THE WIDOW OF ZAREPHATH

Today I debated whom to write about: Omri and Ahab, the "new champions of evil," or the nameless

widow of Zarephath who took in the prophet Elijah.

Then I took a closer look and realized they are connected: both women in the story, Ahab's wife Jezebel and the widow, were Sidonians.

The kings of both Judah and Israel made strategic alliances through marriage to the daughters of nearby kings. Solomon's Egyptian wife started the trend of building a temple where she could worship. None of those queens had a more far-reaching influence than Jezebel, Ahab's wife. She introduced Baal worship to Israel, and Ahab jumped right in. By the time of the confrontation with Elijah, she had named 450 prophets of Baal. They didn't even pretend to worship the God who brought them out of Egypt any more. Why weren't the Israelite kings as committed to their God as their wives were to Yahweh?!

Looking at Jezebel, one might think that all Sidonians were sold out to Baal. Yet when the prophet Elijah needed a place to hide and to survive the drought, God sent him to--Sidon, in Phoenicia. To a widow, who didn't even have enough food for herself and her son.

Hmm, at least when David lived among the Philistines, he made friends with the king.

God says He instructed the widow to feed Elijah. She wasn't the first Gentile to receive a message from God. I always wonder how God relayed His will, and how the widow recognized it. When Elijah showed up, she wasn't ready. She might have dismissed God's directions as so much foolish thinking. She was about to die of starvation--how could she feed a third person in the household?

Evidence of her faith, though, is shown in her words, "as surely as your God lives."  She recognized Yahweh as the living God, but not one she could claim a right to. Further signs of faith? She used that last little bit of flour and oil to make a biscuit for Elijah. Either she surrendered to dying earlier (by losing that last meal) or perhaps hoped, beyond an impossible hope, that he spoke the truth. Her flour and oil didn't run out until the famine broke.

Some time later, tragedy struck. The widow's son died, suddenly. She sent for Elijah. She accused him of "barging in, exposing my sin, killing my son."  Grief and guilt, a powerful combination, released a flood of emotion and accusations. Perhaps she blamed herself. Did she think her sin had led to her son's death?

God restored the boy's life after Elijah prayed three times. The final words we hear from the widow are, "When you speak, God speaks--a true word!"

And that's it. We don't hear another word about her. There are places in the Gospels where we read that Jesus traveled through Sidon, and that people from Sidon followed him.

Point number one: God's plan has always included the Gentiles.

Point numbers 2 and beyond. I fall prey to the same doubts that plagued the widow. I believe in God, but I'm not always sure He cares for me. If He cares for me, why don't I have more than a small biscuit for a meal? Am I such a terrible sinner that my children have to suffer because of my sin? If God wants a job done, there must be hundreds of people more able to do it.

And yet, God used the widow. He gave her what might have been the most important task of her time: providing asylum for the prophet Elijah.

I, too, have seen God use me, in spite of my failings. I don't think I've done anything as significant as taking in Elijah. But God has called me to specific tasks, and by His grace and power, they happen. The smallest step of faith provides my daily bread.  Not because I'm anything special, but because of who God is.

The next time I read the widow's story, I think I'll insert my name.

WORSHIP (2 Kings 14)

Jerusalem, the city God selected from all the tribes of Israel for the worshipp of his name. 2 Kings 14:21 MSG

Hmm, I can discuss Jerusalem or "Name." Either topic could take an entire book. I am sneezing and coughing and my brain's not quite in gear. So bear with me while I offer a few thoughts. 

When I studied the subject of blessing this year, I saw a trend of blessed places. Foremost among them is, of course, Jerusalem. 

Even though Israel had divided in half, God had ordained only one place for their joint worship: Jerusalem. 

Looking back at Jeroboam and his fatal decision to construct golden calves at Bethel--if he had encouraged the people of Israel to worship at the temple in Jerusalem, would God have established his kingdom? A rhetorical question, since it didn't happen, but I wonder at the course history takes.

First and foremost, Jerusalem was blessed as the place God chose as the center of worship. He dwelt with His people, as signified by the Shekinah glory in the Holy of Holies. David described the blessings of worship in Jerusalem this way:

Exclaim over your offerings,

Celebrate your sacrifices
Give you what your heart desires,
Accomplish your plans.  (Psalm 20:3-4)

God intended worship in Jerusalem to be a time of celebration and joy for the fulfillment of dreams. Implied is that give offering and make sacrifices. 

We are to worship God's Name. The Bible tells us more than 100 names by which we know God. But here I believe David is speaking about the name He revealed to Moses:

I AM 

"I am" the God of the living and the dead. Tell them "I am" has sent me to you. "I am . . ." love. holy. compassionate. You fill in the blank with whatever characteristic of God stirs you the most. 

Worship: let us throw ourselves into the joy of worship, in song and dance and shouts of joy. Let us reflect on the object of our worship--the Great I am. 

