Luke 4:24-27 NASB
[24] And He said, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown. [25] But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; [26] and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. [27] And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” …
In these verses not only does Jesus shock the Jews that make them angry when He refers to two Gentiles being healed by Elijah and Elisha, He also gives us insight into the ways of God. In verse 26 He makes it clear that Elijah was sent to the woman at Zarephath by the Lord intentionally. It wasn’t that he just happened upon this woman and her son, but the word of the Lord came to him and told him to go to that specific woman. In Naaman’s case, the Lord led him in a different way. In the name and young Jewish girl had been taken captive and was serving Naaman’s household, and she spoke to Naaman’s wife that she knew about a prophet who was in Samaria that would be able to heal him, and that she wished Naaman could get to him. Naaman heard about it and went to is King, and then Syria’s king sent Naaman to the king of Israel to be healed. Eventually, Elisha heard about it and Naaman was healed.
Why did God choose to send Elijah to the Gentile woman when there were plenty of other widows who were Jewish, and why was the Gentile Naaman healed when there were plenty of lepers in Israel? I am not sure that I know all the answers to this question but I do believe there is a truth that gives us some insight into the ways of God. Look at the Scripture Luke 18. In the Scripture Jesus is giving a parable about faith using the story of the widow and the unjust judge. This widow kept coming to this unjust judge asking the judge to give her legal protection from her opponent yet he refused; but after a while even though he was not a God-fearing man, because of this widow’s persistence, he chose to give her legal protection. In verse six through eight Jesus gives his conclusions about this parable. Remember in verse one he started the parable out by saying that at all times his disciples should pray and not lose heart. Let me quote here verses six through eight; “And the Lord said, hear what the unrighteous judge said; how shall not God bring about justice for his elect, who cry to him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that he will bring about justice for them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” The actual translation should be “Will He find THE faith on the earth?” There is faith, and then there is THE faith, AND IT IS THE FAITH that God is drawn to
In the days of Elijah and Elisha there was much spiritual apathy and idolatry in the land of Israel, and I believe that the story of Naaman, and the woman at Zarephath are all about God looking for THE faith on the earth, and then landing in manifest power wherever he found it. I believe He found childlike hearts in the woman of Zarephath, and in Naaman, who were desperate and were in a posture of childlike believing, even though their faith was certainly not perfect, nor had they perfect theology because neither one of them were Jews. In other words, they didn’t have it all together, but there was something about their hearts that created a landing zone for the mercy and power of God to be manifested. When Elijah told the woman at Zarephath to take the last little bit of flour that she had and to make him a meal, she obeyed even though she had been preparing that last little bit of flour to be the last bit of food for her and her son before they both died of starvation. What childlike obedience, and expectation. When Naaman was told by Elisha to go wash seven times in the Jordan, Naaman’s initial response was rage at such a silly request, but his servants appealed to him, and in the end his childlike faith manifested and he went to the river Jordan and was totally cleansed. At first he rebelled at Elisha’s instruction, but in the end the simplicity of desperate obedience and hopeful expectation received the power of God.
God is simply looking for faith on the earth, and where He finds it, His power and presence is manifested. He’s not looking for perfect faith, or even a perfect walk, just a perfect heart. 2 Chronicles 16:9 says this, “the eyes of God run to and fro throughout the whole earth looking for anyone whose heart is perfect towards him that he might show himself strong on their behalf.” In the midst of our imperfections, lack of theological faith formulas, the simplicity of desperate obedience, and a childlike hope that wont let go is all that God is looking for. Of course the Holy Spirit lives in us, but as He hovers over our situation, does He find THE faith that releases divine activity.