Widow Of Zarephath

God gave women an in-born desire to help others. Thus the term "help meet." Yet, there are times when we will deplete ourselves physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally while doing it. When you live for the Lord and do His will, He shows you His plan for your life. God gives us opportunities to "give of ourselves" for others, and He uses it for His glory. I Kings 17: 8-12, "And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die." We get a little glimpse of her heart when she immediately stops what she is doing to go fetch Elijah some water. The next thing I noticed when reading this was the words "thy God," in verse twelve. Why does she say that? Does she not know God like Elijah knows God? It reminds me of people who say "your church" instead of "our church." It kind of gives you the impression that they are not close enough (or maybe involved enough) to call it their own. That’s just my opinion though. I also noticed that earlier in this passage, the Lord said that he had already commanded a widow woman to sustain Elijah. But when he arrived she was already out gathering sticks. Hhhmmm.... had she already decided she was not going to take care of Elijah? Was she intending on cooking their last meal before he got there? I ask because when Elijah asks her for the cake, that is when she uses the term "thy God." What kind of reaction would you have had? Would you have agreed to feed the preacher your last morsel, or would you have hurried to eat before he got there so you could say there was none left? Did she think that God was going to have her feed his man and then forget about her and her son? I wonder. Anyway, as we read further we see that the widow does have the courage to do what is asked of her. I Kings 17:13-16, "And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah." Sometimes we don’t understand what is asked of us. As a mother, my children and their needs are of the utmost importance in my life. I want to see to it that they are fed the right things spiritually and physically. And I am going to see to their needs before I see to anyone else’s, even my own. Can you imagine the reaction in our world today, if this story was taking place in this present time? Most people would find it incredulous that this preacher told her to feed him before her own child! But she did. She sacrificed so that "others" could eat. When she does this, God blesses her for it. All she had to do was trust God, and have faith that he would supply their need. What other option did she have? Think about it. Before Elijah came by she was gathering sticks to cook their last meal (or so she thought.) If she had ignored him, she and her son might very well have eaten their last meal that day. But thankfully, she didn’t ignore him. And the Bible says that the widow AND her son, AND her house, "did eat MANY days." I wonder how many times we have missed out on a blessing because we were to scared to take that step of faith? Sometimes, real faith requires us stepping out a little farther than we think are capable of. We tend to get scared of what "might happen" but God already knows the outcome. The widow woman was able to sing,... "There’s oil in the cruse, meal in the barrel, since I fed Elijah. Baked him a cake when I didn’t have any, since I did, now I’ve got plenty. I’m glad I baked Elijah’s cake before I baked my own."

My Job For The King

WANTED: Young, beautiful, virgin woman. Must be tender, affectionate, and able to live without reward, recognition, and recompense. (Oh, and no sex.) Job Description: Keeping an old man warm until he dies. Benefits: Room & Board. Salary: None. No experience necessary. Ever heard of Abishag? Don’t worry. Most people do not know who she is. When doing a survey most guessed her to be,"some man in the Bible?" or said, "I know she’s in the Bible but I don’t know what she did." Abishag happened to be a very special and unique woman. Let’s read what the Bible says about her: I Kings 1:1-4 " Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat. (2) Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat. (3) So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. (4) And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew her not." Can you imagine yourself in this postion? Can you imagine your "job" being a "human blanket?" Well, that is what Abishag was and did. I wish the Bible told us more about her. I wonder why Bathsheba couldn’t do this job? Why not any of David’s other "wives?" The Bible tells us of nothing that was given to Abishag in return for this service. Although, she apparently lived in the palace,... obviously. How else could she keep David warm? And I am sure they fed her, and probably they clothed her. Don’t you just wonder where her parents are, or siblings? What about her friends? I mean, the Bible says they searched throughout "all the coasts of Israel" for this girl. Can you imagine being chosen above all the women, in all the coasts of Israel? And then described as a "damsel" who was "very fair?" A damsel actually has a different definition than a girl or lady has. A damsel is someone who is "well bred, graceful, polite, and free from anything low or vulgar." And to be described as "very fair" meant that she was "beautiful and pleasing to the eye." I tried to imagine what any young woman in today’s day and age would do. I mean, truly (and sadly) it would be hard to find one that met ALL the qualifications. Think about it, how many well bred, graceful, and polite young women do you know today? Most girls I know would think this job was gross! Especially, since David was old and unable at this time in his life to show her any kind of affection in return. It’s not like she’s going to get to be the queen one day, or have a child that is heir to the throne! Because the Bible says that "the king knew her not." Nevertheless, Abishag "cherished" the king. Abishag had to have had a special kind of heart. A heart that was willing to do whatever job her king needed done. I mean when you think about the many heroes and heroines of the faith, what significance is a young damsel who’s job was to just keep King David warm? Well, I will tell you my opinion. I think that God must have thought her willingness to give of herself, for her king, to be something extra special. Special enough to be mentioned in his most precious, and Holy Book. How about you? What kind of heart to do you have for your King? Are you willing to be used for him even if there is No Earthly Reward, Recognition, or Recompense? Let me tell you what Abishag DID get. She lived out the remainder her days in the king’s palace. I don’t know what kind of house or belongings she ever had before she came to the palace, but I know she stayed in the palace even after David’s death because she is mentioned again in chapter two. I think, just maybe, that God decided that she would get to live the life of a queen because she never had any aspirations of being one. Remember, no job that is done for the King, is to small or insignificant.