A Mothers Faith
Notes
Transcript
1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe 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.
Almost anyone with children will tell you they would do anything for them. Sacrificing things for themselves so their children can have. But a mother makes extraordinary sacrifices. From the sacrifices made of their own body while they carry the child, to the sacrifice of sleep during nightly feedings. The inherent knowledge of a mother when a child is becoming sick. Even things like sacrificing television time to watch children’s shows, or sacrificing hours on the ball fields. They give all of themselves, so that their children can have all they need. There have been examples of mothers and other women who sacrificed their own health by making sure their children have food while neglecting to eat themselves. To be quite honest, a mother is willing to sacrifice everything.
Leading up to 1 Kings 17, Ahab has been put into a place of authority, leading Israel. Scripture tells us he did evil in the sight of God by building a pole to worship Asherah, a Caananite fertility goddess. As a result of this disobedience, and a turning away from God, Elijah calls for a drought to come across the land until Israel repented. Elijah tells this to Ahab, and then leaves the area to a place where God had prepared for him, by the brook Cherith east of the Jordan River. God promised to meet Elijah’s needs, sending ravens to feed him and the brook for his water. But because of the drought, the source of his water dried after some time and God told him to go to Zarephath -a city between Tyre and Sidon on the coast - to live.
9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.”
God was continuing to care for Elijah, providing the simplest needs such as food and water. Before, it was the ravens that brought him bread and meat in the morning and the evening. Now, God tells him He has prepared another way to meet the need of the prophet. A widow will feed him. Elijah faithfully does as God commanded, heading to Zarephath.
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.”
Once again, Elijah is obedient and finds the widow as God has said. As she is gathering sticks he asks for a little water to drink. Now, notice this city is in Gentile territory - an area where God would not have been worshiped. So, it could be thought this widow may have known little about Israels’ God. Furthermore, if we think of a widow, this would have been one of the poorest, neediest people in the city. This area also relied on Israel for a majority of its food supply, so if Israel was experiencing a drought…the these other outlying areas would be suffering also. But, when God sends - it is up to us to obey. We may not understand why God is asking us to do, but it IS up to us to simply follow Him. Because of this faith, God provided for Elijah. Note, water was not the only thing he asked for.
11 And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”
Now, can you imagine, being at home trying to go out to the garden to collect food for supper and having someone come by asking you for a glass of water and then to cook up a little meal for him while you are in the middle of trying to fix for your family??? It was interesting…some may even say it was bold. But God had already provided. He had put it in her heart to be obedient to this man.
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.”
Here is when her poverty is really seen. But also note she tells Elijah “As the Lord YOUR God lives” - leading us further to believe she may have not been a believer. She tells the prophet she has nothing prepared. She has not baked and only has enough to make enough bread for her and her son, and then…they would starve. She was literally stretching things to the very end. A few handfuls of grain for flour, probably barley as it was the least costly grain and enough oil to fry the bread in. Can you imagine the desperation she must have felt, knowing she could no longer provided for her son.
Too often, we worry about things that don’t really matter - what clothes we will wear, what restaurant we will eat at and what appetizers we will order, where we will be going on vacation…we have never been faced with this level of desperation. I mean, some of us may have been hungry…but it’s usually not from a total lack of food. And even if we are lacking, we know there will be a source we can go to for food. But this mother knew there was no such luck. She and her son would surely perish over a lack of food. Isn’t it amazing, though, knowing the rest of the story - that God would provide for a prolonged period of time and feed her, her son, and the prophet until the drought was over and food sources could be restored.
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.
Now imagine, someone tells you - a mother that will soon fix their last mean and starve to death - to not fear what is coming. Had this guy ever been so desperate that he did not know IF he would be able to eat and survive? Was he even concerned? No! God had provided for His prophet, and would continue to provide for him.
Often when things seem hopeless, we can’t see past the obstacle we are facing. We can’t see God’s divine plan, and how He is preparing for us in the future. Too often, we are too impatient to wait on God and forget that God still provides for each of our daily needs. It should give new meaning for “give us this day our daily bread”. There is truth here - the Lord cares for us and can provided for ALL of our needs.
Now, go - make something for ME to eat - and God will provide for you 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.’ ”
Now, let’s think of something - do we view a glass as being half full or half empty? It seems at times we are concerned over our LACK and not what has been PROVIDED.
Even though this woman may have not followed God, it does not mean God does not still care for her and her son. He made a way - by being faithful to provide to God’s prophet, God would make sure they would have food. You see, they had empty vessels - and God could use those empty vessels. Just as God needs us to empty ourselves of everything…so He can fill us. Now I do not believe that she had a full barrel or jug…but I do believe God provided a scoop every time she reached in. Again, by faith she fulfilled the prophets request. By her faith God saw she was never without.
Momma’s, how many of you could have given away all you had to someone else you didn’t even know? How in the world could you give when it would mean sacrificing from your own children? But you see, when we empty ourselves of US, of our preconceived notions, of our worries and concerns, and allow God to fill us…he provides for our every need.
26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
I know you all have many worries, today. I know you’re always looking at the “what if’s”, but let me encourage you to instead look at the “I AM”. Maybe you are in a spiritual drought, just hoping for a shower of blessings. Maybe you are spiritually empty, looking at what seems to be an empty barrel thinking you may starve. I encourage you to remember God’s provisions may not come in abundance, but will meet our daily needs.