DON’T EAT YOUR SEED
by Pastor James May
1 Kings 17:8-24
1 Kings 17:8-9, "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."
Zarephath means smelting-shop, "a workshop for the refining and smelting of metals" and it would be here, at Zarephath, that the faith of Elijah, the widow and of her son would undergo some fiery trials in God’s refinement of their faith.
This would be a trial of Elijah’s faith because he was being sent to dwell in a place belonging to the Zidonians, among whom Jezebel was known as a princess. The King of Zidon was Jezebel’s father. Jezebel was angry with Elijah and she wanted him dead. He had made a fool out of her on Mount Carmel when her priests failed to defeat the God of Israel. Now she was out to get him and was a man on the run. I’m sure that Elijah wondered whether many of Jezebel’s friends would attempt to get even with him.
There was another trial of the Elijah’s faith also, because God had sent him to live with a poor widow woman, in a famine and drought parched land, and this poor widow was going to be his support. That was bad enough, but she was a Gentile and that posed even more problems.
If it was me that had received the command of the Lord, I don’t know if I would have taken it as easily as Elijah did. I would have asked the Lord, “if you are going to send me to someone who is supposed to give me a place to live, food to eat and provide for me, why don’t you send me to someone of means”?
But Elijah’s faith was already strong and he didn’t really question God. After all, God had sent food to him everyday that was delivered by ravens. A Raven was considered an unclean bird according to the Law.
God had been preparing Elijah for the time when he would be sustained by a Gentile widow and Elijah was willing to obey God because there was some greater purpose.
1 Kings 17:10-12, "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 may drink. 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."
I think that a trial of faith was also directed at the widow. I have to admire her grit.
Tradition says that this widow of Zarephath was only around 20 years old. She had a young son that she dedicated her life to. She lived a very meager existence, struggling day-by-day, not just to may ends meet, but just to survive. Every morning she would walk about gathering sticks for the fire. For 3 ½ years there had been no rain. The ground was hard and cracked. There was no harvest in the field where she could have gleaned from what was left by the harvesters.
I wonder how many nights she went to bed crying out in her heart, “where will I find the food for us to survive another day?”
Somehow she had managed to scrape together just enough cooking oil and just enough flour to bake one last cake. It probably wasn’t even going to be enough to fill the hunger of her son and yet they must both somehow survive on it for a while. They were already weak from hunger and tired of the struggle.
One more cake; one more fire; one more meal and then there would be nothing left. There was no supermarket, no corner grocery store, no neighbor to borrow from – nothing – nothing but another day to suffer and soon it would be over. They couldn’t last long in their weakened condition.
Then along comes this prophet of Israel. She had some knowledge of who he was but not much. It seems that God had been preparing her for Elijah’s arrival. Maybe it was in a dream or a vision. Or maybe it was just in a still small voice that whispered in her heart that somehow she would make it through. Or, maybe it was just the fact that she had grown too tired, too weak or too hopeless to say no.
1 Kings 17:13, "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."
Now doesn’t that sound like some preachers you know? They expect everyone to give everything to them. Sometimes preachers can get really pushy when they want a free ride, or a discount at the local merchant.
I remember that when I was young we would occasionally have a visiting minister, or evangelist that would come through town. The church folks would all get together and they would “Pound” the preacher.
“Pounding” meant that as many who could would bring them food and other supplies while they were ministering. I’d be afraid if someone said that the preacher needed to be “pounded” today. It might mean that I need to wear a steel helmet and body armor.
But Elijah wasn’t asking from a selfish spirit. He had been journeying for some time and I’m sure that he was hungry, but the real reason for his request was to try the faith of the woman. Was this the widow woman that God intended? Would she be willing to obey the Lord even when it meant possibly having to do without what she needed?
Elijah knew that there was enough for all three but he didn’t hesitate to ask for the first cake. He knew that God was going to provide.
God wants your first fruits, not your leftovers.
Elijah could have let the widow woman and her son eat first, but then what would have been left to provide for the ministry that had come to her?
There are too many people today who would have told Elijah no! The attitude today is, it’s mine, it’s mine, it’s mine and I won’t give it away. Most people, even Christians, are more concerning with getting the things that they want than they are about giving to God what God says that they need to give to his work.
A lot of Christians only give God their leftover time, their spare change, and the last few minutes of a long day, if they give Him anything at all. We give God the leftovers of our life and then we wonder why our lives are lacking so much in so many ways.
That part of your life that belongs to God must be given first to become the seed from which your faith and provision will grow. The problem with most of us is that we eat our seed before God can use it to grow a blessing.
1 Kings 17:14-15, "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."
Because she was willing to obey God and give the first fruits of her labor to God’s man, she, Elijah and her son were able to survive the long drought and famine. God provided all that they needed. The oil would refill and the grain would multiply after every meal. God’s power to provide for our need is not limited by what we see, only by what we can believe for and by the obedience and faith we put in him.
