The Old Testament trains us to be expectant of Jesus Christ. From the early prophecies of Genesis 3, to the explicit details of Isaiah 53, it all points to Jesus.
Luke records the ascended Jesus saying "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" (Luke 24:25-26). After saying this, Jesus taught them all things concerning him in scripture.
As we read through this story from 1 Kings 17, we see the work of God. His work is preparing us for the one true king, Jesus Christ.
Elijah travels to Zarephath
The story starts with Elijah at brook Cherith, a place where God is sending ravens with meat and bread to feed Elijah. It is toward the end of the three years and six months drought that God put over the land (Luke 4:25, James 5:17). Now, after an unspecified time, the brook has dried up (1 Kings 17:7).
God sends Elijah to meet a widow that He commanded to feed Elijah (1 Kings 17:9). If you're like me, it's easy to read that sentence, understand it, then move on like nothing happened. However, there's something remarkable at work in these verses.
Widows are one of the most vulnerable people in all of Israel. In fact, God commands his people of Israel to leave behind food for widows, orphans, and sojourners (Deuteronomy 24:19), our God executes justice for them and provides food and clothing (Deuteronomy 10:18). Elijah's expectations should be that she has no food, yet he trusts God and journeys anyway.
Elijah arrives at Zarephath
When Elijah finally arrives, he spots the widow that God told him would be there and calls to her and asks for water. As she goes to fetch a jug of water, Elijah calls back again and asks her to bring a morsel of bread. As expected, the widow has very little food to give and replies that she is gathering sticks to prepare what little food she has left before she and her son dies.
Here we see God provide miracles for this widow, her fatherless son, and He fulfills his promise to Elijah, who is a sojourner in the town of Zarephath.
'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', Elijah declares (1 Kings 17:14). This story mirrors the many miracles of provision in the bible and later serves as a sign of God's work.
We see this story picked up in two ways throughout the ministry of Jesus: the first more known story is Jesus feeding five thousand with only five loaves and two fish (Matthew 14:13-21). The second reference is Jesus not being accepted in his hometown, and using this example of Elijah visiting a widow in the land of Sidon (Luke 4:24-27).
As God promised, the flour and oil did not run out; there was enough food for all of them (1 Kings 17:16).
Elijah prays for the son
This story then suddenly takes a turn for the worse: the widow's son becomes fatally ill and ceases breathing (1 Kings 17:17). The widow, aware of her sins and understandably upset, confronts Elijah and accuses him of causing the death of her son (1 Kings 17:18).
It's an important moment in the story. Sin is no laughing matter and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). The book of Job reveals that bad things aren't always the result of sin, and that seems to be the case here too.
Elijah doesn't address the widow's accusation, he carries the boy upstairs and prays to God that the son's life be returned to him (1 Kings 17:19). God hears Elijah. Then the boy's life is returned to him and he is revived (1 Kings 17:22).
We can learn plenty here about God, but let me draw your attention to two points:
God listens to prayers, Elijah cried out to the Lord and he answered with miraculous power to give life to the widow's son.
God holds sovereignty and power over life and death, a point that we, like the disciples of Jesus, are quick to forget.
Had God wanted the boy to remain dead, he would be just to do so. All have sinned, all have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23-24). However, this death teaches us about God and becomes a sign that God was at work through Christ's life, death, and resurrection. As for the widow, her response is to acknowledge Elijah is a man of God and speaks truth (1 Kings 17:24).
Final Thoughts
Ahab, the King of Israel, brought drought upon the land through his wickedness, idolatry, and worshipping the gods of Sidon (1 Kings 16:30-32, 1 Kings 18:18). His wickedness causes drought, but his response to God's work is to accuse Elijah of being a troublemaker (1 Kings 18:17).
As a contrast to this story, a nameless widow of Zarephath is a resident in the land of Sidon but demonstrates obedience to the God of Israel. She is proof that Jesus was right to say if miracles had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented of their sin (Matthew 11:21-22).
This short story is easily overlooked in the wider narrative, but we learn so much about God's character and promises, our own sin and disobedience, and ways we can demonstrate faith in what God is doing.
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