THE MEETING AT ZAREPHATH

I KINGS 17:10 “So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.”

 The Prophet, Elijah’s meeting with the poor widow of Zarephath seemed so coincidental, as he approached the gate of the city. The Holy Spirit has inspired and directed the holy men God used to write the Bible, however, to give us some ‘behind the scenes’ activities. Jeremiah wrote, “O Lord I know the way of man is not in himself.” (Jeremiah 10:23). And the psalmist declared, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord,” (Psalm 37:23) referring to the person who has been justified by faith in Jesus Christ. Paul writes, “of Him, and through Him and to Him are all things.” (Romans 11:36).

Here, God has already ‘gone ahead’ of His faithful servant, Elijah, and prepared the way. He has ‘commanded a widow,’ there, as He had commanded Elijah when the brook dried up at Cherith to “arise, get thee to Zarephath.” God, as always, is bringing His plan to pass, as He directs the steps of those who submit to Him. It is unbelief to disconnect the ordinary things of life from God.

The circumstances which happened in the lives of these two people, only drove them to Him, to hear and obey as He spoke His will to them. It is the Word of Him who cannot lie that is to be trusted above all else and this requires daily and unbroken communion with the Lord, and a renewed commitment to Him each morning to submit to His Word. This sets aside carnal reasoning for the most part, in the case of Elijah, the experiences of Cherith and Zarephath were not according to human logic. I must be reminded daily that as soon as I cease to obey my Master, I am no longer His servant. The blessed example of the Lord Himself must be my inspiration, He declared, “I came to do thy will, O my God.” That also, must be our utterance as we look to His all-sufficient grace to make it constantly practical in our lives. Obedience and effective service are companions which cannot be separated.

In His Marvelous Grace,

Pastor Ed Bowen