The Way of God's Grace
Bible Verses: 1 Kings 17: 8-16 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” 10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.” 12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.” 13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’” 15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah. A British writer and Christian apologist, C.S. Lewis who is also known for The Chronicle of Narnia, wrote: “When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now.” When God is first and foremost over anything we cherish, our lives will be restored to a full and healthy appearance. When we realize that everything we value is from God, not mine, we will escape the vanity of life and seek true freedom and hope for the kingdom of God. The end times are near, and the Bible says that various things and events appear in the end times. Luke 21: 10-11 says: Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.”
A statistics shows that the magnitude of large earthquakes has increased dramatically in the 2000s. New viruses are emerging and it is not easy to treat viral infections with modern medicine. Recently, the corona virus has scared not only China but also the whole world. As the end times of the Bible are near, we realize that it is time to hope, pray, and live in the kingdom of God.
Today, I will share the Word with you about some special events of God’s leading in the days of the prophets of Elijah in the Old Testament. Even in Elijah's days in the text, there was a disastrous event of drought. There were two special events: one event was in the Kerith Stream and the other was in the Zarephath region in Sidon. Today’s focus is on the Zarephath region. During the drought, the waters of the Kerith Stream were completely dry. God told Elijah to move to Zarephath in Sidon. God told Elijah to find a widow there and told that God’s supply would continue through her. Elijah had already experienced the power of obedience so he went to Zarephath. There he met a woman who was picking up wood sticks. As God instructed, Elijah asked her for water and a piece of bread. But the woman had nothing to eat because of drought. She was planning to die with her son after eating bread from the last flour and oil she had. Then Elijah told her to make bread and bring it to him. And he declared that the widow’s home would never run out of food and the Bible writes that the widow obeyed and served the servant of God, Elijah. Promises of God came true. After all, in the situation where she had to give up everything, she experienced an amazing miracle of God through obedience to God’s Word. This is the principle and law of God’s grace.
Now let us share some of the messages around the sovereign guidance of God. First, God always prepares the place and the person for God's chosen ones.
Let's look at verses 8-10: Then the word of the Lord came to him: “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?”
In the beginning Elijah would not have known this area of Zarephath and the people he would meet there. But God was preparing in His sovereignty the place where Elijah would go and the person whom he would meet. And Elijah listened to God's voice before deciding on his way. Knowing the exact time and place, God guides Elijah, God's man, to meet the people he needs to meet in the right places. Elijah chose the right way to listen to the voice of God. Like Elijah, a man of God must hear the voice of God first in prayer and the Word before he makes any plans. This is the mystery and power of the Christian life. Second, God's Word allows us to have courage and faith to overcome our fears in the difficulties we face in our lives and to realize what we need to do in eternity.
Let's look again at verses 12-14: “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.” Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”
From the stream of Kerith, Elijah went to Zarephath with unwavering faith in His guidance. But in fact, the person he met in Zarephath was a widow with her last meal. However, as he had faith that there is a clear plan in the Word and the Guidance, he delivered the Word of God to those who need to hear it. Often times, we encounter limitations in our lives. Sometimes fear and worry come to us due to the methods and habits that we hold onto and never let go of. But God speaks to us through the Word or through servants of God like Elijah. Through fearless courage and obedience, God shows us a new way of grace and takes charge of our lives. Courage and faith from God will be the starting point of His plan. Third, obedience, following God's Word as it is, brings us the amazing blessings of God beyond any human standards. He makes us realize that the way of grace in God's sovereignty is more blessed than the way of the world.
Let's look at verses 15-16: She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.
It was not easy, but Elijah obeyed God and proclaimed the Word of God and in turn, the woman of Zarephath followed the words of Elijah. She knew the principles of blessings that come from following God and serving God's servants. That obedience brought her an abundant supply beyond her expectation. After all, until the end of the drought, the oil and flour continue to be filled without a break. This is the power of obedience. The miracle of obedience begins with believing and following the Lord who is far greater than our thoughts and expectations. There's one more important message here. This message goes beyond the fact that the widow of Zarephath obeyed the word of God through Elijah and enjoyed the blessings from God. It asks us to truly meet God through any life events. Obedience certainly will fill the needs of our lives. However, the more important message here is to fully realize the existence of God. Indeed, in this event, the widow of Zarephath might have come to realize the existence of God beyond simple gratitude for help in dire situations, and to realize and acknowledge His sovereignty. In the end, this text speaks of meeting God at work in our lives, acknowledging the existence of God and standing before God's sovereignty. We need to find eternity and salvation through real encounter with God, not just from the filling of needs in our lives. We need to realize, discover, and meet such a God in His grace.
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