Today’s Devotion
Topic: A Passionate Prophet Vrs His Evil King (Part 3)
(Self Assessment 203)
Background:
Two weeks ago, we begun a series to try and learn from two of Israel’s leaders; king Ahab and prophet Elijah, who clearly had opposing orientations and goals. The king stood for everything that desecrated the land, while the prophet did everything to bring Israel’s attention back to God.
We also learnt from James 5: 17 that, “Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.
But since Elijah lived in the same land he declared will not see rain except at his word, how had he hoped to survive the drought? We saw how God directed him to a place to be fed by ravens. But would the ravens feed him forever? What was God’s ultimate plan in all of this?
For answers to these and more, let’s get straight into our weekly Bible discussion.
Text: 1 Kings 17:7-11
7. And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
8.And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, 9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.
10. So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering up sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
11. 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. Amen
Questions:
1. According to verse 7, after a while, the brook that God directed Elijah to drink from dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. Why did this happen? Couldn’t the God who led him there keep the brook from drying up, for the sake of His servant?
2. Please read verses 8 and 9 again:
a) Why did this word of the Lord come to the prophet only after the brook had dried up. Couldn’t God have told him the entire plan from the very beginning? What does this reveal about our walk with this same God?
b) God’s word to the prophet this time was to go to Zarephath where He (God) had commanded a widow woman to sustain the prophet. How ironic! Did the ravens stop coming because God had run out of food in Heaven? Of what good was a widow woman going to be to Elijah? What point do you think God Almighty was trying to make here?
c) If you were in Elijah’s shoes, what would be your response to this? How would you feel, and what would be your thoughts about this God?
3. Please read verses 10 and 11 again:
a) Despite how Elijah felt about the whole unfolding adventure, he obeyed God’s word. Interestingly, he found the widow woman exactly where God had said she would be. What does this tell you about our walk with God?
b) In your opinion, why did Elijah ask the widow woman for water first before asking her for a morsel of bread?
4. What have you learnt from today’s Bible study?
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