Elijah and the Widow

Extracted Verses and Quotes from the Sermon

Biblical Verses

1 Kings 17:1-2

“Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, 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. And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.”

1 Kings 17:8-9

“Then the word of the LORD came unto Elijah, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain thee.”

Luke 4:24-26

“And Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Zarephath, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.”

Exodus 22:22

“Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.”

James 1:27

“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”

Matthew 6:6

“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”

Matthew 6:33

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Matthew 10:40-42

“He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. … And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.”

Psalm 91:1

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”

Hebrews 9:28

“So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”

Ephesians 5:25-26

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.”

Memorable Quotes

“Before Elijah can go and stand on Mount Carmel, before Elijah has that confrontation between good and evil, God allows him to go through his own time of trouble.”

“God prepares us for what’s coming ahead by allowing us to go through wilderness experiences.”

“Elijah had to learn to trust God one day at a time. God was giving him food on a day-to-day basis.”

“A brook that is slowly drying up and eventually dies is not necessarily a sign of God’s displeasure.”

“When we have a miracle on a daily basis, after a time it ceases to become a miracle in our thinking. Sometimes God needs to shake things up a bit so we sense our need for Him once again.”

“Change can make us sweeter, less demanding, less complaining, more willing to do what God wants.”

“This widow was open to the voice of God and ready to trust Jehovah with her life and not Baal.”

“We are not to write any people group off just because ostensibly they look like pagans. Everybody is within the reach of God.”

“True sacrifice doesn’t come from our plenty, but it comes out of our means of survival.”

“The greatest miracles take place in the darkest of moments.”

“Elijah invites her to choose faith over fear, to trust not Baal but Jehovah God.”

“The woman gave up a single meal and she gained a lifelong of food and eternal life in the process.”

“No act of kindness shown in His name will fail to be recognized and rewarded.”

“We are to be people of prayer, and fasting goes with prayer, and when we fast and pray we can give to bless those around us.”

“Elijah didn’t argue with the widow when her son died; he took the boy, prayed, and God restored his life.”

“Elijah’s first response in that moment of tragedy was to go to his special place and get alone with God.”

“Does our private life match our public profession of faith? Could someone of another faith live with us and say, ‘Now I know you are truly worshippers of Jesus Christ’?”

“When the final crisis comes, every aspect of our life will be examined. Is your life patently and transparently authentic, kind, and loving?”

“The difference between Elijah the Tishbite and Elijah the man of God is that everything in his life hinges on the word of the Lord.”

“We do not read the word of God just for information, but for transformation.”

“When we partner with God and live in obedience to His revealed will, we become men and women of God, ready to stand in the final crisis.”

Other Quotations

Ellen G. White

“The widow of Zarephath shared her morsel with Elijah, and in return her trial and that of her son were preserved. To all of us today, who in time of trial and want give sympathy and assistance to others more needy, God has promised great blessing. He has not changed. His power is no less today than it was in the days of Elijah. No less sure now than when spoken by our Savior is the promise, ‘He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward.'”