From the pulpit 

           Weekly Religious Article
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            Edward Proffitt, Th. D.

       

 THE BARREL IS NOT EMPTY

                           "thy whole body shall be full of light"  Matthew 6:22 

                                           Edward Proffitt, Th.D.

The tiny community of Zarephath was made famous b a barrel of meal. Scripture tells us "And the barrel of meal wasted not...according to the Word of the Lord which He spake by Elijah" (1 Kings 17:16). That verse of scripture gets down to the bare facts more than any other passage in the Bible. 
 

Elijah knew the power of the Word of God. Gods' Words, "according to the the Word of the Lord" identified the preacher Elijah more than any other personal trait of his righteous life.

 

The Word of God was the source of Elijah's' courage. It gave him concrete-to-stand before evil in high places, and provided zeal and solid boldness. It took him home to heaven and back to earth. His life can be measured by the phrase, "according to the Word of the Lord". 

 

Zarephath is not a Mount Carmel, It Is Small and obscure. The cast of characters are extremely limited - A PROPHET, A WOMAN AND HER SON. There are no crowded streets, no violent actions, the prophet's of Baal are absent and there is no threatening shadow of Jezebel or Ahab. Yet it is a supreme test for "according to the Word of the Lord" God acting upon the bare facts of faith, would perform a miracle.

 

The miracle is a great lesson in faith. Elijah's request (that his wants be looked after first) could be interpreted by the woman of Zarephath as a selfish demand. Still, the barrel would have been empty by nightfall if the meal in it had been used for the woman and her son. Continuance of supply depended on her obedience to faith in the prophet as a messenger of God, and the word he spoke.

 

There is a great lessen at Zarephath that we could learn; we are empty meal barrels in self, yet the barrel need not be empty. Martin Luther once said, "God creates out of nothing and until a person recognizes that He is nothing, God can do nothing with him". That statement reunites to the problem of man today; we are too strong, we have too much ability, our barrel of faith in God is empty and God cannot use us. The Biblical demand is to put our trust in God and if we will, the barrel will not become empty.