She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For 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. 1 Kings 17:15-16
“To sustain her own life or the life of her son, in despair, she accepts the disastrous disadvantage. The prophet, however, refuses the conventional arrangement of advantage and disadvantage. He enacts a world of guaranteed abundance for the widow, in defiance of more conventional arrangements of scarcity.
Thus, the encounter is not a “do-good” act of charity; is is rather a revolutionary act that rejects the myth of scarcity fostered by the privileged, a myth accepted by the widow who has no available alternative. The prophet is able to enact this “wonder” of meal and oil because there is more than enough.
This narrative then is affirmative testimony to the generosity of the Creator who has given enough gifts for all and critical testimony against the monarchy that has arranged the abundance of the Creator through a practice of scarcity.
There is no doubt that the contemporary world, like that ancient royal world, subscribes to a myth of scarcity. But such scarcity is not a given of creation. It is an imposed power arrangement whereby some have too much so that, consequently, some have too little (see Exodus 16:17-18 for counter affirmation).
Walter Brueggemann in 1 & 2 Kings (Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary series; Macon: Smyth & Helwys, 2000) 216.
Don’t miss the fact that there was food every day for this widow. When we give God what we have, which is risking everything, He sees and makes sure we have enough.
Think of it this way. We must live in light of the abundant kingdom to experience the guaranteed abundance. Those who don’t, by default, get the imposed power arrangement.
The only way the widow (or us) can tap into abundance is by giving God what we have and trusting Him to sustain us. This positions us to give the “testimony” to the generosity of the Creator.
What’s your testimony?