Here are a few details about her that will help you to understand her story. ". Use your servant mightily to encourage the hearts of your people. And in each case, God showed them that they . Why did Elisha have them pouring the oil in the privacy of their home? During this time in history God rose up prophets like Elisha who held prophecy schools where they tutored or trained other prophets in the ancient Law. God sends him to stay by a brook first. Would you like to read this article in %%? alert("Please select at least one list. These two boys were facing a terrible future unless God intervened. So keep fighting with God for your faith. There is a widow there who will feed you. Women Who Rocked the BibleStories of Those Who Shaped Their Culture and Still Inspire You Today. It will likely take faith on your part. Her houseguest says: See, your son is alive.. Zarephath rest inside the region of Sidon, the native country of Queen Jezebel, the woman who married the wicked King Ahab and required her god, Baal to be worshipped instead of God Almighty (1 King 21:25-26). }); This man of God is asking for the last of. Jesus wants to love you into heaven way more than He wants you to experience hell. But first make me a small round loaf of bread with what is there, and bring it out to me. Sometimes our blessing is bound up with our serviceWhen we share, no matter how small, we are enriched. Instead, challenge yourself to get to that place where your faith triumphs over your fear. She heard, understood and walked that walk of faith. Then you can make something afterward for you and your son. 17). Even her name is lost to the history. When this happened, she was ready to be used by God.And used her he did. I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. This man of God is asking for the last of all she has. God told Elijah to go to Zarephath and find a widow. How many people who live in your territory are like the widow of Zarephath? Not in a way that is driven by anxiety. Even if he had any doubts, Elijah began a conversation with the woman. 7 Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. You can follow me on social media, follow my blog, or contact me directly via email or my contact form. Her joy: To experience repeated miracles of God's provision. Rabbah 2:5:3). return true; 1 Kings 17: 10-16: "So he arose and went to Zarephath. This can be learned from Elijah, for whom God provided, as it is said (I Kings 17:9): I have designated a widow there to feed you (Tanhuma, Mikez 6). As we read more about her, we will learn some very important lessons. She began to prepare for a final supper for herself and her child. We have to allow the Lord into our lives and accept His loving kindness and live by faith that He is with us through our journey through live. Im sorry I didnt respond sooner. Make learning about the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 17:7-24 fun with this no prep, printable activity sheet word-find and digital EASEL activity. She replied: As surely as Jehovah your God is living, I have no bread, only a handful of flour in the large jar and a little oil in the small jar. This woman didn't know that the LORD is a loving LORD. When Elijah arrived at Zarephath, he saw a poor widow collecting pieces of wood. She had a home; she was the "mistress" of the house in 1 Kings 17:17, yet she was "house poor," possessing little to nothing beyond her home. Is the man mad? Because of the reviving of her son, she knew that Elijah was a man of the LORD God, and that the word of the LORD in his mouth is truth. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2541,. She is a leading authority on historical development of Christian churches and the practices and beliefs of world religions and cults. He already knows, but He wants to hear it from you. They went door to door collecting. The woman, only referred to as the widow of Zarephath, demonstrates a powerful faith through her obedience in 1 Kings. FACT #3 Elijah knew she was a widow because of what she was wearing. This devotional is drawn from Women of the Bible: A One-Year Devotional Study of Women in Scripture by Ann Spangler and Jean Syswerda. Her sons would hand her an empty jar. Shes all alone and desperately trying to protect her children. "Widow of Zarephath: Midrash and Aggadah." As she decided to care for Gods spokesperson, God provided miraculously for her household. TEXT: 1 Kings 17; Luke 4:25-26 WOMAN: The Widow of Zarapeth. Elijahs stay in the house of the widow was meant to bring him closer to the suffering prevalent in the world, and to acquaint him with the hunger and want from which the women and children suffered. 11:1617]. