from the desert to the crucible (1 Kgs 17:8-16)

17:8 “Then the word of the Lord came to him:”

Just as we started the last lesson, when was this “Then?” God continues His pattern of revealing to Elijah the path he was to take one step at a time. Elijah could clearly see that the brook was slowly drying up. However, it wasn’t until after the brook had dried up that the Lord told him it was time to move on and revealed his new assignment. “God's servants must learn to take one step at a time . . . God does not give all the directions at once, lest we should get confused; He tells us just as much as we can remember and do. Then we must look to Him for more; and so we learn, by easy stages, the sublime habits of obedience and trust” (F. B. Meyer).

17:9 “Get up, go to Zarephath that belongs to Sidon and stay there. Look, I have commanded a woman who is a widow to provide for you there.” (HCSB)

There is a wealth of meaning and cultural significance buried in this verse, lost to us in our modern times and language. First, consider the city to which Elijah is directed: Zarephath (ZAR-ih-fath). The Hebrew sārepat (tsaw-reh-FATH) means “smelting place,” a place for the refining and smelting of metals. This term is also the root for the Hebrew noun translated “crucible.” We’ll come back to this in a moment.

Referred to in the New Testament by its Greek form, Sarepta, Zarephath is first mentioned in ancient Egyptian writings (13th century B.C.) as a harbor city. It was a flourishing manufacturing and industrial center, thriving for over a thousand years into the Roman times. The site of this ancient town is marked by the considerable ruins near the Mediterranean, extending along the shore for a mile or more. Remains of an ancient harbor are visible, and it still provides shelter today for smaller vessels. South of the harbor is an abundance of ruins consisting of columns, sarcophagi and marble slabs, indicating a city of considerable importance. The Wely, or shrine bearing the name of el-Khudr, the mysterious saint in whom legends of St. George are blended with Elijah, stands near the shore. It is thought that the Crusaders erected a chapel here on what they believed to be the site of the widow's house. Sometime after the Crusades, the modern village of Sarafend (Surafend) was built on the site of this ancient city.

Looking back at verse 9, where was Zarephath located? – “which belongs to Sidon”

Zarephath was roughly 100 miles to the northwest, off the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in Phoenicia, approximately nine miles south of Sidon and about 13 miles north of Tyre; on the spur of the mountain which divides the plain of Tyre from that of Sidon. Where have we heard of Sidon previously in this series?

“Then, as if following the sin of Jeroboam son of Nebat were a trivial matter, he [Ahab] married Jezebel, the daughter of Eth-baal king of the Sidonians, and then proceeded to serve Baal and worship him.” (1 Kgs 16:31)

Recall that Jezebel was the daughter of Eth-baal (“Baal is with him”), king of the Sidonians (Zidonians), the historical name for the Phoenicians. According to Josephus, Eth-baal was the high priest of the great temple of Ashtaroth (Ashtoreth, Astarte – the female consort of Baal) in Tyre, and his brother, Philetes (Phelles), was the king of the Phoenician empire. At the age of 36, Eth-baal murdered his brother (the last of the descendants of Hiram I of Tyre) and seized the throne, which he occupied for thirty-two years, spawning what has been referred to as “the most wicked dynasty the in power” (Edersheim).

That is where God is directing Elijah? Clearly a dried-up brook would encourage Elijah to go elsewhere, but the heart of Jezebel’s homeland? The journey of 100 miles through the rough and drought-stricken land would have been bad enough, but the Lord was directing Elijah into the lion’s den – the very heart of the domain of Eth-baal, Jezebel’s regicide father. Even more shocking, God’s prophet would be in Baal’s stronghold, where Baal ruled supreme over all other gods, including Israel’s Yahweh.

Culturally, the ancient peoples believed the gods were very geographically or territorially limited. Given Baal was the god of the Sidonians (Phoenicians), and through Ahab and Jezebel Baalism had conquered Israel, what possible hope or value could there be for Yahweh to send His key prophet so deep into Baal’s stronghold? Directing Elijah to speak before Ahab was the proverbial Sunday School picnic compared to this sheer madness. How is it that Elijah, fleeing from the royal sponsor of this Phoenician god, is directed to find refuge in Phoenicia? Why would Yahweh seemingly cast His prophet aside? He hadn’t been able to withstand the onslaught of Baalism on His own turf, what power would He have on Baal’s home territory?

