was the widow of zarephath an israelite

CS Lewis gets this point across in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: Aslan is a lionthe Lion, the great Lion., Ooh! said Susan, Id thought he was a man. She is a grace based Christian author who has a passion for the Hebrew and Greek languages. Sign up for daily inspiration today! Middleton argues that Jesus is restoring humanity. When Luke tells the story of the sending out of the seventy-two, there is no express restriction of their mission to the lost sheep of the house of Israel as in Matthew (cf. Have you come to remind me of my guilt and to put my son to death? (1Ki. It is the concrete, this-worldly transformation of Israel that is at issue. (1519.12.02 death 1551) as Auxiliary Bishop of, Guillaume Hanwere (1552.04.27 1560) as Auxiliary Bishop of above Tournai (Belgium) (1552.04.27 1560), Johannes Kaspar Stredele 'Austrian) (1631.12.15 death 1642.12.28) as Auxiliary Bishop of, Wojciech Ignacy Bardziski (1709.01.28 death 1722?) The good Samaritan is a righteous non-Jew. In view of Jesus positive reference to her, however, she may have lived out her days as a faithful servant of Jehovah. The other day on National Public Radio, I listened to a segment on the effect of the economic crisis on peoples career plans. She is a pagan Gentile widow in the midst of a pagan godless area but acknowledgesthe true and living God. Yes, he is one of those righteousGentiles who will condemn those who have the written code and circumcision but break the law when YHWH judges the ancient world (cf. Learn how your comment data is processed. The widow had provided for his prophet and had exercised faith. Again this scenario seems to be an unlikely choice for mediating Gods provision. Sarepta is mentioned for the first time in the voyage of an Egyptian in the 14th century BCE. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, nd Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow., Hebrew month of Tevet 5777 (2016) | My Beautiful Nest. She obeys and Elijahs promise is fulfilled. 17-24). Matt. We saw the video entitled Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath on the Old Testament resource DVD package (disc 2). Youth gain friends, and both the giver and receiver gain an increased sense of self-worth. If this radical re-application of Isaiah's prophecy was such an important part of Jesus' programme, why is it confined to his home town of Nazareth? Middleton draws the conclusion from this that Jesus clearly intends to have his listeners understand that the kingdom of God breaks down the opposition between Jew and gentile that had been hardening among many first-century Jews into an unbridgeable gulf (265). [8], Sarepta is the location of a Shia shrine to Abu Dhar al-Ghifari, a Companion of Muhammad. Thus it is with us,at various steps in the journey of life the Lord brings us to the place where he tests our faith. My sense is that the paradigm oversimplifies the biblical narrative, either by suppressing much of the politicaldetail or by assimilating it into a universalised notion of redemption. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land,and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.Luke 4:25-26, Yesterday my blog post was on Luke 4:16-30Jesus is our Jubilee. The Widow of Zarephath. Then we should act in harmony with Jehovahs direction regardless of how difficult it may be to accept it. 2. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you." 29 Jun 2023 07:20:12 For less than $5/mo. The Israelites set out from the Desert of Sin and camped at Rephidim, where the, I am a man of thirty with wrinkles and lines on my forehead that make, There is something that always accompanies us when we run around with our friends, when, P.O. Faith pleases God. What the narrative demands at this point is a clear and consistent focus on the historical existence of Israel. Enter your email to subscribe and receive notifications of new content. Elijah is commanded to ask this woman to feed him. Like Hagar and her son, this widow and her son were not forgotten by the God of Israel, who notices the loss of even one sparrow (Matthew 10:29-31). There would be no rain, not even dew, because of Israel's evil idolatry until Elijah declared it over. Take the example of Elijah. Change). So what does this ancient survival story have to do with us today? Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying,"Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. And then she did what the prophet the man of God asked her to do. That dramatic resurrection took place almost 3,000 years ago. In fact, she is so short on food that she is preparing for her own death (1 Kings 17:12). 2, pp. Either of these contributes to a feeling of low self worth. 1. The right division (correct partitioning) of the word of truth that Paul, under inspiration, writes to Timothy about is a mandate a key without which a faithful workman cannot open the doors of understanding and revelation. A Phoenician town belonging to or apparently dependent upon Sidon in Elijahs day. 2:15). Instead, she acted in faith, trusted in Jehovah, and fed Elijah first. (Acts 24:15) Surely these are excellent reasons for remembering the widow of Zarephath. The raising of the son of the widow of Zarephath is a miracle of the prophet Elijah recorded in the Hebrew Bible, 1 Kings 17, taking place in the Phoenician city of Zarephath. Some piebald flint blades were also found along with hammerstones in Nummulitic limestone that resemble finds from Aadloun II (Bezez Cave), which is located 1 kilometre (0.62mi) to the South. When she was gathering sticks around . Instead of food being the source of life, the widows desperation is evident in her assertion that she and her son will