ELIJAH AT KERITH AND ZAREPHATH
Being a prophet in Israel wasn’t a bundle of fun! Elijah often found himself in stressful situations. True, he had the prestige of being Jehovah’s messenger to those who recognized him, but all too often his message wasn’t welcomed and he became very unpopular. The trouble was that he had to convey a word of condemnation to establishment figures because they were acting quite contrary to God’s express commands, and if they continued they would bring about judgment upon themselves.
Naturally, these authority figures resented the intrusion of this holy man in the way they ran the country. It still happens today. Whenever an archbishop or a senior church leader dares to make a comment on some aspect of national life that is contrary to the standard of Scripture, the politicians are up in arms on this alleged interference on their domain by these troublesome clerics! But thank God for them, for we need these "Elijahs" to announce God’s judgments on a corrupt society.
This was the position with Elijah in the reign of King Ahab of Israel. Ahab is branded in the history books as a king who "did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him" (I Kings 16:30). What a dreadful epitaph of one’s life on earth! And what’s more, it’s said of him that he "did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him" (33).
We may wonder what has all this got to do with us in the 21st century? These stories of ancient Israel have been preserved for us in the Bible, not only as a historical record of this unique nation, but for our benefit so that we can learn from the principles they embody in our relationship with God and our families and neighbours in the short time we’re on earth. Let’s see what lessons are highlighted in this Elijah story, back in the society of the ninth century BC. The first is the general principle of:
THE TENSION BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL
There’s a great contrast between Elijah and King Ahab as the representative of his nation. Elijah was true to the meaning of his name, "I am a man who serves Jehovah". But Ahab and most of his subjects were the opposite. God loved Israel, the people he had called out to become a light to the nations and eventually to bring them his salvation.
What God wanted, and still wants, is a people who are holy - the word means "being different". How sad he was, then, when they turned from Jehovah to worshipping the heathen gods of the surrounding nations, absorbing their degrading practices. It’s not surprising that God had to take some stern remedial action. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone - it’s a matter of cause and effect. A verse from Proverbs makes it plain,"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people" (14:34). In the end it brings shame and suffering. The next lesson we see in the story is:
THE CONSEQUENCES OF REJECTING GOD’S WAY
Elijah, as God’s representative, was instructed to confront Ahab with advance notice that judgment was on its way. There were no "ifs" and "buts" about it; the sentence had been passed. The prophet told the king, "As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word" (17:1).
The lands of the Middle East have an extremely hot climate and a plentiful supply of rain is essential if famine is to be averted. In effect, what he was saying to Ahab was "You’ve decided to reject Jehovah’s laws and so you must bear the consequences of your actions."
When I hired a car on holiday I was given a diesel engine vehicle and was told by the car hire representative, "Be careful to fill up with diesel, not petrol, because if you put the wrong fuel in, it will foul up the engine and will have to cleaned out at considerable cost to you!" It’s the same with our lives. If we disobey what God intended, ignoring the Maker’s handbook, the Bible, we get the logical result, God’s rejection and condemnation.
Sure enough, drought came. Although it was a punishment to a backslidden nation, it affected both the small remnant of those faithful to God as well as the reprobate. But God doesn’t desert his people, even though they are caught up in the adverse circumstances. As we look at the detail in Elijah’s story we learn of:
THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD TO THE FAITHFUL
Elijah was to prove God’s faithfulness to those who obey him. We read that God made ample provision for his servant at the brook Kerith, where he had water to drink, and he was supplied with food by the unusual means of ravens. Of course it was a miracle, but surely the God of Creation can employ his creatures or use any other instruments to meet the needs of his people.
The prophet was completely alone in that remote location, entirely dependent on God’s providence. Day after day he learned that God was in control of nature and met his basic needs. True, it wasn’t luxurious living, but God hasn’t promised that to his children. The apostle Paul knew this to be the case; he wrote to the church at Philippi, "My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (4:19); but note that he said "needs" not "luxuries". In all circumstances, God is our sufficiency.
Elijah’s experience at Kerith was a preparation for a more demanding test of faith just around the corner. It’s been said that "God has no graduates in his university of life; the process of learning and shaping is continuous." After spending some time at the brook, the grip of the drought tightened and the brook dried up. But God had the next stage already planned. Elijah was told, "Go at once to Zarephath ... and stay there. I have commanded a widow ... to supply you with food" (7).
I wonder what Elijah thought of that - to go to a foreign country, and even worse, to have to rely on the charity of an impoverished widow, perhaps not even a believer in Jehovah! How humiliating. It may have seemed like an ironic joke on God’s part, for in a time of scorching drought, God sends him from Kerith, which means "drought", to Zarephath, meaning "smelting furnace" - in the language of today, "Out of the frying pan, into the fire!" What did Elijah do? How did he react? We can learn from his experience of:
THE NEED OF OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S CALL
The episodes of Kerith and Zarephath are lessons in total obedience to the known will of God. God commanded and he obeyed, even though the circumstances seem unpromising. He was like a soldier receiving instructions from his commanding officer. It’s obvious that Elijah lived close to God. He was alert to hear what his next step should be. When he heard it there was no doubt in his mind what he should do, even though on the face of it, it didn’t make much sense or even appeared quite unreasonable. He took God at his word because he was secure in his faith in God. He knew that, as the psalmist put it, "The Lord delights in the way of the man whose steps he has made firm" (37:23).
