![]() ![]() This new test, however, provided one more opportunity for her faith in God and His prophet to grow. She complained to Elijah and the Lord, not understanding why her son had been taken. Not long after the miracle of the oil and flour, the widow’s son suddenly became sick and died, a great trial of faith. The Lord honors them by blessing their acts of faith with experiences that nurture their faith (see Ether 12:6). Others hearken to the voice of the Spirit in making great personal sacrifices to serve the Lord and keep His commandments. Much like this woman, many Church members today pay tithing in full, not knowing how to pay for essential food. The Lord honored her obedience by providing flour and oil for the three of them for about three years (see Luke 4:25). Her response to this request and promise is quite remarkable-so remarkable that the Lord used her as an example of faith during His mortal ministry (see Luke 4:24–26): “And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah” ( 1 Kgs. When she confessed her desperate situation to Elijah, he tested her faith: “Fear not … but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and … the barrel of meal shall not waste … until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth” ( 1 Kgs. He called to her, “Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink” and “Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand” ( 1 Kgs. She and her son were facing starvation, with but one last serving of food remaining. The Barrel of Meal Wasted NotĪs Elijah approached Zarephath, he recognized the woman as she gathered sticks for a fire. This experience became another opportunity to nurture faith in others and see it develop. He was told to board in the home of a “widow woman” there. ![]() Soon the brook dried up, and the Lord commanded Elijah to journey northwest to Zarephath, a city on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the gentile nation of Sidon. There the Lord provided him with food brought each morning and evening by birds and with water from a brook (see 1 Kgs. Consequently, the Lord warned Elijah to hide in a desolate place east of the Jordan River. ![]() Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, rounded up many of the prophets of God and had them slaughtered (see 1 Kgs. As the drought worsened, he became angry and ordered Elijah arrested. 10:6–7).ĭespite the onset of the drought according to Elijah’s word, King Ahab’s heart did not soften. ![]() The wording of this decree suggests that Elijah had power from God like Nephi son of Helaman, who did “smite the earth with famine … according to the wickedness of this people” and who received the promise of God that “whatsoever ye shall seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven” ( Hel. Our introduction to Elijah comes when he suddenly appears before King Ahab with this bold announcement: “As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word” ( 1 Kgs. The manner in which he did this demonstrates how signs and miracles relate to the development of faith in Jesus Christ. Elijah’s mission was to revive the spirituality of his people. To this day he is still an invited guest at the annual Jewish Passover meal (see Bible Dictionary, “Elijah,” 664). Into this spiritual abyss the Lord sent Elijah, a prophet whose influence upon the life of the Israelites has lasted more than 2,870 years. When Ahab ascended to the throne of the Northern Kingdom, faithfulness to the living God descended to a new low (see 1 Kgs. For the next 100 years, the Lord sent such prophets as Ahijah, Azariah, Hanani, and Jehu to preach repentance and warn Israel and its leaders. Before the end of King Solomon’s reign, much of Israel plunged into the spiritual darkness and chaos of idolatry and great wickedness. ![]()
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