The story gets better. Earlier, God had directed Elijah to “hide yourself by the brook Cherith.” It is thought that Elijah spent somewhere between six months to a year there. Here in verse 9, God instructs Elijah to “stay there.” The Hebrew term yāshab (yaw-SHAWB), literally means “to dwell.” So not only was Elijah to go deep into enemy territory controlled by Baal, he was to live there – to make his dwelling there. In other words, he was to sign more than just a six-month lease. We’ll see that he was actually there for a period of two years or more.

The story continues to get better. Look at the next few words: “Look, I have commanded a woman who is a widow to provide for you there.” For the good Israelite male, things couldn’t get any lower. It wasn’t enough to be dependent upon unclean ravens for support, now it was a woman, a widow, and a Gentile all wrapped into one person! Rabbis were known to cross the street to avoid walking by a woman, in case she would make him unclean. A Gentile woman was as about as unclean as one could get, and now Elijah was to be provided and sustained by the hand of this vulgar Gentile woman? Clearly she wouldn’t have a levitically clean or kosher kitchen – she herself was horribly unclean, living as she was in a pagan land.

Furthermore, not only was she a woman, and a Gentile woman at that, she was also a widow. That would hardly have been heartening to anyone from those times. The Hebrew ’almānâ (al-maw-NAW) is a feminine noun meaning “widow.” The word occurs many times in the Law and the Prophets, where the well-being and care of the widow are frequently mentioned (Deut 14:29; Isa 1:17; Jer 7:6; Zech 7:10), with the Lord declaring Himself to be their protector: “Father of orphans, champion of widows, is God in His holy house” (Psa 68:5, MSG). In agrarian societies subject to disease and warfare, destitute widows were almost proverbial.

Since a widow had no inheritance rights, special provisions were typically made for them under the law, allowing them to glean in harvested fields and protecting them from being oppressed. They needed protection under the law because they were powerless to protect themselves and were often dependent on meager charity for survival. Based on the statements in the prologues of the Ur-Nammu Code and the Code of Hammurabi, more noble kings considered it part of their role as “wise rulers” to protect the rights of the poor, the widow and the orphan. Nonetheless, the term “widow” was essentially synonymous with “poor,” as widows frequently were exceptionally poor and often in a desperate plight. Hyperbolizing on the destitute nature of widows, ’almānâ is also used figuratively of a desolate place, a devastated city (Lam 1:1; Isa 47:8).

So to paraphrase verse 9, Elijah is to leave the solitary sanctuary of the brook, where he has been safe and provided for, hike 100 miles across the desert during a drought, across the land of Israel where King Ahab was tearing about the countryside looking for him, into the very heart of the enemy territory whose god he had resoundly profaned and whose king was the father of the wicked queen looking to slaughter him, and he was to live there for at least a couple of years, sustained by an unclean, destitute Gentile woman. What wasn’t there to like about that? Everything?

Putting the fact that Elijah was an Israelite and the whole levitical clean/unclean heritage and upbringing aside, ‏I wonder how many rugged, capable, self-sufficient outdoorsmen would like the sounds of “a woman who is a widow [will] provide for you.” It would be one thing to be told, “flex your big muscles and provide for this poor, little ole lady,” but instead, it’s this poor, little ole lady that will be sustaining him! Talk about a humbling blow to the fragile male ego! After his brave and defiant speech in front of Ahab and his court, here’s Elijah, fleeing and hiding behind a widow’s skirt!

How humbling to be made dependent upon the poorest of the poor and the lowest of the low. Our times in the crucible or refining fires will undoubtedly include experiences to humble us and remove the dross of pride from our lives. Just as impurities can limit the usefulness of metals, so impurities (such as pride, anger, lack of faith, etc.) can get in the way of our being able to achieve the potential and purpose intended of us. “This is a wonderful reminder that it is often the most humbling tasks that prepare us for the higher, greater task” (Swindoll).

