Elijah and the Widow
Let's look at how the literary form of the story. See what new meanings may jump out about the point of the story.
Larger Story Units
Let's think about how the Elijah stories work together.
INTRODUCTION - Elijah announces a drought in the land
2nd Story - Elijah is sustained by the widow and in return helps the widow and her son
Let's look at the opening of each story and look for similarities.
1st story - And the word of the Lord came to him: “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”
So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan.
2nd Story - Then the word of the Lord came to him, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.”
So he arose and went to Zarephath.
3rd Story - After many days the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth.”
So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab.
“Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
Discussion Questions
Notice all three stories begin with similar language. What phrases do the stories have in common? What is the first thing that happens in each story? What is the second thing that happens in each story? Why do you think this is?
Chapters in the Ancient Text
When the Bible was written, it had no chapters. It was written on long scrolls. Readers had to rely on clues to know when they had reached a new story. In this case, you can see each story is clearly marked off with the phrase "the word of the Lord came to Elijah." And then Elijah does exactly what the Lord says.
What's interesting later is when the author also breaks the pattern. For instance, when Jezebel threatens Elijah's life and he flees into the wilderness, it does not say that the word of the Lord came to Elijah. Later he reaches a cave in a mountain and the word of the Lord comes to Elijah asking him what he is doing there. This change in the pattern is supposed to be noticed by the reader and provoke additional thought about the story. Was Elijah supposed to flee? Was that part of God's plan? These questions are answered by reading the story further.