The Widow and the Hungry Fool

Have you ever contemplated the story of Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath from 1 Kings 17: 7 - 16?
It reads:

⁷Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. ⁸ Then the word of the Lord came to him: ⁹ “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” ¹⁰ So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” ¹¹ As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”

¹² “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—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.” 

¹³ Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. ¹⁴ 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.’”

¹⁵ She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. ¹⁶ For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.

We never learn her name. We never “hear” her inner voice as she processes what Elijah is telling her and as she follows his instructions. I wish I could have glimpsed inside her head.

Did she know Elijah before this encounter or was he a stranger? That had to have made a difference. After all, here is this man, telling her to sacrifice herself and her beloved son - and feed him first. He wants her to trust him. All reason would tell her that if she did as he said, there would be no flour or oil left for her and her son.

 Did that truly matter? Maybe she figured they were going to die anyway. Eating one last meal would merely delay the inevitable. May as well feed this man first. If I am not mistaken, the custom of the day was to take care of strangers. Society also placed more value on the life of a man over that of a woman and a child. In her world, she would certainly give to a stranger – and a male stranger at that – before seeing to her own needs.

Still, did she grumble, cursing this man and God for changing her plans and taking what little she had from her?

Let’s go back to whether or not she knew Elijah. If she knew him, it may have been easier to trust him. She could have thought to herself, “Well, this sounds absurd, but Elijah is a man of God. If he says the flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry, then maybe I should trust him. I don’t know how this is possible, but if Elijah says so, it must be so.”

If she did not know him, she may have thought, “Who does this man think he is? He’s not fooling me. The Lord will keep my flour pot full and my oil will not run out? Ha! I’ll believe that when I see it.” I can see her shaking her head and rolling her eyes as she goes to prepare bread for this hungry fool.

How would I have reacted in the same circumstances?

I am reminded of a time when my pastor approached me about a ministry he wanted me to get involved with. He told me he prayed about it and God gave him my name. It was something I thought was preposterous for me and would never have considered it had he not made the offer. I accepted because I trusted him and trusted his relationship with Christ. The ministry turned out to be a great blessing for me.

Still, would I have placed so much confidence in him if he had asked me to give him my last piece of bread?

If someone without the prayer life of my pastor had suggested the same ministry for me, and told me God told him so, I would have laughed and never even given it a passing thought. I would have missed out on a great blessing.

As these thoughts swirl in my mind, the words of Jesus about worry come to mind. In Matthew Chapter Six, Jesus addresses the problem of worry. He asks why we worry about what to eat or what to wear. He tells us to consider the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap or gather into barns, but God feeds them. Yet, how much more valuable are we? If God feeds the birds of the air and clothes the lilies of the field, how much more will He do for us?

I know without a doubt that God is capable of doing immeasurably more than I could think or imagine. Yet, for me, trust is still a massive obstacle, a daily fight within myself. My heart knows, but my head will not let go. I want the play by play account. I want to know the outcome before I take that first step.

I want to know what the widow was thinking when this man approached her, as she prepared the meal, before and after she handed over the last of her sustenance. Were her hands trembling? Did fear for herself and her son grip her heart? Or was she resigned to her inevitable fate, walking and reacting in a trance-like state, still doubtful of the promised blessing, but obeying anyway?

The author of 1 Kings fails to give us any insight into her inner person. Maybe the lack of insight is intentional. Maybe what matters is not her fear or trepidation. Maybe the only thing that matters is her obedience.

And because she obeyed, God greatly blessed her.

Oh, my Father, I thank you for the story of the faithful and trust filled widow. I pray that I may remember her and that I, too, will act in obedience.