1 Kings
17:8-16–The sacrifices of God – a
sacrifice of obedience. At first Elijah was fed by ravens. Sometime later the
brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the Lord came to him: “Go at
once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a
widow there to supply you with food.” (Vv. 7-9)
Elijah saw the flow of
the brook slow down until it dried up. His source of water was gone. There may
very well be different kinds of drying brooks we might experience:
· The drying brook of popularity, ebbing away as from
John the Baptist.
· The drying brook of health, sinking under a creeping
paralysis, or a slow consumption.
· The drying brook of money, slowly dwindling before
the demands of sickness, bad debts, or other people’s extravagance.
· The drying brook of
friendship, which for long has been diminishing, and threatens soon to cease.
Why does God let them
dry? He wants to teach us not to trust in His gifts but in Himself. He wants to
drain us of self.[2]
There a widow feeds
Elijah out of her minimum supplies for many days because the supply of oil and
meal was never exhausted. The setting is the northern kingdom of the 9th
Century with Ahab as king and Elijah as prophet. Because of Israel’s
faithfulness, Elijah calls down a drought which lasts three years. When the
brook dries up, God sends Elijah to a widow in Zarephath for food and drink
lest he starve. However, the widow and her son are also dying of starvation.
They have a tiny amount for a last meal before dying. Elijah commands her to
give food to him and promises that the meal and oil will not fail. True to his
word, each day there was enough for one more meal. The Lord preserves His
prophet and is faithful to His Word.
[1] Elijah is fed by ravens Schnorr Von Carolsfeld woodcuts © WELS permission granted for personal and congregational use
[3] A collect for trust, Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St, Louis
No comments:
Post a Comment