Here’s a little snack: Of the four types of giving that have been studied in our Celebration of Giving Month, the last seems to be the greatest. Sacrificial giving requires much, but rewards with an even greater portion.
Responsible giving is of necessity lest all that we have been given is taken away by default; obedient giving is a choice but not an option; cheerful giving is authorized by our loving, Benevolent Dictator; but sacrificial giving requires that we search even the bottom of our hearts to define our giving. This is not an easy task for those of us who are top-water feeders by nature, loving to receiving and giving only by command.
This week’s text is a challenge to even the most benevolent of givers. If ever there were a giving that was monopolized by few, it would be sacrificial giving. Few in this world truly know what it is to give to the point of hurt. The example set by this widow woman is not an easy one to mimic; and those who choose to do so will stand in a very short line of believers who dare to give all.
But before we can examine this woman’s outstretched gift of sacrifice, we must first note the obedience of Elijah, God’s chosen man. It is in the early verses of our text, long before the widow woman had a need to sacrifice, that we find Elijah submitting himself to the call of God to go to the brook Cherith and wait for God.
Often God will call His children to an act of obedience that He might reveal Himself in new and unusual ways. Obedience will, more often than not, require us to evacuate ourselves from the comfortable to pursue the uncomfortable. This type of obedience will never go unnoticed or unrewarded by our God. Elijah’s reward for being obedient to God’s call to dismiss himself from the place of comfort was to witness the promised hand of God’s provision. You see, being fed by ravens wasn’t a dietary demotion, but rather diving promotion. Had Elijah failed to be obedient to God’s command to leave his place of comfort, he would have never seen God’s hand of provision.
All the while, a widow woman and her small child quietly watched their only source of sustenance slowly evaporate before their eyes. With each passing day she wondered, with a vivid imagination, how her and her child would survive this unforeseen famine. Little did she know, behind the scenes God was preparing a man of obedience to provide for her nourishment that would never run dry. More to come tomorrow.
But before we can examine this woman’s outstretched gift of sacrifice, we must first note the obedience of Elijah, God’s chosen man. It is in the early verses of our text, long before the widow woman had a need to sacrifice, that we find Elijah submitting himself to the call of God to go to the brook Cherith and wait for God.
Often God will call His children to an act of obedience that He might reveal Himself in new and unusual ways. Obedience will, more often than not, require us to evacuate ourselves from the comfortable to pursue the uncomfortable. This type of obedience will never go unnoticed or unrewarded by our God. Elijah’s reward for being obedient to God’s call to dismiss himself from the place of comfort was to witness the promised hand of God’s provision. You see, being fed by ravens wasn’t a dietary demotion, but rather diving promotion. Had Elijah failed to be obedient to God’s command to leave his place of comfort, he would have never seen God’s hand of provision.
All the while, a widow woman and her small child quietly watched their only source of sustenance slowly evaporate before their eyes. With each passing day she wondered, with a vivid imagination, how her and her child would survive this unforeseen famine. Little did she know, behind the scenes God was preparing a man of obedience to provide for her nourishment that would never run dry. More to come tomorrow.
When I was a student in bible college, my wife and I came to a very pressing financial need. We did not know what to do and I had not faced this type of concern before. I came to my Bible and prayed for God to give me some encouragement. He lead me to Deut. 8:3 and what followed was nothing short of miraculous. Our needs were met in ways we could not have anticipated. Since then there have been many times we were on the edge with our needs. The difference now is not wondering if God will take care of us but how. We truly serve a wonderful God.
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