Pas Ralph Douglas West - Hand Full of Flour and Drop of Oil - 1 Kings 17:7-16

0:00 Amen. First Kings chapter 17. 1 Kings 17 beginning at verse number 7.

0:27 And I want to tag this text a handful of flour and a drop of oil. hear what God says from his word to us. Don't have that much time, so you have to give me maybe 15, 17. I got to go preach at 11 o'clock, so maybe 17 minutes. 1st King 17. Yeah, so I can leave right out. Sometime later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah, go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there.

1:30 I have directed a widow there to supply you with food. So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. he called to her and asked, would you bring me a little water in a jar and may I have a drink? And she was going to get it. He called and said, and bring me please a piece of bread.

2:02 And surely as the Lord your God lives, she replied, I don't have any bread, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I'm gathering a few sticks to take home to make a meal for myself and my son that we may eat and die.

2:25 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 To the land So she went away and did as Elijah told her So there was food every day for Elijah And for the woman and for a family for the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.

3:24 This is the word of God. You may be seated. Sister West has drawn our attention today to celebrate the life of widows in our church. Today is International Widows Sunday, a group of people in our community that have often been overlooked and sometimes forgotten. and yet we're reminded in the scripture of the importance of the church and our children and family giving attention to the widow and the orphan. What I've read to you this morning is one of the beautiful stories tucked away in the Old Testament historical literature. It is one of a series of interlocuting stories that refers to life and death and how God brings life out of death situations.

4:35 We meet Elijah now at a crossroad, an interlude, which is not always a time of disappointment, but other times it might be a moment of delight. Left alone in silence and isolation, he is kept company by the squawking sounds of the raving and the howling cries of the hyenas, the jackals that are screaming in the desert along with his thoughts. but remembering why politically he is being chased down with a bounty over his head, how God has put him in a place of protection, Kareth by a river and how God is keeping him. And God sent Raven Express to feed him. Long before there was DoorDash, there was Raven Express.

5:33 where God sent and used the most unlikely of all of the birds, a scavenger to drop meat off and bread to his prophet on the run, reminding him that as God was chiseling away at his character, he was shaping in him something of integrity, something that he would have to rely on for the remainder of his life. and we come now where the brook has dried up and Elijah finds himself again at an interlude, a crossroad and this is the time where we begin our reading in verse number 7 where it says, and sometimes later the word of the Lord came to him.

6:29 now when I say time does not permit maybe for those who are visiting they'll say that's a preacher's trick just to get us to listen but you can tell them when he say time doesn't permit he don't have the time but I'll just drop the outline for you is that when the word of the Lord comes might be the most significant part of the whole story, which means that the word of the Lord knows our location, understands our situation, and knows what our destination is going to be. You can take that, tuck that away, make it portable that God's word comes to us because God knows our location, God knows our situation, and God knows our next destination. That word that comes to Elijah is a word, a living word, and what makes it living and makes it alive is that living word always produces and propagates itself. And Elijah responds to that word. And that word sends him on a journey to a place called Zarephath. For those of you who would like to know in depth these word meanings, I preached a series of messages a long time ago on the life of Elijah where I had the time to dig in on Kareth as a cutting place and Zarephath as a refining place. That it is here where he is going where God has already chiseled his character, but now he will refine it. Interestingly, refinement always takes pressure. It always takes heat. God has to put us in the furnace in order to melt us down, to slake off the dross and the slag in order for us to be built back up.

8:33 And that which has been broken down in Elijah shall be built back up in him in Zarephath. And on his arrival, 100 miles northwest from this little place where the brook has dried out, this desert brand prophet, this brother who comes from Tishbe, is going to walk. and that's a long walk with his ankles and the calves of his legs bulging and bruised and burning to make his way to the outskirts of a little town in Sidon out of protection into enemy territory. He's gone now to Zarephath. You see where he's coming from he's protected in the canyons but now he's put up on put out on public display and he knows not only is there a bounty on him but Ethbel Jezebel and Ahab are hot on his trails because the prophet Elijah has stood up and contested the political policies of his day and the only way to shut the prophet's mouth is to get rid of him and so he's on the journey and he's making his move over to Zarephath and now when he gets there the first thing that he has overcome is an impression because the word of the Lord not only gives him a reorientation for his destination I know where you are and I know where you're going but I also know who you're gonna meet and you got to get past your prejudices And now you got to get past your social constructs in order for me to help you.