There is a story that I read once that kind of Illustrates what I am saying:
The following letter was found in a baking-power can wired to the handle of an old pump that offered the only hope of drinking water on a very long and seldom-used trail across Nevada’s Desert:
"This pump is all right as of June 1932. I put a new sucker washer into it and it ought to last five years. But the washer dries out and the pump has to be primed. Under the white rock I buried a bottle of water, out of the sun and cork end up. There’s enough water in it to prime the pump, but not if you drink some first. Pour about one-fourth of the water into the pump and let it soak to wet the leather washer. Then pour in the rest of the water, but not too fast, and pump like crazy. You’ll get water. The well has never run dry so have faith. When you get all the water you need, fill the bottle and put it back like you found it for the next traveler. Desert Pete.
P.S. Don’t drink the water first. Prime the pump with it and you’ll get all you can hold. If you drink it first, you will not live to see the next water hole."
What would have happened if the widow had disobeyed the prophet’s command? She would have died, never having experienced the great miracle working power of God.
God opened the windows of Heaven and Jehovah-Jireh was there to be her Provider.
1 Kings 17:16, "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."
1 Kings 17:17-18, "And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?"
Now isn’t that just like life? She had received a miracle. God had so graciously provided for them all. It was a blessed time to have the man of God under her roof for all this time. She had been given a new hope, a new lease on life and a vision of a brighter future for herself and her son.
How many of you know that after a great blessing and a deliverance from a fiery trial, there’s another trial coming?
I’m sure that she thought within her heart, “Why did God preserve my life and the life of my son, only to see him die now, after the famine has passed?”
Elijah, it would have been just as well if I had never seen your face, or had any conversation with you about the God of Israel. Everything you said was for nothing. Look what God has brought upon me. With my son gone, my purpose in life is gone. Without my son there will be no one to care for me when I am too old and sick to take care of myself.
Just like the widow woman who in her passion and agony, being extremely affected with the death of her child, we are so quick to forget or overlook all the benefits we have received from the Lord.
Why me Lord? What did I do to deserve this? Where has your blessing gone? Have you left me alone to die in this place?
Her faith had been placed in God. She had obeyed the prophet of God. She had done everything in her power to see to it that God’s will was done, and this was the thanks she received! It’s not fair, prophet! It’s not fair God! Have you come only to tease me and then to bring punishment upon me for some great sin?
We must never forget that when the circumstances of life seem impossible, that’s when the real miracle is about to happen.
In this story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath we see a series of lessons for each of us.
God promises us his blessings if we will give him our seed faith, our first fruits and our trust. Sometimes the blessing comes then it dries up. That’s when God really tests our faithfulness.
Will we trust him anyway, even though he seems to have failed us? The widow’s son was raised again but not because the widow had faith. She failed this test of faith, but God was merciful and gracious and he still proved that he was all-sufficient for her need.
Have you ever been just absolutely “bowled over” when the blessings dried up? Sometimes we are sitting on top of the world and the windows of Heaven have been opened so that our lives are filled with blessings, then all of a sudden, the blessings seem to stop and we are left in spiritual shock wondering what happened.
Here’s a little story to illustrate this point:
Chippie the parakeet never saw it coming. One second he was peacefully perched in his cage. The next he was sucked in, washed up, and blown over.
The problems began when Chippie’s owner decided to clean Chippie’s cage with a vacuum cleaner. She removed the attachment from the end of the hose and stuck it in the cage. The phone rang, and she turned to pick it up. She’d barely said "hello" when "sssshoopp!" Chippie got sucked in.
The bird owner gasped, put down the phone, turned off the vacuum, and opened the bag. There was Chippie -- still alive, but stunned.
Since the bird was covered with dust and soot, she grabbed him and raced to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and held Chippie under the running water. Then, realizing that Chippie was soaked and shivering, she did what any compassionate bird owner would do . . . she reached for the hair dryer and blasted the pet with hot air. Poor Chippie never knew what hit him.
A few days after the trauma, the reporter who’d initially written about the event contacted Chippie’s owner to see how the bird was recovering. "Well," she replied, "Chippie doesn’t sing much anymore -- he just sits and stares."
It’s not hard to see why. Sucked in, washed up, and blown over . . . That’s enough to steal the song from the stoutest heart.
1 Kings 17:19-24, "And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come into him again. And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth. And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth."
In the end, God brought them through. He gave them all they needed for this life. Then he showed them that he was not just going to provide the needs of this life, but that he was the God of eternal life as well.
Isn’t it wonderful to know that God is faithful and that he will never suffer you to fall! God will bring you through. He will provide. He will protect. He will give you all that he has promised through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Don’t lose faith. Don’t give up. God will deliver you too.
