Elijah and the Widow's Oil
When the brook dries up, God sends Elijah to a starving widow. Through faith, her handful of flour and small jar of oil miraculously never run out.
1 Kings 17:8-16
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The Story
When the brook Kerith dried up, the word of the Lord came to Elijah: 'Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.'
Zarephath was in Phoenicia—Jezebel's homeland, the very center of Baal worship. Yet there God had prepared a provider.
When Elijah arrived at the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her, 'Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?' As she was going, he called, 'And bring me, please, a piece of bread.'
'As surely as the Lord your God lives,' she replied, 'I don't have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.'
She was preparing her last meal. The famine had brought her to the end.
Elijah said to her, 'Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: "The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land."'
She went away and did as Elijah had told her. It required enormous faith—to give her last food to a stranger on nothing but his word and a promise from a foreign God.
But God proved faithful. There was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. The jar of flour was not used up, and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.
In the darkest place, among a people who didn't know Him, God provided for a widow who dared to believe.
The Jar That Never Got Empty
Kids Version
God told Elijah to go to a town and find a woman who would give him food. But when Elijah found her, she was very poor.
'Could I have some water and bread?' Elijah asked.
The woman looked sad. 'I only have a tiny bit of flour and a tiny bit of oil. I was going to make one last little meal for me and my son. After that, we have nothing left.'
This woman was about to eat her very last food!
But Elijah said, 'Don't be scared. Make me a little bread first. Then make some for you and your son. God promises that your flour jar and oil jar won't get empty until the rain comes back!'
The woman had to decide: Should she trust this man and his God?
She decided to believe! She made bread for Elijah first, just like he asked.
And guess what happened? The next day, she looked in her flour jar—there was still flour! She looked in her oil jar—there was still oil!
The next day—still flour! Still oil!
Every single day, for a long, long time, those jars never got empty. The woman and her son and Elijah had food every day, even though there was no rain and no food growing anywhere!
God kept His promise. When the woman shared what little she had, God gave her more than she could imagine!
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Characters in This Story
Settings & Locations
Scripture — 1 Kings 17:8-16 (KJV)
8And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
9Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. Zarephath: Gr. Sarepta
10So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
11And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
12And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
13And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
14For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth. sendeth: Heb. giveth
15And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. many: or, a full year
16And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah. by: Heb. by the hand of
Memory Verse
“And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,”
— 1 Kings 17:8 (KJV)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the story of “Elijah and the Widow's Oil” in the Bible?
When the brook dries up, God sends Elijah to a starving widow. Through faith, her handful of flour and small jar of oil miraculously never run out. This story is found in 1 Kings 17:8-16.
Where is “Elijah and the Widow's Oil” found in the Bible?
“Elijah and the Widow's Oil” is found in 1 Kings 17:8-16, in the book of 1 Kings.
What can children learn from “Elijah and the Widow's Oil”?
This story teaches children about Faith, Provision, Obedience, Miracles, Caring for prophets. A poor woman had only a tiny bit of flour and oil—her very last food. But when she shared with Elijah, God made sure her jars never got empty!