Consider how God’s directives go counter to everything that Elijah, as a human, a man, and a Jewish man would have naturally and culturally wanted, and what he would have thought and felt was rational and logical. God’s plan for Elijah led first to the desert, during a drought, to a solitary location with a temporary source of water and where unclean, scavenging ravens that typically feed on carrion were commanded to provide for him. The next step was the refining crucible of Zarephath, deep in the heart of Jezebel’s wicked father’s territory, where reason would dictate that the people would be only too happy to apprehend Elijah and turn him over to be butchered. Wouldn’t it have been more logical to remain hidden in some secret location far from Ahab’s searches and allies?

Furthermore, human reasoning would make it pretty clear that a Gentile widow would be the last person in the world to consider as a viable provider or sustainer. Given widows were typically destitute, they ran out of food first in a famine. This famine had been created by the very drought prayed for by Elijah (Jam 5:17). Therefore going to a widow for food during a time of famine was utterly beyond reason, not exactly the path we would take on our own.

God's directions may not always make sense to our emotions and intellect; though in fact they are the most logical things to do because they are God's commands. Keep in mind we are never asked to understand God's commands; we are only asked to obey them. Failure or inability to fully understand the reason for what God asks of us does not diminish the responsibility for our doing it. “God’s leading is often surprising; don’t analyze it. If God leads you to Zarephath, don’t try to make sense out of it. Just go…God’s leading is often humanly illogical. It’s a mystery, at least from our limited perspective” (Swindoll). The reality is, God has already warned us and shown throughout history that His ways are beyond us and He uses what we consider to be the foolish and weak for His purposes:

Isa 55:8-9 “‘My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,’ says the Lord. ‘And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts’.” (NLT)

1 Cor 1:25-31 “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord’.” (NIV)

Notice how God said, “I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there” (Cherith) in 17:4; and now He says, “I have commanded a widow there [Zarephath] to provide for you” in verse 9. God’s promise to Elijah that his needs would be met was very specific in location. The place of God’s appointment is the place of His provision. In other words, if you expect to claim the promises of God, consider if you’re in the place God wants you to be.

Elijah was neither forgotten nor shunted off to the side during the broader sphere of God’s actions and plans. Rather, he was right where he needed to be and where God could prepare, refine, equip him to be used most mightily, as well as provide for him during these years of physical and spiritual drought and famine in apostate Israel. No matter how far away or distant Elijah may at times have felt he had been removed from where he would have like to have been or where he thought he should be, we can clearly see that when he followed God’s directions, he was exactly where he was supposed to be and needed to be.

Not so incidentally, who was really providing for Elijah this whole time? Who was behind the ravens and the widow, making sure that Elijah had what he needed? “I have commanded…” See how masterfully God is orchestrating the intricate details of these events and steps at the individual level, taking place seemingly irrelevantly and so many forgotten miles from the center of the stage, into the broader, macro-level of national and world affairs. God never wastes a step, He never loses track of time, and He never forgets where any of His servants are. “I will not forget you. Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands” ( Isa 49:15-16).

Whether a Joseph seemingly rotting away in an Egyptian prison, or a Moses spending 40 years tending sheep in the desert, wasting his world-class education and upbringing, history is replete with examples of God’s sovereignty, His faithfulness, and His perfect orchestration of the right person at the right location at the right time with the right resources. “For such a time as this…” (Est 4:14). What comfort and encouragement when we are facing the refining fires of the crucible!

17:10 “So Elijah got up and went to Zarephath. When he arrived at the city gate, there was a widow woman gathering wood. Elijah called to her and said, ‘Please bring me a little water in a cup and let me drink’.”

Elijah didn’t argue or run the opposite direction. He made no delay, but set off immediate upon his long and difficult journey. Humility and obedience. In this Elijah gave proof that he was indeed the servant of God, for the path of a servant is the path of obedience.

When Elijah arrived at the city gates, he saw “a widow woman gathering wood.” What an amazing coincidence! Obviously this was no coincidence. Rather, it was Divine providence.

