A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                       ONLY A LITTLE FLOUR AND OIL PART VI

"I, Elijah, the prophet of God, have arrived in Zarephath of Sidon.... God told me that He has directed a widow there to take care of me... It is true, He did not give me her address..... Not did He give me a description of her.... But I was sure that He would lead me to the widow of His choice... I wondered if she was perhaps a more-well-to-do widow.... Having some extra resources would make sense now that she is to provide for me while the drought continues.... When I arrived at the town gate of Zarephath of Sidon I noticed someone who looked like a widow.... But she did not look like a more-well-to-do widow.... Nevertheless, I decided to speak to her.... She may not be the one I would have picked to take care of me....But I could not dismiss her.... She may be God's choice.....  I asked her for some water and bread.... For, surely, if she was the widow of God's choice then she should be able to give me these very basic items at least.... Every widow in Israel, no matter, how poor, will never refuse to give water and bread to those who have need of them."... Please read the typed out attachment when the prophet Elijah arrives at the town gate of Zarephath of Sidon where he asks a widow for some basic items....


              ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                        ONLY A LITTLE FLOUR AND OIL PART VI

The prophet Elijah arrives at the town gate at Zarephath in Sidon. And notices a widow as you can read in I Kings 17:10-11

So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, "Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?" As she was going to get it, he called, "And bring me, please, a piece of bread."

The prophet Elijah notices that this widow is gathering sticks. This can only mean that she does not have a servant to do it for her. Nevertheless, he dares to ask her for some water and bread.

      

   



                            A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES
 
                                 ONLY A LITTLE FLOUR AND OIL PART V

"I, Elijah, the prophet of God have just gathered my few belongings.... It is time for me to leave the brook.... The Lord has told me to go to Zarephath in Sidon.... He has told me as well that I am to be taken care of by a widow there.... A widow!!... I must say, I cannot help but have a few questions about God's choice for me.... First of all, I would like to know why I am being send to a place outside Israel since these nations do not serve the God we serve...... And I would like to know why He is sending me to a widow there...... We have many widows in Israel..... So it does not make sense for God to send me far away to a widow..... Unless this widow in Zarephath of  Sidon is a little better off.... Most if not all widows in Israel are poor..... Therefore God knows that they are not able to take care of me..... Especially, because the drought will continue for some time still..... Anyway, I better be going so I can meet this widow at Zarephath of Sidon.".... Please read the typed out attachment when God tells the prophet Elijah He has prepared a widow at Zarephath of Sidon to take care of him.....


                ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                  ONLY A LITTLE FLOUR AND OIL PART V

God has told the prophet Elijah that he has to go to Zarephath of Sidon to be taken care of by a widow as you can read in I Kings 17:9

I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food.

It seems God has very carefully selected a widow  in Zarephath in Sidon to begin to take care of him. That must obviously she will be able to do so.
    

                            A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                 ONLY A LITTLE FLOUR AND OIL PART IV

"I, Elijah, the prophet of God, have been quite content hiding at the brook that God assigned to me.... I have been well provided for until now... My last meal has still been provided for by my friends, the ravens... But my water supply has pretty much run out for the brook has dried up..... I wasn't quite sure what to do.... There was no rock to hit or even to speak to as in the time of Moses.... And, anyway, God has not told me to do so..... I wondered if I perhaps should visit my home town Tishbe to see how everyone is.... But then earlier today the Lord spoke to me.... He told me to go to Zarephath of Sidon....I am to be taken care of by a widow there... I have just gathered my few belongings and am about to leave the brook.... I will miss seeing my friends, the ravens.".....Please read out the typed out attachment when God tells the prophet Elijah to go to a place called Zarephath of Sidon....


               ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                              ONLY A LITTLE FLOUR AND OIL PART IV

The prophet Elijah is without water in the brook. Where he has been staying has finally completely dried up and God has not miraculously filled the brook up again. Instead, he has told Elijah to go to a place called Zarephath of Sidon. That is quite interesting because that place is outside Israel. We might think that God will want to keep Elijah in Israel because the nations surrounding Israel are all pagan nations. But apparently God does not mind for his prophet to go to places he may not necessarily be thinking of going as you can read  in I King 17:8

Then the word of the Lord came to him, "Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there."

Elijah knows that he can no longer stay at the brook so he prepares to leave for Zarephath in Sidon.

                            A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                 ONLY A LITTLE FLOUR AND OIL PART III

"I, Elijah, the prophet of God, am very grateful to my God..... My country is having a drought because of king Ahab's disobedience.... I was the one who told him that was going to happen.... The king blames me for the drought and has been trying to find me.... But I am not responsible for the drought.... I was only the bearer of this bad news.... God knew that the king would be very angry with me.... So He made sure I went to a safe place where the king would not be able to find me....Moreover, I have been able to drink water during this drought because God sent me to a brook.... It is true, I have not been able to go back to my home in Tishbe where I am from.... But that is most probably better anyway since there may not be any water to drink in Tishbe.... I am getting quite concerned, though, for it seems the brook I am staying at is drying up as well.... Will that mean I have to go somewhere else?.... Or will God perform a miracle so I can continue to stay here?... I am getting quite used to being here.... Every evening I have a visit from some ravens who bring me my dinner.... I am getting to know them.... I have even given them names.... They are, after all, my only companions here.... I am not complaining though.... I think it is better to be here than at the palace... I am sure the atmosphere at the palace is very unpleasant... The king is, no doubt, in a very bad mood each day.... And I think that everyone tries to avoid him, if at all possible.".... Please read the typed out attachment when the prophet Elijah notices that the brook he is staying at is beginning to dry up...

               ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                ONLY A LITTLE FLOUR AND OIL PART III

The prophet Elijah is quite settled at the brook for his basic needs such and water and food are provided for. But unfortunately something happens to the brook as you can read in I kings 17:7

Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.

What is Elijah to do now? Surely God will continue to take care of his prophet? After all, it is not his fault that there is a drought in the land. He has only been the one who has foretold the drought. But he is not the cause of it and should not really have to suffer the effects of the drought.It is true, so far God has taken care of him. But now the brook is drying up too and God has not done something miraculous to make the brook continue to provide water for Elijah.

                            A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                  ONLY A LITTLE FLOUR AND OIL PART II

"I, Elijah, the prophet of God, have just come back from a meeting with king Ahab. It was a very unpleasant meeting to say the least.... That is not too surprising for I had to tell him God is going to send a drought in the land..... King Ahab did not take kindly to my words.... In fact, I could see his anger rising up within him as I was sharing my message with him.... So I left as soon as I had told him the bad news... There was no point in hanging around any longer.... Who knows what he may want to do to me as the bearer of this bad news.... Of course, I am not responsible for this drought.... He is responsible for this drought.... He has made God very angry by his willful disobedience.... But the king will still blame me, I am quite sure.... I may, therefore, have to go into hiding... The Lord will show me where to go.... He has always taken care of me.... I am sure He will continue to do so.".... Please read the typed out attachment when God directs the prophet Elijah to a safe place....


              ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                              ONLY A LITTLE FLOUR AND OIL PART II

The Lord knows that the prophet Elijah needs protection from a very angry king Ahab and gives him clear instructions as to where he is to hide as you can read in I Kings 17:2-6

Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah, "Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there." So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan and stayed there. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook."

The Lord made sure Elijah had water to drink by sending him to a brook. And He arranged for him to be fed as well.

         

Here is the first post on my first story on the life of the prophet Elijah.


                       A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                              ONLY A LITTLE FLOUR AND OIL PART I

"I, Elijah, live in Tishbe in Gilead, Israel.... I am a prophet of God.... Unfortunately, we are having a very ungodly king over us today.... His name is Ahab.... He does not worship our God... Instead he worships a false god named Baal... God is very angry with king Ahab for setting up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he had built in Samaria.... God has now told me to go to king Ahab with a message for him....I have to tell him that there will be no rain for the next few years."... Please read the typed out attachment when we will learn about the prophet Elijah's visit to king Ahab.....


          ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                            ONLY A LITTLE FLOUR AND OIL PART I

God is very angry with king Ahab if Israel because he has chosen to worship a false god Baal and sends the prophet Elijah to him as you can read in I Kings 17:1

Now Elijah, the Tishbite from Tishbe in Gilead said to Ahab, "As the Lord, the God of Israel lives whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word."

The prophet Elijah tells king Ahab God has decided that as punishment for his disobedience there will be no dew or rain for some years.

                        

       

                       A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                              ONE SLING SHOT WILL DO PART XV

"I, David, youngest son of Jesse, know that the Lord is there to help me whenever I need Him to.... My prayer is that those who come after me will know that too."... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn that God's power is available to you at all times....


          ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                            ONE SLING SHOT WILL DO PART XV

As a believer you need to remember that God's power to overcome the enemy is available for you 24 hours a day 7 days a week. All you need to do is to be obedient to God, be dressed in the armour of God and use the sword of he Spirit to defeat the enemy.
Jesus used the sword of the Spirit, the word of God to defeat Satan when Satan attacked Him in the desert as you can read in Luke 4:1-13

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days and at the end of them He was hungry. The devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written: "Man does not live on bread alone." The devil led Him to a high place and showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to Him, "I will give you all their authority and splendour , for it has been given to me and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if You worship me, it will all be Yours." Jesus answered, "It is written: "Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only." The devil led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the highest point of the Temple. "If You are the Son of God," he said, "throw Yourself down from here. For it is written""He will command His angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will life you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your feet against a stone." Jesus answered, "It says: "Do not put the Lord your God to the test."
When the devil had finished all his tempting, he left Him until an opportune time.

You must learn to use the same method when attacked by the enemy so that you too will be as victorious against the enemy as David was against Goliath. God wants you to know no matter what kind of battle you face, God will enable you to be victorious. All you need to do is to use the weaponry He has given you. This weaponry may not look powerful in the eyes of the world but it si powerful in God's eyes. It will, therefore, cause you to be triumphant over your enemy and will give God the glory He so richly deserves.

P.S. This post is the last one on the story of David and Goliath. We will begin to look at the first of two stories on the prophet Elijah in the next post.

                   
                          A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                 ONE SLING SHOT WILL DO PART XIV

"I, David, youngest son of Jesse, used a very unusual weapon to kill the giant Goliath.... I used a smooth stone..... The reason I did so is because I am a shepherd and not a soldier.... My prayer is that those who will come after me will know how to dress and what weapons to use to defeat the enemy."... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn how to protect yourself from the enemy....


         ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                             ONE SLING SHOT WILL DO PART XIV

As a believer, you need to make sure that you are dressed in the armour of God to protect yourself against the onslaughts of the enemy.
The first piece of the armour is the belt of truth. This refers to Jesus being the Truth as you can read in John 14:6
Jesus answered, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

The next piece of this armour is the breastplate of righteousness. This speaks of the fact that as a believer you are righteous in Christ according to II Corinthians 5:21
God made Him who had no sin to become sin for us so that, in Him, we might become the righteousness of God.

Then Paul mentions that your feet are to be fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace for Jesus said in John 14:27
"Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you."

Thereafter you are told to take up the shield of faith for, according to I Thessalonians 5:9
God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.