Bible Reading1 Kings 17:7-24 “But after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land. Then the word of the Lord came to him, ‘Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.’ So he 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, ‘Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.’ And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, ‘Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.’ And she said, ‘As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now 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.’ And Elijah said to her, ‘Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.”’ And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah. After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. And she said to Elijah, ‘What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!’ And he said to her, ‘Give me your son.’ And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed. And he cried to the Lord, ‘O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?’ Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord, ‘O Lord my God, let this child's life come into him again.’ And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, ‘See, your son lives.’ And the woman said to Elijah, ‘Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.’”
[06:02] [09:12] [13:51] [17:38] [19:24] [20:56] [24:33] [27:44]Luke 4:25-26 “But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.”
[29:01]James 1:22 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
[31:40]Observation questions- In 1 Kings 17, what happens first at the brook, then at the city gate, then in the widow’s kitchen, and then in the upper room? How does the scene keep moving into deeper need? [05:17]
- What details in the passage show just how desperate the widow’s situation is before Elijah speaks God’s promise to her? [13:51]
- What exactly does Elijah ask the widow to do before she can see any proof that the flour and oil will last? [18:42]
- When the widow’s son dies, what does she assume about the reason for his death, and how does Elijah respond to her in that moment? [23:46]
Interpretation questions- Elijah is obedient, yet the brook still dries up. What does that suggest about the relationship between faithfulness to God and hardship? [07:21]
- God sends Elijah to Zarephath in Sidon, outside Israel and into Jezebel’s homeland. What does that reveal about God’s power and rule in places that seem far from him? [10:29]
- The widow has to act on God’s word before she can verify the outcome. What does this show about the nature of faith, and what makes that kind of trust so difficult? [18:42]
- In Luke 4, Jesus points to the widow of Zarephath rather than the many widows in Israel. Why would that have been so confronting, and what warning does it give to people who are familiar with God’s word? [29:01]
Application questions- Where does life currently feel like a dry brook for you? Is there an area where you have been trying to obey God, yet things still feel harder rather than easier? [07:21]
- God’s provision often comes one day at a time rather than all at once. What is one area of life where you want stored-up certainty, but are being asked instead to trust God for the next step? [08:35]
- The widow acted on God’s word before she could see the outcome. Is there a step of obedience you already know you should take, even though you cannot yet see how it will work out? [19:24]
- Elijah begins with “Do not fear.” What fear has been loud in your heart lately—fear about money, health, family, the future, or something else? How does God’s promise speak into that fear? [17:38]
- The widow’s grief is recorded honestly, and Elijah responds with compassion. When someone around you is suffering, are you more likely to correct them quickly or sit with them mercifully? What would compassion look like in a real situation this week? [24:33]
- Long exposure to God’s word can still lead to self-deception if obedience keeps being delayed. Are there truths you have heard many times but have not really acted on? What might obedience look like now? [31:40]
- God worked in the life of an outsider in Zarephath. Is there anyone you have quietly assumed is unlikely to respond to God? How might this passage reshape the way you pray for them or speak with them? [32:15]
