God’s Delivery: From Ravens to a Widow
1 Kings 17.7-16
After the miraculous provision of ravens, God sends Elijah to an even more precarious situation. God commands him to go to Sidon, which is known for Baal worship. Moreover, God tells Elijah that he will be fed by a widow (at the time, widows were socially marginalized and had no resources to provide for themselves, let alone others). When Elijah meets the widow and asks for food, she says that she only has enough food for her and her son to have one final meal before their death. Yet, Elijah unashamedly insists that he be fed first! Even more surprising, the widow actually listens to Elijah!
Many, if not all, of us would have had tremendous doubts regarding God's commandment. We would not think it is wise to dwell in the enemy's territory. Nor would we have the audacity to ask a widow for food, especially when all she has left is one final meal for her and her son! So why would God make these questionable commandments to Elijah and the widow?
There are several reasons, some of which will help us make better sense of our lives and how God is working in us. First, trusting and obeying God is a fundamental way of glorifying and worshiping. Because God is so relational, our trust and obedience matter a lot to him, especially in situations where it is difficult. Glorifying and worshiping God has less to do with serving or singing songs, and more to do with trusting and obeying.
Second, we need to learn how to trust God's Word over circumstances. For Elijah and the widow, there were many circumstances for them not to trust God. In our context, we too face many circumstances. Whether these are external (e.g., busyness with work, stress from school, conflicts in relationships, etc.) or internal (e.g., our emotions, mood, doubts, anxieties, etc.), we need to learn how to trust and obey God's Word no matter what the circumstances are.
Third, God needs to train and disciple us to have greater faith in him. As we will see in this sermon series, Elijah eventually becomes one of the greatest prophets, but he was not born that way. He needed to experience how to trust in God in smaller things before he was able to have the faith to trust in God in greater things. For us, God has blessed us with a season of answered prayers. We should enjoy and make the most of it. However, we should also recognize that God is training us to have more trust in this season so that we will have more faith to handle whatever challenges we face in the next season.
Later in this sermon series, it will become clear that Elijah is not the exemplar of trusting and obeying God. He falters and we see that he was a man just like us. However, Elijah does point to the one who trusts and obeys God perfectly—Jesus Christ! Part of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that those of us who are in Christ are inevitably being shaped and conformed to become like Jesus Christ—ones who perfectly trust and obey God in all circumstances!
Read 1 Kings 17.7-16:
1. How would you feel if you were in Elijah's or the widow's situation?
2. Share about a time where you felt like God was leading you toward a doubtful situation. In what ways did God demonstrate his faithfulness during that time?
3. Oftentimes we have a narrow understanding of glorifying and worshiping God (i.e., serving in the church, singing praise songs, etc.), but we see in Scripture that simply trusting and obeying him are more fundamental. How is God challenging you to trust and obey him during this season of your life?
4. Everyone in Scripture (including Jesus himself!) needed to grow and mature. We will see how Elijah also grows and how his faith was vulnerable just like ours. Part of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that we will inevitably grow and mature to become like him, where we trust and obey perfectly! Share with one another what this truth means to you.
