1 Kings 17:7-24 – What to Give a God Who Has Everything
A minister was preoccupied with thoughts of how he was going to ask the congregation to come up with more money than they were expecting for repairs to the church building.
Therefore, he was annoyed to find that the regular organist was sick and a substitute had been brought in at the last minute. The substitute wanted to know what to play. "Here’s a copy of the service," he said impatiently. "But you’ll have to think of something to play after I make the announcement about the finances."
During the service, the minister paused and said, "Brothers and Sisters, we are in great difficulty; the roof repairs cost twice as much as we expected, and we need $4,000 more. Any of you who can pledge $100 or more, please stand up." At that moment, the substitute organist began to play, "O Canada."
You know, every one of us has been asked for money recently. From telemarketers to telethons to televangelists, or even regular old pastors, each has been asked lately to surrender that part of us near and dear to our hearts: our money. Today, my message goes further than money – I know many, if not most of you, give 10% or more to the work of the Lord. But sometimes, as someone once told me, giving 10% is easy enough for some – it’s all the other stuff that God asks for that’s the problem. The time, the efforts, the energy, the talents, the support, the involvement, the prayer, the encouragement, the just “showing up”… all these are things that even generous givers will shortchange God on.
Now, I must say, I don’t like preaching about money. The preacher Clovis Chappell wrote: I have never felt any hesitation in speaking to my congregation about money… I thrill to it. I revel in it. I love to see the liberal enjoy it. I love to watch the stingy suffer.” However, I must admit, I don’t feel the same. However, Jesus talked a great deal about money. 16 of the 38 parables were concerned with how to handle money and possessions. In the Gospels, 1 out of 10 verses, 288 in all, deal directly with the subject of money. The Bible gives 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 verses on faith, but more than 2000 verses on money. So here we are today.
Today’s Bible passage comes from 1 Kings 17, as we continue our journey through the life and times or Elijah. If you remember last week, we found the prophet in a drought, and his personal supply of water had just dried up too. So where does a person go when they run into dry spells? They continue to listen to the Lord and take instructions from Him. We’ll start with v8-16.
So here’s the context. Because of the evil in the land, God has sent a drought through the prayers of His servant Elijah. During the 1st little while, Elijah was kept fed and watered by the brook running through the Kerith Ravine, on the eastern side of the Jordan River. Soon, though, the water dried up, and Elijah had to go somewhere else. And God said to go to Zarapheth, which is some 70 miles northwest of the ravine. There he would find a widow who would help him.
Now, this is odd on many levels. A) Why would God send Elijah so far away, even outside of the nation, to get food and water? Jesus commented on this in Luke 4, in that Elijah had to go so far because there was so little faith from among his own people. B) Why would God send Elijah to this particular person? This lady may not have even been a Jew. Scholars are not sure if she worshipped Baal, the god of the land, or Jehovah, the God of the Israelites. C) Why would God send Elijah to a poor starving widow, of all people? One who could barely feed herself and her son?
Well, I certainly don’t claim to understand all the ins and outs of God’s plans. But I do see how this all came around in the end. And I can see some of the reasons why God chose this poor starving widow. She was a giver. She gave. She was a real person with real problems, but when it mattered, she really did give of herself to God and His work. Through her obedience and faith, she watched God supply her needs, and she became part of God’s plan to take care of Elijah.
In this 1st section of scripture, we can plainly see that she gave what little she had. V12 – she only had just a little flour and a little oil, just enough for one last meal with her son, only to end up starving after. And here comes Elijah, asking for bread. Odd request to ask for food from a starving widow. Yet, Elijah said that God would provide, and everyone involved would be OK. She went away, prepared the bread for Elijah, and then still had enough for herself. Even though she used all she had, there was still enough to go around.
Now, if you look at her life, she certainly had her share of problems. She was a widow, and since she had a young child, she was a fairly young widow at that. She was starving. And, she perhaps was a bit of a pessimist. Maybe a realist, I don’t know. But she was in trouble, not unlike us when we find ourselves at the end of our ropes. Still, as apparently was the custom in Bible times, she got water for a stranger passing by. She still did the right thing, even in hard times. And she obeyed the word of the Lord, even when it would cost her what little she had. And God rewarded her for it. The bread never did run out. She did not starve. God took care of her and her family.
