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Q4. Poor Widow


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  • 2 weeks later...

 Why does God send Elijah to a poor widow rather than a rich man? God's ways are different from our thoughts, in His sovereignty God chooses any means available to Him. The sending of Elijah to a poor widow rather than a rich man is a show of his might to overcome any adversity or condition. It highlights how God can provide literally from nothing to something as evidenced in how he sustains the widow, her son and Elijah on meager but endless provisions.

If God sent someone to you to provide for, how would you respond?  I would obediently take up the challenge and provide all required assistance.

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Would it have made a difference if Elijah was sent to a weaver, baker, king, shepherd or widow? I’m not sure this has to do with Elijah as much as it is God’s gracious provision for a woman who was soon to starve to death. Elijah was sent to a person who had prayed – I assume – for God’s intervention, that is, to live. This is about the widow’s needs.

Extreme generosity -- this is what God asked of Christians. I obeyed Him and now have very little. That’s okay. When I need more to keep or give, He’ll provide.

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Q4. (1 Kings 17:8-16) 
Why does God send Elijah to a poor widow rather than a rich man? If God sent someone to you to provide for, how would you respond? 
Both the time spent at the brook and the time spent with the widow were times of obedience and special private time with the LORD. Times in which Elijah was being taught faith, humility, patience, obedience and dependence on God. We see the same pattern in the OT and NT. Moses, David, and Paul immediately come to mind. Before God could use them they had to go through this special time of learning. This was all done in preparation for their special ministry. Elijah spent 3 years of quality time with the LORD, and was also taught to walk by faith, one step at a time, and even to trust God when it goes against his common sense. In Elijah’s case God used a poor widow, not a wealthy person to provide for him. This is often God’s way of making use of the weak and foolish in the world, teaching us to put our trust in God the Giver and not the gifts. With a rich man, the focus would be on the man as the giver, and not on God the giver. If God sent me a person that I had to provide for. On my own I would never have managed or even have done it. If, however, as in the case of the widow, I had before the time been prepared and powered by our LORD, to carry out this task, I would be under His command and by His grace I would have provided for that person as instructed by God. 
 

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Q4. (1 Kings 17:8-16)

Why does God send Elijah to a poor widow rather than a rich man?

If God sent someone to you to provide for, how would you respond?

The poor widow needed this help just as much as Elijah needed help.  

He has on different occasions and has supplied the need so that we could cope and we were blessed in many different ways.

I pray that I will always be willing to do His bidding.

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Elijah was being schooled in the Holy Spirit.  Man's extremity is God's opportunity for a miracle. What a lesson that he and this poor widow learned.   Truly a time of blessing.   I am sure Elijah was fortified in his faith and calling.  The unbelievers in the widow's town must have been amazed and converted to the true faith and renounced pagan worship.  Elijah and the widow learned more about Abandoment to the Providence of God through dark times.

By supporting St Jude's hospital for children with cancer and a church ministry, I support those in need.  I was in a long distance care giver situation that was very challenging.  I had to use common sense and wisdom to make decisions especially when I was working in another state and on nite shift.

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Q4.Why did God send Elijah to a poor widow rather than a rich man? I think God did it purposely  to show Himself as God who can use anyone  to fulfill His purpose  and also His provision will come from the least expected  somebody,  where no one can find anything  good

4.1If God send someone to provide for, how would you respond?

My response would be positive  if the kind of provision  is what I needed

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Q4. (1 Kings 17:8-16) Why does God send Elijah to a poor widow rather than a rich man?

God sent Elijah to a poor widow to show that He has the power to cause the impossibility or difficult situation to happen.

If God sent someone to you to provide for, how would you respond?

I probably will look him up to size him up to see if at all he is able. But what I should do is to have faith in God and accept the person and his gift. Lord God Almighty increase my faith in you.
 

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Q4. Maybe God was again testing Elijah, but more likely God was being compassionate to the poor widow who thought she and her son were going to die because she had no one to support her. So God was providing a safe place for Elijah to live and sustenance for both Elijah and the widow and her son. God was working out what seemed impossible to show that He is the one providing not humans  through their own feeble  efforts. 

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Q4. I hope I would respond by providing for them. I believe we have a responsibility to care for others in every way we possibly can. I am blessed to live in a part of the world where there is plenty, I may not think I have a lot but by comparison with many I am rich. Therefore I have a responsibility to share what I have. That may not be money but other things I have as well. My time in working in a charity shop, a food bank, visiting people who are lonely or hurting, praying for people and situations that need prayer. Giving away practical things that I don’t need eg presents that I can do without. My car by being prepared to give someone a lift, or help to bring children from poor estates to children’s clubs, because otherwise they can’t get there. My home by asking people for coffee/ meal who maybe are unlikely to ask you  to their home. 