The light of true worship drives away the darkness of doubt and despair. 

BEWARE OF BAD ADVICE

God looks on the inside of a man, not the outside, but in this case, that wasn't enough.

The kingdom divided, and Israel's king, Jeroboam, immediately instituted idol worship. (At least) two unnamed godly men were devastated. 

God sent a holy man from Judah (David's grandson Rehoboam's country) to prophecy against Jeroboam. He delivered his message and left, refusing to remain or eat. God had told him not to eat anything until he left Israeli soil. 

A prophet--a true prophet, who recognized the truth behind the holy man's word, who heard from God--invited the holy man to a meal. I can think of several reasons for this: he wanted to celebrate the man's courageous stand against Jeroboam. He wanted to fellowship. He wanted to confer, two men with a similar vision of the future.

So when the holy man told the prophet about God's ban on eating, the prophet waved it aside. "God told me to feed you."  Only, he hadn't. Except perhaps in a sense of the laws about taking in a stranger. 

I will confess, when I have read this story before, I thought the prophet was trying to tempt the holy man from his truth path. Reading it today, I decided that wasn't the case. His sons told him about the confrontation between the holy man and Jeroboam. At that, the prophet saddled his donkey and rushed to the holy man's side, beginning him to be his guest.

A small thing. A white lie, implying God had given him a direct word when he was acting on principle (and desire).

But that small thing resulted in the holy man's death. He was killed (and then guarded) by, of all animals, a lion--the animal that symbolized Judah (Solomon's throne was mounted on a dozen lions.)

If the prophet was punished, we don't see it. His worst punishment perhaps was knowing the holy man had spoken the truth and that Israel had lost a courageous patriot that day..

How many of us, out of kindness, has urged someone to do the opposite of God's will for them? It

could be--urging a slice of pumpkin pie on a dieter at Thanksgiving. Asking a kid to play sports on Sunday (or Saturday, which is the day my son worships). You fill in the blank for your situations. 

There has to be a balance. I want, need, godly friends to question my course of action if it seems unwise. They must speak up if our plans are against God's specific, revealed will. But I also need the courage and confidence in standing my ground--something I don't find easy. 

But as the friend? I'd better be sure of my reasons before I advise against a course of action.  

QUEEN OF SHEBA (1 Kings 10)

Today I am visiting, not what we find in 1 Kings, but what isn't written.

The tradition of the Queen of Sheba (Queen Makeda) has been handed down in Ethiopia since the time of King Solomon to the present. I worked briefly with an Ethiopian immigrant who made me realize how strongly they believe the Ethiopian monarchs descended from the child born to Makeda and Solomon.

So, Ethiopians believe the two had an affair (married or not, I'm not sure). The Koran speaks of it as well. Even the Jewish historian Josephus tells the story.

What we know of Solomon makes the affair completely believable. As the author of 1 Kings says in 11:1, Solomon was obsessed with women. He had 300 wives and 700 concubines--he could sleep with a different woman every night for almost three years.

Their son Menelik became the first emperor of Ethiopia. Their rule extended until 1974, when Haile Selassie left the throne. (and died in 1975)

Makeda appears to worship Solomon's God. Centuries later, Philip the evangelist witnessed to an Ethiopian eunuch who brought the gospel to his people. Ethiopia was the only country in sub-Sahara Africa, I believe, to remain primarily Christian during the onslaught of Islam in the 7th century.

So the question is, does the Bible's silence about a sexual relationship between Makeda and Solomon mean that it didn't happen?

This is what I believe: the Bible speaks truth where it speaks.  But not all truth is in the Bible.

The Bible doesn't say they didn't engage in intercourse. To me, that leaves the door wide open.

From the mutual respect, admiration, love between two admirable monarchs came (may have come) the

history of an entire nation and a heritage of faith more ancient than that of believers of European descent.

So please forgive me for any details I have wrong.

What do you think? Was the Queen of Sheba Solomon's mistress/wife?

How far does our culture influence the details of our faith?

SHOUT TO THE LORD (1 Kings 8)

David danced deliriously as he worshipped the Lord.

Solomon shouted at the top of his lungs. Oh, what poetry in his words, at the dedication of the Temple:

May he never give up and walk out on us. May he keep us centered and devoted to him, following the life path he has cleared, watching the signposts, walking at the pace and rhythms he laid down for our ancestors. (1 Kings 8:56-58)

,Yesterday I looked at God's threat to not dwell among the Israelites if Solomon (and the people) failed to keep the law.  One of the saddest passages in the entire Bible is the departure of God's glory from the temple, during Ezekiel's time.

How--revolutonary--it must have seemed when Jesus promised "I am with you always, even to the end of the world." God is never going to give up on us or walk out on us.

