A JEALOUS GOD

God told Elijah one day to go and hide himself by the brook Cherith – and he went at once (1 Kings 17:3). There the ravens brought him bread and meat and he drank from the brook (v.6). At 8 o’clock every morning, a raven would bring him some food. Again at 5 o’clock in the evening, another raven would bring him some food. These ravens would bring him meat and for a raven to bring meat (which it loves!) is a great miracle! That’s how God provided for Elijah. But gradually, after a few days, Elijah began depending on the ravens and not the Lord!

The Lord then told Elijah to go to Zarephath, just outside Israel. When he reached Zarephath, what he found was a poor widow who was just about to have her last meal! (not some rich businessman who he may have imagined!).  And the Lord told Elijah, “She will support you!” God’s ways are truly amazing. God does things like that because He is a jealous God. He wants us to trust in Him and not in ravens or rich businessmen. He will use a weak person whom you least expect to be able to help you, and use him, so that no flesh may glory in His presence.

The widow said, “We were just about to have our last meal and die.” Elijah told her, “Don’t be afraid. Make me a little bread cake from it first. The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth” (1 Kings 17:13, 14). And the bowl of flour was not exhausted and the jar of oil did not become empty.

Many a times, we ourselves start out trusting the Lord for our financial needs. But after a few years, we are no longer depending on the Lord, but on some ravens – (Kind human beings, charitable organizations, etc.) That is exactly what happened to Elijah. So what did the Lord do? He stopped the ravens! God wanted to shake off Elijah’s dependence on ravens and to teach him once again to depend on the Lord.