S239P4 – Doing much with little: some oil and flour

1 Kgs. 17:10-12

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.”

There are many different levels of hunger.  Those of us who live in the developed Western world have felt a certain level of hunger, but I would guess that many of us have not been truly hungry.  We talk about our hunger by using words like ravenous or famished.  I am sure that I have said hundreds of times in my life that I was starving, but I also am sure that I never have reached that stage of hunger.  Starvation is severe, and feeling as if one is standing on the precipice of death because of starvation is extreme.  Yet, that is the point the widow had reached.  She had so little left that she expected death to visit her and her son shortly.

Considering these circumstances, the challenge Elijah posed to her would have been difficult to accept.  His request was that she bring him something to eat. [v. 13]  However, that request came with the assurance that the Lord would keep her supply of oil and flour full until the next rain. [v. 14]  Her choices were to make what she had for herself and her son knowing that what she made would not be enough to keep them alive for long, or she could spare some of what she had for Elijah and hope that the Lord’s word would prove true.  She knew what she was capable of doing with the small bit she had.  What she did not know was how much the Lord could do with so little.

The challenge here had to do with need and sacrifice.  The widow and her son needed what little food they had even if it would not bring them to see many more days.  It was at this dire point that God asked her to sacrifice that little bit for him.  She was not giving to Elijah, but she was giving to the Lord.  Whether it was the result of wisdom, faith or desperation, she chose correctly and received the fruit of her obedience.  When she parted with that which she could not afford to part, the Lord took that small sacrifice and returned it to her in impossible measure.  Father, give us the same sacrificial heart as this widow to trust You enough to give You every last bit we have without reservation.