But hard times is nothing new. The Widow of Zarephaths story begins while she is at the gate gathering a few sticks so she can go home and prepare the last little bit of food for herself and her son. jQuery('.mc4wp-form').find('form').on('submit', function(evt) { The Prophet Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath illustrates the biblical story of the encounter between prophet Elijah and a widow and her son gathering sticks when he arrives at the town of Zarephath. Elijah worshipped Jehovah. 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). Comfort her when shes feeling overwhelmed. The Widow of Zarephath is an example of faith. And when she gave, something amazing happened. Elijah tells her not to be afraid, but instead to Go home and do as you have said. At one point, Elijah thought he was the last living prophet (1 Kings 18:22). The A type of non-halakhic literary activitiy of the Rabbis for interpreting non-legal material according to special principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules).midrash explains why Elijah stopped the rains and how it happened that he was commanded to go to the home of the woman in Zarephath. The story of the bleeding woman is one of the most moving in the Scriptures. The town of Zarephath was one hundred miles from the brook Cherith, where Elijah had been in hiding from King Ahab. 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. But God sent Elijah out of Israel, to the town of Zarephath in Sidon instead. "Widow of Zarephath: Midrash and Aggadah." His need condemned her. No matter how small or insignificant, we have something to give to someone else to help them. And when she completed the task, she again went to him for the next step. 2). alert("Please select at least one list. But how precious that they were able to be active participants in the miraculous provision for their needs. The Widow of Zarephath didnt blame Elijah or the LORD for the death of her son. We can learn so many lessons from the story of Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath. Did the woman remember a past sin that bothered her conscience? 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. But she did have oil. Upon seeing her son, the widow said to Elijah, Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is the truth (1 Kings 17:24 NKJV). 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.. TERMS OF USE After we eat it, well die (1 Kings 17:12 MSG). (1 Kings 17:17-23). 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. Elijah prayed that God give him the key of the resurrection of the dead, but he was told from Heaven: Three keys were not entrusted to an agent [i.e., an agent responsible for them], but remained with God, namely: the key of the woman giving birth, the key of rain and the key of the resurrection of the dead. A lesson that we can learn from this is that God blesses those who show faith in him. var checkboxFields = jQuery(this).find('[name^="GROUPINGS"]'); 10:22 refers: It is the blessing of the Lord that enriches. A single spoonful of ground flour that the woman had and the little oil in the jug sufficed, they were not exhausted, and the blessing reigned from within her home (Tanhuma, Ki Tisa 29). In their meeting in the mourners house, Ahab asked Elijah: The curse of Joshua is fulfilled, but the curse of Moses is not? But she would also be the first woman to witness God's power to raise the dead, which he did in response to Elijah's repeated prayers on behalf of her child. Edith, just checking back to see how you are doing. We know a lot about the Widow of Zarephath even though we do not now her name. The Widow of Zarephath. if( checkboxFields[i].checked ) { The story of Peter in the Bible teaches that. Thank you for stopping by. she wondered. Luke 4:25-26. Instead, he sometimes intervenes by miraculous understatement, in this case by making sure that a little bit of oil and flourjust enough for a small loafdidn't run out. 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. 11:1617]. And note that his prayers were no small prayers and his faith was equally huge. The Word of the LORD is in reality truth and reliable. It seems that God allowed the boy to die because He knew that this resurrection, the first one recorded in the Scriptures, would give hope to millions in the future. He will watch over his word until it comes to pass. Jesus will be with you as you speak His words. Elijah was feed by ravens for many days. While Ahab and Jezebel and Elijah were drawing swords on earth, that was just a representation of what was happening in the spiritual word. The city serves as part of her identification. The Rabbis also learned that giving food to someone else is a 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. Jehovah was listening. Admit your helplessness. 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 important thing is to go back to Him in remembrance of Him. Every night she hoped for rain, but every morning she woke to a brilliant sky. She literally was going to eat her last meal and then she was going to starve to death. Then sit back and listen to what He has to say. Am shelmith from Kenya. And thanks so much for that insight. Like Naaman, her faith was unlikely and Jesus makes reference to him as well. Not all those who lived in Zarephath were completely corrupt. The story has three main characters: Naomi, Ruth and Boaz. All He wants us to do is to love him back. New International Version (NIV). He will provide for our needs on a daily basis. She lashes out in her pain at the man she trusted, the man who God used to perform a miracle. Are you looking for God to answer you through the divine connection of relationship Hes placed in your life? Terms of Use: The contents of this blog post are restricted to your personal use only. Then he died, leaving his helpless widow owing money and having no way to pay off the debt. Thanks so much for sharing. Forgive us when we lose faith and forget what an awesome God You are. Are you feeling pressure to provide for your family but you dont know how youre going to? Ahab was the king in Israel at a crucial time. But God is full of surprises. 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). It may require you to look around at what you have and do something with the resources Hes already blessed you with. Indeed April. return false; Jezebel had commanded all the prophets in the land to be killed. The houseguest is Gods prophet Elijah. While that is often a part of his plan, our eyes usually rest on ourselves, when in fact it has less to do with us and more to do with what He wants to do through our relationships with the people to whom He connects us. God provides for him through a raven. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Amen. This was before the loving kindness of God our Savior toward man appeared. But God is full of surprises. For those who are being threatened by others and are feeling helpless, be their Defense. Then do it. When her son became sick and died the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he was revived. Bible Gateway Plus makes it simple. These lessons from the woman with the issue of blood in the Bible will empower, encourage and inspire you. But anyone who is willing to open their hearts, God is ready to walk in. Jesus makes reference here to an event in the life of Elijah the prophet. Later, the widow's faith would again be tested when her young son died. Try it FREE right now! In honor of International Womens Day on March 8, 2022, we are spotlighting women who rocked in Bible times! Just as Elijah promised, Jehovah added to her supply of food so that there was enough to feed Elijah, her, and her son until the drought ended. They saw first hand how the oil from one jar filled enough jars to not only pay off their fathers debt, but for the family to live off of. The second of the encouraging Widow of Zarephath lessons is a bit of a cliche. She heard, understood and walked that walk of faith. There are so many people of faith in the Bible. Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath. God did not abandon that poor widow. The woman said to Elijah (v. 18): [] that you should come here to recall my sin and cause the death of my son? In the midrashic expansion, she tells him: Until you came here, God would weigh my actions in comparison with the local people, and I would be found worthy. And for those of us who struggle in our faith, He always meets us where we are in our imperfect faith and helps us grow. He will not allow the enemy to snatch you up without a fight. She prepared food for Elijah with the last of her food, and trusted his words that her barrel would not be empty. RELATED: Women of faith in the Bible 14 Characteristics and lessons learned. Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. The people of Israel were struggling. You must be joking. But that was not this widows reaction. 7 Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. Like the woman with the issue of blood and Naaman, Elijah was no different. God bless. It was then that the widow knew that Elijah was a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth. And he called to her and said, 'Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.' And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, 'Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.' It will be said that two keys are held by the disciple and one by the Master! The curse of the teacher is not fulfilled, but that of his disciple is? When we do this we are also forgetting the loving kindness of LORD God. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. You already have the key of rain, and you [also] want the key of the resurrection of the dead? Ahab and Jezebel were ruling the Kingdom of Israel in wickedness. Much blessings to you my sister. Copyright 2022| Guided Bible Studies for Hungry Christians |, The Psychological Condition of Depression. Just as you saw the prophets widow through difficult times, may you work in a miraculous to take care of Edith. (Read on to find out why he chose a drought over anything else). Wrap your arms around her and remind her that shes not alone, that you see her and you love her very much. Can you imagine just a little attitude in her response to him? Not in a way that is driven by anxiety. (Acts 24:15) Surely these are excellent reasons for remembering the widow of Zarephath. In Christs name we pray. But in a way that is grounded in abiding trust. Elisha told her to go to all of her neighbors and borrow empty vessels from them. Each widow faced difficulties far beyond anything they could handle on their own. He doesn't urge them to pick themselves up and get going when they have no resources to do so. She had failed in the most basic ways a mother could, unable to protect, nurture, and provide. They continued until all the vessels were full. If ever there was a list of bad women in the Bible, they would be on it. If you want to continue learning from the Widow of Zarephath story, I encourage you to check out someother Bible studies. Have you come to remind me of my guilt and to put my son to death? (1Kings 17:17,18) What do those bitter words mean? Look! Indeed, "the large jar of flour did not run out, and the small jar of oil did not . Her character: A Phoenician woman, she showed extraordinary hospitality to one of God's prophets, providing a safe harbor for him during a period of famine. Then Elisha had the widow and her sons closing the door before filling the jars. God told Elijah to go to Zarephath and find a widow. Elijah prayed and from heaven he was given the key of rain, so that it would descend only at his command. Their clothing set them apart so they could receive help from their community. This widow was from Sidon. Well, very little. He scooped him up and carried him back downstairs to his mother. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2541,. Chicago Style Citation: They went door to door collecting. Lieberman], Ekev, p. 74). Elijah is commanded to go to Sidon, where he will be fed by a widow (17:9). She did what had to be done because she had faith in the LORD. Give guidance and wisdom so that we know exactly what to do in whatever situation we may find us in. I am blessed that you have been encouraged. And in each case, God showed them that they werent alone and that He cared for them. The story of Elijah and the Widow of Zarephtah can be found in the following Bible verses: 5 Faith lessons from the woman with the issue of blood in the Bible, Lessons from the life of Sarah in the Bible (characteristics and marriage lessons), Characteristics of Ruth in the Bible (and lessons from the story of Ruth and Boaz), Rizpah in the Bible Characteristics and lessons learned, Faith in Bible stories: 30+ inspirational examples and stories from Scripture, Daughters of Zelophehad Lessons for life, faith and prayer. The widow didnt have much. Her character: A Phoenician woman, she showed extraordinary hospitality to one of God's prophets, providing a safe harbor for him during a period of famine.Her sorrow: To suffer extreme poverty, famine, and the loss of husband and son.Her joy: To experience repeated miracles of God's provision.Key Scriptures: 1 Kings 17:8-24; Luke 4:25-26. Im using this story to talk about faith to hear and hearken to Gods prophets throughout the ages. We will get back to the context of Jesus . It is common for us all to blame ourselves and our sins for things that happen to us. This midrash seemingly comes to somewhat moderate Elijahs powers as they are presented in the Biblical narrative, since he does not control everything, but receives only one key at a time. She said to Elijah, What do you have against me, man of God? Ive stopped saying we should challenge God for big things.Actually, nothing challenges God. Required fields are marked *. How like God to construct a parable of grace during a time of judgment, to display his mercy and power in the midst of weakness and need. Learn how your comment data is processed. To help you get started in organizing your time, here are some sample Sunday School schedules for preschool through grade 6 for varying classroom lengths: If you have a 30-minute class, consider taking two weeks per lesson or following a schedule such as this: "Come on in" games: 5 minutes.. 9 images found in 1 Kings 17. Rather, because she received him hospitably and attended to him, this hospitality is ascribed to her, and she also merited having Elijah revive her son (Cant. And he was fighting to rescue the hearts of his people from worshiping things that would not serve them. The Mystery of the Four Kingdoms; The Revelation of The Seven Trumpets; The Seven Church Ages Commentary; WMB Books. 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