10:18 And let me just drop that. And many times God is trying to help us, but we let our own cultural shapings keep us from being helped by God. And so God wants to help Elijah, but Elijah now has to be on the run. And on the run, he meets a woman who happens to be a widow. I saw the way you were looking at me when I was saying that. You thought that I was just reaching for straws. No self-respecting prophet would ever depend upon the resources of a widow. This man had been shaped in the words of God. He had already read through the book of Deuteronomy how widows were to be taken care of. that when you glean the field as an agrarian farmer, you're only to sweep across it once and to leave enough resources behind so that when the widow goes out in the field, she'll have something to collect for herself and for her brood. This prophet understood that when you go out into the farmlands, then you pick up the grapes, the grape clusters that were hiding behind the leaves.

11:33 You leave that alone for the widow to collect for her children. The olive branches that are shaken. Those that remain on the leaves, leave them alone and let the widow come in. And so God had always provided. He had a just-in-case clause built in the farmland to say, Don't you take everything. Leave some for those who have not. so that they can live off the resources that I have provided in the world. And the only reason why we don't get excited about that is because we are not widows and widowers that we have it, but that they might come when you don't have what you have right now. And you might have to depend upon the benevolence, the resources, and the largesse of somebody else. So when God's word comes to Elijah, That piece of background gives you some insight on why he, though not hesitant in this story, may have had pause to say, are you sure we can't find a better way?

12:44 Here's the contrast. Elijah has survived out in the wilderness in Kareth by a brook that is dried up. And now God will use an unusual person. He used unusual circumstances. But now he's going to use an unusual person. The most unlikely in the clan of citizenship, a woman who doesn't have anything. And so he comes with parched lips, dried throat, bent over back from the searing sun. And he says through broken horse voice, would you give me a drink of water? Well, that's not a real problem because Zarephath over in Sidon is on the edge of the Mediterranean. And so she can gather water from the well. It's not hers. is a community gift.

13:39 But it was when he says, and one more thing, could you bring me a piece of bread? Now you're overstepping your boundaries. But this is how people always think preachers act, that we're greedy. And unfortunately, sometimes, unfortunately, unfortunately, preachers can use their position to be greedy. I would say, and I say this to my preachers, all the time, is that when you're in a church and people are nice and kind, don't take advantage of them. Just because they have a business, don't ask them to cut your hair free. Just because they have a business, don't ask them to drive you free. Because they have a restaurant, don't go there and ask them to feed you free. I can say that because I have people in this congregation and I use the people.

14:34 I promote, I use what we promote, how to share our resources in our community. And the people in this church will tell you when they've tried to give it to me, I got a standard answer. No, I'm going to pay my way because when you show up at church Sunday. I don't have to finish that do I I want you But they'll tell you that that is my my habit I said no this is your work This is how you live This is how you survive And I say this to preachers in our church Don't take advantage of the people in our church Because they're nice to you Don't do that But this is my follow-up to them. I said, no, I'm going to pay my way. But one day, I might be in a situation where I can't take care of myself. That's when I'm a call.

15:32 And they always say, pass it, that ever come that day that you call me. That's how Elijah felt that day when he went to that woman. I can't take advantage. And yet, remember, there's something at work in the story. You remember what's at work? in verse seven and after a certain amount of time then the word of the Lord came to Elijah and when the word works the word is not just working on Elijah the word is working on the widow and so the word is not one-sided the word is universal it comes to both of them and so what she hears is these words and then she says all I have is a handful of cornmeal just enough to bake a pancake for my son and I. I'll cook it and then we'll die.

16:26 And Elijah said, before you die, cook the banquet. Cook the pancake. Don't check out first. Cook the pancake. The audacity of Elijah. And yet the woman acquiesced to the word of the Lord from the mouth of the prophet. And she goes in and she begins to cook and bake with the little oil that she has left and a little flour. That's all she has. But she does it at the word of God. The word of God is alive. The word of God is powerful. The word of God is quick. The word of God is sharp as a two-edged sword. Hebrews 4, 12 reminds us that the word is sharp. In 1622, a torture, the Spanish ship went down in the Florida Keys. And in 1987, 365 years later, on a discovery, that ship was brought up as much as it could be, or at least some of the content.

17:36 One content that was found on that ship was a jar of three seeds that had been submerged in the water airtight for 365 years. It was taken out of the water, put into a laboratory, and something happened. Those seeds came alive and grew into a plant of three inches tall because the seed was alive. This morning in dead situations, when situations look impossible, you remember that there is life and there is life and that there is life in the word of God. It is living word. We're not just talking words. We're talking living words that changed the way the world is at work. And that woman went in there and started working. Started working. And you know what happened?

