Ordering Her Priorities

“The word of the LORD came to [Elijah], ‘Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.’ So, he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, ‘Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.’ And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, ‘Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.’ And she said, ‘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 may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.’ And Elijah said to her, ‘Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, “The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.”’ And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah.” [1]

She was busy gathering sticks which she would use to build a fire. She would then mix the last little bit of flour she still had with some water, perhaps adding some salt and a little olive oil to give the mixture some flavour, before making some small pitas on a flat rock heated beside the fire. Once these were made, the widow would give some of the bread to her son and perhaps eat one small loaf herself. After this, she would prepare for their inevitable death. The drought had devasted the land, and her meagre store of foodstuff was exhausted. There was little possibility that there would be any more food to be found. No one had anything left to share; everyone was starving. Already, her clothing and the robe her son wore were hanging on their thin bodies.

While gathering the sticks, a stranger had spoken to her. “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” Where he had come from, she couldn’t tell. It was a strange request especially since it was so demanding that she drop everything to act now. Nevertheless, she graciously went into her house and dipped a cup into the dwindling water in the pot she kept in the house and took it to the man.

When he had drunk what she had brought, he demanded of her, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” Indignant at such a curt demand, she almost bristled as she replied, “I don’t have so much as a pita, just a handful of flour in a bowl and some oil left in a bottle. Now I’m going to find some sticks so I can cook a last meal for my son and for me. Then we’re going to eat it and die.”

This stranger then said in a confident voice, “You can stop being afraid. Go and do what you said, but first make me a pita and bring it to me. Then make a meal for yourself and for your son, because this is what the LORD God of Israel says: ‘That jar of flour will not run out, nor will that bottle of oil become empty until the very day that the LORD sends rain on the surface of the ground’” [1 KINGS 17:13-14 ISV].

“Feed me; then you can feed yourself and your son.” Had this stranger actually said what she thought he had said? Did he actually say, “Put me first!” The audacity! What sort of request was that! No mother would willingly take food from her children to feed a stranger. Our children are our priority! People don’t have the right to demand that we feed them, especially if it means that our children will go without. Surely such a rude request would be met with defiance! Who would accede to such a blatant demand? And yet, there was something calming, something conveying confidence despite the sharpness in the stranger’s words. Despite whatever misgivings she may have had, the woman did what the stranger demanded of her. She wasn’t mesmerised; she was heartened.

Thus, the text informs us, “She went and did as Elijah said” [1 KINGS 17:15a]. Now, I find that to be startling! Surely it would make any of us who are the least bit prescient to wonder why she would respond in that manner. Did mothers in Israel in that day have a different view of their children than we hold in this day? Was this widow perhaps so resigned to a slow death from starvation that she no longer cared that she was hastening her child’s death? Perhaps there is something here that is easily overlooked. Perhaps there is a lesson here that can encourage us in our own lives. Perhaps we need to take time to study this text in order to learn what God is prepared to teach us.