Introduction

For the next three weeks we will read the account of the prophet Elijah and his struggle with King Ahab and his wife Jezebel, who made the worship of Baal the state religion of Israel. We will talk more about why that happened next week. But for today, a few introductions might help.

1.    Elijah – He was a prophet from Gilead, an immigrant. He came to the Northern Kingdom, Israel, with a message for Ahab, that God would withhold rain for a time in order to prove that Baal, the Phoenician god of rain and fertility, was powerless. After delivering this message, Elijah became a marked man. So God sent him away, outside of Ahab's territory. He hid by a brook and was fed by ravens. But when the brook dried up, he was sent to Zarephath, which is in the heart of Baal territory in Phoenicia.

2.    Baal worship – In that part of the world there is a short winter, marked by severe storms, rain and hail. Then in March the steady rains come, which are crucial to agriculture. Baal then is the storm god, who rides a bull with thunder in one hand and lightning in the other. Baal is worshiped so that the land will be productive. It is in essence a religion of materialism with the goal of wealth. Ahab built a temple to Baal in Israel.

3.    Jezebel – She is the daughter of Ethbaal, the king/priest of Tyre and Sidon. She was married to Ahab when his father Omri was king as part of a political alliance. She is the primary advocate for Baal worship in Israel, and develops a school of Baal prophets numbering 400. She kills the prophets of the Lord. So there is a drought of the word of the Lord, which leads to death. The drought caused by lack of rain parallels this more serious spiritual drought in the land.

Today we read the first section of the account of Elijah, when he is being pursued by Ahab and is in hiding and about to die from lack of food.

 

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Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth."

 

     When the brook in the hiding place of Elijah dried up, the word of the Lord came to him directing him to go to a widow in the town of Zarephath in Sidon, in the heart of Baal worship country ruled by Ethbaal, father of Jezebel. The widow also received this word and was commanded to supply Elijah with food.

     What we find here is a very interesting conversation, reminding us in some ways of the conversation Jesus had with the woman at the well in Samaria many years later.

     We are led into the text with the phrase "Some time later" in verse 7, which is repeated in verse 17. Both times the phrase introduces death: "Some time later" the brook dries up (v.7); and "some time later" the widow's son dies (v.17).

     In contrast to death is the word of the Lord. It is the widow's obedience to the word of the Lord that keeps both her and Elijah alive.

     In the larger context, the widow is clearly held up in contrast to the disobedience of Israel.

     This Gentile woman, living in Baal country, clearly knows who God is, in contrast to Israel, which is trying to worship both God and Baal and is spiritually confused.

     The widow is quite aware of her sin, which is exposed by the holy presence of Elijah.

     Israel is blind to its sin, and its king is trying to kill Elijah.

     The widow gives all she has in obedience to the word of God, even though such a sacrifice seems to her to lead to death.

     Israel is caught up in a religion of materialism and all it cares about is getting rich.

     The widow obeys, even without faith.

     Israel does not obey God, although they claim faith in God.

     The widow is finally able to make a confession of faith.

     Israel is deaf to the word of the Lord.

     Now we are drawn to the conversation between Elijah and this remarkable widow. The text does not tell us all we want to know. We know God tells her that Elijah is coming and she is to feed him. When he gets there, she says she is willing to give him some water, but her meager supply of flour is just enough for a final meal for her and her son, and she will not share it with Elijah. She does not trust the word she has heard from God, nor does she trust the prophet.

     But then, when Elijah gives her a further word from the Lord, that the flour and the oil will not be used up, she goes and does as he says. She is obedient to the word of God, which speaks in contrast to what she has been experiencing. She then receives the provision of God.

     Then, the crisis comes. Her son becomes ill and finally stops breathing. Now her deep suspicion comes out. She believes Elijah is a troublemaker, and that he has come to bring a word about her sin, a condemning word.

     August Konkel says that "the woman implies that Elijah has come to meddle in her affairs and is causing her grief." This parallels the reaction of Ahab to Elijah. Ahab sees Elijah as a troubler of Israel (18:17).

     So the widow views God as many people today view God: "God is like a policeman. He is out to get me. He is angry about my sin. I need to avoid God and his messengers and prophets and preachers."

     So God's Word usually comes to people initially as a troubling word, even a threatening word. It feels convicting. But it leads to life.

     Elijah then asks the woman to give him her son. And she gives him her son. This is surprising. Elijah's presence is troubling to her, convicting to her. The word of the Lord is not welcome to her. And yet, she gives Elijah her son.

     Then Elijah lays on the dead boy three times. Konkel says he is defiling himself by touching the dead body; he is identifying himself with the ultimate uncleanness of death. And in that action of self-sacrifice, life is restored to the child, and so God demonstrates that he is the giver of life, and not Baal.

     This leads to a confession of faith. The woman says, "I know . . . that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth."

     But we do not know what word of the Lord she is talking about. Did Elijah say that her son would live? Did Elijah say to her that her sins were forgiven? The text leaves it out. That is the opening for us to step into the story. What was the Word of the Lord for that woman that she found to be true? What is the Word of the Lord spoken into our hearts today?

     Here is the message for us today. Materialism distorts and covers God's word, so that we cannot hear it. It might have been the materialism of Baal worship that caused Ahab to turn deaf to God. And it might be the materialism of our own community that drowns out the Word of God.

     Then when we come to a crisis in our lives, God's word seems at first to be troubling, it seems threatening. We do not want to hear it, to believe it. It feels like God must be against us. Materialism tells us to expect always greater and greater prosperity in life. When our lives are shaken by some event, and we do not experience increasing prosperity, we at first think we must have done something wrong. We may then anticipate that God's word will be troubling to us. We might resist God's Word, or harden our hearts to God.

     But when the widow receives her son back alive, she comes to believe. She believes that God alone is the giver of life, the one with the power of life. But she also comes to believe that the Word of God is true. She opens her heart to what Elijah said from God.

     Perhaps he said that her sins were forgiven.

     Perhaps he said that God cared for her.

     Perhaps he said that she could have a relationship with God by faith, that she could walk with God in a relationship that Baal could never offer.

     We don't know what he said, but the widow came to know that what he said was true.

     In Christ, this word of God that is hidden here, becomes plain. Christ speaks to your heart, and although we may at first hear that word as conviction, if we do not run from it, the word of Christ is always a word of grace and life. It leads to a personal faith relationship with Christ, whose sacrifice brings you life.

     Jesus said, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me."

     An old hymn says it well:

     "Jesus stands outside the door - why not bid him enter?

     Though your weight of sin be sore, he can life and strength restore: hear his voice so tender.

     Troubled soul, I do implore, will you let him enter?

     Come to me, O Jesus good, open now your treasure.

     Cleanse me in your precious blood, that life-giving, healing flood, flowing without measure,

     Jesus, Jesus, Jesus good, be my lasting treasure."

     Amen.