Up next in 10
The Old Testament’s events and stories are loaded with truths that are part of a bigger narrative. When you begin to read and dig into the stories more and ask the Holy Spirit to explain/interpret the stories to you, Christ will begin to form in your heart and your confidence in the Holy Scriptures will increase as time progresses. God is sovereign and HE is a God of order and conciseness. Today I’m looking at the story of the widow at Zarephath and to understand the story and its meaning I had to ask myself a series of questions that I’ll pose here and answer in the video below
How did Elijah recognize her as the one?
What was her view of the Lord, the God of Israel ?
What was her profession, how did she make a living ?
What was the purpose of the death of her son?
Scripture References:
1 kings 17:8-20
1 Numbers 15 and Deuteronomy 22
The importance of the resurrection signs and wonders aren’t always the things that save us.. part of the purpose of her son ‘s death
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
the guys around this is steep and I just
0:02
started a new website times.com and
0:07
basically uh I started it because I just
0:10
wanted to share on one of my journeys
0:13
with you guys from last year he has been
0:16
a lot of things that have happened and
0:18
as a result you know the Lord has been
0:21
doing a lot of things in my life and I
0:22
wanted to share that with you so one of
0:25
the things that you know I kind of
0:27
learned from last year was that a lot of
0:29
the stories in the Old Testament are not
0:31
meant for us to just look at them and
0:33
you see them as like huge stories or and
0:36
some people actually think they are like
0:38
just fairy tales people don't understand
0:41
is a lot of to it and God want to teach
0:44
us a lot of things through it and once
0:47
you ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and
0:49
and interpretation he leads you because
0:52
in first John John said you do not need
0:56
anybody to teach you because the
0:58
unmounting that you have received which
0:59
is the Holy Spirit will guide you into
1:01
all truth so your job as a man of God or
1:05
woman of God is to really sit at his
1:06
feet and learn and allow this food to
1:09
talk to you meditate on the passages
1:11
think about it now today I would add
1:14
what I wanted to talk about our style
1:16
the widow at Zarephath or that effort I
1:19
don't know if I'm saying it right and
1:22
the title is from the relative to the
1:24
absolute and I'll get into it now
1:27
let me give you the background real
1:29
quick now this isn't a skiing 17 from 7
1:32
to 24 Elijah is sent to the real fast
1:35
and he is sent by God meet this Widow
1:38
because there's a drought and he's
1:41
supposed to be living with her and she's
1:42
gonna be feeding him and and giving him
1:44
water and all kind of stuff and there's
1:46
a nice thing that unfolds there that I'm
1:48
gonna be sharing about all right so to
1:51
do what I created was I had a little
1:52
PowerPoint presentation here to kind of
1:55
guide you into the entities think now
1:57
what was her background she was from
2:00
Sidon which I put here Sidon is the same
2:02
place where Jezebel was from when
2:04
Jezebel was probably wonder it was
2:07
notorious woman in the Bible she was
2:09
married to a hob the king of Israel at a
2:11
time and he was
2:12
one of the worst Kings those recorded in
2:14
the history of the Israelite all right
2:17
now she was a now the widow was Gentile
2:20
right and she was left to herself no one
2:25
to help she was destitute and it was
2:28
recorded in the first chapter I Nino's
2:31
verse I guess seven and eight through
2:36
ten
2:36
when when when Elijah goes that she is
2:39
gathering sticks outside the gate at a
2:41
city and why is that important
2:43
she's collecting sticks at the gate of
2:45
the city and I put that in red for a
2:47
purpose she had basically no one to
2:50
protect her she was very vulnerable and
2:52
it was what I'm saying is because if you
2:54
go to Deuteronomy 22 there's something
2:57
there that will shock you and in the
3:00
second in the 22nd chapter of
3:01
Deuteronomy God says this if we throw a
3:04
virgin and a man meets her in the city
3:06
and lies but then you shall bring heard
3:08
them he shall bring them both out of
3:09
this gate of the city and shall stoned
3:11
him to death with stones so this is a
3:13
picture of the the this woman she is
3:16
outside the gate of the city without
3:17
protection so she's out there by herself
3:20
right now
3:22
the question is when when Elijah
3:24
assented his widow how does he know that
3:26
she is the one because I wrote here
3:30
maybe the Holy Spirit spoke to him buddy
3:31
Bob doesn't say that he doesn't say that
3:33
his Holy Spirit spoke to him that's the
3:35
