Sermon
1 Kings 17:1-16
A Matter of Trust
If you’re a stickler for details, you’ll notice that I’ve deviated from the lectionary readings prescribed for today. I’m going to take advantage of the Lenten Season to go back to some of the Old Testament stories that often get overlooked. I trust you’ll see the connection with Jesus and our Lenten journey as we go along.
The story this morning concerns the prophet Elijah and a nameless widow of Zarephath, up north of Palestine, in what is now Lebanon. It’s an unusual story because everything about it runs contrary to human logic. And that’s what I’d like for us to think about in the sermon this morning––how, as people of faith, we’re called to trust God even when God leads us in directions we wouldn’t otherwise go and calls us to do things we wouldn’t otherwise do.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
says Yahweh.” (Isaiah 55:8)
It’s one thing to do God’s will when it coincides with your own will; it takes faith when it doesn’t. Then it becomes a matter of trust, and that’s the gist of the sermon today.
To understand the story, let’s first rewind the tape. The people of Israel reached a high water mark during the reign of King David. He’d defeated their enemies, given them bragging rights and consolidated the nation. Then his son, Solomon, took advantage of the peace and prosperity of the day to build the great Temple in Jerusalem.
From there, things went downhill. There were exceptions, of course, but most of Solomon’s prodigy turned out to be ruthless and corrupt. Over and over, we’re told of the various kings, “… he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh” (1 Kings 11:6).
In time, the nation divided. There was Israel to the north and Judah to the south. Our story takes place in Israel and, in particular, the land of Samaria, which was ruled by King Ahab.
The year is somewhere in the 9th Century, B. C. Ahab has arranged to be married to the daughter of the king of Phoenicia.. Her name is Jezebel. If this were a melodrama instead of a worship service, you would boo and hiss at the sound of her name. She was bad news.
Understand, the marriage was about politics, not romance. The goal was to cement a commercial and military alliance, giving Israel access to the prosperous port cities of Tyre and Sidon and the Phoenicians control of the trade routes to Egypt.
Never mind the fact that the Phoenicians were descendants of the Canaanites, who worshipped the false god, Ba-al. Then, as now, politics has little to do with religion.
So, the marriage took place and, when Jezebel moved to Israel, she brought her priests and her idols and her pagan worship practices with her. The Jews’ faith in Yahweh, the one true God, creator of the heavens and the earth, meant nothing to her.
She moved into the palace, established herself, and went about the business of having the Jewish priests put to death. Israel was on a fast track to becoming a pagan nation.
Enter the prophet Elijah. Elijah went straight to King Ahab and pronounced God’s judgment:
“As Yahweh, the God of Israel, lives,
before whom I stand,
there shall not be dew nor rain these years,
but according to my word.” (1 Kings 17:1)
As punishment for their unfaithfulness, not a drop of rain would fall for the next three and a half years. (Jas. 5:17) And, let me tell you, that’ll get your attention.
We were living in Sherman, Texas in the early 80s. I don’t know exactly how long it lasted, but we went without rain for what seemed like forever. Watering restrictions were imposed. A lot of the vegetation died. Ponds and stock tanks dried up. Ranchers were forced to haul water for their cattle. A lot of farmers went out of business.
It was a gruesome experience, and it only lasted a matter of months. For the people of Israel, the drought lasted three and half years. As food and water became scarce, God told Elijah,
“Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon,
and stay there.
Behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain you.” (1 Kings 17:9)
Now, to put this into context: Sidon was the land of the Phoenicians. It was the place where Jezebel had just moved from. No Jew in his right mind would voluntarily go to Sidon. Yet, this is where God was sending Elijah.
And not only that, God said there’d be a widow there to provide for him. Understand, widows back then were at the bottom rung of the ladder. Women, generally, didn’t fair much better. They were dependent on a husband to protect and provide for them. And if their husband died and their children were young, they were often forced to beg or turn to a life of prostitution.
No way would Elijah choose to go to Zarephath and expect a lowly widow to take care of him. Yet, that’s exactly what God told him to do. So, he went to Zarephath, and when he got there, scripture says,
“and when he came to the gate of the city,
behold, a widow was there gathering sticks:
and he called to her, and said,
‘Please get me a little water in a vessel,
that I may drink.'” (1 Kings 17:10)
Being the underdog, she didn’t protest. She went to fetch him a cup of water. But, as she was going, he called to her and said,
“Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” (1 Kings 17:11)
Whoa! Who does he think he is? The widow turned back and said,
“As Yahweh your God lives,
I don’t have a cake,
but a handful of meal in the jar,
and a little oil in the jar.
