1 Kings 17:1--"Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead." I almost skipped this. Elijah was from the middle of nowhere, from a town nobody ever heard of, but God used him mightily. How many times have you said, "But I'm just a nobody from nowhere special"? God wants to use willing people to be mouthpieces for His Kingdom. Let's accept the challenge!
We don't have any background info on Elijah. He just shows up in King Ahab's court one day and swears that there will be a drought. Wow! That's a lot of confidence in what Elijah believed about God. Then Elijah gets the word from God that all his needs will be met if he will trust God and go live in the wilderness. Any takers on this challenge? Elijah's unquestioning life is in stark contrast to mine.
My heart breaks for the widow at Zarephath. She is just waiting for her family to die in the famine. You and I do not know this kind of heartache. We are so totally spoiled in America. We are worried about our retirement accounts, and this poor widow was worried about keeping her child alive another day.
Elijah challenges this woman to take the path of faith when he asks her to take him into her home and provide for him. Selfish people that we are, we never take in strangers, and we have food, clothing, and shelter in abundance. Sadly, we don't see God work miracles for us because we keep hoarding all the things He provides for us.
Verse 14 blows me away. "The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land." How did Elijah know that? How could he be so confident of God's promise to provide? Sorry, but you and I panic when the paycheck doesn't come a day early. I am fairly certain that a semi trailer load of flour and oil did not show up at the doorstep the next morning. Every meal the widow prepared for her little household of three was an act of faith. Every time she measured out the flour and the oil was an act of obedience to this new God Elijah had introduced her to.
Verse 18--Can you hear the fury in the words of the widow? I don't suppose she intended the phrase "man of God" as a compliment toward Elijah. She was bitterly angry at the death of her only son, her only remaining family member, her only hope for survival in her old age.
Verses 19-22--By faith Elijah resuscitates the boy. Is this the first resurrection story in the Bible? I can't think of any others before this. Do you know of one? Cool. Elijah, the guy from nowhere, is a pioneer in CPR. Again, I am simply amazed at Elijah's trust in God's promises. Did he know that God would bring the child back to life? Elijah stretched himself out and prayed three times for the boy. Would I have given up after the first try?
"Look, your son is alive!" JOY, JOY, JOY, JOY!!!! Verse 24--"Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a "man of God" (maybe it's complimentary now), and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth." Dear LORD Jesus, please provide opportunities for others to witness in my life that Your Word is Truth. May my life never contradict the message you have commissioned me to share with others. You are the Living God. You are the God who works miracles. You are the Giver of all good things.
I glory in Your Holy Name! Amen.
I think it's interesting how the woman just trusted what Elijah said about the flour and oil never running out. She trusted first that he was a man of God. But her doubt did come when tragedy hits. Several thoughts here:
ReplyDelete1) Do we always trust when God is speaking to us? I know I don't, and in this situation a man I had never seen before telling me all of this. Uh, I don't think so.
2) Wow, doubt when tragedy hits. Sound familiar. I know I am just like the woman, asking God "Why did you do this to me?"
3) Rejoice when God's plan is succeeded. Do we always rejoice and see that it was God's plan the whole time? Do we rejoice even if the outcome wasn't how we wanted it to be? In this instance, the woman got her son back. But I'm wondering about this day and age what about those who have their children taken from them too soon. How can they rejoice, the outcome certainly wasn't how they wanted it to be? But was it God's plan or was it that God allowed it to happen for something else to come out of it? I don't know. I'm a firm believer that sometimes it is evil forces that cause a tragic event, but God reminds us that he will always produce good from it. Even if it's an evil force that causes tragedy, it is only because God allowed it to happen for a purpose, His divine purpose! I don't understand all of this and I probably never will until I meet Him face to face. I think the point I'm trying to reach in my own mind here is this-
1) We have to trust God's way!
2) He loves us and wants to give us good things.
3) He does allow tragedies to happen, but it is always with another purpose in the works- something good. And we don't know the final purpose behind the scenes. Remember Job!
Oh, and what was the reasoning behind "Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times..." This is one of those questions of what in the world was that all about? It actually doesn't really matter. But it makes me wonder you see stories through out the Bible where God throws in something weird like that and for what? I know there is a purpose for Him telling us the weird parts too. Anyways, there's my thoughts for the day!
Three times--I think it is an example of perseverance. Just because God doesn't answer our petition the first time, doesn't mean we should give up. He may be testing our faith. In Chapter 18, we will see that Elijah prayed seven times for rain. Lately, my prayer life has been so sporadic that I may pray one time for something and then move on. I believe God is calling me to sit at His feet and wait on His answer. So far, I keep giving in to spiritual ADHD.
ReplyDeleteYou say you feel God is saying to you "to sit at His feet and wait on His answer." That is interesting because in my Bible Study the lesson was about "waiting". The other night I was trying to find a verse to give to a friend and all the verses I was reading were about "waiting on the Lord." And now you say to "wait". I also have been feeling that is what the Lord is telling me- "just wait and see what I'm going to do!" I think something big is coming!! If we are all being told to "wait". Wow, are you getting excited???
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