Elijah Part 3 – What Happens In Zarephath?

Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Arise,
go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there:
behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.
1 Kings 17:8-9

We continue our story of God’s prophet, Elijah, who has been at the brook Cherith because God told him to go there and hide from King Ahab.

Elijah has unknowingly been in training for what God will later do through him. At the brook, he learned that God controls the ravens and is faithful to do what He says He will do.

But when the water in the brook dried up, the Lord sent Elijah to Zarephath, a small town in Phoenicia on the Mediterranean coast between Sidon and Tyre.

Sidon was the homeland of Jezebel and the heart of Baal worship. Zarephath would have also worshiped Baal, the false storm god and controller of rain.

When Jezebel married King Ahab, she brought her false god worship with her. She influenced him to bring Baal worship to Israel.

Consequently, Ahab built a temple and altar for Baal in Samaria and set up an Asherah pole. Asherah was the fertility goddess and female counterpart to Baal.

When the king brought Baal worship to Israel, he violated the first commandment: Thou shalt have no other gods before Me (Ex 20:3).

God will not share His glory with another (Is 42:8) and had commanded Israel to love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, and might (Deut 6:5).

Because of this apostasy, Ahab did more to anger the Lord than all the kings of Israel before him (1 Kings 16:31-33).

So, in addition to stopping all rain, God purposely sent Elijah to a bordering heathen nation that worshiped Baal. And once again, Elijah obeyed. He went to Zarephath, where he found the widow.

Why Zarephath in Phoenicia?

Scholars differ on why they say God sent Elijah to Zarephath in Phoenicia. The Bible doesn’t tell us specifically, but a few reasons I found are for God to:

• Make Himself known in a heathen nation, particularly one that worshiped Baal
• Demonstrate His sovereignty over Phoenicia and the false gods they worshiped
• Hide Elijah in a place where the king and queen will not look for him
• Show His grace and mercy to a Gentile widow and one who would have been surrounded by Baal worship
• Demonstrate His concern for anyone who puts Him first, which the Gentile widow did
• Let people know that He doesn’t show favoritism and accepts everyone who fears Him and does what is right and acceptable to Him (Acts 10:35-36)
• Rebuke the apostasy of Israel (see Lk 4:24-26) who was not fearing Him or doing what was right and acceptable to Him

God was preparing the prophet Elijah for a showdown with the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel, which borders the two countries of Israel and Phoenicia.

Because Elijah went to Zarephath in Phoenicia, and because the showdown would be between Elijah’s God and the false god, Baal, Phoenicians would hear about what God did for one of their own widows and what happened at Mount Carmel.

God was making Himself known and demonstrating His sovereignty and mercy to the Phoenician Baal worshipers.

But that’s a later story. Let’s get back to the one at hand.

Elijah Meets the Widow

Once Elijah arrives at Zarephath, he sees a widow gathering sticks. He asks her to bring him a drink of water, and when she leaves to get him one, he stops her and asks her to bring him a little bread, too.

The widow then tells him her sad story. She has no more bread but only enough flour and oil to make one last meal for herself and her son before they die.

She begins by saying, “As the Lord your God lives,” showing that she recognizes that Elijah is from Israel and knows who his God is and that He is living.

She is not necessarily saying she worships Elijah’s God, but that she has encountered Him.

Elijah would have been convinced that this was the widow God had instructed to feed him. So, he proceeded to tell her to make him some bread first and then some for her and her son.

He then says, “For this is what the Lord God of Israel says, ‘The flour jar will not become empty, and the oil jug will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the surface of the land.’ ” (I Kings 17:14).

What does this widow from Zarephath do?

She did everything according to the word of Elijah, and she, Elijah, and her household ate for many days (1 Kings 17:15-16).

The Son Gets Sick and Dies

After many days of seeing God provide for her, the widow’s son gets sick and dies. She is devastated.

 She blames Elijah, accusing him of coming to point out her sins and kill her son. She is undoubtedly grieving when she says these words. However, she also shows that she held to the common belief that suffering and misfortune are the result of personal sin, which is not always true (see Jn 9:2-3). 

I’ve heard people say, “God must be punishing me for my sin,” when something tragic occurs, and it’s the only explanation they can think of for why it happened.

Indeed, God punishes sin, and therefore, it’s a possible reason why someone experiences tragedy. I’m reminded of God telling David through the prophet Nathan that his son would die because he “treated the Lord with such contempt in this matter” (referring to his ordering the murder of Uriah and taking Bathsheba to be his wife, 2 Samuel 12:9, 14).

But Jesus says in John 9:3 that sometimes tragedy or conditions such as blindness happen so God’s glory can be revealed. This is the case with the widow’s son.

Elijah Prays to God 

Elijah was also confused by this death and said to the widow, “Give me your son.” He takes the boy upstairs and puts him on his own bed.

