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Sunday 10 November 2024 Trinity 24, Thirty-second in Ordinary time, Proper 27

How to flourish in times of famine

1 Kings 17:8-16

By Alton P Bell

Senior Pastor of Wembley Family Church, Sudbury, Middlesex

Context: an all-age Black Majority Pentecostal congregation

Aim: the widow of Zarephath as a paradigm for the rewards of obedience

God called his servant Elijah to speak truth to power. The people of God were now two separate kingdom nations: Israel in the north, consisting of ten tribes; and Judah in the south, incorporating the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. As the people of God, these nations had a form of godliness, but denied the power, reign and rule of Yahweh as their king. Prior to the ministry of Elijah, the kings of Israel were in a desperate state. They had rejected the Lord as their God and had made the position of monarch seemingly more important than their fidelity to the Lord. After many generations and several dynasties, the kings of Israel were not divinely appointed anymore, but the position was occupied by the most cunning or the fiercest individual.

Elijah should have been working with the king and the priest to guide the people to fulfil what God had destined. Ahab was king during Elijah’s ministry. He succeeded his father, Omri, who was a commander of the army and became king after he defeated his rival, Tibni, to the throne. He then captured the city where the current king, Zimri, resided. Zimri committed regicide by setting fire to his house.

In our text, we meet Elijah visiting a widow in Zarephath in Sidon. In the previous chapter (16:33), the writer tells us that Ahab did more to provoke the Lord than all the other kings before him. He compounded his evil deeds by marrying Jezebel, a Baal worshipper who set up altars throughout the entire kingdom. God demonstrated his anger by instructing Elijah to inform Ahab that ‘there will be a drought in Israel for the foreseeable future until I say otherwise.’

When Elijah visited Zarephath, he had already spent a considerable amount of time by a stream in Cherith. Here, he received breakfast and dinner by ravens until the stream dried up. The Lord then instructed him to go to Zarephath where a widow would care for him. However, we are not told if the Lord spoke to the widow to prepare her. Nevertheless, as Elijah met the widow, he asked her to bring him a glass of water. While she was getting the water, he asked her for a piece of bread also. She replied that she had nothing prepared, and only had a single portion of cornmeal in a jar and some oil. Furthermore, this would be their last meal because of the severity of the famine.

Elijah then asked her to make a cake for him first, then afterwards make some for herself and her son. He then prophesied: ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel, the jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the Lord sends rain on the earth.’ (verse14.)

CONCLUSION

There are several things we can learn from this portion of Elijah’s ministry. First, as a prophet who spoke on God’s behalf, obedience was crucial to his ministry. Elijah heard from God and followed his instructions. Consequently, while the famine was raging, the Lord met all his needs. Although speaking truth to power can be a hazardous occupation, experiencing the miraculous hand of God at work is a tremendous boost to faith. Similarly, the nameless widow also heard from God through the words of the prophet. We are not told if she initially knew he was a prophet, but, because of her kindness and willingness to help a stranger, she also received a miracle that kept her throughout the three years of the famine.

Secondly, the widow’s honesty resonated with Elijah. He was aware of the dishonest nature of king Ahab and his queen. Their plan was to wipe out all the prophets of the Lord during their reign. When he asked about the provision she had in her house, the widow told the truth. ‘I only have a small portion to make a meal for my son and me, then I don’t know what I will do, perhaps we will just starve to death’ (paraphrase mine). This led to the promise from the Lord that he would provide for them throughout the famine.

Finally, as modern-day believers in the God of ancient Israel and in Jesus Christ, this text reminds us that he keeps and fulfils his promises. Moreover, God is looking for people like Elijah, who will speak truth to power; and people like this widow, who believed and acted on his word.

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