Title: Be Generous with God
Scripture: 1 Kings 17:8-24 NIV
8 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” 10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”
12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”
13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”
15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.
17 Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. 18 She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”
19 “Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. 20 Then he cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?” 21 Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!”
22 The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived. 23 Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive!”
24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.”
Message
Picture a mother and her child in a severe famine, with just enough food for one last meal.
Now picture Elijah saying, “Share with me what you’ve got. Don’t be afraid God will make sure you’ve more than enough to see you through.”
What would you have done?
This woman chose to obey God.
As a result she survived her famine and outlived her pallbearers, and Jesus eulogized her in one of His sermons.
Basically there are two kinds of givers:
- Those who give God their “leftovers”
- Those who give Him their first fruits. (See Proverbs 3:9)
The first givers see themselves as responsible for their own needs, so the leftovers go to God’s work.
But the problem with giving leftover is that your generosity is tied to your self-sufficiency. And the moment you face financial uncertainty, generosity takes a back seat.
On the other hand, those who give God their first fruits understand that He’s the source of everything they have.
They are motivated to invest in His interests first and their own interests second.
They believe in the scriptural principle that what you reap is always greater than what you sow (See 2 Corinthians 9:6-11).
Fear will cause you to become irrational and act contrary to what you believe in your heart.
Doesn’t it make sense to trust God with your finances, since it all belongs to Him? And to trust Him with something that’s beyond your control anyway?
Think about it: You say you trust God with your eternal destiny, yet you reject His invitation to be your financial partner.
Does that make sense?
The truth is, you can never out give God, so be generous.
So, as we dig deeper into Scripture, we find it to say…
8 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.”
10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?”
Reflection: (1 Kings 17:10)
In a nation that was required by law to care for its prophets, it is ironic that God turned to ravens (unclean birds) and a widow (a foreigner from Jezebel’s home territory) to care for Elijah.
God has help where we least expect it.
He provides for us in ways that go beyond our narrow definitions or expectations.
No matter how bitter our trials or how seemingly hopeless our situation, we should look for God’s caring touch.
We may find His providence in some strange places!
11 As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”
12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”
13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”
15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.
Reflection: (1 Kings 17:13-16)
When the widow of Zarephath met Elijah, she thought she was preparing her last meal.
But a simple act of faith produced a miracle.
She trusted Elijah and gave him all that she had to eat.
Faith is the step between promise and assurance.
Miracles seem so out of reach for our feeble faith.
But every miracle, large or small, begins with an act of obedience.
We may not see the solution until we take the first step of faith.
17 Sometime later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing.
Reflection: (1 Kings 17:17)
Even when God has done a miracle in our lives, our troubles may not be over.
The famine was a terrible experience, but the worst was yet to come.
God’s provision is never given in order to let us rest upon it.
We need to depend on Him as we face each new trial.
18 She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”
19 “Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. 20 Then he cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?” 21 Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!”
22 The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived. 23 Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive!”
24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.”