question how did Elijah recognize as the
3:37
one how do we know you know so I don't
3:42
think the Bible says anything buddy but
3:45
this is why he does she's a woman except
3:47
at a gate of the city so he's thinking
3:49
why she here by herself this is what I'm
3:51
thinking and he asked her for water
3:53
right and she was willing to get it
3:55
remember water was scarce
3:57
nobody had water so there was no rain it
4:00
was a drought so he asked her for water
4:03
and she goes and gets it and now she's
4:05
on her way to get the water Elijah asked
4:08
her for food and that's when she told
4:10
him about her situation and she says
4:13
it's only my son and I and I only have a
4:15
little bit of flour and a little bit of
4:17
oil left basically she's disclosing her
4:19
identity without a problem she's telling
4:22
a larger her condition I'm a widow I'm
4:24
desperate
4:25
I'll have this little flower in the oil
4:27
embargo cook it and we're gonna eat it
4:29
and after that we're gonna die so I'm
4:32
thinking Elijah's testing her to see if
4:35
she realizes she was the one after the
4:39
seeds of question that he asked her cuz
4:40
he has her a bunch of questions he told
4:42
her I want water you can go back to read
4:44
it this is why he said here so he went
4:47
to Zara ferrite and when he came to the
4:49
town gate a widow was there gathering
4:50
sticks he called her and asked would you
4:52
bring me a little water in a jar so I
4:54
may have a drink remember is it dropped
4:56
and now she was going to get it he
4:59
called and bring and and say bring me
5:00
please a piece of bread so he's testing
5:03
her to see is this the one that God is
5:06
sending me to and then she tells him
5:09
look all I got is this little flower
5:10
left and a little bit of oil and he
5:13
tells her look trust me if you give me
5:17
this make me something eat first and dad
5:19
you can make some for me for you and
5:21
your son and God your food supply is
5:23
never gonna run out right that's what he
5:27
told her now what was her fear of the
5:28
Lord the God of Israel is the key thing
5:32
that are caught there when I was in this
5:34
passage she said ask the Lord your God
5:37
leaves your so basically she's saying
5:40
that the God of Israel is not her God
5:43
your God she said to turn to Elijah as
5:47
the Lord your God leaves all I have left
5:50
is a little flower and a little bit of
5:52
oil and Elijah tells her look make me
5:55
something to eat and I promise you my
5:56
God is gonna make sure you have a lot of
5:58
food for the next three years and six
6:01
months right and let's see what she says
6:03
let's go back to the PowerPoint so have
6:06
you of the God of Israel my up in
6:08
shadows she might she probably thought
6:09
well he was just one of the many gosh
6:11
was used to because she was from Sidon
6:14
which is a Gentile town so she's
6:16
trusting like I'm probably thinking of
6:18
this way let me just give me try the
6:20
house probably had I written she was
6:22
probably thinking look I ain't got none
6:24
to lose here he's asked he's telling me
6:27
he's gonna provide for me his God's
6:28
gonna do it why don't I try I'm gonna
6:30
just eat this and die anyway so let me
6:32
just try right she so she was just
6:33
trying something and she's trusted him
6:36
and eventually she gets
6:39
for the entire time now in the course of
6:42
time this is what happened what was your
6:44
profession and this is what I wanted to
6:45
talk about what was she what did she do
6:47
as a living how did she make money now
6:50
the Scriptures do not say anything about
6:51
what she do for a living
6:53
and the only word that me may be
6:55
indicative of her profession are
6:57
recording verse 17 of the passage he
7:01
says he after the solid woman the
7:03
mistress of the house became ill the
7:07
mistress of the house and she also said
7:10
to Elijah because a son died because he
7:12
got sick and she said to Elijah what
7:15
have you against me who man of God have
7:17
you come to bring my sin to remembrance
7:19
so I'm thinking mistress in French is
7:23
mattress mattress tells me like she was
7:26
a prostitute in French mistress has a
7:28
negative sexual connotation to it it is
7:31
adultery cheating fornication sexual
7:35
misconduct so I'm thinking she might she
7:39
must have been a prostitute and granted
7:41
you know she's a widow she ain't she
7:43
doesn't have any way of making money he
7:45
was probably just living him from his
7:48
life so when her son died she's telling
7:51
Elijah why did you come to the money of
7:54
my sin
7:55
is that why he came so at this point she
7:58
still I don't think totally believes the
8:01
gospel she doesn't really believe that
8:02
Elijah is the man of God standing for
8:07
the truth her idea of of the God of
8:11
Israel is still relative his Loki is
8:13