Now how did Elijah know the woman was a widow? Apparently in the ancient Near East, it was customary for widows to wear clothing that identified them as such. In the shocking story of Judah and Tamar, his daughter-in-law, we see that Tamar “took off her widow’s clothes” and then later “put her widow’s clothes back on” (Gen 14, 19). Then in the Mosaic Law we read: “You shall not pervert the justice due an alien or an orphan, nor take a widow's garment in pledge” (Deut 24:17). Perhaps widows wore identifying garments for the purposes of charity or alms-giving, or perhaps to identify themselves when they were gleaning in fields of a landowner (as was their lawful right). In any event, clearly there was some way for Elijah to be able to identify the Phoenician woman as being a widow.

The fact that she was out gathering sticks wasn’t a promising sign. It only evidenced her depth of poverty. Such mundane and menial tasks were typically the job of servants, and if one was too poor to afford a servant, these tasks would fall to the children to carry out. So for this widow to be out gathering sticks herself indicated that 1) she was too poor to have any servants, 2) she either had no children or else her children were very young and unable to carry out such tasks, and 3) she didn’t have any grown up sons to support her, as it was the duty of the eldest son to support his widowed mother. Truly this was a most unfortunate and destitute widow to whom Elijah was called!

Elijah had walked 100 miles through the desert, during a drought, having set out from Cherith only after the brook had dried up. Think he might have been thirsty? His request for water was common and to be expected from a traveler in that land, both then and even in today’s inhospitable environment. The gift of water to the thirsty has always been regarded as a sacred duty in the East. “Never yet during many years’ residence in Syria and many a long day’s travel, have I been refused a draught of water by a single individual of any sect or race. The Bedawy in the desert has shared with me the last drop in his water-skin” (Porter).

17:11 “As she went to get it, he called to her and said, ‘Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand’.”

The immediacy in which the widow left off her task of gathering wood to “fetch a pail of water” evidences that the abundant water supply of Phoenicia was not in jeopardy at this time. “The fresh streams of Lebanon would retain their life-giving power long after the scantier springs of Palestine had been dried up” (Stanley). Additionally, observe the nature of this widow. She is out gather sticks for her last meal, yet at the first request for water from a complete stranger, she immediately heads off to extend him this act of hospitality and common courtesy. How often are we so caught up in our affairs that we don’t even notice others, almost as if they were invisible? Yet here is this widow with the cares of this world crashing down around her to the point of starvation for both her and her only son, and she immediately takes steps to bestow an act of kindness with what little she could still do. How sad is it that so often “Christian charity” comes nowhere close to this poor Gentile widow’s charity and unselfishness?

Even here in the simple request for water legalism rears its ugly head. Some have held that Elijah only drank water from a drinking cup that he had carried with him all the way from the Wadi Cherith, as using anything touch by this unclean Gentile widow would have defiled the water. Given the scope of all that transpires in Elijah’s life for these many years, it’s highly improbable that he would have held such concern for defiled water in a Gentile land where he would live for at least two years, that he would have carried a clean drinking cup on his trip across the desert. His entire time spent in Zarephath was ritually unclean. Concern for a levitically clean drinking cup in such extreme circumstances would seem downright ludicrous.

While Elijah’s modest request for something small to eat was not out of the ordinary, the widow’s response paints the bleakest picture possible, from a human perspective.

17:12 “‘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 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’.”

Isn’t that simply pitiful? This poorest of poor widow is out collecting just enough sticks to bake one last meager meal for her and her son, and she is clearly resigned to the fact that the two of them will starve to death thereafter. No other options were apparently open to her. They had reached the end of their scarce resources, and were left with nothing else but the prospect of being just another tragic casualty of poverty and famine. And this is the widow that was going to provide for Elijah!

