Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
1 Kings 17:8-16
YHWH Makes Provision For Elijah With A Widow Of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:8).
The water in the Wadi Cherith having almost dried up, God now directed Elijah to go to Zarephath, where He would arrange for a widow woman to provide his need. Zarephath was on the Lebanese coast road between Tyre and Sidon, thirteen kilometres (nine miles) south of Sidon. It was mentioned in the 13th century BC papyrus Anastasi 1. It was also mentioned by Sennacherib and Esarhaddon.
To this Phoenician town Elijah made his way, and was provided for even more miraculously than at the Wadi Cherith. God was making clear to him that He could provide all that he needed under all circumstances. Although Baal could not produce grain and oil for his worshippers from the fields, the living God was able to supply both abundantly from a small jar.
This remarkable incident regularly causes much scepticism today among those who close their eyes and then say, ‘I cannot see'. But there are in fact well authenticated parallels of similar occurrences having happened in the present day, for those who have eyes to see.
Analysis.
a And the word of YHWH came to him, saying, “Arise, get you to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Look, I have commanded a widow there to sustain you” (1 Kings 17:9).
b 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, “Fetch me, I pray you, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink” (1 Kings 17:10).
c And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, “Bring me, I pray you, a morsel of bread in your hand” (1 Kings 17:11).
d And she said, “As YHWH your God lives, I have not a cake of bread, but a handful of meal in the jar, and a little oil in the cruse, and, see, 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” (1 Kings 17:12).
c And Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid, go and do as you have said, but make me from it a little cake of bread first, and bring it forth to me, and afterwards make for yourself and for your son. For thus says YHWH, the God of Israel, The jar of meal will not waste, nor will the cruse of oil fail, until the day that YHWH sends rain upon the earth” (1 Kings 17:13).
b And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah, and she, and he, and her house, did eat for many days (1 Kings 17:15).
a The jar of meal wasted not, nor did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of YHWH, which he spoke by Elijah (1 Kings 17:16).
Note that in ‘a' God sent Elijah to a widow who would provide for his needs, and in the parallel his needs were miraculously provided. In ‘b' he called on the woman to give him a drink and in the parallel she did so. In ‘c' he called on her for bread in time of great famine, and in the parallel she was assured that on doing what he had asked she would never go without bread. Centrally in ‘d' the awful situation was pinpointed, that he had come to a family who were starving to death.
‘ And the word of YHWH came to him, saying, “Arise, get you to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Look, I have commanded a widow there to sustain you.” '
Once more, by the Wadi Cherith, Elijah received ‘the word of YHWH'. He lived his life constantly listening for that word. And this time God told him to go to Zarephath, a town of Sidon, outside Ahab's territory, where he would be provided for by a widow woman who had a son. There in Phoenicia was a true believer in YHWH who was obedient to his will, in total contrast to the proud king of Israel.
‘ 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, “Fetch me, I pray you, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” '
So Elijah, in obedience to YHWH's word, went to Zarephath as YHWH had commanded him. It was a long and weary journey, with limited sustenance and very little water along the way, but he did not hesitate for a moment. God had spoken and he would do it. And when he approached the city gate he came across a woman who was gathering sticks. The woman was a widow. Calling to her, he asked, “Fetch me, please, some water in a cup, so that I might drink.'
In normal circumstances this would simply have been the request of a stranger needing help, which had to be fulfilled in accordance with the laws of hospitality. But all knew that these were not normal circumstances. It was a time when every bit of drinking water was precious, and she had to consider the needs of her own family. Water was running out, and no one was sure where the next cupful was coming from. But she recognised from his clothing that he was a prophet of YHWH, and so because of her love for God, she heeded his request. She may well have been an Israelite woman sojourning in Sidon.
‘ And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, “Bring me, I pray you, a morsel of bread in your hand.” '
Realising from her quick response that this must be the woman that YHWH had told him about, Elijah then called after her, “And also please bring me a piece of bread at the same time”. It was a bold request for he knew that bread was in short supply due to the famine. But Elijah recognised that if this was the woman chosen by YHWH as his helper he should find out straight away.
‘ And she said, “As YHWH your God lives, I have not a cake of bread, but a handful of meal in the jar, and a little oil in the cruse, and, see, 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.” '
The woman's reply confirmed the heartbreaking situation. She had no bread, only a small handful of grain and a small vessel of oil that she had been eking out, as she hoped and prayed that the famine might end. For many weeks now they had lived on limited supplies, and had gone continually hungry. But now she had reached the end of her supplies and was gathering sticks in order to have one last meal before she and her beloved son simply waited until they died of hunger. This would, of course, have been a situation multiplied a thousand times across the land. The people were undoubtedly suffering severely, and as so often happens the believers were suffering along with those who deserved their suffering because of their sinfulness. We should note, however, that for the large majority their suffering had not brought them to repentance. Had they done so God would have heard them. But their hearts were still hardened. They would still take heed to the prophets of Baal.
Note her mention of ‘two sticks'. She meant, of course, ‘a few sticks'. But this was how number words were often used in those days, not to indicate a particular quantity, but in order to give the right impression. Most people did not think numerically.
‘ And Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid, go and do as you have said, but make me from it a little cake of bread first, and bring it forth to me, and afterwards make for yourself and for your son. For thus says YHWH, the God of Israel, The jar of meal will not waste, nor will the cruse of oil fail, until the day that YHWH sends rain upon the earth.”
Elijah then assured her that she need not be afraid. If only she would make him some bread, then she could make some bread for herself and her son, and then in accordance with the word of YHWH, the God of Israel, the meal would never run short in the vessel, and the oil would never run short in the jar, until the day that YHWH once again sent rain on the earth.
Note the emphasis on the fact that YHWH was the God of Israel. She had to know that what was coming would not be from the gods of Tyre and Sidon, but would be from the living God.
‘ And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah, and she, and he, and her house, did eat for many days.'
The woman obediently did what Elijah had asked, and the result was that she and her household fed well for many days. That was one household no longer worrying about the famine, because YHWH's representative was there.
‘ The jar of meal wasted not, nor did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of YHWH, which he spoke by Elijah.'
And as Elijah had promised, the vessel of meal and the jar of oil did not become empty all the while that the famine lasted. For God has promised His own that, ‘My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus' (Philippians 4:19).
Corrie Ten Boom, a Dutch Christian who hid Jews during the second world war, tells of how she and her sister were hauled off to Ravensbruck Concentration Camp when their activities were discovered. They had no idea of the horrors that lay ahead, (nor how long they would last), but because her sister was infirm she managed to secrete into that camp of horror a small bottle of liquid containing vital vitamins. From this bottle she daily gave her sister a small amount, hoping to eke it out as long as possible so that it might help her to survive. But one day another sickly inmate spotted what she was doing and asked what was in the bottle. On learning that it was vitamin supplement she asked if she might have some. Corrie hesitated. There was so little and her sister was dependent on it. But then recognising as a Christian that she could not turn from someone in need she gave her a small amount from the bottle. Soon the news inevitably spread among desperate women and it was not long before every day there were a queue of women wanting vitamins. Corrie said that as she dispensed it she never dared to look into the bottle. It should have run out long before. But day by day and week by week the women came, and the bottle never ran out. And this went on until by chance another continuing source of vitamins became available. And then the bottle ran out. Furthermore this was not something done in private. It was witnessed by a good number of people.