Advent 2019
15 So she proceeded to do according to the word of Elijah. Then the woman, Elijah, and her household ate for many days. 1 Kings 17:15 Today’s passage comes during the reign of King Ahab over Israel, where Elijah the prophet announces a great famine in the land. During this famine, Elijah is commanded by the Lord to go to the Phoenician city of Zarephath and to find a widow who would provide for him. When Elijah does find her, the story takes an unusual and depressing turn as we learn that the widow and her son were preparing their last meals. We see just how destructive this famine was, and we think Elijah to be a bit calloused when he instead tells her to use their remaining flour and oil to instead make him a small loaf to eat. How can Elijah be so rude and unconcerned with the desperate state that this family was in. And without much explanation or buildup, the story comes to an abrupt end. In two verses we quickly learn that she trusted in God’s Word delivered by...