You know, it’s hard to do the right thing when it will cost us so much. But this woman gave. And we can too. Notice that Elijah did not ask for what she didn’t have, but what she did have. No different for us. God asks for what we have. Can we trust God with what’s left? Can we trust Him to see us through? Can we believe that He will provide for us, when we give what we have to Him? Whether it’s money, or food, or time, or abilities, or energy, or support, or presence, or prayers. When God leads us through his Word, or through prayer, or through circumstances, or through other people, when He leads us to do something, whether we do it or not is a reflection of our faith. Do we trust Him when we give Him what little we have?
Well, the story continues. V17-24. So here’s this woman, faithful and obedient, and the worst possible thing that could happen happened. Her only son died. The only thing left of her husband besides memories. Her very best was now gone. And she lashed out, for obvious reasons. She figured that perhaps this God was no better or loving than Baal, the god of her people, who demanded child sacrifices.
But Elijah was unruffled. He asked for the boy. Now, what would the normal reaction be? NO! Leave us alone! Get out! But she gave Elijah the body of her son. And Elijah, reminding us of another person in the Bible who stretched out his arms to absorb the death we deserve, lay on top of him, and God restored life into the boy’s lungs. You know, it really turned out for the best that she gave her very best to Elijah. As messy as her best turned out to be, still she gave the best she had.
Now, we like to keep the best for ourselves. We want to have the best. We want what we want. But, in the end, if we don’t give the best to God, we will lose it all. I am told of a missionary who served many years as a house-parent for missionaries’ children in the Philippines. This lady loved books. Though she gladly loaned out some, there were others she treasured in a footlocker under her bed. Once, in the quiet of the night, she heard a faint gnawing sound. After searching all around her room, she discovered that the noise was coming from her footlocker. When she opened it, she found nothing but an enormous pile of dust. All the books she had kept to herself had been lost to termites. You see, folks, what we give away, we keep. What we hoard, we lose.
These are hard words, but they are true. God wants all of what you have. He wants what little you have. And He wants the best you have. He wants it all. Not because He needs stuff, rather, He wants all of you. All your time, treasures and talents. He wants all you have. No holding out or holding back. No selfishness. No “no”s. Just “yes”es.
And see what happened to the widow. When she gave the little she had, God gave an increase – the multiplication of flour and oil. He miraculously provided. And when she gave the best she had, God gave new life – a resurrection. She got back with dividends what she invested with God. Folks, you can never outgive God. When you give to God, He will bless you for it. Not necessarily in cash, but He does that too. He will more than make up for what you give to Him. In money or time or abilities or priorities or energy.
And what’s more, others will be blessed by it. Because one woman was willing to give what little she had, 3 people were fed by it. Like the little boy’s sack lunch in the NT, God multiplies what is given to Him, and then uses it to help others.
And even further, read v24 again. She came to know God better when she gave her best to Him. As you walk in faith and obedience to His financial plans, or His ministry purposes, or His timetable, then you will see God better in your life. His ways will become clearer. His face will shine brighter. And His priorities will become yours.
They say that the Koh-i-noor diamond is among the most spectacular in the world. Queen Victoria received it as a gift from a maharajah when he was just as a small lad. Later as a grown man, this maharajah visited Queen Victoria again. He requested that the stone be brought from the Tower of London to Buckingham Palace. The maharajah took the diamond and, kneeling before the Queen, gave it back to her, saying, “Your majesty, I gave this jewel when I was a child, too young to know what I was doing. I want to give it to you again in the fullness of my strength, with all of my heart and affection, and gratitude, now and forever, fully realizing all that I do.”
Folks, as believers in Jesus, we need to say those words too, offering again our lives to Jesus: “I want to give You back my life, Lord Jesus, that I gave you several years ago. I want to give it again to You with gratitude, fully aware of all that I am doing.”
Give what little you have, give the best you have. Commit yourself today to whatever God wants, and come to see that God is always faithful to His promises.
