The Widow's Flour and Oil Do Not Fail
A widow down to her last handful of flour fed Elijah first, trusting his promise - and her flour and oil never ran out until the famine ended.
During a severe famine, God sent Elijah to a widow in Zarephath who had only enough flour and oil left for one final meal before she and her son expected to die. Elijah asked her to make him a small cake first, promising that her barrel of meal would not empty and her jar of oil would not fail until the famine ended - and so it happened exactly as he said, sustaining the household for many days. The miracle demonstrates God's tender provision for the humblest and most desperate, using a foreign widow rather than anyone in Israel to display his faithfulness.
Details
- Category
- Provision
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Performed by
- Elijah
Key Chapters
Key Passages
The Barrel of Meal Does Not Waste
1 Kings 17:8-16
Elijah promises a starving widow that her meager flour and oil will not run out until the famine ends - and God provides exactly as promised, day after day.
8nd the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
Did You Know?
The widow was down to her last meal for herself and her son when Elijah came.
Her jar of meal and cruse of oil did not run out for the whole famine.
She had to feed the prophet first - an act of costly faith.
It happened in Zarephath, in the heart of Jezebel's homeland.