by Pastor Tom Martin

In 1 Kings 17, there is a story about the prophet Elijah being kept alive during a severe drought by a widow.  1 Kings 17:9 records that God told Elijah, “Get up, go to Zeraphath that belongs to Sidon and stay there.  I have commanded a woman who is a widow to provide for you there.” Have you ever considered how specific God was?  In one verse God tells Elijah the name of the region, the town and the person to whom Elijah is to go.  Why would God do that?

1. God knew where she was.

We can easily imagine there were thousands of widows affected by this drought. God could have sent Elijah to Judah or Israel, but He didn’t.  God sent His prophet to Sidon. Sidon was an enemy of Israel and Judah. Sidon was the center of pagan idol worship.  Isn’t it just like God to send His prophet to the most pagan and blasphemous place on earth?  The purpose, however, wasn’t to rain fire and brimstone on the place. God’s purpose was to keep three people alive: Elijah, the widow and her son. read more…