The Widow of Zarephath

The Widow of Zarephath

A Woman of Poverty

Read 1 Kings 17:7-24

(v.2)

She is a widow.

God was going to physically provide for someone through her.

Jehovah-Jireh means “The Lord will provide”

(v. 10-12)

She had nothing, yet God was going to command her to provide for Elijah. Why do you think the Lord chose her rather than someone who had an abundance of food to provide for Elijah?

(v. 13-15)

She went ahead and walked by faith. She believed the “impossible” and God provided for her every day.

With God all things are possible. We can’t put the same limitations on God. He owns     everything! Why do you think we tend to limit God?

The enemy is after our faith. He does not want us to believe God. He also wants us to be worried and caught up in all the “stuff” of our day to day so it will choke out the life of God in us. (Matthew 13:22)

DO NOT WORRY!

Read Matthew 6:25-34

We naturally worry about what we eat, drink and wear.

Worrying adds no benefit to your life. What DOES worry add to your life though?

v. 28 This is talking about clothes and what to wear! How much more for women could this scripture be?!

We need to grow in the ability to function without worrying. It will drive us and everyone around us nuts! We need to have a day-to-day focus. In what ways can you function practically without worrying?

v. 33 We need to order our hearts. Meaning, we need to prioritize what we are pouring our hearts into.

Are we seeking God? When we find ourselves worrying or holding the world on our shoulders, ask yourself, ‘what was my prayer time like this morning’?

It is in our state of barrenness or poverty that helps us to walk by faith and rely on the Lord.

What areas of barrenness or poverty do you have in your life? God wants you to walk by faith and He Himself wants to provide for you.

The truth is we are so desperate for God but in our flesh we function as much as we possibly can apart from Him (not consciously), unless we purpose ourselves to seek Him and get into His presence so our thinking can be transformed and renewed (Romans 12:1-2)

Romans 12:2 NIV “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is -his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

God will always allow trials and temptations to reveal our desperation for Him.

God loves it when we are in a place where we need Him, but He loves it even more when we see our need for Him.

Philippians 3:8 NIV
“What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ”

No matter what we have or how well off we may feel we are, we are all like this widow. We need God for everything.

Matthew 5:3 NIV

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

“First of all, he's not talking about physical poverty, poor in spirit. This is in opposition to being proud, and this is always the inevitable consequence of a man coming into a personal, real confrontation with God. If you have come into a true confirmation of God in your own life, the result immediately always is that of poverty of spirit. You see a person who is proud and haughty, he is a man who has not had a true encounter with God.” -Chuck Smith

(v. 17-18)

The Lord had dealt with the widow’s heart through physical means...and now He was going deeper into her heart with a painful situation.

God always works beyond the physical and He always uses the physical because He is a pursuer of our heart and He is jealous for all of our love and faith.

1 Peter 1:6-9 NIV “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have some so that your faith -of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire -may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of our souls.”

Sometimes you may be going through something and you respond like this widow did to God.

Hannah was a good example to us of fearing the Lord and pouring out her soul before Him. She shared her burden and her pain with God in a spirit of reverence and submission to Him

If you do not take your pain to God and allow Him to heal you, you will sin. You will be tempted and the enemy of your souls is a wound seeker. He will use your wound (because it becomes a place where you are weak and vulnerable) and he will manipulate you with it. You will not see clearly, you will be deceived easier and won’t have the “strength” to resist.

Proverbs 4:23 NIV

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

We need to guard our hearts but it is more difficult to guard a wounded heart because a wounded heart messes up our mind.

Psalm 107:20 NKJV

“He sent His Word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”

We will function in destructive ways if we do not let God’s Word heal us.

HEALING

Psalm 41:4 -when we sin

Jeremiah 3:22 -when we backslide

Hosea 6:1 -when God breaks us

Make a personal list of wounds you need God to heal you of:

WE NEED TO PUT GOD ON THE THRONE OF OUR HEARTS FIRST BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE.

1 John 5:21 NIV

“Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.”

The idol of perfection (marriage, children, mothering, home)

What thoughts take up your time and attention?

(v. 24)

BE COMFORTED AND OF GOOD COURAGE!

God has a purpose in our lives. He works things out for good. (Romans 8:28)

He loves us even when we don’t believe. He isn’t moved and His love for us is not changed.

1 John 3:1 NIV
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!”

Jochebed

šMidwives and Jochebed›

Scripture References:

Exodus 1; 2:1-11; 6:20; Numbers 26:59; Hebrews 11:23-27

The Midwives:

Read Exodus 1:1-22

The midwives Shiphrah and Puah assisted the women in childbirth. They held this position most likely because they had no children or homes of their own.