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.. Yet, what did Elijah say? Read the story of the prophets widow in 2 Kings 4. Because of the reviving of her son, she knew that Elijah was a man of the LORD God, and that the word of the LORD in his mouth is truth. No matter how small or insignificant, we have something to give to someone else to help them. Losing a spouse is hard enough, but now, while this woman is still dealing with the grief of her loved one, she discovers that he took out a loan and shes required to pay it off. It was located between Sidon and Tyre which would be in modern day Lebanon. But the brook dried up after a while. Jesus makes reference here to an event in the life of Elijah the prophet. In this post I will list just a few characters and stories of faith you can study to uplift your, Continue reading Faith in Bible stories: 30+ inspirational examples and stories from ScriptureContinue, The daughters of Zelophehad in the Bible were no ordinary women. Copyright 2022| Guided Bible Studies for Hungry Christians |, The Psychological Condition of Depression. God did not abandon that poor widow. Church Gallery; WMB Gallery; FAQ; Contact. I am blessed that you have been encouraged. He will not allow the enemy to snatch you up without a fight. 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 "Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. Elijah asks her to give her son to him. Instead of asking for forgiveness and repenting, we dwell on the short comings of our sins blaming everything bad that has happens in our lives. Why does God allow godly men to die young? Well never know what went through her head, but we do know that when Elisha gave her an assignment to do, she willingly obeyed without question. Then Elisha had the widow and her sons closing the door before filling the jars. Blessings to you as well. Features thousands of biographic and thematic essays on Jewish women around the world. She did not refer to Jehovah as my God. She lived in Zarephath, a town that belonged to the Phoenician city of Sidon. Elisha could have just given her the money she needed. This was not a miracle to be witnessed by the masses, but rather a private blessing for this little family to see God at work. However, Jehovah noticed something special in the heart of this widow. What was she expecting when she went to Elisha for help? The prophet immediately responded to the king: As the Lord lives, the God of Israel [] there will be no dew or rain except at my bidding (I Kings 17:1). The Widow of Zarephath helps us to better understand that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. God did not abandon that poor widow. Jesus makes the point that during a time of drought and famine, there were many widows in Israel who had need. So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. The story of Elijah and the Widow of Zarephtah can be found in the following Bible verses: 1 Kings 17: 8-24. Why? While in the widows house, Elijah performs the miracle of the jar of flour and the jug of oil, to which, according to the Rabbis, Prov. When we do this we are also forgetting the loving kindness of LORD God. He took God at his word. The widow could see that Elijah was an Israelite who served God. Just as Elijah had promised, the supply of flour and oil lasted day after day, month after month, never failing until at last the rains came and revived the land. I will command a widow there to supply you with food.1Kings 17:1-9. Check out our on demand resources, Experience Hope Daily Devotional Family Life Radio Updates. By doing so we help ourselves and could even save ourselves.Maybe your times of crisis can be lifted if you reach out to help someone. Thanks so much for sharing. Then theyd set it aside and grab a new jar to fill. If only her husband were alive to squeeze a harvest from the fields. She had lived her life a stone's throw from the Mediterranean, at Zarephath, seven miles south of Sidon, in a territory ruled by Jezebel's father. She is well-known as a counselor to Christian faithful who are struggling with tremendous burden in these difficult times. The Widow of Zarephath had nothing for her own family to eat, much less a prophet. Elijah struggled with wobbly faith, loneliness, anxiety, and depression. So many people are prevented from reaching their goals, accessing their blessings, and living an abundant life because of fear. Women of Prayer is a 10-Week Bible study about getting to know the character of God through the stories of Bible women who prayed. What an amazing lesson they witnessed to see how God cared for them and provided for them. For the rest of their lives, those boys would always remember that time when they were facing being sold into slavery but God interviewed by multiplying a pot of oil. The Widow of Zarephath, the mother of the dying boy was afraid it was her fault because her sins were remembered and they were so bad that the LORD God slayed her son. These days she stood with shoulders hunched as though to hide her breasts. God loves you. We are never alone, He hears our every prayers, He answers our prayers in ways we would never imagine. The Widow of Zarephaths story doesnt end there. She lashes out in her pain at the man she trusted, the man who God used to perform a miracle. Elijah had declared God's message of judgment on Israel and her wicked king, but the message fell on deaf ears. Ahab and Jezebel were ruling the Kingdom of Israel in wickedness. The Rabbis also learned from this episode that giving food to someone else is a great virtue that results in the resurrection of the dead before its time: because the widow from Zarephath gave food to Elijah, she merited the reviving of her son (Cant. Shes angry. The king of the kingdom of Israel was Ahab and his wife was Jezebel. She did what had to be done because she had faith in the LORD. We meet the Prophets Widow in 2 Kings chapter 4. Forgive us when we lose faith