THE EMPTY VESSELS
1 Kings 17:1-16
THE TEXT
1. And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the sojourners of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As Jehovah, the God of Israel, liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
2 And the word of Jehovah came unto him, saying,
3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan.
4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
5 So he went and did according unto the word of Jehovah; for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan.
6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.
7 And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.
8 And the word of Jehovah came unto him, saying,
9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Sidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain thee.
10 So he (Elijah) arose and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand.
12 And she said, As Jehovah thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in the jar, and a little oil in the cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said; but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it forth unto me, and afterward make for thee and for thy son.
14 For thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, The jar of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that Jehovah sendeth rain upon the earth.
15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat (many) days.
INTRODUCTION
Because of the evil of the King of Israel and his wife God stopped the rain
For several years, causing a drought in the land. Since there is no rain there will be no crops for food.
God sent the prophet to a widower in Zarephath to provide for him. The
Widower was down to her last drop of oil and meal. She had planned to make one last meal for her and son and die
She had run out of resources, with no one to help and no way to go. She
Accepted her lot and was prepared to starve to death. There was something special about the widower, for God to choose her to provide
For a stranger.
According to the text God had prepared her heart. She was respectful.
She was generous. She was obedient. She was kind hearted.
NEVER DECIDE WHAT TOMORROW WILL BRING
The widower decided that her tomorrow was death. She decided that
God had nothing left for her and her son to do. Maybe she decided that God had forgot about her and her son. God does not tell us, but
He tells she believed that tomorrow was her end.
The whole nation was suffering. She may have seen others die of starvation. What God has for you may not be connected to what is happening to others. This woman was chosen to escape the punishment of others.
She made it known to the prophet without knowing him that she believed in God. I believe she recognized that the prophet was a man of God (Verse 12). God knows how much we can take. The widower was at the end of her faith and needed a word from God.
A TEST OF CHARACTER
Notice, God made one last test of her character before her blessing. Elijah as the woman upon meeting her to bring him water in a jar
So he could drink. She generous enough to return to her home to
Get water but look at the further test:
1 Kings 17:11-12
And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand.
12 And she said, As Jehovah thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in the jar, and a little oil in the cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
The widower, the mother revealed her situation, her plan and her lost hope. Her blessing was realized when she put the needs of the
Man of God before her family.
Second, even though she couldn’t see it, and may not have understood it, she believed the word of God from the prophet.
1 Kings 17:13-15
13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said; but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it forth unto me, and afterward make for thee and for thy son.
14 For thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, The jar of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that Jehovah sendeth rain upon the earth.
FAITH AND WORKS BRINGS SUCCESS
1 Kings 17:15-17
And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat (many) days.
16 The jar of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake by Elijah.
God does not tell us why the widower, the mother believed the Word from Elijah or why she responded in faith. He does tell us that the promises of God are true.
LESSONS FROM THE WIDOWER
1. NEVER GIVE UP, YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT GOD HAS IN STORE
FOR YOU
DON’T DETERMINE THE END WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW THE THE BEGINNING
The widower didn’t know what the reason for the drought was. It was
the sins of the King and his wife and the sins of the nation. The
drought was a punishment for the guilty parties.
Just because everyone is suffering, does not mean God wants you to
Suffer. From the conversation with Elijah, you can see that her
character was one of obedience, love, generous and selfishness.
She believed in God, It was her faith that was lacking.
Perhaps God sent Elijah to the widower to draw her closer to Him
Grow her faith.
BE GRATEFUL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE
The situation was not as bad as it seemed to be to her. She had
oil and meal for one more meal. Even though there was a
drought, she had water to spare. God promised our daily bread.
We have no evidence of her thanking God for oil and meal she had.
4. BE KIND TO STRANGERS
You never know when you are entertaining an angel.
While the Widower were worried about tomorrow,
God had planned her future. She was generous to Elijah even
Though she had her son to take care of.
5. A little given to God is a lot in His hands
The prophet ask for water and a cake of bread.
It was multiplied with oil and bread for a season.
6. OBEDIENCE IS REWARDED WITH SUCCESS
Difficult situations are a test of character and faith.
Elijah first ask for water, which she willingly return to her
Home. But when he asked her to cook bread she gave him
The excuse that she had only enough for her and her son
How could Elijah ask for the last the woman had for her and her son? He had the promise of the Lord. He trusted God’s word.
1 Kings 17:9
Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Sidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain thee.
The word of God is true. There should never be any doubt.
The mother had given up hope. Either she didn’t pray or she didn’t
Believe her prayers would be answered. She accepted her fate.
There is no evidence that she complained to God.
7. The test of her faith was to trust the word that God would
Provide meal and oil until He provided rain in the land.
God expects to be first in our life. If God is first, everything
we need will be provided. We always have a choice. The widower
Chose to believe the prophet.
1 Kings 17:14
14 For thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, The jar of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that Jehovah sendeth rain upon the earth.
8. Hope in the Lord is never disappointed.
9. God steps in when the world lets you down.
10. It better to give than receive.
2 Cor 8:7
7 But as ye abound in everything, (in) faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and (in) all earnestness, and (in) your love to us, (see) that ye abound in this grace(of giving) also.
The character of the widower was evidence that she was pleasing to God. His favor abounded in her generosity.
Her act of generosity was rewarded with food for her, her son
And Elijah. A little given to God is a lot in His hands.
TWO KEY POINTS
WE ARE EMPTY VESSELS WAITING TO BE FILLED BY THE LORD
THE FILLING OF THE LORD REQUIRES OBEDIENCE, DEVOTION AND ACTION
