Key Lesson: We must trust God’s Word even when it seems illogical.
Waiting on God!
At the brook, Elijah had learned greater dependence on the Lord. Day by day, without fail, God sent
the ravens to him with delicious food. As the drought worsened, the water in the brook Cherith decreased to
a trickle and then completely dried up. As Elijah sat beside the dry brook, he may have felt as if God had
abandoned him. Have you ever felt that way? It is a terrible feeling! However, God had not forgotten about
Elijah!1 God simply waited until Elijah’s water supply was gone before showing him the next step. God often
does this to keep us depending on Him. God waited until Sarah was too old to bear children before giving
her a son (Gen 21). God waited until Israel had no way of escape before He opened a dry path across the Red
Sea (Exo 14). God waited until the night before his execution before He sent an angel to let Peter out of
prison (Acts 12). God waited until all hope of surviving the storm was gone before He gave Paul assurance
that he and all those with him would survive (Acts 27). We must not lose faith in God when He waits until
we are desperate before helping us. Pastor Alan Carr put it this way, “Before God can mould us, He must first
melt us!”2 (Isaiah 40:31) “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
God is Always on Time
When Elijah had no more water to drink, God once again gave him three clear directions.
- First, he was to arise. This was a welcomed command since he had no more water in that place.
- Second, he was to go to Zarephath. He must leave his secret hiding place near the brook Cherith and travel 130 km northwest to a town called Zarephath. The name Zarephath means “smelting-shop, ‘a workshop for the refining and smelting of metals’, a small Phoenician town, now Surafend, about a mile (1.6 km) from the coast, almost midway on the road between Tyre and Sidon.3 It was the home country of wicked Queen Jezebel. God must have a great sense of humour to send Elijah to Jezebel’s home area for his next hiding place. I wonder what Elijah thought of the idea?
- Third, he was to dwell there. He was not to leave. Zarephath was to be his home until further notice. God would use this time in that small smelting village to melt Elijah so that he could mould him into a finer vessel. God would also use that time to be a huge blessing to that dear foreign widow saint and her son.
Please see attached pdf for more notes