1 Kings 17:9, commentary and pictures

After the brook Cherith dried in the continuing drought, God told Elijah to arise and leave Israel to dwell at Zarephath belonging to Zidon, a heathen Gentile city, where He had commanded and appointed a widow woman to sustain him with refuge and a home. There was no safety for him in apostate Israel, where Jezebel's hatred and a people hardened against truth made him safer among heathen outsiders than among his own people. When heaven was shut up three years and six months with great famine throughout the land, God passed over the many widows in Israel and sent him to none of them except to the widow at Sarepta of Sidon, who though a poor heathen Gentile believed in the true God and lived faithfully by all the light she had. Israel's widows were passed by because of apostasy, unbelief, hard-heartedness and rejection of great light and privilege, so God could not entrust His servant to them or manifest His power for them. At Zarephath He wrought a daily miracle by which Elijah and the widow's household were preserved, assuring self-sacrificing believers that in famine and distress their bread and water will be sure, and teaching that those who in want share with the more needy will receive great blessing and a prophet's reward.

Command and Setting

After many months hidden by the brook Cherith where he was miraculously fed morning and evening, the continued drought dried the brook, and God told Elijah to arise, leave Israel, and go dwell at Zarephath, which belongs to Zidon. That place was a heathen Gentile land, known in New Testament times as Sarepta, a city of Sidon. God had commanded and appointed a widow woman there to sustain Elijah. In her home He provided refuge, support, asylum, and a home for him.

There was no safety for Elijah in apostate Israel, so God sent him away to find safety among a heathen people. Jezebel's power, hatred and malice against God's servant made the direction to Sarepta a directing to safety from her power. A people who had rejected heaven's light and hardened their hearts against truth made him safer among heathen outsiders than among his own people. With backsliding Israel there was no safety for the faithful messenger, and God could not rely on His own people there.

The direction stands in the account of Elijah going to Zarephath and being sustained there in 1 Kings 17:8-24. That account leads into his meeting with King Ahab in 1 Kings 18:1-19 where he declares that he has not troubled Israel but Ahab and his father's house have. The sending to Sarepta was a divine commission from God, standing in sequence with being sent to Cherith and to Samaria. It stands also in sequence with later returning to Israel, standing before the idolatrous priests on Carmel, and being girded with strength to guide the king's chariot to the gate of Jezreel, in contrast to the hasty flight into the wilderness which God had not sent. Moving him from place to place kept him from settling into ease, helped him gain spiritual power, served God's purpose of making his influence a help to many, and prepared him for translation.

Why the Widow Chosen

During Israel's apostasy heaven was shut up three years and six months and great famine was throughout all the land, and God passed over the many widows in Israel and sent Elijah to none of them except to the widow at Sarepta belonging to Sidon. He sent him to Zarephath among a heathen people and placed him in her care rather than in the care of Israel's widows. The episode shows God's care reaching beyond Israel and illustrates that a prophet may be rejected by his own people.

The woman chosen was not an Israelite and had never had the privileges and blessings enjoyed by God's chosen people, but was a heathen Gentile woman, poor and barely able to sustain herself. Yet she was a believer in the true God with a heart to feel and faith to believe, who had walked in all the light shining on her pathway and had lived faithfully and strictly according to the light she possessed. She did right so far as she was able to distinguish right from wrong, treated Elijah with kindness and liberality, welcomed God's messenger, and remained open to greater light. Her response to the light she had was more acceptable to God than the response of those with greater light who did not live by it.

Israel's widows were passed by because of apostasy, unbelief, rebellion, self-exaltation, hard-heartedness, self-righteousness, and rejection of great light, warnings, privileges and blessings. They had received great light and special privileges but had not lived by it, had sacrificed principle to convenience and worldly honor, had cut themselves off from blessing and were left in darkness. Their unbelief and rejection of their privileges closed the way for blessing, so God could not labor for them and manifest His power in behalf of the poor and afflicted there, and He would not entrust Elijah to them. With backsliding Israel there was no safety for the faithful messenger, whose worth and labors would not be known, valued, or appreciated.

Her care of Elijah shows that God's favor is not secured by religious privilege or by membership among His chosen people, but blessings are received by those who respond in faith. God's power was displayed through the prophets among people who had faith to receive the evidence He gave, not among the hard-hearted and unbelieving. Even the heathen who live according to the best light they have are regarded with greater favor by God and accounted more righteous than those who have great light and make high pretensions to godliness while their daily lives contradict their profession. Jesus used this history at Nazareth to illustrate the true state of the people, teaching a lesson to the end of time.

Provision Pattern and Promise

At Zarephath refuge and support were provided for Elijah, and a miracle was wrought daily to keep him and the widow's family supplied with food. When she shared her food and made a home for God's servant, she and her son were sustained and their lives were preserved. The care shown by the brook morning and evening, added to this daily provision when the brook had dried, was blessed evidence of love and care that should have kept Elijah from ever distrusting God.

That care in famine assures self-sacrificing believers that God will sustain them and they will not be left to perish. Even in days of famine their bread and water will be sure. Even amid persecution, hunger and distress provision for their needs will be made.

Her sharing of her morsel and scant food brought preservation of her own life and her son's. In this is promised great blessing to all who in time of trial and want give sympathy and assistance to others more needy. God has not changed and His power is no less now than in the days of Elijah. Receiving a prophet in the name of a prophet brings a prophet's reward no less surely now.

The command gives an early example of a servant of God finding among the heathen an asylum and help from the malice, hatred, bigotry and self-righteousness of the professed people of Jehovah. With backsliding Israel there was no safety for the faithful messenger, whose worth and labors would not be known, valued or appreciated, so hatred drove him to flee for succor and refuge to the widow of Sarepta, a Gentile town belonging to Sidon. Thus a prophet may be rejected by his own people while God's blessing reaches a Gentile woman, and opposition can lead God's people to find protection and support outside the community that rejects them. The same hatred constrained the heralds of the gospel to proclaim their message to the Gentiles, drove Paul to turn to a heathen ruler for protection, and appeared in Christ's rejection at Nazareth. It is a pattern the people of God in this age will meet again in the great crisis, facing the same pride, formalism, vainglory, selfishness, oppression, hardness of heart, cruel determination and unyielding hatred, and experiencing trials similar to Paul's before the warfare ends and the victory is won.