1 Kings 17:8-16
God
Provides
1 Kings
17:8-16
(God
provides for His prophet Elijah through a Gentile widow and provides
for her, too.)
Then
the word of the Lord came to him, [9] "Arise, go to Zarephath,
which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a
widow there to feed you." [10] So he arose and went to
Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow
was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, "Bring
me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink." [11] And as
she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me
a morsel of bread in your hand." [12] And she said, "As the
Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in
a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of
sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we
may eat it and die." [13] And Elijah said to her, "Do not
fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of
it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and
your son. [14] For thus says the Lord the God of Israel, 'The jar of
flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty,
until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.' " [15]
And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household
ate for many days. [16] The jar of flour was not spent, neither did
the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that
he spoke by Elijah.
Hebrews
9:24-28
(Christ
sacrificed Himself to save you from sin and everyone who waits for
Him.)
For
Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are
copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in
the presence of God on our behalf. [25] Nor was it to offer himself
repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with
blood not his own, [26] for then he would have had to suffer
repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has
appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the
sacrifice of himself. [27] And just as it is appointed for man to die
once, and after that comes judgment, [28] so Christ, having been
offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not
to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
Mark
12:38-44
(Jesus
commended a widow who gave in spite of her poverty and warned against
self-seeking Pharisees who schemed to take away widow’s houses.)
And
in his teaching he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to
walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and
have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at
feasts, who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long
prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation."
And
he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting
money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And
a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a
penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, "Truly,
I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are
contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of
their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she
had, all she had to live on."
God Provides
God
often provides for His people in mysterious ways and He tests our
faith to see if we will rely upon Him. (1 Kings 17)
God
called the prophet Elijah to give Israel bad news. God was judging
them for their idolatry and immorality. There would be no rain for
three and one-half years. Elijah also suffered hunger and thirst.
God provided ravens to bring him bread and a brook to drink from.
When the brook dried up, God told Elijah to go to a Gentile widow who
would feed him. She was preparing her last supper before dying of
starvation. But, she shared with Elijah and God blessed her in that
her oil and flour did not run out until the drought was over.
God fed
Elijah through ravens and a Gentile widow, unlikely suppliers. God
often chooses the weak in the world to shame the strong (1
Corinthians 1: 27). And, God provided for Elijah throughout his life
and even now in heaven.
What
about you? Do you trust God to provide for your needs? Are you
confident enough to be generous to others? Do you have a sense of
joy when you share the good news of Jesus Christ with others, give to
the Lord’s work, and help the poor?
The
hymn, “Now Thank We All our God” says: “Oh, may this bounteous
God through all our life be near us, with ever joyful hearts and
blessed peace to cheer us, and keep us in His grace and guide us when
perplexed and free us from all ills in this world and the next.”
Amen
Pastor
Raymond Van Buskirk, Redeemer Lutheran Church, Baytown, TX
www.rlcbaytown.org