The Message

Where do you need to trust the One Who Is Enough during these days?