The effects of the terrible famine and drought in Palestine were also felt in the adjacent countries. According to Menander of Ephesus, as recorded by Josephus (Ant 8.13.2) there was a devastating famine that lasted one full year, during the time of drought on Israel. Since Phoenicia depended on Israel for much of its food supply (1 Kgs 5:9; Acts 12:20), a drought and famine in Israel would have had a devastating impact upon Jezebel’s homeland: “Now he [Herod] was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; and with one accord they came to him, and having won over Blastus the king's chamberlain, they were asking for peace, because their country was fed by the king's country” (Acts 12:20).

The widow’s oath indicates that just as Elijah had recognized that she was a widow, she in turn recognized him as being an Israelite, perhaps even a prophet by his distinctive clothing (2 Kgs 1:8). Some have held that her formal oath invoking the proper name of Yahweh, the Elohîm of Israel, with the acknowledgement that Yahweh lives, that she was a true worshipper of God. Rabbis have taken this further to claim she was a Jewish woman, the mother of Jonah.

However, given she said, “your God,” it’s highly doubtful that she was a true follower of Yahweh, more likely following the customary protocol of pronouncing her oath in the name of the deity of the person to whom she is speaking. If she really was a Jewess or true worshipper of Yahweh, she would have said as Elijah does later, “the Lord God of Israel,” the more customary pronouncement of the Israelites, as the nation chosen by Yahweh. However, she very may well have believed in Yahweh as a god, as polytheism was rampant in the ancient world, and the concept of monotheism would have been foreign to the Phoenicians. While Baal was their supreme god, he was one of many gods in which they believed.

It’s been said that despair breaks down barriers of reserve. To this complete stranger, the widow confesses her desperate circumstances. Hers was not an unwillingness to share or be hospitable, her immediacy to obtain water for him had already testified to her lack of selfishness, but rather, she had none left with which to share.

The bread she mentions is the common, flat round cake, the smallest kind of bread, likely made from wheat or barley, and cooked in oil, which would be our equivalent of butter. The flour bin or barrel was called a cad (from which we derive our English tea “caddy”), an earthenware container used to preserve corn and meal from insects and bugs. The jar or cruse of oil would be similar to our bottles of oil today. Flour and oil were the two most basic commodities for survival, and she was about to run out of even that.

As a side note, the lack of oil wasn’t the concern, but rather the flour. In Joshua 19:28, when the division of the conquered land of Canaan was undertaken, the distinct of Sidon (Zidon), which would have included Zarephath, fell to the lot of Asher. If we go back to Deuteronomy 33 where Moses offers his blessings to the 12 tribes of Israel, his blessing for Asher was: “Of Asher he said, ‘more blessed than sons is Asher; may he be favored by his brothers, and may he dip his foot in oil’” (33:24). Oil being one of the principal exports of this region, even after the long drought and famine, oil was still to be had in Sidon.

Now comes one of Elijah’s infamous, shocking statements:

17:13 “Then Elijah said to her, ‘do not fear; go, do as you have said, but make me a little bread cake from it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son’.”

Who tells a widow to prepare the last of her meager food for them first, and then the widow and her son can eat? Typical man – they never listen! Hadn’t she just told him there was only enough for them, and then they would starve to death? Could he really be telling her, in essence, let me eat the last of your food and you and your son can die without another meal? He wants her to go to her house, bake the bread for him first, bring it out to him, and then return back home to bake what’s left for her and her son. Widows were often and frequently exploited of what little they had, and now Elijah is even stooping to take the last of her food? The “first” and “afterward” are emphatic by position. There’s no question where he’s telling her to place her priorities and actions.

Isn’t that absolutely shocking? Again, some emphatically state Elijah would not have made such a request, and that no Gentile widow would have paid any attention to a Jewish man making such an outlandish request. What would you do if you were this Gentile widow? Human reasoning would argue that “she had neither precedent nor example for such an act and for such a hope” (James Smith). She was being asked to give everything away on faith, to give up the certain for the uncertain. Not only that, she was being asked to potentially sacrifice her life and also that of her son’s. How could she possibly take care of Elijah when her situation was so desperate? Her supplies consisted of only food enough for one meal for herself and her son. Hardly does her poverty seem compatible to his request. Her circumstances would say she was the one who needed help, not the one to give help. Every poll in the land would unanimously call for her to reject insane Elijah. Her circumstances were simply too bleak. No one would criticize her if she said “no.” How could he make such a shocking and seemingly callous request in the midst of her desperate circumstances?

