Past Goodness and Future Assurance
1 Kings 17:13
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.”
Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is one of those times when preaching on a section of
Scripture when it helps to know the back story. Because on the surface it just looks like God
used the presence of His prophet Elijah to keep a non-Israelite widow and her son alive. To
paraphrase the late Paul Harvey, you need to know the rest of the story.
Elijah was a prophet to the northern kingdom of Israel. When Israel split into two
kingdoms following Solomon’s death it was the southern kingdom that was known as Judah and
retained the Davidic line of kings. While Judah was stable king-wise, even if several were
wicked, Israel was rarely stable. Coups were frequent, and devotion to God was non-existent.
Finally Ahab comes to the throne and here is Scripture’s judgment on him: “Ahab did more to
provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.”
Not exactly what you would want written on your tombstone. So if you think our ministry
context is difficult today, it really is nothing new.
Since God was angered He was just in punishing the people through a drought which
caused famine. Now you may ask why God would punish the people, but you have to remember
that many had followed their kings in turning away from the Lord. And so a wide area was
affected: Israel, Judah, and the Gentile lands that surrounded them.
As a prophet Elijah might not have a regular income to purchase needed food and
supplies. He is sent to a brook, and ravens bring him bread and meat so that he may survive.
But eventually the brook goes dry, and that is where our account picks up. Elijah is sent
to a town called Zarephath, which lies along the Mediterranean coast. There he is to find a
widow. What we may find odd about this is that this is Gentile land. God has not told Elijah to
go to an Israelite widow so that she may live but to a Gentile.
As he enters the town Elijah sees a woman picking up sticks, or more likely, some of the
stalks of grain that have fallen on the ground since a city’s grinding area would be close to the
town gate. These she will use to build a fire, of which we learn that it will be used to bake one
last meal for her son and herself.
When Elijah asks for a little food you can see how worried the woman is. She has lost
hope for herself and her son. Her gods have failed her. And she has no reason to expect that the
God of Elijah will be of any help.
And this is where this account hits home for us today. I ask you to reflect on your life.
What is going on? Where does it appear that your needs are not being met and your prayers are
not being answered?
Although not all of us are older, we all realize we live in an aging community. That
means there are certain prevalent needs. Increased age usually means more physical problems,
much of which have to do with lack of mobility. Another issue with aging is dementia. It is likely
that you all know someone whose brain no longer functions as it once did. Not only do these
people pray for God’s help, we in the Church do so also. And yet healing may never come.
Also, outside of a select few in our community, finances are a real concern. Aging adults
wonder whether they will be able to afford being taken care of. Younger adults wonder how they
will care for their children, and perhaps aging parents. Those nearing the end of their schooling
may wonder whether they will find a job that supports them financially.
Satan uses such questions to cause us to doubt. He wants us to believe that God has
forgotten us and will never help us. He wants us to turn from God and see how incapable we are.
We must also realize that just because we are Christians we are not guaranteed of
anything. Many Israelites believed that God would never allow disaster to come upon them as
His chosen people. They had many signs from the past that should have taught them that God
does not tolerate unbelief, and the current drought and famine was another. Instead they were
content to live how they wanted and God had to conform to their will.
Too many of us expect God to condone our bad behavior and bless us anyways. We
figure if we give Him a little bit of our time each week then He should most certainly help us
whenever we want Him to, twisting God’s teaching to suit one’s desires.
Our answer is not to expect a prophet to just show up. What we can depend on is God’s
Word and His faithfulness through all generations. After Elijah asked for the water and a cake of
bread he also told the widow that God promised the jar of flour and jug of oil would never run
out until the day God sent rain once more. And God’s will was done.
Likewise, it is wise for us to heed God’s Word and the promises that it gives. At various
times, such as with the Fourth Commandment, God says that some blessings may follow our
good behavior. This is not a guarantee that your bank account will be good, you will get good
grades, your health will be fine, or you will have a loving family. Still, we often find that we
have certain things to get by in life and that there are people we do care for us.
But even more important is that we have God’s Word that makes us wise unto salvation
and promises us that we will be brought to a place of fullness. The Word we depend on is the
Word made flesh, Jesus Christ. During His ministry Jesus fed, healed, comforted, and raised
from the dead. All was a sign that He would do more.
And He did. His death on the cross was not just a sad event. It was necessary to provide
that which we could never give ourselves – forgiveness of sins. Jesus claimed all your sin so that
He could provide you all His righteousness. With His resurrection He provided you life forever.
He made it possible for you to be in heaven and not have to worry about being cast off.
One of the things that Israel forgot was all that God had done for them in the past. Even if
God punishes, or permits it, it does not negate what He has done in the past. He had saved His
people from foreign armies. He fed them. He made them into a great nation. Future blessings
could still be theirs. Eternal blessings were given to all who clung faithfully to God.
God brought our ancestors to this land. He helped them settle here. He made having a
place of worship a priority. He has fed and clothed us. Christ has died and risen for us. As Paul
says, “He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with
Him graciously give us all things?” God provides what we need for this body and life and has
also provided us forgiveness of sins and salvation so that we may live forever.
God is also so generous that He will help those we do not yet belong to His family. In His
ministry Jesus remarked that there were plenty of widows in Israel whom Elijah could have been
sent to. But he was sent to the widow of Zarephath to show His mercy. This did not end her
troubles, for her son would die while Elijah was there, though he would be resurrected. Yet she
needed the same God of life that you and I do, the One through whom salvation flows.
Therefore, it is appropriate that we pray that God use us as He used Elijah. Our time,
talents, and treasure are great blessings both to ourselves and to others. There are many Gentile
“widows” among us, people who do not know or trust God. The way for them to see His mercy
is for the works we do in His name, including the preaching of Christ.
God is so good to us. His mercies are without end. He does not fail us. Though our
present may be difficult, God is with us. His Son knows our struggle and overcame the world for
us. He made us part of God’s family. Good days are ahead. God’s promises are true. Amen.