The Widow of Zarephath
4. "I had only a little flour, yet he made a feast out of it! Praise the Lord’s name!” this widow may have told her neighbors. We see now the fourth woman, the widow of Zarephath, who was willing to feed God’s anointed, Elijah, with only what she had. God provided what was needed for her to feed him. II Kings 17: 8-16 tell of a widow’s willing heart, full of faith. The Zarephath widow is to be admired for her willing heart and unwavering faith even when she didn’t have much to offer.
Mary, the Mother of Jesus
5. I am nothing to be chosen of, why me? This is the fifth woman’s possible thoughts when an angel came to young Mary’s side. Yes, I am talking of Mary our Lord’s own Mother. Luke 2, Matthew 1, and parts of Mark talk of Mary and Christ’s birth very briefly, but I know Mary had a lot of faith to follow through with this seemingly absurd thing she just heard from a man sent from God Himself. Mary’s character is to be admired for her strong faith in what seemed impossible.
Queen Esther
6. "Suppose, you were sent to the palace, for such a time as this," Mordecai told her when she questioned going before the King to save her people. The sixth woman is, if you haven’t guessed, the lovely Queen Esther. The book of Esther tells of a young woman’s quest to save her people. She shows her unselfish character when willing to risk her life for her people. ”And if I perish, I perish.” Those were her words when going before the King. Esther's character is to be admired for her wisdom, bravery and beauty.
The story of the Widow of Zarephath as found in I Kings chapter seventeen.
"8And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, 9Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. 10So 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. 11And 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. 12And 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. 13And 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. 14For 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. 15And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. 16 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." (I Kings 17:8-16)