However, isn’t that exactly the type of faith and obedience the Lord wants from us? We’re to completely give ourselves over to Him, not holding back one iota of anything, even to the extent of becoming a bond-servant, a slave to Him. Wasn’t that Jesus’ message to the rich young ruler? “sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor…and come, follow Me” (Luke 18:22).

17:14 “For this is what the Lord God of Israel says, ‘the flour jar will not become empty and the oil jug will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the surface of the land’.”

God is consistent and faithful. He never requires us to take a step that is outside of His promises. Elijah gives the widow the promise of Yahweh to provide for her and her son, and by extension, Elijah, until the rains returned.

17:15-16 “So she proceeded to do according to the word of Elijah. Then the woman, Elijah, and her household ate for many days. The flour jar did not become empty, and the oil jug did not run dry, according to the word of the Lord He had spoken through Elijah.”
What amazing faith and selflessness on the part of this humble widow! What a severe test for self. Even the best of unselfish people would struggle here, and the famine would make this challenge even more difficult. Famines have repeated brought out selfishness in the most hideous shapes and actions (2 Kgs 6:28,29), and yet this widow passed her test with flying colors. “We know nothing about genuine self-giving and self-sharing until our own self-survival is literally put on the line. Such a thought terrifies most of us!” (W. Phillip Keller). “The woman was asked for all she had, and she gave it!” (Joseph Parker). While her resources were small, her faith opened the doors of heaven to the limitless resources of God.

While a proud and apostate Israelite nation suffered because of the drought, God supplied the daily necessities to a humble, Gentile widow who willingly took Him at His word. She could dip in the barrel for meal, and there would always be some no matter how much she took out. She could tip the cruse of cooking oil to pour from it, and oil would always flow from it. The fresh supply of oil and flour each day would be a reminder to both the prophet and the widow of the value of personal trust in Him who alone is sufficient to meet every need: “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:19). Though the fare was frugal, yet it was sufficient to sustain them: “And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content” (1 Tim 6:8).

Consider that God didn’t at first send Elijah to an abundant river during the time of drought, but rather a seasonal wadi. While he was hiding out at Cherith the food didn’t run out, but the water did. Now the Lord sends Elijah to Zarephath, which appears to have had abundant water, but clearly food was a scarcity. In both scenarios, a basic necessity for survival was at risk, from a human perspective, but God provided what was needed one day at a time. “Give us this day our daily bread” has been the simple but heartfelt prayer of many around this world down through the years and today. In our modern society, with its credit cards and convenient shopping, we need to remember that each meal we eat is a miracle from the hand of God. “Give us this day our daily bread” is much more than a line in a prayer that we may casually recite. It's the expression of a great truth, that the Lord cares for us and will provide for us.

Note that no massive supply of flour and oil, that would last them for two years, miraculously appeared. God gave them sufficient food for their daily use, but not a whole year's supply in advance or even a week's provision all at once. The Israelites were expressly forbidden to hoard up the manna: they had to go out and gather it new each morning. The ingredients were always on hand as they were needed. Each use of the flour and oil would require faith that God would meet daily need. Thus both Elijah and the widow learned to put their continued faith and trust in the Provider rather than in the provision.

Spurgeon asked, “Why did not God give her a granary full of meal at once, and a vat full of oil instantly? I will tell you. It was not merely because of God's intent to try her, but there was wisdom here. Suppose He had given her a granary full of meal, how much of it would have been left by the next day? I question whether any would have remained. For in the days of famine men are sharp of scent, and it would soon have been noised about the city, ‘The old widow woman who lives in such-and-such a street has a great store of food.’ Why, they would have caused a riot, and robbed the house, and perhaps have killed the woman and her son. She would have been despoiled of her treasure, and in four and twenty hours the barrel of meal would have been as empty as it was at first, and the cruse of oil would have been spilled upon the ground.”

