Cake or Death | Wk .2 | Kings of Summer
In the midst of a wild drought, God sends His prophet Elijah to Zarephath, to a widow who is preparing to die in a small town outside of Israel’s borders.
This is a bit weird, God.
Why not send Elijah to someone within his community, someone faithful who still follows Yahweh?
Why to a Gentile widow, ostracised both socially and economically?
God’s instructions demonstrate His endless compassion, reminding us that His care for humanity transcends our well manicured expectations and strategies. He provides for His people in ways that not only meet their needs but also reveal His power to the people in their lives and around them.
To the people watching on.
Elijah has already witnessed God’s ability to provide miraculously. He’s spent the last ‘while’ in an Oasis of sorts, being cared for by ravens while hiding out, by the brook Cherith.
(I have a friend named, Cherith. This must’ve been a pretty fantastic brook.)
Morning and evening, these birds bring him bread and meat. The brook eventually dries up, glamping is over for the season and God directs Elijah to Zarephath.
Zarephath is located in Sidon, an area under the rule of Jezebel’s father and steeped in Baal worship, a false god known for rain, storms and fertility.
For Elijah, this is very hostile territory. This drought, predicted by Elijah is a declaration of God’s intent against this false-god-worship.
However, God’s purposes are not limited by geographical or cultural boundaries. Elijah’s journey sets the stage for the extraordinary.
Back to the widow.
'So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.” And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”'
I Kings 17:10-11 NKJV https://www.bible.com/bible/114/1KI.17.10-11
When Elijah meets the widow at the town gate, she is gathering sticks to prepare her last meal. She has resigned herself to a grim reality: after this meal, she and her son will die of starvation.
This is it. It is a most heartbreaking image, a single mother and her son preparing to die. This is the severity of this war on Baal and his cronnies.
Elijah’s request must have seemed both ridiculous and wildly insensitive.
Her response reveals her despair.
'So she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”
I Kings 17:12 NKJV https://www.bible.com/bible/114/1KI.17.12
Notice her wording: the Lord your God. She recognises Elijah’s connection to the God of Israel but He is not her god. Her god has abandoned her and her boy to death.
False gods always will.
False gods only serve death and destruction.
'And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’ ”'
I Kings 17:13-14 NKJV https://www.bible.com/bible/114/1KI.17.13-14
Elijah response challenges the woman on a number of levels. He assures her that His God has promised to renew her supply of flour and oil until the drought ends. However, this promise hinges on her willingness to believe, to trust the God of this outsider and fugitive.
The widow’s obedience is incredible.
She could have easily dismissed Elijah’s request as unreasonable.
She should have. In any normal story. But this isn’t that. God doesn’t tell normal stories.
Giving away her last bit of food seems a bit dumb. However, she chooses to trust the prophet’s word, even though the promise must have sounded unbelievable. In doing so, she shows the very same faith Elijah has in God’s provision. It’s like he lends it to her!
For the widow, this Faith means releasing control of the little she has left, trusting that God will provide. Her faith is not rooted in certainty but in the hope that Elijah’s God will fulfill His promise. And God does not disappoint.
The flour and oil do not run out.
The widow, her son, and Elijah are sustained throughout the famine.
It’s more than just cake
God’s provision for the widow extends beyond food.
Through her encounter with Elijah, she experiences the power and faithfulness of the God of Israel. Her initial acknowledgment of Elijah’s God as “your God” becomes deeper recognition of God’s sovereignty.
Later in the chapter, the widow’s son falls ill. He dies.
The death they were waiting for when she met Elijah comes for him.
Elijah is still there.
'Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him. So she said to Elijah, “What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?” And he said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. Then he cried out to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son?” And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him.” Then the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived. And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives!”'
I Kings 17:17-23 NKJV https://www.bible.com/bible/114/1KI.17.17-23
God’s provision is unlimited. It’s not insurance cover.
He meets our physical needs whilst calling us into a deeper relationship with Him. To trust him with even more.
The widow’s journey mirrors our stories.
The story God is writing with our lives.
Yours and mine. No more or less important.
Often, God uses our moments of greatest need to reveal His character and invite us to trust Him.
Takeaways at the beach
Trusting God in the Wilderness.
The widow’s story challenges us to trust God with the little we have, even when it feels insufficient. Even when lost, broken, confused or overwhelmed. Whether it’s our time, resources, or energy, God asks us to release control and trust Him to multiply what we offer. This particularly sucks in seasons of scarcity.
God’s faithfulness is not limited by our circumstances.
Or our attitude.
In what areas of your life do you feel depleted? Are you willing to trust God to provide, even when the outcome seems uncertain? Like the widow, you may find that faithfulness in winter becomes fruitfulness in Spring.
Invitation + Obedience = Blessing.
The widow’s decision to obey Elijah’s invitation paved the way for God’s blessing. Her act of faith reminds us that obedience usually requires risk. God asks us to take steps that don’t make sense from our perspective.
His ways are higher than ours.
His promises are sure.
Is there an area where God is calling you to obey, even though it feels risky, illogical or just wierd? Take courage in the example of the widow, invitation plus obedience creates blessing. The ability to see God moving in you, through you and around you in beautiful and suprising ways.
God’s Compassion is without end.
By sending Elijah to a Gentile widow in Zarephath, God demonstrates His care for all people, regardless of nationality, status, or background. This story reminds us that God’s love is full and far-reaching. As followers of Jesus, we too are called to reflect this same compassion and invitation to grace in our interactions with others.
Who in your life needs to experience the love and provision of God? How can you extend His compassion to those on the margins? Who can you invite deeper into the story God is writing, where full and far-reaching love abounds?
The widow’s story speaks to the faithfulness of a God who never runs dry. Just as He sustained her jar of flour and jug of oil, He promises to sustain us in our times of need.
His provision is not merely about meeting physical needs; it is an invitation to trust Him more deeply and see what he can do with our obedience.
Reflection Questions:
What resources—time, energy, finances—are you struggling to trust God with?
How might God be inviting you to take a step of obedience, even if it feels risky?
In what ways have you experienced God’s provision in your life? How can you use that story to encourage others?
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for being a God who provides. Help me to trust You with the little I have, knowing that You are able to bless it for Your glory. Teach me to obey Your voice, even when it requires risk. And may my life be an invitation of Your faithfulness, drawing others to obedience to You. Amen.