eat their last meal and then they will die. Box 119, Seongnam Bundang Post Office, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, Rep. of Korea, Tel. He was sent instead to a foreignera widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Creation is summoned to provide for Gods faithful prophet. How many people who live in your territory are like the widow of Zarephath? This widow lived in the region of Sidon. In the 1st century CE, the Roman Sarepta, a port about 1km (0.62mi) to the south[6] is mentioned by Josephus[7] and by Pliny the Elder. Consider carefully what Elijah asked the widow to do. A terrible drought was coming that . The Watchtower Announcing Jehovahs Kingdom1992, The Watchtower Announcing Jehovahs Kingdom2014, The Widow of Zarephath Was Rewarded for Her Faith. He obeyed, finding a woman gathering sticks. But God is a God of life; a God who does provide food to widows and orphans. He Is Sent to a Widow of Zarephath. In fact, she is so short on food that she is preparing for her own death (1 Kings 17:12). Sarepta[1] is the exception, the one Phoenician city in the heartland of the culture that has been unearthed and thoroughly studied. Do not be afraid. 2, pp. Despite her limited knowledge of Jehovah, she believed Elijah and did what he asked of her. This is evident from her words as surely as Jehovah your God is living. It appears that while she had some knowledge of Israels God, it was not to the point of using the words my God when referring to Jehovah. What a momentous test of faith that wasand what a wise decision she made! (LogOut/ Why does Jesus give the kingdom back in the end and become subject again to God? The reason the woman from Zarephath was able to be saved from starving to death was because she recognized the opportunity to receive a blessing from God even in such a desperate situation where anyone could get frustrated. After carrying the boys limp body to the roof chamber, Elijah cried out: OJehovah my God, are you also bringing harm to the widow with whom I am staying by putting her son to death? The prophet could not bear the thought that reproach would be cast on Gods name if He were to allow this kind and hospitable woman to suffer further. A city on the coast of the great sea (the Mediterranean) in the region of Phoenicia. She lived in Zarephath, a town that belonged to, or was apparently dependent upon, the Phoenician city of Sidon. servant, but as far as the story goers, he serves only to highlight Israels lack of faith: I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith (Luke7:9). So these two prophetic narratives are the key to interpreting the Nazareth manifesto(267). He speaks crazy talk. Most of the objects by which Phoenician culture is characterised are those that have been recovered scattered among Phoenician colonies and trading posts; such carefully excavated colonial sites are in Spain, Sicily, Sardinia and Tunisia. 6The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning(F) and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. 15She went away and did as Elijah had told her. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! And during this time Ahab commissioned the rebuilding of Jericho through Hiel, the Bethelite. This shapes her words and her behaviors: I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die (1 Kings 17:12). All rights reserved. 27 Jun 2023 16:10:24 I have found www.concordant.org very useful (though I am not at all in total agreement with the late A.E. 5So he did what the Lord had told him. I will command a widow there to supply you with food.1Ki. 4. Moreover, a powerful theme that emerges from this story is the belief that our hospitality to the stranger may not only help the other, but actually be responsible for our own survival. Through reading several verses in this sermon we were able to see that Jesus Christ was promising his followers that He would give them what they needed, but not always what they wanted. Why should she do this when she is suffering so? I shared an experience I had when I was a teenager about a young man who had everything yet felt like he didnt have any friends. The New Historicism and the narrative-historical method. 7 Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. The Widow of Zarephath. Sarepta as a Christian city was mentioned in the Itinerarium Burdigalense; the Onomasticon of Eusebius and in Jerome; by Theodosius and Pseudo-Antoninus who, in the 6th century call it a small town but very Christian. They are in two distinct groups, one on a headland to the west of a fountain called Ain el-antara, which is not far from the shore. He called to her and asked, Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?(I) 11As she was going to get it, he called, And bring me, please, a piece of bread., 12As surely as the Lord your God lives, she replied, I dont have any breadonly a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil(J) in a jug. We then examined John chapter 6, the Bread of Life sermon. Monachus Borchardus, Descriptio Terrae sanctae, et regionum finitarum, vol. The widow who had to act on faith and obey a prophet or a prophet who had to ask a poor starving widow to give him her last meal? Would you please bring me a little water?. So God was going to send him out of the nation of Israel completely! Jesus tells the two stories in Luke 4:25-27 not to expand the scope of the kingdom message but to confront the faithlessness of the Jews in Nazareth. The presenter had asked a group of one hundred or so people how many of them were, with regard to their career, still on their Plan A. Only one participant raised her hand and she was twenty three! zar'-e-fath (tsarephath; Sarepta): The Sidonian town in which Elijah was entertained by