He then cried out to the Lord and said, “Lord my God, have you also brought tragedy on the widow I am staying with by killing her son?”

He then stretched himself out over the boy three times, crying out to the Lord, “Lord my God, please let this boy’s life come into him again.”

The Lord listened to Elijah’s cries, and the boy returned to life.

When he brought the boy back to his mom, she said to Elijah, “Now I know you are a man of God, and the Lord‘s word from your mouth is true.”

She went from trusting and obeying God through Elijah’s direction to thinking she was being punished for her sin to once again having confidence in Elijah and His God.

Although it’s hard to know for sure, her ending testimony may indicate that she put her faith in the Lord and began worshiping the one true God.

Can you see how this miracle was performed so that God’s glory might be displayed to the widow, the son, and anyone who heard about it?

As time passes, God speaks again to Elijah in the third year and tells him to present himself to Ahab.

RELATED > > > > > Elijah Part 4 – Why Does Obadiah Respond Fearfully to Elijah?

Elijah Points Us to Jesus

When you read how Elijah multiplied the flour and oil and raised the widow’s son through the power of God, you are reminded that Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Elijah’s multiplication miracle was for himself and one household, but Jesus did it for more than 5000 people. Elijah raised a boy who had just died, and Jesus raised four people, one of whom was Himself. Jesus raised:

• The widow of Nain’s son, who was about to be buried (Lk 7:11-17)
• Jairus’ daughter, who had just died (Lk 8:40-56)
• Lazarus of Bethany, who had been in the tomb four days (Jn 11:38-44)
• Jesus Himself, who rose again to never die again (Mk 16:1-8)

When Elijah performed his miracles as a man, it was apparent that God was doing the work. But it’s less clear with Jesus’ miracles: was it Jesus by His own authority or through the power of the Holy Spirit?

After all, He is the God-man, and some say He could perform miracles by His own authority. However, the Scriptures also show that He depended on the Holy Spirit throughout His ministry.

What God is Doing

Often, we don’t know what God is doing as we live our lives, and we don’t always understand why something painful happens.

When my husband was in high school, he attended a summer adventure camp with a group of teens. One of the girls on the trip had earlier confided to him that she would be willing to die if it meant her dad would be saved. And that’s what happened. She died on that trip from a horseback riding accident, and her dad became a Christian at her funeral.

God allows tragedy for various reasons, some of which we may never understand in this lifetime. But sometimes, He enables us to connect the dots and see how He is working. Other times, we may see His glory displayed through a miraculous work.

We have the advantage of reading people’s stories in the Bible all the way through. We can see what God was doing and learn how He worked, but that doesn’t mean the people in the story could see it.

When God told Elijah to go to Zarephath and find a widow who would feed him, He only gave Elijah enough information to take the next step. Elijah probably had questions and may have even asked them. We don’t know because the Bible doesn’t say, only that he went.

Sometimes, I wish I could see how my story or a particular situation ends and how God was working all along. However, most of the time, I really don’t know what He is doing. And I, like Elijah and the widow in our story, have to trust God and His character and promises.

This applies to all who call Jesus “Lord.” It comes with the territory. Part of being a Christian means you won’t always know what God is doing. But you can always trust Him because He is a faithful God.

The lyrics of one song say, “I don’t know what You’re doing, but I know what You’ve done. I’m fighting a battle You’ve already won.”

How true that is! You may not know what God is doing as you go through various trials or triumphs, but you do know what He’s done.

What God Has Done

God sent Jesus to be the Savior of the world. Our sin separates us from God, and Jesus paid the penalty so we could be reconciled to God. Jesus died, was buried, and rose again on the third day, triumphing over sin and death.

That’s why we can sing that we’re fighting a battle Jesus already won. It’s part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Each person must decide how they will respond when hearing the Gospel message: Will they believe the Good News that Jesus died for their sins so they can be reconciled to God and receive eternal life? Will they trust that Jesus won the battle against Satan, sin, and death?

God draws people to Jesus, enabling them to believe whenever they hear the Gospel message. Still, as I said, everyone decides for themself whether or not to accept it.

What have you decided?

RELATED > > > > > How Does God Draw All People to Jesus? – John 6:44

Final Thoughts

The prophet Elijah went to Zarephath, and God used him in a widow’s life. At the same time, God was preparing Elijah for a future assignment that required greater faith.

First, the widow was on her last meal, and she, her son, and Elijah saw God provide miraculously for them by not letting the flour or oil run out.

Second, when the widow’s son died, God used Elijah to bring the boy back to life.

Additionally, Elijah may have witnessed the widow embracing his God and rejecting any thought of worshiping the false god, Baal.

What happens to Elijah in Zarephath? His faith grows and readies him for what God has next.

What has God done to grow your faith?