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Another test of Elijah's faithfulness, he is sent to a poor widow that has no food for herself or her son. I imagine he wonders why the Lord has sent him there. This miracle of replenishing the flour and oil for the widow, child and Elijah proves that God care's for all that take faith in him.       

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I believe God sent Elijah to Zarephat to see if he will continue to be obedient.  First, he was fed by a "unclean" bird of which he never had anything to do with animals or birds who were classified as being unclean.  After the water in the brook had dried up, he is told by God to arise and go to Zarephat and stay there.  Zarephat was at least 140 miles away from where Elijah was hiding by the brook. The land of Zarephat was filled with Baal worshippers and Jezebel who had a great allegiance to Baal, father controled the land.  But Elijah listened to God and obeyed. The good thing abour Zarephat was that it was less affected by the drought.  In addition, God told Elijah that He had commanded a widow to sustain him.  Even though the widow woman was preparing for her son and herself to die, I believe that she prayed before to God and my reason being is that God commanded her.  We know that God talks to us through or in prayers.  So therefore, she had prayed to God and He heard her prayers and answered them.    But, I don't think that the Lord answered her prayers in the manner that the widow woman wanted.  God does the unexpected and He uses the undesirable.  The widow woman was the least of the people of her city.  But, later became the most properous because of her willingness to obey God's command.   If God had used a rich man, God would not have received all of the glory because the rich man would have been well endowed to provide. 

To be truthful and honest when I believed that God has told me to provide someone with a blessing of great monetary value, I failed to do so.  However, when commanded to bless someone of lesser monetary, I did so.  Then there was occassion when I thought I was doing the right thing by providing for someone who was experiencing hardship which turn out to be a greater hardship for me.  I was being used by the person.  I learned to pray ask God what is His will for me to do to aid/assist a person in need. Ask God if He is speaking to me.   Sometimes God has a person to go through difficult times in order to get their attention.  To this day, and it has been many years, I regret not following the command of God in being used to bless monetarily a person without knowing their situation.  Just think, the blessings I missed out from not being obedient.

 

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On 9/14/2022 at 6:04 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q4. (1 Kings 17:8-16) Why does God send Elijah to a poor widow rather than a rich man? If God sent someone to you to provide for, how would you respond?

God loves widows and children, doesn't He?  When Jesus was at the synagogue and saw the widow put in her mites, all that she had, he specifically pointed her out to his disciples.  God values the proportionate response.  If a rich man were to provide for Elijah, it would be out of his bounty.  For a widow with no means, on the last of her provision to take of that and provide for Elijah, this would have been a sacrifice.  

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On 9/14/2022 at 11:04 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q4. (1 Kings 17:8-16) Why does God send Elijah to a poor widow rather than a rich man? If God sent someone to you to provide for, how would you respond?

I believe God was testing the faith and power of obedience of Elijah.

I would respond positively if I have the means of provision.

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God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are not to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. If God sent someone to you to provide for, I would respond positively and gladly receive the provision with thanks and gratitude.

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Why does God send Elijah to a poor widow rather than a rich man?

The power of God is awesome.  He was showing to Elijah as well as the widow woman what he can do.  Faith played a big role also.  Did both of them have to faith to believe God's instructions.

If God sent someone to you to provide for, how would you respond?

Appreciative.

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  • 4 months later...
  • 4 weeks later...

God does his best work by the people that are poor in material goods but rich in faith. I think that He is still showing us that it isn’t the “wise” that makes the world turn it is the faithful. I don’t know how I would respond if God sent someone to me to provide for me.

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  • 9 months later...

Q4. (1 Kings 17:8-16) 

Why does God send Elijah to a poor widow rather than a rich man? 

  • God sent Elijah to a poor widow to allow for a new rising of Faith to be revealed through the widow, who was commissioned to give much out of her nothingness wherein lay her deliverance from poverty to abundance, both spiritually and naturally. Also, Elijah’s Faith had been out to the test in that he was commissioned to go seek refuge from an unlikely source, the widow, who was obviously in need of refuge herself. 

If God sent someone to you to provide for, how would you respond?

  • naturally I would want to help and more so because I bear this passion to help which I believe is a gift from God. In an extreme circumstance such as the widow, who knows what my flesh response would have been, but I have learned that God’s voice is always the safest voice to follow. God will never leave or forsake his own either way. 
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