a widow after he left the brook Cherith ( 1 Kings 17:9 ). But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. Look! God did not abandon that poor widow. Hes the King I tell you. (C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe, chapter 8- what happened after dinner). The drought had been for 3.5 years.. meaning the people of Israel could not grow crops and in turn they could not feed and take care of their own widows. The widow of Sidon "But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow." Luke 4:25-26 I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat itand die., Dont be afraid. Did you do it anyway? Middleton suggests that Jesus omits this aspect of the vision because he does not want to reinforce his audiences insider versus outsider mentality (267). The barrel of flour was not filled to the top after she gave to Elijah- she had flour, but just enough. The Sidonite widow, Naaman the Syrian, the centurion, and the Canaanite/Syrophoenician woman all have the same prophetic function in the Synoptic Gospels: they are an embarrassment to faithless Israel. He gave him to his mother(O) and said, Look, your son is alive!, 24Then the woman said to Elijah, Now I know(P) that you are a man of God(Q) and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.(R). The local Bronze Age-Iron Age stratigraphy was established in detail; absolute dating depends in part on correlations with Cypriote and Aegean stratigraphy. New Living Translation Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. Why did the Jews accuse Jesus of making himself equal to God? The Bible does not tell us, but one point is clear: The widow did not accuse God of any unrighteousness. English Standard Version and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 14For 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(K) on the land.. 4549, 1949, This page was last edited on 14 June 2023, at 22:48. Appreciate your posting about Mr. Middletons book. She has only enough to feed herself and her son one last meal and so she states, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die (1 Kings 17:12). In Luke 4:24-26, Jesus uses the example of the widow of Zarephath to make the point that a prophet is not accepted in the prophets hometown. Death is swallowed up in promise, despair in hope. And he called to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink . When He begins talking to them in verses 23-27, He was addressing their neglect of being a people of The Blessing.Gen 12:3 I have blessed you to be a blessing to ALL families of the earth. Zarephath was a gentile country. Through this service, the Lord will provide us with what we need. The houseguest is Gods prophet Elijah. Elijah must have been shocked by the death of the widows son and by her idea that the prophets very presence was responsible for her heartbreaking bereavement. A collection in the National Museum of Beirut marked "Jezzine ou Sarepta" consisted of around twelve neatly made discoid- and tortoise-cores in cherty flint of a cream colour with a tinge of red.[14]. God also later raises this womans child back to life. In verse 8, the Lord commanded Elijah to go to Zarephath, a town outside of Israel, where a widow would provide food for him. Appealing to the laws of hospitality according to which a stranger was entitled to food and drink, Elijah asks the widow he encounters at the entrance of Zarephath for a drink of water and a bite to eat (verses 10-11). Once more, though, Gods provision for Elijah continues. But that was not this widows reaction. When he arrived at the city gate, there was a widow gathering sticks. Very likely, Zarephath was inhabited by Baal worshippers. When she was gathering sticks around the town gate, someone asked her. Key Scriptures: 1 Kings 17:8-24; Luke 4:25-26 It consisted of an assemblage of large flakes and bifaces in Eocene flint. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. www.StudyShelf.com More likely, it is simply not relevant for the immediate controversy inNazareth. (LogOut/ But his statement of Jesus mission at this point has a wider perspective: it is to proclaim in word and deed that God is at work restoring this fractured worldbreaking the grip of evil, healing diseased bodies, bringing life out of death(259). The Widow of Zarephath. In reply to We just read the centurion by Phil Ledgerwood. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. The good centurion is not saved, but his confidence in Jesus is contrasted with Israels lack of faith (Lk. So many youth worry about their appearance. 1 Kings 17:7-16 New International Version Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath 7 Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Knochs assumptions in some areas). The Notitia episcopatuum, a list of bishoprics made in Antioch in the 6th century, speaks of Sarepta as a suffragan see of Tyre; all of its bishops are unknown. The oil and flour represent our life energy: we work for money, with the money we buy things (in this instance food) and in this case Elijah is asking the widow to give of her life energy, her substance, to the Lord. With my students tomorrow, I will try a number of different story summary statements emphasizing different aspects of the story: The widow Elijah meets is willing to put the Lord firstThe widow has courage enough to obey the Lords prophet at great personal risk Elijah gives the widow an opportunity to exercise her faith and serve The widow woman trusts the Lords word enough to act on it at the peril of her life The widow woman was willing to put her own appetite on hold to follow the prophet After each summary statement I will ask What were the results? In this way I hope to make it clear what the Lord is teaching about