In verse 1, Elijah appeared abruptly to deliver a rather disturbing message to Ahab, the wicked king of Israel—there would be no rain or dew for an extended period of time. Drought in Israel generally indicated God’s judgment on the people. And there was much in Israel for God to punish. They had turned away from the Lord and were worshipping Baal, the false god of the Canaanites.

Many of the details in the stories of Elijah and Elisha show that the Lord God of Israel is the true and living God, not Baal. One of the ways we see that is in God’s control of weather and provision of food. God provides what Baal cannot provide.

In today’s passage, we see two remarkable ways God provided for his servant, Elijah. God provided first from a brook and then from a barrel. In each of these two cases, we see the same pattern: a command, a promise, obedience, and supply. In fact, we see this pattern repeated twice.

This is a pattern that still pertains to us as well. If we are faithful and obedient like Elijah was, we can expect God to provide for us in similar ways. The Lord God of Israel is still the true and living God who can provide for his obedient servants.

Let’s see what lessons we can learn from Elijah’s experience with a brook and a barrel.