Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth."
I Kings 17:24
My imagination was running high when I read this verse on Saturday night: Why didn't the woman realize that Elijah was a man of God when the flour never ran short and the oil when ran dry but only after he raised the woman's son?
This is how I imagine how the events would have taken place: God sends Elijah to a widow in Zarephath and he arrives there. He sees the widow that God had mentioned, collecting wood. He goes to her asks for water and then asks him to prepare a meal for him. The widow replies that she has flour and oil only for a meal and she's preparing it for her son and herself so that they may eat and die. However, Elijah asks her to first prepare a meal for him and then for her son and herself since the flour and the oil will never run dry. Now, this is really a hard decision for any person to make. The country is running high on a severe famine. The widow has flour and oil for one last meal. She decides to eat it and then die by starvation. Now a man from nowhere comes to her and asks for her last meal. She neither knew him or his God (if she had known him, she would have also known that Elijah and his God were responsible for the famine in the country since it was Elijah who said that there will be no rain until he says so). And she's not even an Israelite. How could she then rely on this man's word of flour and oil never running up dry and prepare him a meal? What if that man was lying for a meal? Would she give up her last meal if she had known that this man was responsible for the famine? I do not know what made her to put her son's life and her life on this man's words that she decided to give up the last meal to him. May be she would have thought like this: anyways we are going to die – now what matters is the time – if we give up the last meal, we die sooner but if we eat, it takes a little longer. I don't know but what I read is that she did what the man of God said (v15) and what he said came to pass – the flour was never used up and the oil never ran dry (v16).
From that day onwards, everyday living was a miracle to the widow and her son. The next chapter tells us that Elijah went to meet King Ahab in the third year of the famine. This indicates that Elijah was with them closer to three years and all these years, they were experiencing everyday-miracle-life. Oh, the life that followed was amazing. No need to work, no need to sow, no need to toil since food was always available. She would have moved into a comfort zone. The only work she did was to prepare meal for Elijah, her son and herself. Life was so wonderful then. Bible says in v17 after some time later the son of the woman became ill and stopped breathing. Till then she was enjoying the providence of God and now God allows her to be tested. The moment her son dies, she points finger at Elijah that he is the reason for her son's death. I don't think that she was grateful all these years neither to God or Elijah for the food when the whole country is on famine. If she had been grateful, then she would have asked Elijah to pray. Most of the times, we are like this widow. Our everyday living is a miracle but we are not grateful for His providence. And when God allows testing times in our life, we start grumbling and get angry on God, asking "Why me?"
I don't know what made the widow to ask Elijah that whether he had come to remind her of her sin and kill her son for that. She's angry with the man who had brought miracle in her life. Remember, she said that she was planning to die after the last meal but it was Elijah who increased her life span and what he got in return was accusation. May be that during those years, Elijah would have told who he was, what he had said to King Ahab, why the famine in the country because of King Ahab's sinful ways and what he is doing in Zarephath. The widow would have then learnt that as the famine in the country was because of the king's sinful ways so was her son's death because of her sin. May be that would have led to ask Elijah such a question.
The reaction of Elijah is truly godly. He knew that he received evil for the goodness he done to this family. However, he did not return evil for evil instead takes the matter into God's hands. And the prayer he prayed is amazing (v19). He prays, "How can you bring this tragedy upon the widow with whom I am staying?" He grieved because the lady has said that the death of her son was because of him but our God graciously brings back the life thru Elijah himself.
Till then she heard only what Elijah did and that day, she witnessed a miracle of bringing back life. Of all the years, only that day did she realize that not only the man was from God but also that the God is the only true God. Miracles in our life only take us up in our spiritual life.
Friends, do not get grieved when God allows testing times. Instead of asking God, "Why me?" put the matter into his hands like Elijah did. And let us be grateful for our everyday-miracle-living.
