The Widow and The Prophet

1 Kings 17:9–24 NLT

9 “Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.” 10 So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the gates of the village, he saw a widow gathering sticks, and he asked her, “Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called to her, “Bring me a bite of bread, too.” 12 But she said, “I swear by the Lord your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.” 13 But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!” 15 So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. 16 There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah. 17 Some time later the woman’s son became sick. He grew worse and worse, and finally he died. 18 Then she said to Elijah, “O man of God, what have you done to me? Have you come here to point out my sins and kill my son?” 19 But Elijah replied, “Give me your son.” And he took the child’s body from her arms, carried him up the stairs to the room where he was staying, and laid the body on his bed. 20 Then Elijah cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, why have you brought tragedy to this widow who has opened her home to me, causing her son to die?” 21 And he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, please let this child’s life return to him.” 22 The Lord heard Elijah’s prayer, and the life of the child returned, and he revived! 23 Then Elijah brought him down from the upper room and gave him to his mother. “Look!” he said. “Your son is alive!” 24 Then the woman told Elijah, “Now I know for sure that you are a man of God, and that the Lord truly speaks through you.”

INTRODUCTION:

A- Background

1- The evil rule of Ahab, son of Omri.

a. Led the Northern Kingdom of Israel to worship Baal of the Phoenicians.

b. Married Jezebel, a Sidonian princess, who incited Ahab to promote the worship of Baal and Ashteroth.

c. Became known as the most wicked king to that date. (1 Kings 16:30, 33)

1 Kings 16:30 NLT

30 But Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, even more than any of the kings before him.

1 Kings 16:33 NLT

33 Then he set up an Asherah pole. He did more to provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than any of the other kings of Israel before him.

2- God sent His prophet, Elijah to announce judgment upon Israel because of their idolatry.

a. God sent Elijah to hide by the Kerith Brook from Ahab.

God fed Elijah with food brought by the ravens and water from the brook until the drought became so severe that the brook dried up.

He then sent him to a widow in the homeland of Jezebel to sustain him.

B- Preview:

GOD CHOOSES UNLIKELY CANDIDATES FOR HIS PURPOSES.

GOD CLAIMS HOPELESS CIRCUMSTANCES FOR HIS GLORY.

GOD CHANGES INEVITABLE DISASTER BY HIS POWER.

GOD CONFIRMS HIS DIVINE INTERVENTION TO STRENGTHEN OUR FAITH.

I- GOD CHOOSES UNLIKELY CANDIDATES FOR HIS PURPOSES. (1 Kings 17:9)

1 Kings 17:9 NLT

9 “Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.”

A- The widow was an unlikely candidate for God to use.

1- Her heredity made her an unlikely candidate.

a. Notice where she lived:

She lived in the town of Zarephath.

Located in the land of Phoenicia between the cities of Tyre and Sidon. (Outside of Israel)

Phoenicia was the homeland of Ahab’s wife, Jezebel.

Phoenicia was a stronghold of Baal worship. Baal was the Phoenician god of rain and vegetation.

2- Her plight in life made her an unlikely candidate.

a. She was poor.

b. She ha no one to help her. Widows in that culture were in trouble if they had no family to take care of them.

c. She had a son who lived at home, who evidently was too young to help earn a living.

d. The drought had reduced her resources to a “last-meal” status.

B- God has a documented history of choosing unlikely candidates to use for His purposes.

1- God looks at the heart instead of the outward appearance of an individual. (1 Samuel 16:7)

1 Samuel 16:7 NLT

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

God chose David to be king instead of his older brother (1 Samuel 16:1-13)

God chose an unknown man named Gideon from an insignificant family to deliver his people. (Judges 6:15)

Judges 6:15 NLT

15 “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”

C- God still chooses to use unlikely people to accomplish His purposes. (1 Corinthians 1:27-29)

1 Corinthians 1:27–29 NLT

27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

1- Don’t ever accept the idea that God can not use you because you are an unlikely candidate!

2- Never sell-short the role that you play in God’s work. Your role may be a major one in the eyes of God!

II- GOD CLAIMS HOPELESS CIRCUMSTANCES FOR HIS GLORY. (1 Kings 17:10-12)

1 Kings 17:10–12 NLT

10 So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the gates of the village, he saw a widow gathering sticks, and he asked her, “Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called to her, “Bring me a bite of bread, too.” 12 But she said, “I swear by the Lord your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.”

A- Circumstances that appear to be hopeless from a human perspective are not hopeless to God.

1- The situation appears hopeless:

a. A severe drought is taking place in Israel and Phoenicia.