Shiphrah means “prolific” or “procreate”

Puah means “child bearing” or “joy of parents”

These were Egyptian names and Jewish historian Aben Ezra says these women were “chiefs over all the midwives, who were more than 500.”

“They are called Hebrew midwives, probably not because they were themselves Hebrews (for surely Pharaoh could never expect they should be so barbarous to those of their own nation), but because they were generally made use of by the Hebrews; and, being Egyptians, he hoped to prevail with them.” –Matthew Henry

Even though they were Egyptians they appeared to embrace the Hebrew faith and “feared God.”

Exodus 1:17 NASB “But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live.”

Acts 5:29 NASB “But Peter and the apostles answered and said, ‘We must obey God rather than men.’” They said this in response to the command given to them to not continue teaching in the name of Jesus.

What does it mean to “fear” God? This word is “yare” and it means “to fear, to respect, to reverence, to be afraid.” Recognize who God is! We often get commonplace and comfortable in our approach to Him.

These women feared God MORE than they feared man. Let this be our prayer!

Matthew 10:28 NKJV “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

How did God respond to Shiphrah and Puah?

1.     He protected them. Exodus 1:20 NASB “So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and became very mighty.”

a.     Psalm 34:7 NKJV “The angel of the Lord encamps around all those who fear Him, and delivers them”

b.     Psalm 91:1 NASB “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”

2.     He gave them families. Exodus 1:21 NASB “And it came about because the midwives feared God, that He established households for them.”

God desires our obedience.

Jochebed’s History:

Jochebed was the mother of Aaron, Miriam and Moses.

Jochebed’s name means “glory of Jehovah” “Jehovah is her glory”

She is the first person in scripture to have her name compounded with “Jah” or “Jehovah”

She was the daughter of a Levi and her husband Amram was a man of the house of Levi which makes Moses a Levite.

Because of Joseph, 400 years before the Jewish people were a favored race but now they were afflicted.

v. 8 –a new king, who did not know Joseph, arose. How important it is to know history and learn from history! 1 Corinthians 10:11 NKJV “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”

This Pharaoh made the Israelite people slave laborers.

Exodus 1:12 NKJV “But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel.”

It was in these years that Jochebed gave birth to Moses. Imagine her fear, her cry to God and her agony when he was born a baby boy.

Her Faith:

Read Exodus 2:1-11

Her actions showed who she ultimately trusted in and we can all follow her example of bravery.

What kind of faith did she have? Wise faith. She placed him in the river by the bulrushes at the rivers edge and it was around where Pharaoh’s daughter bathed every day. She had Miriam, her daughter, follow the baby…and then trusted in the Lord!

The Lord wants his children to be wise. He does not want us to have faith and yet be foolish. That is why He gave us the book of Proverbs! Many times, we are hindered in our walks with God because we have not yet acquired the wisdom He gave us.

Wisdom

Proverbs 4:7 NKJV “Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.”

Proverbs 8:11 NKJV “For wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.”

Proverbs 9:10 NKJV "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

Proverbs 11:2 NKJV “When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom.”

Proverbs 16:16 NKJV “How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.”

Acts 6:3 NKJV "Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;”

Acts 6:10 NKJV “And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.”

Jochebed is listed in the hall of faith! Hebrews 11:23 “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king's command.”

The opposite of faith is FEAR. A key to having faith in the Lord is to fear the right person…God! If you fear the Lord, you won’t fear man, and if you fear man you won’t fear the Lord.

Hebrews 13:6 NKJV “So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"

1 Peter 2:17 NKJV “Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.”

1 John 4:18 NKJV “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”

A lot of times our faith is weak and our fear is strong because we do not understand the love God has for us and we need to have a deeper experience of it.

1 John 5:4 NKJV “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith.”

Her Legacy:

Jochebed had tremendous influence on her three children as they became the leaders for the people of Israel.

·       Aaron became Israel’s first high priest beginning the Aaronic priesthood.

·       Miriam was a poetess and musician who led the women in a victory song after God delivered them from Pharaoh’s army.

·       Moses led God’s people out of the land of Egypt and communicated God’s commandments.

Your assignment from God as a mother is to devote yourselves to your children. Mothering takes perseverance and hard work! There is no easy way out. Be a dedicated prayer warrior for your children every day that they may embrace the Lord and follow after Him.

Life Lesson:

Fear God not man and walk by faith! Step out and take risks.

Reflection Questions:

1.     What would people point to in your life that shows the evidence of your faith?

2.     What are things in life that you are afraid of?

3.     What challenge are you currently going through that requires faith?