and forget what an awesome God You are. We do not know her name, but she is a widow living in the town of Zarephath. BEST VALUE in digital Bible study. Lessons from the Canaanite Woman and her Faith, https://thefaithspace.com/lessons-from-the-woman-with-the-issue-of-blood/. } He encouraged her to gather as many as she could. The widow's faith in Elijah's God, Jehovah, preserved her and her son alive. We are totally dependent of the Lord in every aspect of our lives. God did not abandon that poor widow. THE WATCHTOWERSTUDY EDITION (SIMPLIFIED), Copyright 2023 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. His need condemned her. The faith of the Widow of Zarephath turned out to lead to the provision for a tired, depressed, and hungry prophet on the run for his life. So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. We know a lot about the Widow of Zarephath even though we do not now her name. She reminded him that her husband had studied with him and that he had feared the Lord, but now he was dead and the creditor was threatening to take her two sons as slaves if she didnt pay off the loan. Elijah is commanded to go to Sidon, where he will be fed by a widow (17:9). Elijah asks her for a piece of bread, and the destitute widow invites him to her home where she uses her last bit of flour and oil to bake for him. That concludes this weeks episode of All Gods Women. Tears escaped her eyes, try as she might to blink them back. And the mother? Another tradition reveals Elijahs dislike of having to rely on other people. As she decided to care for Gods spokesperson, God provided miraculously for her household. 1 Kings 17: 9- 24. The widow's faith in Elijah's God, Jehovah, kept her and her son alive. Shelmith, oh how you have blessed my heart today by sharing your testimony :D. Praise the living God for sure! Am shelmith from Kenya. In their meeting in the mourners house, Ahab asked Elijah: The curse of Joshua is fulfilled, but the curse of Moses is not? I love this example of a miracle because it required action from the recipients. // check if at least one field is required Here we find reciprocal hospitality: a Phoenician widow (a non-Israelite) feeding a Jewish prophet who will eventually save her son. We learned she did not have but a handful of meal in her barrel, and a little oil in the curse she did not have a cake for Elijah. RELATED: Women of faith in the Bible 14 Characteristics and lessons learned. Like the woman with the issue of blood and Naaman, Elijah was no different. It was according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which the LORD has shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. But what a wise decision she made! Are you willing to be used by God to speak His truth into the lives of others as He leads you. Elijah, however, was committed only to save the lives of his hosts. They are sure. The town of Zarephath was one hundred miles from the brook Cherith, where Elijah had been in hiding from King Ahab. As a woman who endured extreme difficulties, her story reveals God's power to provide what we need the mosta commodity of the heart called faith. Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath. Do you stare at the bills and wonder how on earth theyre ever going to get paid? When the Widow of Zarephath expresses concern for her meagre meal, Elijah told her, Do not be afraid.. He scooped him up and carried him back downstairs to his mother. However, the contents of this blog post may not be modified, compiled, combined with other content, copied, recorded, synchronized, transmitted, translated, formatted, distributed, publicly displayed, publicly performed, reproduced, given away, used to create derivative works and otherwise used or exploited (including for-profit or commercial gain) without the creators expressed permission. In fact, our biggest following is in Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. But how precious that they were able to be active participants in the miraculous provision for their needs. Zarephath was a gentile country. He will provide for our needs on a daily basis. Remember the LORD had commanded a widow woman to sustain Elijah. God richly bless you. When we suffer trials, we need to look for Jehovahs guidance in the Scriptures and in our publications. The faith of the Widow of Zeraphath is unusual that she is a point of reference for Jesus in the New Testament. Concubine of a Levite: Midrash and Aggadah, Daughters of Zelophehad: Midrash and Aggadah, The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women, Copyright 19982023, Jewish Women's Archive. THE WATCHTOWERSTUDY EDITION (SIMPLIFIED) February2014, The WatchtowerStudy Edition (Simplified)| February2014. For some reason I wasnt getting notifications. if( checkboxFields[i].checked ) { Not only were they worshiping false Gods, but Jezebel had also commanded all the prophets in the land to be killed. In her mind, the end is near. She cannot believe what she is seeing. Can you imagine just a little attitude in her response to him? And when she gave, something amazing happened. What about you? Ask Him what youre supposed to do. We know this because she said: As surely as Jehovah your God is living. It seems that even though she knew some things about Israels God, she was not serving him. The midrash