Bold Faith in God’s Provision

Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” (1 Kings 17:8-9)

Elijah escaped from the murderous Queen Jezebel and found refuge in the wilderness beside a flowing brook. Miraculously guided ravens faithfully brought him food, but the brook he counted on for water slowly dried up. At his point of need, God had a word for him: “Go to a Gentile city and meet a widow whom I have commanded to provide for your needs.”

It was another unusual command for the prophet. When God told him, “Arise, go to Zarephath,” it meant that God led Elijah from the dry brook to a Gentile city. This was an unusual and challenging move for Elijah to make. If it was strange to meet Elijah’s needs from the beak of unclean birds, it was even more unusual to meet his needs among Gentiles who worshipped other gods. Indeed, at this time when Elijah’s main enemy and threat was Queen Jezebel, God led Elijah to go to the same general region where Jezebel came from.

Yet Elijah could trust God because of what he had already seen God do. We see that God kept transplanting Elijah: from his home to Jezreel; from Jezreel to Cherith; from Cherith to Zarephath. This transplanting made him stronger and stronger.

God wrapped it all up in a promise for the prophet: “See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” The promise sounded stranger to Elijah than it does to us. Remember that in his day, widows were notorious for their poverty. God told Elijah to go to a Gentile widow and receive provision; it probably seemed to make more sense to wait beside a dry brook.

When he came to Zarephath, what do you think Elijah found? As he walked to the village he probably thought, “O Lord, your ways are awesome. You plan to meet my needs through a rich Gentile widow. There aren’t many rich Gentile widows who would want to help a prophet of God, but You have found one and have commanded her to help me. Thank You God; You are amazing.”

The following verses tell us what happened. When Elijah came into Zarephath he did not find a rich widow who offered to meet his needs. Instead, he found a poor widow gathering sticks – evidence of her true poverty. She gathered these meager scraps for firewood. She didn’t have food for Elijah; she didn’t even have firewood! Elijah perhaps thought that God would lead him to an unusual rich widow, but God led him to a poor Gentile widow.

In addition, the woman didn’t seem to know that God commanded her to provide for the prophet. God said that He commanded her, but she was unaware of the command. She just woke up that morning and went to gather sticks for a last meal for herself and her son.

Yet when she met the prophet, he boldly asked her for some water and some bread. Elijah confidently made this request in faith. Common sense and circumstances told him that the widow would not give so generously to a Jewish stranger, but faith made him ask. It was a strange, faith-stretching scene. Imagine yourself as the poor widow. You are so poor that you are near death. You have enough flour and oil to make one last small meal for yourself and your son, and then all will be gone. As you gather a few sticks for firewood to prepare your “last supper,” a stranger comes to you and politely asks that you feed him also.

No one could have blamed her for telling him off or running away. Yet she didn’t because she was guided by God’s hand. She was commanded by Him without even knowing it. God would indeed provide for Elijah through this poor widow; and through her step of faith God would provide for her own needs as well.

When we are bold in faith, we trust in God’s ability to provide. But we often limit Him by picking and choosing the ways we think He can or must provide. God shows us through this unusual meeting between a prophet of God and poor Gentile widow that He can provide through unexpected resources. Thankfully, God has resources you know nothing about. It is true regarding material resources, as Elijah discovered. Yet it is also true regarding every resource you need for your body, soul, and spirit.

Let God provide for you from His hidden treasury today; but expect that it will require faith to receive it.

Based on The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik.