The Widow of Zarephath

Posted in Bible, Miracle, Religion on Friday, 18 March 2011

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The First Book of Kings tells the story of a Phoenician woman who is suffering badly during the famine visited by God on the Israelites, as foretold by Elijah. She and her son have almost nothing to survive on save her last handful of flour and a drop of oil.

Widow, picture, iimage, illustration

Elijah brings the restored son back to the widow of Zarephath, by Harold Copping

Elijah sees them and asks for some water and a little bread to eat, but though she has those small supplies she knows that they are for her and her son’s last meal before the famine kills them. Elijah reassures her, she bakes a little loaf and finds that there is still some flour and oil left over for the next day. In this way God keeps both Elijah and the Gentile woman and her child alive throughout the dreadful famine. Much later, however, when things have returned to normal, the boy falls sick and is about to die. Elijah learns of this, removes the child to an upstairs room elsewhere, and after covering him three times with his own body and imploring God’s help, the boy recovers. The prophet returns him to his beautiful overjoyed mother, who is converted to the Israelite religion by this second miracle.

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