TO CHEW ON: "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. 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." ' ” 1 Kings 17:13,14
After Elijah had lived by the brook for a while, he noticed a change. The hot sun was drying it up. It no longer flowed fast. Soon it was only a trickle. One day there was no water left in the brook at all.
That day God spoke to Elijah again. “Go at once to Zarephath in Sidon. A widow there will feed you.”
So Elijah walked to Zarephath. It was a hundred mile trip through scorching dessert, over rugged hills and through mountain passes. When he finally got to the Zarephath gate he was covered with dust, famished and very thirsty. “Could you please give me a drink of water?” he asked a woman who was gathering sticks. As she left to get the water, Elijah called after her, “And could you get me some bread too.”
“I don’t have any bread,” she replied. “I was just now gathering sticks to bake the last bread I can make with the flour and oil I have left.”
“Don’t worry,” Elijah told her. “You do that. But first, bring me a little bread. Because God has told me your flour and oil won’t be used up until He sends rain again.”
So the widow did as Elijah asked. She made bread that day and gave some to Elijah and her family. And she made bread for Elijah and her family the next day, and the next and the next. It was wonderful and strange. Even though it looked like there was just enough flour and oil for one more baking, it never got used up. Because she believed the promise that Elijah gave her and was generous to share all that she had, God supplied all her needs.
PRAYER: Dear God, help me to be generous with the things I have, and to trust You for the things I need. Amen.
MORE: Zarephath Bread
The bread the Zarephath widow made Elijah was different than the food we know as bread. It was probably more like flatbread or crackers. Try the recipe below and get a taste of Zarephath bread:
What you need:
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon oil
1 large egg
⅓ teaspoon salt
2 ⅔ tablespoons water (or milk)
What you do:
Combine flour and salt. Combine egg and oil. Beat. Then add egg mixture to flour. Add water and beat for 2-3 minutes. Pour the batter into an 8 inch greased pan. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes.
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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