The Widow of Zarephath: A Story of Hope
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The story of the widow of Zarephath takes place in Israel, around 850 BC. It was a sad and difficult time for a nation that was suffering under the worst king it had ever had. King Ahab had adopted his wife Jezebel’s pagan god, Baal, and under their rule, the prophets of the true God were systematically executed.
God sent His prophet Elijah to King Ahab with an ominous message: “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word” (1 Kings 17:1). After delivering this warning, Elijah fled into the wilderness. God directed him to an isolated canyon, where there was a small stream for him to drink from and commanded ravens to bring pieces of bread and meat to him every day.
And just as Elijah had prophesied, not a drop of rain fell. As the sweltering months slowly passed, the scorching sun took its toll on the parched earth of Israel. Crops failed, water supplies dried up, and severe famine set in. Eventually Elijah’s own water source, the Brook Cherith, also dried up completely. But God was faithful, and on the very day that the brook ran dry, He told Elijah, “Arise, go to Zarephath, and dwell there. I have commanded a widow there to provide for you” (1 Kings 17:8–9).
Zarephath was over 100 miles north of the Brook Cherith, and after days of trudging through desert wastes, over rocky hillsides and steep mountain trails, Elijah finally arrived at Zarephath, a coastal city of what is now Lebanon. Weary, hot, and caked in dust, he spotted a woman gathering sticks near the city gate. “Water!” he cried out to her. “Please bring me a little water!”
Taking pity on the weary stranger, the woman rose to bring him some water when he called out to her again, “And please bring me something to eat also!” Turning to him, she exclaimed, “As the Lord lives, I don’t even have a piece of bread, but only a handful of flour in a jar and a few drops of oil in a jug! I’m out here gathering a few twigs to take home and make a final meal for myself and my son, that we may eat and then die” (1 Kings 17:10–12).
Elijah realized that this woman was the widow that God had promised would care for him, and he boldly told her, “Do not fear. Go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son.” He then prophesied, “For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth’” (1 Kings 17:13–14).
How puzzled this woman must have been at this extraordinary proclamation! She must have thought, I told him how poor I am and how I’m gathering firewood to cook a final tiny meal for my son and myself, and that afterwards we expect to starve to death—yet he’s asking me to bake a piece of bread for him first!
But because Elijah spoke to her in the name of the Lord, she knew that he was a man of God, and she believed him. She hurried home and scraped together the last tiny handful of flour from the bottom of the clay jar that it was kept in. Then she took her oil jug, tipped it, and drained out the last few drops of oil. When the bread was ready, she brought it to Elijah.
Picture this widow tidying things up, and as she goes to put the empty oil jug in its place, she notices that it’s much heavier than it was a moment ago. Barely tipping it, she can hardly believe her eyes when fresh oil flows out. It’s full!
Setting the jug down, she rushes over to the bin where she keeps her flour and gasps aloud in astonishment when she lifts its lid. Instead of the empty, dusty jar she knows it was just a few minutes earlier, it is now filled to the brim with fresh flour. A miracle has taken place!
With renewed hope, her heart overflows with thankfulness to God for such a wonderful manifestation of His blessing and care for her and her son. And just as Elijah had prophesied, the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry for the duration of the drought and famine.—Activated
When you need hope
Feel like you’re at the end of hope? Don’t see a way through your circumstance?... If you need hope, Elijah and the widow of Zarephath have life-giving lessons for you…
When Elijah arrived at the Zarephath city gates, he spotted a young widow gathering sticks. The only problem? This widow had no bread. In fact, she was gathering sticks to make a last meal for herself and her son, and then die.
You can almost hear the despair in this single mom’s words as she told Elijah she had “only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die” (1 Kings 17:12).
She was at the end of her hope. While the text doesn’t say, I imagine her head hanging low and warm tears brushing her cheeks as she described her plight.
Elijah answered: “Do not be afraid.” He instructed her to make a small loaf for him first and afterward, some for herself and her son with this promise from God: the flour jar would not become empty nor the oil jug run dry until the day the Lord sent rain again.
The widow did as Elijah said. And afterward? Her flour jar never became empty and her oil jar never ran dry just as God had promised. In fact, the widow, her family, and Elijah had food through the entire multi-year drought…
God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and he could have hand-delivered one to this woman. But instead, he asks her to trust and obey. She had to give the last of what she has to the prophet of God with a promise that God wouldn’t let her flour and oil run out until the drought was over.
God wanted more than to simply meet this woman’s needs. He wanted this unbeliever in a gentile country to know that he was the one true God. God was more interested in feeding her soul than feeding her stomach. When she trusted God with everything she had, God provided everything she needed. And of course, God was faithful to his promise as he only can be….
Maybe, like me, you find yourself a young widow and single mom. Maybe you’ve found yourself at the end of hope and in deep need. God will meet your need—He promises us that. But he wants more for you. God wants you to have hope beyond this life. He wants to feed your soul as the one true God.
There is no hopelessness in God. And while there are tests of faith, there is no lack in God either. The same God who provided for Elijah and the widow of Zarephath in extreme drought and desperation is the same God who is faithful to us as well, if we will but trust and obey.—Lisa Appelo1
Published on Anchor October 2024. Read by Jon Marc.