Behold, I am gathering two sticks,
that I may go in
and bake it for me and my son,
that we may eat it, and die.” (1 Kings 17:12)
Here’s the situation: This poor widow is down to her last cup of meal and her last teaspoon of olive oil. Once that’s gone, it’s over. She and her son will die of starvation. Yet, here’s a stranger, not only asking for a cup of water, but a piece of the last bread she’ll ever bake. On the surface, it doesn’t make sense. Elijah replies,
“Don’t be afraid.
Go and do as you have said;
but make me of it a little cake first, and bring it out to me,
and afterward make some for you and for your son.
For thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel,
‘The jar of meal shall not empty,
neither shall the jar of oil fail,
until the day that Yahweh sends rain on the earth.” (1 Kings 17:13-14)
Now we get it – it’s a test of faith. Just as God tested Elijah by having him come to Zarephath, so now God is testing this poor widow by asking her to give Elijah the first portion of what she is convinced will be her last meal. Will she do it? It’s a matter of trust. Scripture says,
“She went and did according to the saying of Elijah:
and she, and he, and her house, ate many days.
The jar of meal didn’t empty,
neither did the jar of oil fail,
according to the word of Yahweh, which he spoke by Elijah.” (1 Kings 17:15-16)
And that’s not all. As Elijah stayed on as a guest in her house, her son became so sick that he stopped breathing. She ran to Elijah, partly blaming him, and partly crying for help, and Elijah turned to the Lord. Miraculously, the boy came back to life. In gratitude and devotion she said,
“Now I know that you are a man of God,
and that the word of Yahweh in your mouth is truth.” (1 Kings 17:24)
So, how does this speak to Jesus and the beginning of our Lenten journey? Here’s what I think: I think Jesus knew exactly what would happen if he went to Jerusalem. It’s right here in black and white. When he came down from the Mount of Transfiguration, he told his disciples,
“The Son of Man is about to be delivered up into the hands of men,
and they will kill him,
and the third day he will be raised up.” (Matthew 17:22-23)
I also think that, like any of us, Jesus didn’t want to suffer and die. He wanted to live. We find this on his lips in the Garden of Gethsemane:
“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me.
Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42)
No, I don’t think Jesus left Galilee and went to Jerusalem because he wanted to see the sights or get away from the crowds. I think he went because he believed it was God’s will for his life, and he was willing to trust God to lead the way, even if it meant dying on a cross for the sins of the world.
It was a matter of trust, just as it’s a matter of trust for us today as we seek to walk in his footsteps.
At our Wednesday night Chapel Service we heard the story of how Peter and Andrew had fished all night but caught nothing. The next morning Jesus came along and said,
“Put out into the deep,
and let down your nets for a catch.” (Luke 5:4)
Peter and Andrew were seasoned fishermen. What did Jesus know about fishing? Plus, they were exhausted from the night before. Would they go back out on the Sea of Galilee and try again? Yet, Peter said, “At your word I will let down the net.” (Luke 5:5)
In John’s gospel we read where Jesus’ friend, Lazarus, died and his sisters, Mary and Martha, sent for him. When he got there, Martha rushed out to greet him, and, as he consoled her, he told her that her brother would live again. Then he went on to say,
“I am the resurrection and the life.
He who believes in me
will still live, even if he dies.
Whoever lives and believes in me
will never die.” (John 11:25-26)
Then he looked at Martha and asked point blank, “Do you believe this?” (John 11:26b)
That’s the question, isn’t it? Do you believe the gospel? Do you believe that God loves you? Do you believe that Christ died for the forgiveness of your sins? Are you willing to trust him to lead and guide you and use you as an instrument of his peace and love? Are you willing to go where he sends you and speak and act in his name? It all boils down to a matter of trust.
The Moderator introduced Doug as a candidate for ministry and asked him to tell the Presbytery what led him to this point. He spoke softly and chose his words carefully. He said he’d been an investment banker for twenty-six years, but a couple of years ago he thought he heard God’s voice calling him to ministry. He told his wife and children. He talked with friends and associates. Finally, he sought the counsel of his pastor. “But investment banking is all I know,” he said. “Besides, I’m too old to go to seminary.” He said his pastor asked him, “How old would you be if you didn’t go to seminary?”
One thing led to another until, finally, he gave in. Now he stood before Presbytery asking for our approval to take the next step toward ordained ministry. As I listened, I had every confidence that his calling was genuine and that the Spirit of God was leading him every step of the way.
But I’d be the first to tell you, there’s no way to know for sure. We walk by faith, not by sight. It’s a matter of trust. No one knew this better than John Stammis, who wrote:
“When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey.”
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Copyright 2008 Philip W. McLarty. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB), a public domain (no copyright) modern English translation of the Holy Bible.