The drought is so severe that brooks and streams had dried-up and food was becoming scarce.

b. The widow was down to her last little bit of flour and oil. She had enough to make one more meal for she and her son. They would then likely starve to death.

c. When Elijah entered the city, the widow was gathering some sticks to cook the last meal.

d. Evidently others were in the same situation, for she fully expected to starve after the meal she was fixing.

2- God has proven himself to be the one who brings hope to hopeless situations.

a. God snatched victory from the jaws of inevitable defeat for King Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 32: 20-21)

2 Chronicles 32:20–21 NLT

20 Then King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to God in heaven. 21 And the Lord sent an angel who destroyed the Assyrian army with all its commanders and officers. So Sennacherib was forced to return home in disgrace to his own land. And when he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons killed him there with a sword.

b. God rescued Elisha and his servant from capture by the Arameans. (2 Kings 6:14-18)

2 Kings 6:14–18 NLT

14 So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city. 15 When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha. 16 “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” 17 Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire. 18 As the Aramean army advanced toward him, Elisha prayed, “O Lord, please make them blind.” So the Lord struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked.

3- God has promised that He will never abandon us.

(Hebrews 13:5)

Hebrews 13:5 NLT

5 Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”

a. Even when our circumstances seem hopeless, God is with us!

III- GOD CHANGES INEVITABLE DISASTER BY HIS POWER. (1 Kings 17:13-16)

1 Kings 17:13–16 NLT

13 But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!” 15 So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. 16 There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.

A- God has a plan when we have no plan. (1 Kings 17:13-14)

1 Kings 17:13–14 NLT

13 But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!”

1- The widow had no plan beyond eat the last meal and die.

2- God had a plan to multiply the food supply of the widow.

3- God’s power is limitless. His wisdom is infinite. It is foolish to fail to seek Him for His plan.

4- God calls upon us to seek Him for wisdom in impossible situations.

(James 1:5-6)

James 1:5–6 NLT

5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.

(Jeremiah 32:17)

Jeremiah 32:17 NLT

17 “O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!

B- When we follow God’s plan, He changes the circumstances by His power. (1 Kings 17:15-16)

1 Kings 17:15–16 NLT

15 So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. 16 There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.

1- The widow chose to follow God’s plan and reaped the benefits.

a. Instead of living for a few days on her own provision, she and her son and Elijah lived on God’s provisions until the harvest of new food after the drought ended.

2- God has shown He has a plan to do the impossible and will do it.

a. Jesus had a plan to feed the 5,000 and carried it out (John 6:1-15) (Note John 6:5-7)

John 6:5–7 NLT

5 Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” 6 He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do. 7 Philip replied, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!”

Jesus supplied the needed food with abundance. (John 6:12-13)

John 6:12–13 NLT

12 After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, “Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.” 13 So they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves.

IV- GOD CONFIRMS HIS DIVINE INTERVENTION TO STRENGTHEN OUR FAITH. (1 Kings 17:17-24)

1 Kings 17:17–24 NLT

17 Some time later the woman’s son became sick. He grew worse and worse, and finally he died. 18 Then she said to Elijah, “O man of God, what have you done to me? Have you come here to point out my sins and kill my son?” 19 But Elijah replied, “Give me your son.” And he took the child’s body from her arms, carried him up the stairs to the room where he was staying, and laid the body on his bed. 20 Then Elijah cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, why have you brought tragedy to this widow who has opened her home to me, causing her son to die?” 21 And he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, please let this child’s life return to him.” 22 The Lord heard Elijah’s prayer, and the life of the child returned, and he revived! 23 Then Elijah brought him down from the upper room and gave him to his mother. “Look!” he said. “Your son is alive!” 24 Then the woman told Elijah, “Now I know for sure that you are a man of God, and that the Lord truly speaks through you.”

A- God rewards faith with confirmation of His intervention.

1- When the widow went to Elijah when her son died, God confirmed His intervention.

a. The son grew sick and died.

b. The widow went to Elijah (God’s prophet) instead of to the Phoenician’s god’s prophets to get help. This was a big step for her.

c. God intervened again and demonstrated the He alone is God. In so doing, He demonstrated that Baal was a false god.

2- God wants us to turn to Him instead of to the false gods of this world in our time of need.

3- He wants us to turn to Him and trust His plan instead of coming up with our own plan.

(Proverbs 3:5-6)

Proverbs 3:5–6 NLT

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

CONCLUSION:

A- Summary:

GOD CHOOSES UNLIKELY CANDIDATES FOR HIS PURPOSES.

GOD CLAIMS HOPELESS CIRCUMSTANCES FOR HIS GLORY.

GOD CHANGES INEVITABLE DISASTER BY HIS POWER.

GOD CONFIRMS HIS DIVINE INTERVENTION TO STRENGTHEN OUR FAITH.