One of the first recorded miracles of Jesus took place at the wedding in Cana. The wine had run out, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, knew that Jesus could supply the pressing need. She told the servants to ask Jesus for instructions but to be sure to "Do whatever he tells you" (John 2:5). If we do that, we won’t go far wrong. Yes, it’s a good thing to check it with those in authority, and even more important to be sure it’s consistent with Scripture.
"Do whatever he tells you". It may seem risky at the time, but if we have a firm conviction that God has spoken, that’s what must be done. And that’s what Elijah did. He was obedient to God’s voice. After delivering his stern message to King Ahab, the word of the Lord came to him, "Leave here ... and hide in the Kerith ... so he did what the Lord had told him ... he went ... and stayed there" (3-5). When the brook Kerith dried up, God’s instruction to Elijah and his response was as precise as before, "Go at once to Zarephath ... and stay there ... so he went" (9,10).
Obedience to God’s voice is so important. We can be sincere in our own beliefs, but if they’re not based on the truth as revealed in Scripture, they’ll prove to be a false foundation to build upon. That’s why the world is in such a mess. It makes its own rules of living to suit its own convenience, ignoring the objective standard of God’s revelation in Scripture. It’s called "situation ethics" and it’s a recipe for disaster. As the story progresses we notice:
THE UNEXPECTED IN THE LIFE OF FAITH
Elijah found that the university of life was nothing if not varied. From the solitude of the brook Kerith with no visitors apart from the daily flight of the ravens, he now had to seek refuge with this widow woman in Zarephath. I wonder if he was just a little disappointed at the lodgings that he’d been clearly directed to by the word of the Lord? Let’s face it, he was looking forward to his first home cooking in many months, and then to discover that he was to be billeted with a starving woman! Why couldn’t he have been placed in a well-to-do household and enjoy a spot of well-deserved comfort? It must have been a humbling experience to ask this impoverished person for a meal, but at least she had a little, while he had nothing.
The pathway of faith is not always smooth. The circumstances in which we find ourselves aren’t always congenial, but they’re there for a purpose. We mustn’t forget that God knows the end from the beginning, and so to speak, can see around the next bend of life’s journey, although we can’t. The apostle Paul, a man who had known many hardships in the Christian experience, could write with confidence to his converts in Corinth, "We live by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor 5:7). That’s what Elijah did - he was prepared to be divinely led a step at a time -and so must we.
Elijah approached the widow woman with confidence, but also with courtesy. He didn’t demand or throw his weight around as the important man he was. God had told him that this poor person, now at the end of her resources, had been chosen both to be a blessing to Elijah and to be blessed by him. With the humility of a man in touch with his God, he gently called to her and asked, "Would you bring me a little water ..." and as she went to get it, added, "And bring me, please, a piece of bread" (10,11).
It was the request for a piece of bread, which brought out the distress facing the widow. She’d come to the end of her resources - and she poured out her story to the prophet. "I don’t have any bread", and she said she was literally scraping the barrel to get the last meal for herself and her son - and then death! Countless numbers down the centuries has shared her plight. It still happens today in drought-stricken countries and by the innocent victims of wars.
There’s a verse of a poem that’s stayed in my memory for years - "O God, that bread should be so dear, and flesh and blood should be so cheap." We thank God for the relief agencies that help the destitute, but they can only provide relief if we give them the means to do so. Ministering to the needy is a responsibility, which the Christian church has responded more fully than any other grouping in human history. All the great social advances have been pioneered by people whose hearts had been touched by the love of Christ and motivated to care for the poor and hungry, the deprived and the disadvantaged. But the need always seems to outstrip the available resources so we mustn’t slacken our efforts. John Wesley used to say that if we felt for people in need we ought to feel in our pockets! It’s inconsistent to be long on theology and short on charity!
The widow had lost hope. She knew about God because she responded to Elijah, "As surely as the Lord your God lives"(12), but there’s a difference between "knowing of" and "trusting in" God. Her eyes were focussed on the "handful of flour" and "the little oil" she had left. If we pin our faith to anything material we shall certainly lose hope and our faith will falter, but if we put our faith in God, he will never fail us. Isaiah spoke some wonderful words of reassurance to Israel, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand" (41:10).
Elijah was able to give the woman the same kind of hope and at the same time gave her a test of faith. "Go home as do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me ... and then ... for yourself and your son" (13). We might think the prophet was being selfish in saying "me first". What can he be thinking of? There was only sufficient for the widow and her son and yet he wanted the first portion! He was standing before her as God’s representative and telling her to put God first. It was the same principle that Jesus would expound, "Seek ye first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Mat 6:33). It was as the widow did this that she enjoyed:
THE REWARD OF COMPLETE TRUST IN GOD
When we are prepared to give God the first place we may be quite sure that our provision is guaranteed. In the case of the widow it was material needs that were met. "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" (16). Our needs will be different, but we have the same unchanging God. The apostle Paul had been through the hard school of life. He wrote to his converts at Corinth, "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed ... Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day" (2 Cor 4:10 and 16).
We’ve seen the promise of the provision being fulfilled, but was there sufficient? Yes, there was enough, but not too much, only sufficient for each day. And did it last? Yes, indeed, for the miraculous supply continued "until the day the Lord gives rain on the land" (14). That’s the timescale that we can look forward to - "until the day when we shall no longer walk by faith but we shall walk by sight in God’s glorious presence".
Although Elijah was a man of flesh and blood like ourselves, we probably relate better to the widow in her need. But which ever of the two, there’s a verse which comes to mind which encourages us to trust the God of Elijah and the widow:
"Got any rivers you think are uncrossable?
Got any mountains you can’t tunnel through?
God specializes in things thought impossible;
He can do what none other can do!"
Elijah would agree with that!
