A Lesson from the Widow of Zarephath
By G. B. Thompson
The famine raged in Samaria. Israel had departed from the precepts of Jehovah, and his displeasure against sin was everywhere manifest. The parched condition of the earth was a striking object lesson of the spiritual condition of the people. “Take heed to yourselves that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; and then the Lord’s wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you.” Deut. 11:16, 17. The Lord had foretold the results of apostasy; he was now fulfilling his word. But in the midst of the prevailing destitution the Lord did not forget Elijah. He never forgets his faithful people. His eye is upon them; their bread and water are sure. “And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may10drink. And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, 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. And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah; and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah.” I Kings 17:8–16. There were many widows in Israel in those days, who, because of their unbelief, were passed by. The Lord must go to those outside of his professed people. She had but a “handful” of food, but she did not withhold this from one in need. Like the widow in the days of the Saviour, she gave all she had. Elijah’s need appealed to her, and she was willing to sacrifice all she had. Yet she suffered no loss. The supply was unfailing. What a lesson for us! That which we give away we have, but what we selfishly hold on to we do not have. To save our life is but to lose it. Had this widow held on to what she had, she would have lost all. But so long as she gave, so long as she passed on the store of blessings she had, the supply was inexhaustible. “There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.” Prov. 11:24. There is a famine in the earth to-day for the word of God. Souls everywhere are appealing to us for bread, the bread of life. Pass on the light, and the Lord will give you more. What you give away you will have. Bring the little you have to Jesus, and he will feed the multitude with it. Are you holding on to this world’s goods, laying up for a “rainy day,” while the hungry souls plead for bread? Are you willing to share your all with them, give the Lord’s cause your last dollar, and trust the Lord? Elijah’s God is our God. Let us study the lesson of the widow of Zarephath. Who of us is willing to follow her example? Lord, increase our faith.