Leon Wood has some similar observations on this subject: “This manner of miracle was for good reason. It was necessary that it work this way if Elijah's presence was to remain unnoticed. Borrowing of jars from neighbors would have invited attention, and so would a pantry full of meal. Such news would soon have spread as far as town officials, and then word would have been taken to Ahab. With the miracle working as it did, there was no reason for people to wonder.” God, in His wisdom, displayed His power in such a way that Elijah and the widow relied upon and received His blessing every day, while the unbelieving world about them was ignorant.

In the New Testament, Jesus honored this Phoenician widow in His first sermon, triggering a violent reaction from His hometown listeners: “There were many widows in Israel, I can assure you, in Elijah's day, when heaven remained shut for three years and six months and a great famine raged throughout the land, but Elijah was not sent to any one of these: he was sent to a widow at Zarephath, a town in Sidonia” (Luke 4:25-29).

It is conjectured that the Syrophoenician woman mentioned in Luke 4:26 was an inhabitant of Zarephath, and it is possible that Jesus visited the place in His journey to this region, the only time He traveled among the Gentiles (Matt 15:21; Mark 7:24-31).

Often hidden in this amazing narrative is the spiritual battle taking place. Why was Elijah sent to the region of Sidon? Some have reasoned that Jezebel was Elijah's greatest enemy; but to show her how powerless was her malice, God would find a hiding-place for him even in her own country.

Perhaps there’s some truth to that, but recall that Baal was the storm god, controlling the rains. His voice was believed to be the thunder heard in storms, with lightening the bolts thrown from his hands. Images of Baal holding such bolts led to his being referred to as the “god of fire.” Thus he was believed to control the very forces of nature – supreme over agriculture and all forms of fertility. Dry years or years of drought and famine were attributed to his temporary captivity and even death at the hands of Mot, Baal’s chief rival and sibling offspring of El. Sacrifices to Anat, Baal’s consort, would arouse her to do battle with Mot, and as the goddess of war, she would eventually defeat Mot, resulting in her reunion with the revived Baal. Their joyous coming together resulted in the rains, crops and offspring for both animals and humans. Thus the equating of fertility with the presence of a live and vibrant Baal, who as the storm god sent the life-preserving rains onto the land, and the equating of drought and famine with his periodic death.

Consider also the territorial beliefs of the pagans. Since gods were largely limited to geographic boundaries, this narrative is extremely significant. Baal was the god of Phoenicia, and he had seemingly conquered Yahweh as he had apparently overrun Israel. Yet Yahweh’s one prophet, in contrast to the many hundreds employed by Jezebel, had called for a complete drought on the entire land of Israel, effectively meaning the death of Baal in Israel. Furthermore, this same drought and famine have spread even to Phoenicia, proving Baal is powerless against Yahweh even in his home turf. After all, he’s dead and Yahweh lives (as the widow acknowledged). Not only that, while Baal is dead and can’t provide for his people, Yahweh is able to miraculously provide both flour and oil – products that were the blessings of Baal – for His prophet and the remarkable widow. In other words, Yahweh is systematically making a public mockery of every perceived strength of Baal, in both Israel and Phoenica.

F. C. Fensham asserts that in fact the main purpose of this narrative is “to demonstrate on Phoenician soil, where Baal is worshiped, that Yahweh has power over things in which Baal has failed.” Since Baal worshipers explained the drought as a sign that Baal was dead, he could not help the widow and her son. “In the absence of Baal who lies impotent in the Netherworld, Yahweh steps in to assist the widow and the orphan, and this is even done in the heartland of Baal, Phoenicia.” It is also done in Jezebel's native land. Because Yahweh exists and Baal does not, Elijah possesses power Jezebel and her prophets do not.

How much does this continue to reinforce Elijah’s faith in the Lord? For a period of three years or so, Elijah sees a daily, visible reminder of the power of Yahweh to provide. What a virtuous cycle of faith and obedience, resulting in more clearly seeing God’s faithfulness, which in turn strengthens his faith even more. Swindoll sums up this narrative: “Man’s obedience and God’s faithfulness – that’s a combination that leads to miracles! Don’t ignore your part of that equation!”