But Solomon's prayer for our part of the covenant remains as vital as ever:

Keep us centered; Keep us devoted to him.  I suspect that Solomon's use of "centered" and "devoted" is an example of parallelism in Hebrew poetry. Devoted is meant to repeat and build upon centered.

I find them picturesque. Centered implies that our lives revolve around God.  Everything in our lives--our thoughts, our work, our food, our actions, our worship, our relationships--should remain at the same distance from God. There should be no Sunday Christians.

Of course, none of us are perfectly centered.

Devoted touches on focus. The more we devote ourselves to God, making Him the touchstone against which we measure every decision, the more our lives will be centered on Him.

Lofty goals. I notice that Solomon asked for God's help. He acknowledged the people couldn't, wouldn't, do it on their own. We can ask God for the same, to do for us what we can't do for ourselves.

The following things are more in our control. There are things we can do to help keep us centered and focused.

Watch the signposts. Not every day requires a signpost, but we don't always know when we'll need it.

Wherever we are on the "life path," whether we headed down a straight path or ready to turn, we need to watch out for the signposts. God will always point the way.

Walk at the pace he set down for us.  Walk at the rhythm he set down for us. Like centered and focused above, pace and rhythm have a similar meaning. Both the speed at which we move, and the

patterns and fluctuations we develop over time are important. Like a professional athlete, we can benefit from seeking the ideal pace and rhythm God has ordained for us--uniquely our own.

When have we ever been so excited about walking the life-path God has for us, that we have wanted to dance and shout?

Every now and then we might want to walk on the Pentecostal side.

DON'T FORGET (2 Kings 6)

Today I read about King Solomon's temple and palace. Wow!  Even my architecturally-challenged brain can appreciate how absolutely magnificent they were. (And while we're at it, can anyone tell me the difference between a 4-sided door and a 5-sided door?)

But I'm going to meditate on the one time God spoke up in these two chapters.

About this Temple you are building--what's important is that you live the way I've set out for  you

and do what I tell you, following my instructions carefully and obediently. Then I'll complete in you the promise I made to David your father. I'll personally take up my residence among the Israelites--I won't desert my people Israel. (2 Kings 6:11-13)

A positive encouragement to behave like he should. I believe I work better with positive reinforcement. Yell at me the way Gordon Ramsey or Robert Irvine do hapless chefs, and I wilt. So God's practice of always warning people, "Don't! Stop! You're going to be punished!" always strikes me (let's be honest) as a little off.

This time God promised--if you do as you're supposed to, I'll repeat the promise I made to your father to you.

Solomon started off well, but let his wives (he had an even worse problem than his father did) lead him astray, introducing idol worship for their use. That's a later chapter, but knowing what lies ahead, I wince as I read this verse.

It's not enough to dress like a Christian, to have all the trappings--everything plated with gold--you have to live what you believe and do what is commanded. Eventually, Solomon let the trappings take the place of the heart.

David remained a man after God's own heart until the very end.

His son failed the test.

Even more heartbreaking--his failure affected the entire nation. God would

take up residence among the Israelites only if Solomon lived a holy life.

How would I respond if put to a similar test? I doubt I would do much better than Solomon did, given my track record with such minor challenges.

The lesson is familiar, but important none the less.  It doesn't matter what church you attend or how many Bibles you own or whether you wear a cross. A heart attune to God, His word and His will, is what puts on you on the right road.

MICROWAVE SOCIETY (1 Kings 3-4)

Today's devotional is written by Jo Huddleston. 

So many of our society hold the attitude of “me, me, me” and “now, now, now.” Some have labeled this “The Microwave Society”—obtaining things quickly for ourselves. Overall, this describes a selfish people.

When Solomon, son of King David, became king, and was in Gibeon, “the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, ‘Ask for whatever you want me to give you.’” (1 Kings 3:5, NIV)

This verse reminds me of little children making their Christmas lists for Santa: a list of things the children want for their personal fun. Our family draws names at Christmastime—a Southern thing. Then we each make a list of what we’d like to receive and leave all the lists in the same location for all to peruse. Of course, the Christmas lists mention personal things we’d enjoy.

King Solomon, being around twenty years old, sensed the great task ahead of him to rule the people. He answered God, “Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.” (1 Kings 3:8, NIV)

Solomon’s request pleased God since Solomon had not asked for pleasures or wealth. 

God granted King Solomon’s prayer. “God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.” (1 Kings 4:29, NIV) Solomon’s request so pleased God that he also granted him what he had not requested: riches and honor so that no other king would be equal to King Solomon in his lifetime.

Do you have the mindset of those in the “Microwave Society,” always striving for the

pleasure of “me, me, me”? Do you ever pray to God for whatever He wills you to have in order to make life better for others? I plan to claim this scripture in my prayer life so that I will pray to God as a servant, asking for a discerning heart. I hope you will do this with me.