Be Not Forgetful to Entertain Strangers
EGW
For a time after appearing before Ahab, Elijah remained hidden in the mountains by the brook Cherith. There he was fed morning and evening by an angel from heaven. Later on when, because of the continued drought, the brook became dry, God sent his servant to find refuge in a heathen land. “Arise,” he bade him, “get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.” RH August 28, 1913, par. 1
This woman was not an Israelite. She had never had the privileges and blessings that the chosen people of God had enjoyed; but she had walked in all the light that was shining on her pathway. And now when there was no safety for Elijah in the land of Israel, God sent him to this woman to find an asylum in her home. RH August 28, 1913, par. 2
“So 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. And 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.” RH August 28, 1913, par. 3
In this poverty-stricken home the famine pressed sore; and the pitifully meager fare seemed about to fail. The coming of Elijah on the very day when the widow feared that she must give up the struggle to sustain life, tested to the utmost her faith in the power of the living God to provide for her necessities. But even in her dire extremity, she bore witness of her faith in the presence of the stranger, who was now asking her to share her last morsel with him. RH August 28, 1913, par. 4
In response to Elijah's request for food and drink, 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.” “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. For 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.” RH August 28, 1913, par. 5
No greater test of faith than this could have been required. The widow had hitherto treated all strangers with kindness and liberality. Now, giving no thought to the suffering that might result to herself and child, but trusting in the God of Israel to supply her needs, she met this supreme test of hospitality by doing “according to the saying of Elijah.” RH August 28, 1913, par. 6
Wonderful was the hospitality shown to God's prophet by this Phoenician woman, and wonderfully were her faith and generosity rewarded. “She, and he, and her house, did eat many days. And 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. RH August 28, 1913, par. 7
“And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore that there was no breath left in him. And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son? And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.... And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord.... And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came unto him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See thy son liveth. And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth.” RH August 28, 1913, par. 8
The widow of Sarepta shared her morsel with Elijah, and in return her life and that of her son were preserved. And to all who in time of trial and want give sympathy and assistance to others more needy, God has promised great blessing. He has not changed. His power is no less now than in the days of Elijah. And no less sure now than when spoken by our Saviour is the promise, “He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward.” RH August 28, 1913, par. 9
“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” These words have lost none of their force through the lapse of time. Our Heavenly Father still continues to place in the pathway of his children opportunities that are blessings in disguise; and those who improve these opportunities find great joy. “If thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: and the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.” RH August 28, 1913, par. 10
To his faithful servants today Christ says, “He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.” No act of kindness shown in his name will fail to be recognized and rewarded. And in the same tender recognition Christ includes even the feeblest and lowliest of the family of God. “Whosoever shall give to drink,” he says, “unto one of these little ones,”—those who are as children in their faith and their knowledge of Christ,—“a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.” RH August 28, 1913, par. 11