In the belly of Sidon we find the city of Zarephath; a dangerous place for Elijah to visit and certainly not a vacation destination. Considering his current predicament, he obeys the voice of God and begins his journey.
Why was Zarephath a dangerous place for Elijah to visit? Bonus points to the person who leaves the answer in the comments.
The move to Zarephath was certainly a divine appointment for both Elijah and a certain widow in that town. As you read the story (1 Kings 17:7-24) you see God was working in the hearts of a renegade prophet and a disgraced widow.
Jesus, himself, points out that there were many widows in Israel during the time of Elijah. He says:
Luke 4:26 (NCV) But Elijah was sent to none of those widows, only to a widow in Zarephath, a town in Sidon.
The work God does in her heart confirms YAWHEH as the One true God. I find it curious that it took the raising of her son from the dead and not the endless supply of oil and flour for her to accept this message.
This is where it gets a bit fuzzy for me. I want to resist the idea that God took the life of this child to confirm his presence. I want to instead just accept that in the course of his sojourn with the widow the child died and thank God that Elijah was there because he brought the child back to life.
The difficulty lies in the reaction of Elijah to the loss of the child.
1 Kings 17:20 (NCV) Then he prayed to the LORD: “LORD my God, this widow is letting me stay in her house. Why have you done this terrible thing to her and caused her son to die?”
Elijah, perhaps for many reasons, blames God for the death of this boy. He then, after a crude form of CPR, again calls upon the Lord saying:
1 Kings 17:21 (NCV) Then Elijah lay on top of the boy three times. He prayed to the LORD, “LORD my God, let this boy live again!”
A request the Lord granted:
1 Kings 17:22 (NCV) The LORD answered Elijah’s prayer; the boy began breathing again and was alive.
God was trying to get someone’s attention! Was it the widow’s attention? Was it Elijah’s attention? Was it the boy’s? Is it mine?
He’s been providing oil and flour for so many years - small things in comparison to raising a child to life - and yet such a big thing they may have taken for granted.
I want to be ever appreciative of the small ways in which the Lord demonstrates his faithfulness to me. I’m not all that excited about the “big” thing he might choose to do in order to recapture my attention.
“God, You’ve got my complete un-divided, and grateful attention!”
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May 18th, 2006 at 10:32 am
Because of the lack of rain Elijah pronounced?
The small blessings we enjoy every day are easy to overlook. Lots of us don’t recognize them, because we are looking for the big ones with lots of fanfare, not realizing a great deal of pain could come before that big blessing. Like Naaman, wasn’t it, who wanted to be healed of leprosy in some other way than the simple task of dipping in a dirty old river!
May 18th, 2006 at 10:34 am
We’ve all heard the old saying, “There are no atheists in fox holes.” By the same token, is it hard to find grateful Christians on “top of the mountain?”
Good post Bro.
May 18th, 2006 at 12:21 pm
Zarephath was the very center of Baalism. In fact, Jezebel’s daddy was king of Sidon. How awesome that God works His wonders in the heart of the enemy’s land.
Actually, I’m pretty sure that God considers it His land.
How many little things…”little wonders”…have I already missed today? Thanks for your thoughts.
May 18th, 2006 at 1:33 pm
Sometimes it is the small things that overwhelm us w/ God’s love! Thanks for the reminder.
Oh, yes … I’m sure at some point he’s trying to your attention w/ this story. And mine. The OT stories never grow old.
May 19th, 2006 at 5:29 am
I often pray to God that he straighten my life out without hitting me over the head with something as terrible as the loss of a child. I am very needy of a thankful heart.
May 19th, 2006 at 9:01 am
no wonder I couldn’t find the city of Zarephath. I didn’t think to look in the belly of Sidon. That, in and of itself, would make it a dangerous place for anyone to visit.