obeying prophets, service to others, the Lords word, and appetites all in the same beautiful story. The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt, and Nubia, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Pontifical Commission for the Revision of Code of Oriental Canon Law, Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, Congregation of the Lebanese Maronite Missionaries, "Inkvizitoi v eskch zemch v dob pedhusitsk", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarepta&oldid=1160186715, Populated places established in the 2nd millennium BC, Populated places disestablished in the 13th century, Mediterranean port cities and towns in Lebanon, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from April 2021, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, Emile Eid (1982.12.20 death 2009.11.30), in the, Nicolas Bureau, O.F.M. Gods blessing upon her family continued until the end of the famine. The resurrection of her son was one of the most faith-strengthening events in her life. 16 likes, 1 comments - The Carpenter's Church, PH (@thecarpenterschurchph) on Instagram: "17 Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honour . At Zarephath the prophet was shown hospitality by a poor widow, whose flour and oil were miraculously sustained during a great famine and whose son Elijah, in God's power, subsequently raised from death. A resource for the whole church from Luther Seminary. 83, no. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. also Gods provision of food for the young ravens in Psalm 147:9). The prophet Elijah arrived with an ominous message from God. Would you like updates when content is posted? [4] Originally Sidonian, the town passed to the Tyrians after the invasion of Shalmaneser IV, 722 BCE. Despite any misgivings Elijah may have had, he began a conversation with the woman. The widow with her very limited resources first provided Elijah with food, before preparing food for her and her son. Instead God chose a widow in Zaraphath a foreigner outside of Israels borders. Sarepta (near modern Sarafand, Lebanon) was a Phoenician city on the Mediterranean coast between Sidon and Tyre, also known biblically as Zarephath. In reply to I am not sure what you mean by John Shepard. 17Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. Our hearts need to beat for our enemies the way Gods doeswith love, restoration, being ministers of reconciliation. God sent Elijah to this city, within the very heart of the country ruled by the kings of Baal, to be nourished by a widow who was not an Israelite. Yes, Israels God may occasionally have sent a prophet to bless a foreigner, but Jesus makes no attempt to develop the principle systematically. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed . This reading from the Gospel of Mark is a two-act drama with some intriguing and troubling connections. It has been vacant for decades, having had the following incumbents: A Heavy Neolithic archaeological site of the Qaraoun culture that pre-dated Sarepta by several thousand years was discovered at Sarafand by Hajji Khalaf. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. The widow of Zarephath. Israel is stubborn and goes its own way. And Jesus rebuked His disciples telling them they didnt know what kind of spirit they belong to because He didnt come to destroy mens lives but to save them..sozo to heal, deliver, rescue, make whole nothing missing, nothing broken in their lives. A lesson that we can learn from this is that God blesses those who exercise faith. Excavations of the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania, 1970-72. And like Elijah, we are also called to bring a sustaining word of promise from the outside. FACT #2 - She was a gentile. Deprivation and despair are two words that come to mind when reading the stories narrated in 1 Kings 17. Enter your email address to follow this blog and keep up to date with us! It is vital that the students learn this skill so that they continue to learn when they are not with us. (Ob20) The name is preserved in that of Sarafand, about 13km (8mi) SSW of Sidon, though the ancient site may have been a short distance away on the Mediterranean shore. 61:5-6). 1Ki 17:8 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, And she is the author of three books: IT IS FINISHED, AWAKENED, and I AM HEALED. Jehovah was listening. This event is told on the heels of Jesus sermon where he contrasts the fate of the faithful poor and oppressed with the faithless rich andpowerful. She was blessed to have sufficient for her need during the time of the famine. NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. It is possible that this woman is a widow due to the famine in the land. [2] Obadiah says it was the northern boundary of Canaan: And the exiles of this host of the sons of Israel who are among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath (Heb. The verses before that tell us that Ahab was Israels king and he had married Jezebel. Designed using Unos Premium. Finally, this central role bestowed to this foreigner and widow who serves as the means through which the prophet survives may challenge us to look differently at those people in our midst whom we barely spare a second glance: the immigrant, the homeless, the person from a different religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation, race, class, culture or whatever barriers manage to divide us. With contributions by William P. Anderson; Ellen Herscher; Javier Teixidor, University Museum, University of Pennsylvania, 1975. After Elijah announced the drought, God hid him from Ahab and miraculously fed the prophet with bread and meat brought to him by ravens.

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