just another God among many gods that I
8:15
know so her son dies and the next
8:19
question is what was the purpose of the
8:20
death of her son and the first thing
8:23
that sees her salvation because here's
8:25
what she says to Elijah after he revives
8:27
a son in first Kings 17 24 because
8:29
Elijah he stretches himself up on a
8:32
child and a child he does it three times
8:36
on the child revives again here's her
8:39
response on in first King 17 24 now I
8:43
know that you are a man of God and that
8:46
the word of the Lord in your mouth is
8:47
truth you see she went from saying
8:51
your God ask the Lord your God leaves
8:55
too now I know that the word of the Lord
8:58
in your mouth is truth you see what I'm
9:01
saying so isn't that we are all looking
9:03
for truth
9:04
she went from having a relative view of
9:07
the God of Israel to understand that he
9:08
is truth he is the truth basically he is
9:13
the one there's no other one like him
9:16
they possibly also highlight the death
9:18
and resurrection of Christ in fasting 21
9:21
22
9:21
then he stretches himself upon the chart
9:24
three times and cried to the Lord O Lord
9:25
my God let this child's life come into
9:28
him again and the Lord listened to the
9:30
voice of Elijah and the life which I
9:32
came into him again and he revived which
9:34
is indicative of Jesus Christ dying and
9:38
after three days rising again from the
9:39
dead this story is full of so many
9:43
allegories I mean it just amazes me how
9:46
already many times and I missed it now
9:49
what else do I learn from this this is
9:52
what I'm thinking signs and wonders are
9:54
not always sufficient to save us unless
9:56
the Holy Spirit Himself opens our minds
9:58
to understand truth because she saw the
10:01
miracle of the flower in oil and she
10:04
still had a relativity of God that
10:07
wasn't sufficient for her until her son
10:10
died and was revived again and then
10:13
that's what her mind was open she said
10:15
all my goodness he is not just another
10:17
God he is the one he is the truth now
10:22
the other thing that I learned is this
10:25
Jesus is interested in nations those are
10:27
the spies in the eyes of the world
10:28
that's always been his plane like he
10:30
always wants those are the spies like
10:32
the widow look in our first I think in
10:36
look for I think let's go through a
10:37
passage I think media put it overlooked
10:39
for 25 to 26 yes what Jesus says what
10:42
about this thing goes up he goes but in
10:45
truth I tell you there were many widows
10:47
in Israel in the days of Elijah when the
10:49
heavens were shut up for three years and
10:51
six months and a great famine came over
10:53
all the land and Elijah was sent to none
10:55
of them but only to Zarafa in the land
10:57
of the sidearm in the land of Sidon to a
10:59
woman was
11:00
she was a Gentile so there were many
11:03
widows in Israel but Jesus sent Elijah
11:06
to Zarafa a land of Sidon when I told
11:10
Jezebel was from so she was a Gentile
11:12
and by default she was supposed to be a
11:15
reject
11:17
but that's where Elijah was sent which
11:19
shows me that God is interested in the
11:21
nation's he wants those are nobody else
11:24
is interested in him in the world the
11:26
despised they rejected this story just
11:30
amazes me I mean it's just so many
11:32
things in there now I gave you some
11:34
references that you can go and look at
11:36
in numbers 15 he talks about the fine
11:39
flour and then the oil and it's a
11:43
passive guy talks about the nation's and
11:44
strangers like people that were not used
11:46
by natural birth and this run me 22
11:50
which are quoted to you earlier those
11:52
are things that you may want to look at
11:53
all right now I'm not sure if I explain
11:55
this whole thing like well but what I
11:59
want to tell you is this the one thing
12:00
you should remember is this woman went
12:03
from believing in her relatives she had
12:05
a relative view of God she was almost
12:07
like well he's just one God among many
12:09
other Gasol anyway I'm just gonna
12:11
believe it because now I need food so I
12:12
don't really care if he works fine he
12:14
doesn't whatever then so she had food
12:17
but that wasn't sufficient so her son
12:20
died and the purpose of her son's death
12:22
was for her to realize finally I God was
12:27
the only one he was the truth not I'm
12:30
not a truth walk the truth because
12:33
that's what she said her conclusion was
12:34
now I know that the word of the Lord in
12:37
your mouth is truth she went from your
12:40
God to he is the God and the only one if
12:45
there's anything should pick out of this
12:47
is these things right here alright I
12:48
hope this helps and I'll be doing more
12:51
of these in weeks to come thanks for
12:54
watching again this is ty thank you guys