| “And he [Elijah] called unto her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink … and … he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. And she said … I have … but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth” (1 Kings 17:10-14). |
| Please read this whole story in 1 Kings 17, to see how the Lord looked after Elijah. As we see at the beginning of the chapter, a man named Elijah suddenly appears in Israel’s history. He came from Tishbe, which was probably east of the Jordan River, in the land of Gilead. Elijah actually prays that there would not be any rain in the land of Israel. Why did he do this? It was because of Israel’s sin in worshiping idols, and not following the Lord. |
| As you may imagine, soon there was no food to eat, and when Elijah was told to go and stay with this widow woman, she was just about to use the last bit of flour and oil she had to make a cake for herself and her son. Then they would die from starvation. What Elijah did then seems rather strange and bold to us, for not only did he ask for some water, but he asked her to make him a cake first, and bring it to him. Then she could make one for herself and her son. Why would Elijah say this to a woman who was a perfect stranger to him? |
| We learn from the New Testament that this woman had faith, and evidently had cried to the Lord for His help. When Elijah appeared, she recognized him as the one whom the Lord had sent to help her. However, her faith was about to be tested. If she made a cake for Elijah, she would use up all her flour and oil. But Elijah had said that the flour and oil would last until the rain came. Could she trust his word? If she made a cake for Elijah, would the Lord provide more for her and her son? She had faith, and when she did as Elijah asked her, the Lord provided more flour and oil, not only that first day, but every day. It was not the nice mix of foods that most of us eat every day, but it was food that kept them alive. |
| What do we learn from this? When the Lord says something in His Word, we can trust Him. He may test our faith, and He tested this woman’s faith, but He will never disappoint our faith. Sometimes we may find ourselves in the middle of a problem, and perhaps the Lord shows us what He wants us to do. Do we have faith to obey the Lord, and trust Him? If we do, He will never let us down. |