18:36 There's another version of this story in 2 Kings, but this is 1 Kings, and I just want to focus on the widow who surrendered herself. And that is great things happens when we obey God's word, when God's word get a hold of us. Let me close. My time is up because I wanted to say something about the word of God in relation to what has happened in our country just as early as yesterday. This is what happens You can be surrounded by people who call themselves preachers and prophets and apostles Who will allow somebody to strike out Get involved in something that they have no business being a part of Let me just say this to you on this Lord's day I don't want to overshadow the widow but I do want to hold up the widow as somebody as an example that reminds us of the power and the significance of the word of God.

19:41 Now let me go back to the prophet. She does it based on the word of the prophet. The word of the prophet is bring me some water, bring me a meal. She does it and God provides. Let me say it one more time. The word of the prophet speaks a living word And living word makes things happen In the life of people And all the prophet said was This is what God said to me This is what I'm saying to you Do what is right And watch God go to work Let me say it one more time By using the New Testament Jesus said it this way first seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. The prophet has a responsibility of speaking the word in a way that people hear it.

20:44 Yesterday it was brought to our attention that the president of the United States, I haven't read it I just got word of it strikes at Iran that much I heard him saying I said he struck at Iran and yes this is important to you it is important it involves you you may not be deployed to Iran but it does involve you you are involved in this world and as a Christian you don't get the option of not being the salt when you need to be in as a Christian you can't not turn your light off when you don't like it. You said you saw that light. I'm tying this in with the prophet and the word and I got to go because my time is up and I got to go down the street. And so word came. So you say, Pastor West, you're very critical when these preachers say, well, I'm a preacher. And as a preacher, regardless of what part is in politics, my ultimate loyalty is to the king of kings. Don't drop your head. Don't do that. Don't do that.

22:00 Sit up if you're going to be a member of this church and take it. I know you feel like you got to protect the president. I know that you feel like you got to protect him, that this is your strong man, but I don't care who he is. When you have that many preachers, they can pray over him. They can sit around and pray for him, they say. The Speaker of the House, I'm so tired of him I'm always talking about I read the Bible every day. Well, if they had read it, and Ted Cruz is the worst.

22:39 Ted Cruz said that we ought to be involved in this strike. Get this now, and I want you to hear me. And for those of you that don't know me, I'm not a shade tree theologian. I've done my work to credential me to say what I'm saying now. I got my ordination, but I got some other work too. And Ted Cruz, and this just shows you what happens, and this is why I'm afraid of that statement the Bible says. I'm scared of that statement. Because he said, because the Bible said, now he couldn't answer Tucker Carlson of all people. I can't believe that Tucker Carson did anything right, but Tucker Carson just asked him, can you define or find what it is? He said, well, I'll get back to you.

23:33 And so the theological, the biblical reason for striking at Iran, according to Ted Cruz, is because the Bible says that if we bless Israel, then we will be blessed. Now, let me help you with something. That was the Israel of the Old Testament. That Israel is no more. You say, how do I know? Let me ask you this. Did Jesus die on the cross? Did he get up on Sunday morning? Well, all that old stuff been blotted away. Everything now is in Jesus Christ. And he is the living word for us now.

24:23 Last word. And the word of the Lord came to Elijah. Do you know why Iran is interesting of all places? Iran is in the same terra firma where you get these words during Christmas peace on earth it was Persia when Persia was a friend of the Jewish nation now politics has scarred that and that's not my argument but in that very ground where we're bombing is the same place where the angels appeared and said peace on earth, goodwill taught all men. You would think at this time that somebody who's surrounded with in quote the expertise that the president claims to be surrounded around that somebody would have had the intelligence to say that this might not be the best course of action.

25:24 But when you ain't got to put your life on the line And when you can fight behind somebody else, you really don't care who's at stake. And that's what the widow points out to us. That God is on the side of the poor and the defenseless. God is on the side of those who have not. God is on the side of those who are weak and marginal. No, God is on the side of those who cannot speak for themselves, fight for themselves. And God says, and by the way, I called all of you that have voices to speak to raise your voice up at a time like this and say it is wrong to do what you are doing. Have a good day, church. but when that widow responded to the word of God, you know what happened?

26:24 She went in and baked the cake and said, let me cook it and die. And the next thing she knows, she looked over and says, is that more flour? And she said, well, let me just bake one more. And she said, let me, since I baked his first, let me bake one for my son. And she did And you know what happened She looked around and said is that more flour And she baked another one Said well I'll bake one for myself And she did and said Because I know that's all God's going to take care of now Is to profit my son and me And she did And she looked over and said well I'll be Is that more flour