Then the word of the LORD came to him,
The brook at Cherith, where God had hidden Elijah, has dried up. What comes next is not the prophet's own plan but a fresh word from God. It sends him out of Israel — to Sidon, to a widow who has nothing.
When the Stream Fails
Elijah's supply changed, but the ground of his confidence did not.
C. H. MackintoshElijah's faith must still rest on the same unchanging basis. "I have commanded." How truly blessed this is! Circumstances change. Human things fail. The streams of creation dry up. But God and His Word are the same yesterday, today, and forever. Nor does the prophet seem to have been disturbed in the least by this fresh order from on high.
Obedience, Not Spectacle
Elijah answered this word as he had answered the last one — he went. That says more about his power than his public victories do.
The Christian's FriendAn unfailing mark of a true servant is obedience. When God told Elijah to hide by the brook Cherith, "he went and did according to the word of the LORD." Now, told to go to Zarephath, "he arose and went to Zarephath." … If asked to name the greatest display of power in Elijah's service, many would point to the scene on Mount Carmel. … But true spiritual power is silent and constant, and obedience to the will of God shows it far more clearly to the spiritual eye.
Sent into Enemy Territory
God did not send him somewhere safe. He sent him out of Israel, into the land whose worship had ruined Israel.
Hamilton SmithHe is to leave the promised land and go to a city of the Gentiles. And of all cities, one that belonged to Sidon — the home of Baal, whose worship had brought ruin on the land. It was the home, too, of the wicked Jezebel, who had brought in the worship of Baal and murdered the prophets of the Lord. … And stranger still: once he arrived in that foreign land, the great prophet had to depend on a widow for his daily food. … Had the Lord commanded the prophet to sustain the widow we might think it more fitting. But no, God's plan is that the widow is to sustain the prophet.
Two Purposes in One Journey
The word that came to Elijah had two ends in view. Here the widow feeds Elijah; in Luke's Gospel he is sent to feed her.
H. L. RossierWhen the brook had dried up, Elijah was sent to Zarephath to be sustained there by a widow (v. 9). In Luke 4:25-26 he is sent to the widow to sustain her. Both of these are true, and our account proves it. God had a double purpose: to sustain His servant, and to bring a message of grace to the widow through him. … The evangelist finds his own sustenance in bringing the good news of grace to others. … It is the same word, whether it comes straight to the prophet or whether it reaches people through him. So it is today with the gospel.
Why a Widow
The choice of the poorest possible host was itself part of Elijah's training. It also follows a pattern that runs right through Scripture.
The Christian's FriendEverywhere in the Scriptures we learn the same thing. When God's people fall away and refuse His testimony, He turns, as it were, to those outside. There He displays the sovereignty of His grace. … A widow in Scripture stands for someone desolate and without resources. Elijah had to go to such a person for support. In this way he would learn the lesson himself, and be ready for his future work: when all created streams are dried up, the fullness of God remains unchanged.
The Meaning of the Name
Even the name of the town he was sent to carries a lesson.
Hamilton SmithNow Zarephath means the place of the smelting furnace. The prophet has passed the test of the failing brook at Cherith; he must now face the furnace of trial at Zarephath. But this is God's road to Carmel. Is he to call down fire from heaven? Then he must indeed pass through the fire on earth.
Summary
- Word. When the brook failed, the word came. Supplies change; God and His Word do not, and Elijah's faith rested on "I have commanded," not on Cherith.
- Obedience. He arose and went. Quiet obedience to that word is a truer display of spiritual power than the fire on Carmel.
- Furnace. Zarephath means the place of the smelting furnace. The road to calling down fire from heaven ran through fire on earth.
- Grace. The word sent him out of Israel into Sidon — Baal's home, and Jezebel's. God turns to those outside when His own people refuse His testimony.
- Supply. The double purpose held: the widow sustained the prophet, and the prophet carried grace to her. Once every created stream is dry, the fullness of God remains unchanged.