More Than We Can See

Westminster Presbyterian Church
June 10th 2007

Rev. Mark Bradshaw-Miller
I Kings 17:1-16
“More Than We Can See”

It all begins with a simple encounter between Elijah and Ahab. This passage tells little about Ahab other than he is the recipient of the news about an impending drought. The identification of Elijah is pretty extensive in comparison. Unlike Elijah, Ahab is identified as someone who has no family or place of origin. And as quickly as he arrives on the scene he disappears from the story all together. It is as if the narrator wants us to believe that Ahab is unimportant.
Despite his relative unimportance in this passage, Ahab is someone who we need to know more about. Ahab is a great King, who ruled over the northern Kingdom of Israel for twenty-two years. Given the political unrest of the time, that was rather impressive. Historians have shown that Ahab was a rather shrewd political leader. In some circles it was believed that he was God’s chosen leader. Yet, in the collection of the Kings we find out a different story. Though there is nothing to go on in chapter eighteen, chapter seventeen tells us that “Ahab son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him” and that he “did more to provoke the anger of the Lord, than had all the kings of Israel who were before him.” It just goes to show that history is never disinterested.
The biblical witness is clear in its assessment of Ahab. Ahab’s problem was that he was double minded. He worshiped the God of Israel while at the same time promoting the god Baal. It turns out that Ahab’s divine blessing was from Baal, not the God of the bible. His military and economic successes appear to have confused the king on this point. Ahab’s allegiance to Baal, which was enmeshed in economic and political gains, had trumped his allegiance to the God of Israel. This confusion is what brings Elijah to the presence of the King in our scripture this morning.
Elijah comes before the great and powerful king and says there will be no rain for three years, unless he, Elijah, says so. The King, in this encounter, is not even given his proper respect. He is only addressed as Ahab. No rain is the sort of message which may worry us but it was deviating in that setting. It was as if Elijah said to the king; I am going to bring the entire economy to a grinding halt. To grasp the enormity of what is being said, imagine Elijah speaking today and saying; ‘I am going to cease all production and drilling for oil for the next three years.’ In essence, Elijah’s pronouncement to the King is a very real threat to national security. It is with these very dangerous words that this passage begins.
On the heels of this dangerous pronouncement, God provides Elijah with a refuge. It is not a promise of long term security but simply a safe place called the Wadi Cherith where ravens will provide him with food. In fact, this is not much of a promise at all. The Wadi was known to dry up during periods of drought and the ravens were an animal that ritual law said was unclean. Not much of a long range plan!
God’s promise of sustenance comes in as a rather unbelievable message. Yet, Elijah stakes his future, and his life on the promise that God will provide, even through uncertain sources. While Elijah is on the run, God provides. However, the means of provision are rather tenuous. One resource, the river, is uncertain, unpredictable, and unreliable. The other resources, ravens, are unclean and unwelcome in religious circles. Yet, for a time, these unexpected sources provide life. Once the river drives up God provides again. This time Elijah is sent to find a widow to provide for his needs. And again, God provides, through another unreliable resource.
Elijah’s journey brings him face to face with an unnamed widow. It is not a promising scene. When Elijah asks for food she responds:
As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
It is a harsh personal struggle which is also meant as an indictment against the King. By not worshipping God alone, Ahab has built a society which no longer provides for the poor, the widow and the orphan. Ahab’s worshiping of Baal has led to domestic and economic policy which breaks the covenant God has made with the people of Israel.
In response to the words proclaiming death Elijah says: “Do not fear… go and do what I have asked and the God of Israel will provide.” And now the unnamed widow has a decision to make. Will she respond by offering hospitality, believing God will provide or will she respond out of fear hoarding what little she has? It is not clear why, but she does as Elijah asks and her actions bring life.
Elijah, the widow, and her entire household have enough. It turns out that despite meager resources, there is enough for everyone. It is a powerful statement in the midst of desperate times to share resources. When faced with atrophy and even death, this widow takes a risk to help a stranger. And as a result, there are enough resources for all.
While this is a passage about God’s miraculous provision, it is so much more. This story of our faith is a message about the givens of our world. At each stage of this story the gives of the world, or conventional wisdom, are being challenged. This passage is the call to become more aware of the ways in which God is at work, providing resources beyond what we can see at any given moment. God does provide for us, but not often in the ways we expect or even prefer. The resources God provides might just come in the form of an unpredictable river, or in the form of a religiously impure raven. However, the most challenging call in this passage might just be the one presented to the widow. That is the call to move beyond the ways of hoarding to the ways of hospitality which so often surprise us with their life-giving power. Our faithfulness, in fact, our very survival may require us to risk, what we believe, is our last meal before we go and die, in order to find life in all its fullness. So let us pull out our jar of meal or jug of oil, whatever it might be, and decide that we follow the faith of the unnamed widow and choose to follow the way of hospitality rather than fear. Amen.