apparently understands that the food eaten by Elijah during his stay with the widow was of miraculous origin, since the entire land was suffering from a severe drought. Elijah was a fugitive but God used this widow to give him a place where he could be at rest and have some comfort as he waited for Gods promise to be fulfilled. Here is a widow with a son who was not one of the children of Israel 1 Kings 17:10. But they did have extra containers. The resurrection of her son was an event in her life that truly strengthened her faith. } (Luke 4:25-26). The story of a widow, who remained unnamed in the Bible, was important enough to have her faith and obedience recorded in the Bible. Not only that, but the debt collector is trying to take away her two sons and turn them into slaves. How hard it was to suffer her fears alone, to wake in the night with no one to warm her, no one to whisper sweet lies about tomorrow. It is sometimes said we wear our sins on our sleeves. YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Lessons from the Canaanite Woman and her Faith. Please take away the fear and anxiety that the enemy is trying to use to intimidate your child. This was the hometown of Jezeb el, wife of King Ahab. What a comfort . How special that Elisha involved the sons in the gathering and filling. The LORD knew her, knew all about her situation, and the condition of her heart. Now that you, who are righteous, have come to me, God weighs my actions in comparison with yours, and so you have recalled my sins, and [consequently] my son died (Pesikta Rabbati chap. No matter how little, we have something we can use to bless someone. I hope you have been encouraged by these lessons from the story of Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah (1 Kings 17:15-16 NKJV). Fear can be just as strong as faithif you let it. Plead your case. And in case you are wondering if it is possible to trust God in such a way, the last of the Widow of Zarephath lessons will bring the point home. Just Elijahs presence in the land was an offense to the enemy. Lieberman], Ekev, p. 74). And I mean bad in a good way. God tells us to go here or thereto do this or thatand its easy to think its about us. The story of the woman with the issue of blood and many other stories show Jesus doing that (https://thefaithspace.com/lessons-from-the-woman-with-the-issue-of-blood/ ). Its blessing for me to be Gods instrument of inspiration at this time in your Christian walk . she wondered. If ever there was a list of bad women in the Bible, they would be on it. The widow went to Elisha and pleaded her case. Umma, the widow of Zarephath lived in a prime real estate location but did not have two sticks to rub together and make a fire. (Matthew 6:25-34) This account also shows us that Jehovah has the desire and the ability to resurrect the dead. The Widow of Zarephath didnt blame Elijah or the LORD for the death of her son. jQuery('.mc4wp-form').find('form').on('submit', function(evt) { Once she had the jars, jugs, and pots collected she was to shut the door behind her and she and her sons would pour the oil they had into the vessels theyd gathered. Another Rabbinic teaching states: If someone tells you that God does not resurrect the dead, say to him: Elijah the Gileadite attests that God resurrects the dead (Deut. There is hardly a person who cannot relate to struggling with something for a long, Continue reading 5 Faith lessons from the woman with the issue of blood in the BibleContinue, The lessons from the life of Sarah in the Bible are all so interesting because her story is filled so much drama. And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth. Because of the reviving of her son she knew that Elijah was a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in his mouth is truth. Another trial was going to test the widows faith. He stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this childs soul come into him again. The LORD heard the cries of Elijah and revived the child. He takes the boy from her arms, carries him upstairs to his room and lays him on his bed. The widow didnt have much. The worship of the true God was at an all time low. But in this post, we focus in on Sarahs characteristics and what we can learn from, Continue reading Lessons from the life of Sarah in the Bible (characteristics and marriage lessons)Continue, The characteristics of Ruth in the Bible makes for an exciting study! Yes, they are Bible characters from a long time ago but their faith in God has reached across time to uplift our hearts. (Luke 4:25,26) Her story teaches us that God blesses those doing good to his servants. She was faithful and obedient to the commands of the LORD. Instead of cursing the stranger for his callousness, as we might expect, the woman did exactly as he had requested, feeding him the food she had reserved for herself and her son. God chose to take the life of the prophet Elijah and intertwine it with the life of the one widow. But then a stranger had called to her: "Woman, would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink? She said to Elijah, What do you have against me, man of God? Kadari, Tamar. Go home and do as you have said. He sent Elijah to the widow to help both her and the prophet.
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