The prophet Elijah really liked fire. When soldiers came to take him to the king, he called fire from heaven to consume them (2 Kings 1:9-15). When he faced down the 450 prophets of Baal, he gravitated toward fire as the most obvious sign to determine which of the two gods was truly God (1 Kings 22-24). And in the end, he couldn’t even die normally— God had to send chariots of fire to escort him into heaven (2 Kings 2:11). All this fire surrounding Elijah reflected the fiery spirit on the inside. When we first meet him, he’s face-to-face with most evil king Israel has ever known, declaring that a drought will come as punishment for his crimes. Elijah’s zeal for God drives him to confront idolatry and injustice wherever he sees it, even in places that could endanger his life. And yet, after Elijah declares the drought, God sends him away. I imagine that such a zealous personality would’ve preferred to stay in Jezreel, where he could continue to warn against evil. But Elijah obeys the word of the Lord. He leaves civilization for the side of a brook in the wilderness, where ravens bring him food to eat (1 Kings 17:3-7). I suspect this was a divine cool-down time. Perhaps God knew that Elijah, after stoking his fires in a high-stakes confrontation with an evil king, needs time to rest. Or maybe Elijah just needs a place to hide because Ahab wants to kill him. Either way, he can’t stay long. The brook might be a prime vacation spot in ordinary times, but Elijah just called in a drought, and pretty soon he’s left sitting by a dusty riverbed. Fortunately, God has a new assignment for him: “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you” (17:9). Here’s a weird detail: Elijah is traveling out of the country. Sidon isn’t part of Israel— it’s a pagan nation, one that the prophet Isaiah will denounce for its wickedness hundreds of years later (Isaiah 23). But that’s not the weirdest part. The weirdest part is that God expects Elijah to get food from a widow— one of the poorest and most vulnerable members of society. The last thing any widow needs is a random prophet showing up and eating her food. An extra mouth to feed would be a burden even in times of plenty. But now… Elijah finds the widow— but he also finds a desperate situation. The widow makes an impressive sacrifice when he asks for water. Despite the drought, she’s immediately willing to give this stranger a drink. But when he asks for a morsel of bread, the widow replies, “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 go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die” (17:12). The first words out of the widow’s mouth parallel the first words we ever hear from Elijah: “as the Lord your God lives.” This must come as both a surprise and an encouragement to Elijah. He’s just been among the Israelites, God’s chosen people, and witnessed how they’ve abandoned the God who loves them and forgotten everything God calls them to be. Then he leaves for a pagan nation steeped in idols and oppression— and he finds a destitute widow who calls on the name of the Lord. God isn’t working in the halls of power. King Ahab rejects him and seeks only to fulfill his own lusts. But God is working among the weak and broken, and there’s a widow who invokes his name even as she prepares to die. But there’s a deeper significance to the parallel between the words of Elijah and the words of the widow. Elijah says to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, there shall be neither dew nor rain” (17:1). The widow says to Elijah, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing.” Why does the widow have nothing? Because there’s a drought. Why is there a drought? Because of Elijah’s pronouncement to Ahab. As I explored in my last post, Elijah invoked God’s promise to punish evil in Israel. Elijah yearns to see righteousness, and he knows that God will be faithful to carry out his words in Deuteronomy 11:17. I think that, amid all his zeal, Elijah missed something. I think he was so on fire for justice and the honor of God that he forgot to ask an important question. He forgot to ask why God hadn’t sent the drought already. This widow is God’s answer to that question. The problem with shutting up the heavens is that it doesn’t just harm evildoers. Wicked and righteous alike need food, and without rain, neither of them is going to have an easy time getting it. By sending Elijah to this widow, God reminds him that he cares for widows, for orphans, for the oppressed. He reminds Elijah that there’s more at stake than Elijah can see. God miraculously provides for the widow. That little bit of flour and oil that she was going to bake and eat right before she died— that wildly insufficient portion lasts the entire drought, providing enough for the widow, her son, and Elijah (17:13-16). In confronting Ahab, Elijah gave all Israel a reminder of God's justice. Now, he receives a reminder of God's mercy. Three years pass before God sends Elijah to confront Ahab once more. Three years in which he presumably stays with the widow and, as far as the Biblical text records, doesn't make any great prophetic pronouncements. There's one intense moment where he raises the widow's son from the dead (17:17-24), but other than that, Elijah simply waits for God. I don't know Elijah's thoughts during this time, but I suspect he's growing restless. Ahab still rules Israel. Idolatry rages. Jezebel kills any faithful servant of God she can get her hands on (18:4). Surely Elijah aches to do something about the injustice running rampant among his people. But what if this period of waiting is exactly where God wants Elijah? What if simply witnessing God's faithfulness day after day is the most important work the prophet could be doing? What if all Elijah needs to learn is to receive the flour and oil that keeps him alive? In that case, it seems that Elijah's walk with God would not be too different from that of an ordinary Christian. Intense fiery ordeals at times-- but for the most part watching, and waiting, and receiving reminders of God's steadfast love and mercy.
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