The household in Zarephath was sustained by the temporal mercies of God which never failed; but also their hearts were sustained by the hope which He set before them. Let us look again at the message of Jehovah to the widow: “Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, the meal in the barrel shall not waste, neither shall the oil in the cruse fail, Until the day that Jehovah sendeth rain upon the earth” (1 Kings 17:14). Mark the words, “until the day” —words from the very heart of a faithful God, who would give deliverance and blessing in His season. The fields were not always to be scorched, nor the trees fruitless, nor the streams dry. It was Jehovah’s gracious intention to reverse these disastrous conditions, and grant once more a happy blend of sunshine and showers which would make “the field joyful and all that is therein” (Psa. 104:12). However unbelieving might be the multitudes around them, the little group in the cottage would cherish the words of God, and wait in faith for Him to act in goodness by His almighty power.
What a picture we have here of our own position today as believers in the Lord Jesus! The world is in a sorry plight; vast regions have been blighted by the ravages of war; and famine and pestilence deepen the misery. The conditions are beyond the wisdom and power of man to correct; and yet there is HOPE. In God’s word—in both Old and New Testaments—we meet frequently with the words “the day.” The context in almost every case will show that this gave confidence and strength to men of faith, both in Israel and in the Church. What is meant by “the day?” it refers to a point of time to which God has been looking forward through the ages when He will publicly intervene in the affairs of earth, and clear away everything that is offensive in His sight, and which has brought suffering to both man and beast.
We who believe in the Lord Jesus in this dispensation belong to the heavens—there our portion lies, and we look to see the Saviour as the Bright Morning Star before He shines forth in majesty as the Sun of Righteousness. Everyone will see the Sun (“every eye shall see Him”); but only His waiting saints will see the Morning Star. We belong in spirit to the day now— “we are all sons of the light, and sons of the day; we are not of the night, nor of darkness” (1 Thess. 5:5).
All that we see and hear around us which is so displeasing to God is also displeasing to us, for we have been born anew, and also have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. We feel that we are living and moving in an uncongenial atmosphere; but our hearts nevertheless go out towards men in all their sorrows, and we are glad to be assured by the Holy Spirit that “the creation shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty and glory of the children of God” (Rom. 8:21).
“The day” so frequently referred to in Scripture does not mean a period of twenty-four hours it covers the entire period of God’s, suppression of evil in order that He may establish peace and blessing. The heavenly places will first be cleared of rebels; we learn this from Isaiah 24:21, and Revelation 12:7-12; the clearance of earth will follow.
When God sent drought into Egypt He laid His whole plan before Joseph in advance. This Joseph communicated to Pharaoh. There were to be seven years of plenty before the seven years of drought. The pagan king was thus made to feel that the God of heaven was greater than all the gods of Egypt. They could neither foretell the circumstances, nor provide for them when they came (Gen. 41). But it did not please Jehovah to tell Elijah and the widow when the longed-for day would dawn. They waited in faith for Him to fulfill His word, and they were not disappointed. In God’s gracious time everything around them would smile once more. Meanwhile, His “until the day” would ring in their ears, and rejoice their hearts. God’s “untils” should be noted as we read the Word, for they suggest hope. He who has all things at His command tolerates evil “until.” Read Romans 11:25: Isaiah 32:15.
God has not been pleased to tell us when the greatest of all days will open—the turning-point in the history of man and the earth; but we hear the Holy Spirit’s words: “The night is far spent, and the day is at hand” (Rom. 13:12). All God’s ways from the moment sin came into the world have been leading onward to “the day” of which we speak. The Man of God’s purpose will act for Him, and He will do the will of God perfectly. Chaps. 24-27 of the book of Isaiah have been called “Isaiah’s little Apocalypse.” It would do every reader good to lay down this book for an hour, and read those four chapters carefully. They speak of sorrow and judgments yet to come upon Israel and the nations, but they also speak of the healthy exercises of faith through which godly ones will pass, whose hope is in God, and who long for “the day.”
Politicians may promise their people “a new and better world”; and they may be quite sincere in what they say; but the true remedy for all the ills of creation is in the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ. When He shines forth in glory, and all His saints with Him (all sinners saved by grace), Satan’s malign rule over men will end, and the will of God will be done on earth as it is done in heaven. In the light of “the day,” which will bring recompense and honor to all who serve loyally now, let us watch our steps, and labor with godly care; “for the day will declare” what manner of servants we have been here for God (1 Cor. 3:13).
“Hope of our hearts, O Lord, appear,
Thou glorious Star of day!
Shine forth, and chase the dreary night,
With all our tears, away!”
(Sir Edward Denny).